Editorials, Letters & Political Commentary

  April 24, 2020 Hon. Doug Ford Premier’s Office Room 281 Legislative Building, Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A1 RE: Accès des régions rurales et du Nord au large bande Cher Premier ministre, La réalité de presque tout le monde dans notre province a radicalement changé le mois dernier. Il est devenu évident que pour nous sauver de la COVID-19 ...

Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said today’s announcement that the Ontario government has tasked the majority of its cabinet to look at jobs and economic recovery is disappointing for those who were desperately hoping for an announcement that would help them financially, right now. “Helping everyday people and families get through this, and Saving Main Street, means taking action ...

NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on the Ford government to cancel and cover the drug co-payments seniors in Ontario are required to pay every time they fill a prescription, as COVID-19 measures force seniors to fill their prescriptions more often. The provincial government has asked pharmacists to dispense no more than one month’s worth of medication at ...

NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong), the critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, released the following statement regarding a new deal signed between the Grassy Narrows First Nation and the federal government to construct a mercury treatment centre: “I congratulate the leadership of Grassy Narrows on securing an agreement with Canada to receive full funding to build a Mercury Care Home ...

LOCAL REGULATIONS DURING 2020 SMELT RUN Dear Algoma-Manitoulin,  I am writing this brief notice subsequent to strong actions taken by municipalities and First Nations in order to protect their communities. As the weather gets nicer and the ice begins to melt, the smelt run is around the corner. At this time I ask you to take a moment and think ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath believes people need an 80 per cent rent subsidy to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, and make it to the other side of the crisis without the crushing debt of months of unpaid rent behind them. “For many people in our province, the rent is due this week and they have no way to pay ...

Open letter to Mr Duncan Middlemiss, President and CEO of Wesdome Gold Mines Dear Mr. Middlemiss: I read your press release dated Mar 23, 2020, in which you say, “Our vigilance will go a long way to keeping everyone safe”. I couldn’t disagree more. I would have liked to discuss this with you today, but I was unable to reach ...

La chef néo-démocrate Andrea Horwath a exigé que les états financiers de ce mercredi comprissent un plan pour envoyer des chèques « Revenu d’urgence Ontario », d’une valeur de 2000 $ chacun, aux ménages souffrant de chômage ou d’une baisse des revenus pendant la crise de la COVID-19.   Ces paiements directs combleraient les lacunes laissées par l’attente de plusieurs semaines devant précéder ...

As we reach the halfway point of Premier Ford’s mandate until the 2022 provincial election, Ontarians from across the political spectrum can agree that addressing the needs of Northern Ontario is critical – especially for a Premier who campaigned on standing up for Northern Ontario businesses and skilled workers.   Premier Ford’s mandate for supporting Northern Ontario’s economic development, namely ...

France Gélinas, Ontario NDP Health critic, released the following statement in response to the Ford government’s announcement about vaping:   “Instead of taking strong action to protect young people from the dangers of vaping, today we see the Doug Ford government coming forward with half measures that don’t go far enough. It’s no surprise that youth vaping is up. The ...

Dear Brenda,   National Post columnist Chris Selley says he wants VIA Rail’s transcontinental train axed: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-lets-kill-the-canadian-surely-the-first-worlds-most-dysfunctional-train   While I share some of Selley’s concerns, he misses key points that are vital to any debate about the train’s future.   When it was launched in 1955, The Canadian was the pride and joy of privately-owned Canadian Pacific (CP) and its future president ...

As concerns mount about the Ford government’s botched license plates, MPP Jennifer French, NDP critic for Transportation, continued to pressure the government to stop issuing the new blue plates, the latest criticism being that they are unreadable in bright sunlight and by various scanners. This morning, WKBW Buffalo reported that the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is having issues reading ...

NDP MPPs have demanded Doug Ford explain why Ontarians are being forced to pay some of the highest auto insurance premiums in North America, with rates being jacked up every single year.   Black Creek—Humber River MPP Tom Rakocevic, NDP critic for Auto Insurance, said Doug Ford’s government’s failure to stop auto insurance hikes is just like the Liberals.   ...

Taras Natyshak, the Official Opposition’s Ethics and Accountability critic, is calling on Elections Ontario to investigate whether Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy breached the Election Finances Act by failing to fully report his 2018 campaign expenses. The breach came to light after a worker on his 2018 election campaign had to go to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour to collect unpaid ...

MPP Jennifer French, NDP critic for Transportation and Highways, said Doug Ford needs to tell Ontarians how he’s going to handle the licence plate problem he created. The new PC Party blue plates are under review because they can’t be read under some lighting conditions, but the existing white ones are being sent back to the manufacturer to be destroyed. ...