Editorials, Letters & Political Commentary

NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, critic for Indigenous and Treaty Relations, will travel to Edmonton to meet Pope Francis on a Papal Visit to the former Residential School in Maskwacis. Mamakwa will carry with him a birchbark scroll with the testimony of other survivors calling for the revocation of the Doctrine of Discovery. Mamakwa released the following statement: “This visit ...

The familiar sound of a passenger train can once again be heard in areas of Northern Ontario that are served by VIA Rail Canada. The Crown corporation officially restored passenger rail services to pre-pandemic levels after more than two years of on-again, off-again, limited or indefinitely suspended train schedules. Life appears to have returned to normal … at least for ...

NDP Municipal Affairs critic Jeff Burch released the following statement on behalf of the Official Opposition as cabinet deliberates a scheme to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa more unilateral powers: “Why did Premier Doug Ford keep his Strong Mayor plan secret throughout the campaign? Why won’t he consult municipalities or the people they represent? It’s baffling that Ford ...

The Official Opposition NDP says it is unbelievably callous and dangerous for the Doug Ford Conservatives to have shortchanged health care by $1.8 billion as the province grapples with a rash of ER closures amid an ongoing staffing crisis. In a report released today, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario revealed that the Ford government withheld $1.8 billion earmarked for ...

NDP Poverty and Homelessness Reduction critic Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean) says skyrocketing food bank use underscores the need for government action to address poverty and the affordability crisis in Ontario. “Ontarians are finding it harder and harder to put food on the table for their families. Each month, thousands of people are turning to food banks for the first time ...

Dear Brenda, We are but one of many stories of current water main breaks in the town of Hornepayne. The main at the road in front of our home broke on or about June 22nd (likely before, we noticed, about then, the front lawn was saturated). We noticed at the same time a slow water seepage coming from under the ...

As the Council of the Federation meets, Interim NDP Leader Peter Tabuns says Doug Ford must not only fight for increased federal health transfers — but also commit to spending more in health care, immediately: “Our hospitals are in crisis. We don’t have enough staff to keep all ERs open around the clock. Patients are waiting in pain for far ...

Interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns is calling on Doug Ford to prioritize health care hiring as reports emerge of hospitals forced to temporarily close emergency departments and urgent care centres, and cut hours to cope with nurse and doctor shortages. According to a Canadian Press report, temporary closures have happened at an emergency department in Clinton and an emergency ...

NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins – James Bay) called out the Liberal government in Question Period over their lack of action on dealing with record high gas prices. Prices have reached such a level that, in order to get to and from work, working-class families have been forced to make tough choices about their food budget and shelter costs. The record ...

After approving a request from B.C. to decriminalize the personal possession of drugs last week, the Liberal government refused to take a national approach to the public health crisis that has claimed the lives of 27,000 Canadians in the last six years. Northern Ontario has been disproportionally affected by the toxic drug supply. Yet, instead of helping to finally end ...

Après avoir approuvé la semaine passée une demande du gouvernement de la Colombie-Britannique de décriminaliser la possession personnelle de drogues, les libéraux ont refusé d’adopter une approche pancanadienne face à la crise de santé publique qui a coûté la vie à 27 000 personnes au cours des six dernières années. Le Nord de l’Ontario a été touché de façon disproportionnée par l’approvisionnement ...

Hon. Doug Ford Premier of Ontario Legislative Building Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A1 Dear Hon. Doug Ford, Congratulations on winning your second majority government. I am writing on behalf of the over 53,000 children with autism waiting for access to life-changing therapy. I am also writing on behalf of their families and professionals in the field waiting to deliver ...

Plans by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to truck nuclear waste across Northern Ontario are outlined in postcards from We the Nuclear Free North that are landing in the mailboxes of residents from Wabigoon to Temagami this week. The postcards alert residents to the potential routes and the hazards of transporting an estimated 100,000 tonnes of highly radioactive nuclear ...

The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) leadership are calling on electoral candidates to commit to supporting the honourable resolution of the Robinson Huron Treaty annuities case. In Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the litigation, Justice Patricia Hennessy ruled in favour of the First Nations. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal have encouraged ...

The Ontario Liberal Northern Platform will deliver on long-standing demands from Northern Mayors for an immigration plan that attracts New Canadians to cities and regions across Northern Ontario and ensure skilled labour matches the jobs needed to build and grow the Northern economy.  “This week’s announcement of the Northern platform was a proud moment for me. Our Northern caucus of ...