Author Archives: Mike Mantha

News from the Park – « Il n’y a rien de tel qu’un lunch gratuit »

Dans les années 1930, un dicton particulier a gagné en notoriété, même s’il existait bien avant. Le dicton, que les lecteurs auront sans doute entendu à plusieures reprises, est: « Il n’y a rien de tel qu’un lunch gratuit ». Personne ne connaît vraiment l’origine, mais je suppose que c’est devenu populaire grâce à l’émission de radio animée par l’acteur, ...

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News from the Park – “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”

Back in the 1930s, a particular adage gained notoriety, even though it was around long before then. The adage, which readers will no doubt have heard many times is, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” No one really knows the origin, but my guess is it became popular through the radio show hosted by actor, humorist, and journalist ...

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Rural Students’ Education Should Not Be Sacrificed Under Ford Government’s Funding Cuts

MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma-Manitoulin), NDP Critic for Northern Development and Mines, demanded that this government stop exacerbating the already underfunded school systems in rural and northern areas across Ontario. Mantha emphasized the years of neglect by the Liberal government with respect to education and that the added strain of Conservative funding cuts has worsened the situation for thousands of Ontarian’s. ...

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News from the Park – AI & PSWs

I am constantly amazed at how much humans know and can do in this modern era. Not being satisfied with just normal intelligence, we felt a need to improve on it by creating artificial intelligence. I remember watching the old reruns of Star Trek when Mr. Spock could just ask the computer absolutely anything and he’d receive an instant reply. ...

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Open letter to Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation

Open letter to Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation February 3, 2020 Hon. Caroline Mulroney Ministry of Transportation 5th Floor, 777 Bay St. Toronto, ON  M7A 1Z8 Dear Minister Mulroney, I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I am with both of your responses to my letters concerning the insufficient access that Northerners have to DriveTest Centres within their region. ...

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News from the Park – Winter Roads & Drive Test

Those who read this weekly column have little doubt on how much pride I take in being from Northern Ontario. Some may wonder the reason that I love to share such sentiments and emotions. Quite simply, as is frequently the case, we often take for granted some of the things we treasure most until we don’t have them. Being first ...

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From the Park – lorsque vous êtes en bonne santé

Jan 27, 2020 at 08:06 – Nous avons tous entendu le dicton: « lorsque vous êtes en bonne santé, vous avez à peu près tout».  Cependant, l’auteur américain Augusten Burroughs n’a ajouté qu’un court addendum à cette déclaration qui, je pense, y apporte une toute autre tournure. Il a écrit: « Quand vous êtes en bonne santé, vous avez à peu ...

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From the Park – If you have your health

We’ve all heard the saying, “when you have your health, you have just about everything.” Many would successfully argue with the validity of this statement.  However, American author Augusten Burroughs added just a short addendum to that statement that I think puts a whole different twist on it.  He wrote, “When you have your health, you have everything. When you ...

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News from the Park – Joyeux 2020

Maintenant que l’agitation de la saison des fêtes est terminée, je suis heureux de dire que je me sens rafraîchi et impatient de faire face aux nombreux problèmes qui nous touchent tous en tant que résidents du Nord de l’Ontario. Je sais que nous sommes déjà deux semaines dans la nouvelle année, mais je vous souhaite à tous et à ...

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News from the Park – Happy 2020

Now that the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season is over, I’m happy to say I feel refreshed and eager to tackle the many issues that affect all of us as Northern Ontarians. I know we are already two weeks into the New Year, but I want to wish everyone all the best in 2020. Over the holidays I ...

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News from the Park – Christmas Break

Readers of a particular age may recognize the lyrics, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin, slippin’, into the future,” from the late 70’s song Fly Like an Eagleby the Steve Miller Band. As soon as the Legislature rose for the Christmas Break, upon stepping outside I felt kind of out of step with time –suddenly realizing that the Holiday Season is ...

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News from the Park – Poorly Maintained Roads

I am always honoured to be invited to visit schools across Algoma-Manitoulin. Frequently I am invited to meet with secondary students taking civics and careers classes, but in truth I visit all grades from primary to college. One question I can almost always count on being asked is what I think is the most important thing that an MPP does. ...

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News from the Park – L’éducation est le passeport pour l’avenir…

« L’éducation est le passeport pour l’avenir, car demain appartient à ceux qui s’y préparent aujourd’hui. » De nombreux lecteurs identifieront facilement cette citation de Malcom X, éminent défenseur des droits de la personne des années 1960. Je crois sincèrement que l’un des plus grands cadeaux qu’une société puisse offrir à ses jeunes est une bonne éducation qui les préparera à tout ...

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News from the Park – Education is the passport to the future…

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”  Many readers will readily identify this quotation as originating with Malcom X, the prominent human rights activist from the 1960s. I truly believe that one of the greatest gifts that a society can provide to its youth is a good education that will ...

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News from the Park – Northern Ontario Travel Grants

NFTP 191122 People in Algoma-Manitoulin know that when they experience difficulty navigating the tangles of various provincial ministries and agencies, that my office is here to help. Just call or email my constituency office and my team is happy to assist. One of the most frequent topics of concern and request for assistance is in regard to the Northern Ontario ...

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