Editorials, Letters & Political Commentary

Dear Brenda, Recently, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) celebrated Earth Day by announcing that 1450 square kilometres of Boreal forest in Northern Ontario, near Hearst, is to be protected. Certainly, it’s a step in the right direction. The cost of purchasing this land from Domtar is 46 million dollars. Comparatively, 3182 square kilometres were withdrawn from the Crown Land ...

Ya gotta wonder how the politicians, their appointees and a circle of supporters prevent their noses from stretching each time another empty promise about the return of the Ontario Northland Railway’s Northlander is trotted out.   Led by their Nipissing sales rep, we hear the blather on about the wonderful work this soon-to-expire government has done… on the public tab. ...

My friends!  The Northlander will return!   I know that for a fact, my friends, because politicians on the re-election campaign trail are right now promising to give us a new, bigger, better and much improved Northlander … if… re-elected.   On the other hand, whenever I hear politicians doling out that “my friends” syrup, I check to see if ...

The NDP is proposing an immediate $200 rebate to offset skyrocketing gas prices and the rising cost of living for northern households. Northern NDP MPPs and candidates say the rebate will help northern families after Doug Ford failed to keep his election promises to lower hydro and gas prices, and he refused to support a long-standing NDP plan to stop ...

The NDP’s Transit critic MPP Tom Rakocevic (Humber River— Black Creek) said the Ford government should be helping Ontarians — not the corporation that owns the 407 ETR at every one else’s expense. The Ford Government has forgiven a $1-billion penalty for the private corporation that owns the 407 — and now the Auditor General has confirmed she will investigate ...

NDP Critic for Innovation, Science and Industry, Brian Masse, issued the following statement: “The pandemic has shown how much people depend on Internet and cellphone services to stay connected, work, study and receive services. The reality is that Canadians are tired and frustrated of paying high fees for Internet services that make big, rich telecommunications companies even richer. They feel ...

Recently after burning the midnight oil at the Legislature, I had to rise and shine long before the sun had risen or shone on a Friday morning. This was not really a choice to make because I had a long drive to get back to the constituency office to meet with my team in the early afternoon. It was a ...

Récemment, après avoir brûlé l’huile de minuit à l’Assemblée législative, j’ai dû me lever bien avant que le soleil et brille un vendredi matin. Ce n’était pas vraiment un choix à faire car j’avais un long trajet pour retourner au bureau de circonscription pour rencontrer mon équipe en début d’après-midi. Ce fut une semaine difficile, c’est sûr. Il semblait qu’il ...

Jagmeet Singh, the Leader of Canada’s NDP, is calling on the Liberal government to keep their election promise to Canadians by taking urgent action to address the growing gap between the ultra-rich and everyday people. On Monday, the NDP will force the debate with their Opposition Day Motion that calls on the Liberals to move ahead with their proposal to ...

Le chef du NPD, Jagmeet Singh, a demandé au gouvernement libéral d’aider les Canadiennes et Canadiens à joindre les deux bouts alors que le prix des produits de première nécessité comme la nourriture et l’essence continue de grimper. Bien que les prix de l’essence et de la nourriture étaient en hausse avant la guerre en Ukraine, l’invasion russe a fait ...

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has called on the Liberal government to help Canadians make ends meet as the price of necessities like food and gas continues to climb. Although gas and food prices were rising before the war in Ukraine, the Russian invasion has driven costs even higher. New Democrats believe that the federal government has a responsibility to help ...

The past two years have been devastating for many small businesses in the region. The tourism industry has been hit particularly hard and many are unsure if they will make it through the next few months. Local NDP MP Carol Hughes recently wrote to Liberal Ministers urging them to provide support for seasonal tourism businesses who are worried about their ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is in Sault Ste. Marie Monday committing to fix the chronic shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in the North. “Northerners are waiting too long and travelling too far to get the health care they need. Without enough doctors, nurses and specialists, people wait hours and hours in the ER, they wait ...

Récemment, j’ai eu le plaisir de laisser derrière moi tout le brouhaha de la vie quotidienne et le bruit incessant de la politique pendant quelques minutes lorsque j’étais chez un ami pendant que leur petit-fils était en visite. Ce week-end, ils fêtaient le premier anniversaire du bébé. La petite fille travaillait clairement déjà sur ses compétences utilisées pour charmer les ...

Recently I had the pleasure of leaving all of the hubbub of daily life and incessant noise of politics behind me for a few minutes when I was in a friend’s home while their grandchild was visiting. That weekend they were celebrating the baby’s first birthday. The little girl was clearly already working on her skills used to charm people. ...