Politics, Editorials & Letters

The holiday season is upon us. It’s a time of the year where most of us take some time to reach out and celebrate with family, friends, and neighbors. It’s also a time to remind ourselves where we’ve been, what’s been accomplished, and what work still needs to be done. At a time of social and political uncertainty, it’s vital ...

This week, Ontario’s Legislative Assembly will conclude its business for 2024. Despite the government choosing to keep the legislature in recess much longer than usual this year, there have been quite a few issues covered at Queen’s Park. Unfortunately, more than a few were caused by this government’s actions (or inactions in some cases). It can be almost dizzying trying ...

Cette semaine, l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario conclura ses travaux pour l’année 2024. Malgré le fait que le gouvernement ait choisi de prolonger la suspension des travaux bien plus longtemps que d’habitude cette année, plusieurs enjeux ont été abordés à Queen’s Park. Malheureusement, bon nombre de ces questions trouvent leur origine dans les actions (ou inactions) de ce gouvernement. Essayer de ...

Dear Member, We are reaching out to you in light of yesterday’s tragic events at our Wawa branch. Our thoughts remain with our injured colleague, their family, and everyone impacted by this incident and our efforts are focused on providing support wherever possible. Unfortunately, this event has caused us to temporarily close the Wawa branch. As we work to reopen ...

Hi Brenda, I would like to update everyone on the tentative plans for our move to the new location. We will be moving to 96 Broadway ave. (“the food bank building”). If everything goes smoothly, we will be closing our current location on Friday,  December 20th after our Christmas Luncheon (members/invitation only). Services will not be available for 2 weeks. ...

During Question Period yesterday, November 26th, 2024, Algoma Manitoulin MPP, Michael Mantha, pushed the government to provide update Northerners on the enhanced Northern Health Travel Grant provision that were announced earlier this year.   “Almost 7 months ago, the Minister of Health announced that the government would be enhancing the Northern Health Travel Grant.” Mantha said. “Why are Northerners still ...

Hockey is truly one of my passions. Hockey has long been and always will be Canada’s sport. With the whistling speed of the puck hurling toward the net and the flashing blades as the players rocket up and down the ice, what could be more exciting? I willingly admit to being loyal to a fault of a particular team that ...

Le hockey est vraiment l’une de mes grandes passions. Il a longtemps été, et restera toujours, le sport emblématique du Canada. Avec la vitesse fulgurante de la rondelle se dirigeant vers le filet et les lames scintillantes des patins qui fusent sur la glace, qu’y a-t-il de plus exaltant? J’admets volontiers ma loyauté, presque aveugle, envers une équipe en particulier ...

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has written to premiers asking them to scrap the provincial sales tax on daily essentials and monthly bills, matching his pledge to scrap the federal GST on home heating, internet and mobile bills, diapers, kids’ clothes and grab-and-go grocery items. “Working people are being gouged every time they pay their cell phone bill or stop at ...

Michael Mantha, MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin, has introduced legislation to end private, third-party contracts for driver examinations in Ontario. The Safer Driving Tests Act (Ending the Privatization Failure), 2024 will require that all driver examinations in Ontario are carried out by the Ministry of Transportation, and not third-party contractors.   “It’s become clear that operating driver examinations through a for-profit company ...

J’utilise régulièrement cette chronique pour parler des problèmes de viande et de pommes de terre qui touchent les gens d’Algoma-Manitoulin. Des questions comme la crise des soins de santé, la nécessité d’améliorer l’entretien des routes dans le Nord, notre réseau scolaire surpeuplé ou le manque de logements abordables dans notre province sont ce que j’entends le plus de la part ...

I regularly use this column to speak about the meat-and-potatoes issues that affect people in Algoma-Manitoulin. Issues like the healthcare crisis, the need for better highway and road maintenance in the North, our crowded school system, or the lack of affordable housing in our province are what I hear about most from people I meet with day-to-day and are top ...

CBC’s The Fifth Estate recently broke the news that the Canada Revenue Agency had discovered that hackers had managed to obtain confidential data on taxpayers used by private tax firm H&R Block. Fraudsters then used the confidential information, including H&R Block’s confidential credentials to log into the personal CRA accounts of thousands of individuals. What does this mean for most ...

Depuis plusieurs années, les Ontariennes et Ontariens vivent des troubles et des douleurs sur plusieurs fronts : l’accès à un logement abordable, l’accès aux soins de santé, la pénurie de médecins, l’inflation et le coût de la vie, le soutien de l’aide sociale incroyablement faible et l’accès en temps opportun aux programmes pour les enfants autistes, pour ne citer que ...

For several years, Ontarians have been experiencing turmoil and pain on several fronts: access to affordable housing, access to health care, shortage of physicians, inflation and cost of living, impossibly low social assistance support, and timely access to programming for children with Autism, to name but a few of the burdensome issues. Most of the way through his second term, ...