Editorials, Letters & Political Commentary

Dear Friends: Throughout my years of service as MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin, I have always been so very impressed with the number of citizens that we have in this riding who make incredible contributions as leaders and helpers in our communities.  My office receives notification of the multitude of individuals that selflessly serve to make our communities better places to live. ...

Brenda, It has been 6 months since our PC Leader (now Premier) Doug Ford promised to bring back full passenger rail service to the North.  At the time, this was welcome news should they be elected. Now they have been elected and Northerners are anxious to see this promise happen. For the past 5 years, NEORN has been busy encouraging Northern ...

    Anyone who knows me would likely agree that I truly am a Northerner through and through. I will admit that at times, though not often, I do take advantage of some opportunities that are more urban in nature, such as professional sports, musical concerts and theatre. Toronto’s reputation as a cultural centre is growing. There are some truly ...

  Thanking our Municipal Staff today for working hard to minimize the damage being created during yesterday’s storm, and keeping our roads open.   Thanks to all our businesses for supporting all the stranded travellers.   Robert Reece

World Mental Health Day statement from Ontario NDP Mental Health and Addictions Critic Bhutila Karpoche:   “Today, on World Mental Health Day, communities around the world come together to raise awareness about the challenges faced by those living with mental health issues. Ontario children struggle with the highest rates of mental-health related emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the country. Last ...

The NDP says Doug Ford’s first 100 days in office can only be measured by the people impacted by his choices.   “Ask the students, teachers and educators who were already in drafty schools with lead in the drinking fountains,” said NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh. “Doug Ford cancelled $100 million that was supposed to pay for school repairs, so ...

  Dear Mayor George Lefebvre,   My colleague, Eric Boutilier of All Aboard Northern Ontario, has asked me to provide you and your colleagues with an update on our upcoming NortheastLynx proposal for the revival of the former Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) rail passenger service linking Temiskaming, Cochrane, North Bay and Toronto.   We have made tremendous progress over ...

October 5, 2018 Letter to Wawa Candidates for Council and Voters, First, I would like to thank Mayor Rody for running for Mayor again.  I believe Mayor Rody has provided sound and positive leadership over the past four years.  I would also like to thank all the candidates for running for Council. It was great to see everybody at the ...

Recently, I attended a rally on the steps of Parliament organized by veterans suffering from the long-lasting effects of the anti-malarial drug Mefloquinne. It struck me that this is becoming the new normal as veterans are forced to take their struggles with Veterans Affairs to the government themselves. That this problem persists through successive governments shows that, despite many promises ...

During question period on Wednesday, NDP Childcare critic Doly Begum said Doug Ford is putting profits for corporate child care providers ahead of Northern and rural families that need affordable care today.   “Parents across Ontario need affordable, high quality, public, not-for-profit child care,” said Begum.  “Public dollars should go into care for our kids, not private profits for multinational ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath said Wednesday she’s concerned that the Ford government’s recent review of the books is laying the groundwork for the privatization of public assets.   On the heels of Ford’s theatrical pronouncement that the deficit is deep and the province is in need of cash, this week’s release of a review of the books recommended a “divestiture” ...

Sep 26, 2018 @ 08:26 New Democrats say the Ford Tories’ theatrics over the state of the province’s books are designed to tee up massive cuts to health care, education, and more. On Tuesday, the government released a hasty review of the books, singling out spending in health care, education, social services, and post-secondary education.   “Doug Ford is setting ...

During question period Monday, Vic Fedeli, Doug Ford’s finance minister, confirmed that Ford will cut $100 million – the entire fund for natural gas expansion in northern and rural Ontario – and refused to answer questions from the NDP on the cancellation of more than $8.6 million in funding for a gas expansion project in Nipissing. The NDP’s infrastructure critic, ...

Doug Ford campaigned on a promise to put money back into the pockets of hard working Ontarians. To prove it, he recently announced cutting the carbon tax on natural gas which should reduce home heating bills by $80 per year. For the millions of Ontarians in urban areas, that’s a bonus because they’re on the natural gas grid. For hundreds ...

Finance Minister Vic Fedeli’s speech to the Economic Club set the stage for Doug Ford to make deep and painful cuts across Ontario, says NDP Finance critic Sandy Shaw.   “What Fedeli made clear on Friday is that nothing is safe in Ontario,” said Shaw. “Our hospitals, our children’s schools, our transit systems – everything our families need and count ...