Editorials, Letters & Political Commentary

The Hon. Todd Smith has broken his promise to create a needs-based autism program by April 2020 that would implement all of the recommendations of the Autism Advisory Panel. In his press conference, he stated families may have to wait until 2021 to access core therapies that are needs-based. Families are devastated. The announcement that the Ford government will continue ...

Monique Taylor, NDP Children and Youth Services critic, issued the following statement about Doug Ford’s latest broken promise to families of children with autism. “Once again Doug Ford has hurt kids with autism. He’s already put families through hell over the last year by denying access to the services their children need. Because of his cuts, autism workers have been ...

NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement as teachers at select boards are poised to walkout for the second time in as many weeks: “I am calling on Doug Ford to reverse his cuts to education, in order to prevent another day of closed schools tomorrow. It’s wrong for him to plow ahead with his reckless scheme ...

Cheryl Gallant, M.P. for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke and Conservative Shadow Minister for Northern Ontario Economic Development, expressed her disappointment following the Liberal Government’s Speech from the Throne.   “Northern Ontario has been completely abandoned by the Liberal Government.  With not a single mention of helping those who work in the forestry or mining industries, nor a focus on rural economic development, this ...

NDP MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan Judith Monteith-Farrell has introduced a bill in the Ontario legislature that would ensure the Northern Health Travel Grant is reviewed and improved, and that northern Ontario residents get the support they need to access health care. The Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act would see the establishment of an advisory committee to consult with ...

Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin slammed the Ford government in question period Thursday for continuing to treat northern Ontarians and northern Ontario highways as second class. Bourgouin stressed the need for the government to invest in more plows, and ensure that the same snow clearance standards it applies to the 400 series highways of the south be applied to northern ...

Marit Stiles, Official Opposition Education Critic, issued the following statement: “Doug Ford’s deep cuts to education have hurt students and their families and brought conflict to our classrooms. He never should have brought us to this point. Instead of picking a fight with educators and forcing them to fight to protect public education in Ontario, Doug Ford should listen to ...

Nov 28, 2019 @ 08:01 – Jeff Burch, MPP for Niagara Centre and NDP critic for municipal affairs, released the following statement after the president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario told a government committee Monday that municipalities are asking to be released from legal liability for dangerous drinking water as a result of the Ford government’s gutting of water ...

The Official Opposition New Democrats want to know the total price tag for Doug Ford’s move to bulldoze 750 green energy contracts, and they’ll try to make that happen with a vote at the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday.   Ontario’s Auditor General has told the NDP it’s going to take a vote in the legislature, an order from the ...

Wayne Gates, Ontario NDP critic for Workplace Health and Safety, warned that Doug Ford is creating a dangerous financial incentive for employers to discourage injured workers from making claims.   The Ford Conservatives announced Friday that they’re pouring $140 million into rewarding employers that tout a good health and safety record —  a model that has proven to motivate employers ...

The Official Opposition New Democrats’ critic for Colleges and Universities, Chris Glover (Spadina—Fort York) said the NDP is very happy that yesterday’s Ontario Superior Court ruling strikes down Doug Ford’s attack on student unions, giving students who rely on student media and on-campus support centres hope that those services will be restored. “The court is very clear that Doug Ford’s ...

Official Opposition Education critic Marit Stiles issued the following statement:   “Making four online learning courses mandatory for graduating high school was only ever about cutting costs on the backs of students. It was never about Students, parents and educators have expressed concern about Doug Ford’s deep cuts to education that will take 10,000 teachers out of our classrooms and ...

Ontario NDP Transit critic Jessica Bell (University—Rosedale) and Transportation and Highways critic Jennifer French (Oshawa) are supporting the Ontario Good Roads Association’s call on the province to develop a Vision Zero strategy. While the City of Toronto and a number of other municipalities have adopted local Vision Zero plans, Ontario does not have a provincial road safety strategy. B.C., Alberta, ...

The Honourable Andrew Scheer, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued a statement on the CN Rail Strike: “The CN strike is hurting all aspects of our economy, from agriculture, to manufacturing, to mining. That is why Justin Trudeau must recall Parliament as soon as possible to enact emergency legislation to get the rail cars moving again. “In ...

The NDP MPP for Sudbury, Jamie West, blasted the Ford government during question period Tuesday for suggesting that the current state of treacherous and poorly maintained winter roads in northern Ontario is good enough for Northerners.   Last week, the Ford government unanimously voted against a bill from NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk—James Bay), the Making Northern Ontario Highways Safer Act — ...