Politics, Editorials & Letters

NDP Education critic Marit Stiles and NDP Child Care critic Doly Begum say the Ford government’s vague instructions for school re-opening is leaving parents and educators with no certainty they’ll have support to make it work. They’re calling for a number of specific commitments from Ford, including everything from more teachers and school busses to ensure physical distancing, to paid ...

Cette semaine, les députés sont rentrés dans leur circonscription pour la semaine. Je préfère être chez moi dans le Nord, loin de l’humidité et de la chaleur de Toronto. J’adore entendre l’appel du huard sur CBC Morning North en été, bien qu’il n’y ait rien de tel que d’entendre la vraie chose qui flotte sur nos lacs à la maison ...

This week MPPs found themselves back in their home ridings for a constituency week.  I’d rather be home in the North, away from the humidity and stickiness of Toronto.  I love hearing the call of the loon on CBC Morning North in the summer, although there is nothing like hearing the real thing wafting over our lakes at home in ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath and the New Democrats have begun laying the foundation for a better long-term care and home care system that truly supports and enables seniors, after a successful virtual summit last night.   The summit, which had over 3,000 viewers streaming from home, brought together participants from across Ontario – from advocates and family members to ...

Sol Mamakwa, NDP Official Opposition Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation critic, and Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP, Judith Monteith-Farrell, released the following statement after Ontario’s Ombudsman raised deep, disturbing concerns about conditions in the province’s correctional facilities and observed disturbing conditions at the Thunder Bay and Kenora jails:   “When it comes to the Thunder Bay District Jail and the Kenora jail, inaction ...

Readers will undoubtedly know that the Ontario Legislature has begun to resume operation, meaning that once again I find myself in Queen’s Park for the bulk of the week. Heading back to The City at first was rather disconcerting. The very streets themselves looked and sounded different. Not quiet but more empty than usual.  Seeing so many people walking around ...

Marit Stiles, Ontario NDP Education critic, released the following statement in response to the government’s announcement on re-opening schools:   “By announcing all, none or some school re-opening in September, Doug Ford and his Education Minister failed to provide any clarity at all, and what few details they did provide are impossible in practice.  Many parents can’t choose to stay ...

First Nations communities in Ontario’s Far North facing the COVID-19 pandemic need additional support and action from the Ford government to contain the virus, said Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa, as more communities continue to report positive cases.   “Indigenous communities in Ontario struggling to contain the pandemic need the urgent support of the Ford government now,” said Mamakwa, the NDP’s ...

Official Opposition House Leader Gilles Bisson says far too many businesses are still at risk of unfair evictions if the Conservatives’ new legislation is passed as written. On Monday, the NDP sent the government two critical amendments it insists must be included.   The bill, as written, only protects businesses who qualify for the federal CECRA, but whose landlords refuse to ...

Hello Wawa, I wanted to congratulate you on your friendly, kind community. My daughter is a university student traveling from BC where she attends school home to Ontario. This can be a long, challenging drive at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. On Saturday night, about 60 km outside of Wawa, she got a flat tire. She ...

Dear Brenda, I was dismayed to read your notice of impending closure, and relieved to read a few hours later that you had received some advertising to allow you to keep alive for another month. I would like for you to share my thoughts with your readers. Thank you ———————- To the Readers of Wawa News Our lives have changed, ...

Chris Glover, Ontario NDP Colleges and Universities critic, released the following statement in response to the Ford government’s announcement about a limited return to classrooms this summer for post-secondary students who need to do to so to complete their degree: “While this is a relief for some students who will now be able to complete their degrees, Minister Ross Romano’s ...

Premier Doug Ford is asking child care centres to open as soon as Friday, with three days’ notice – but he’s not providing the financial support that is required and he’s counting on enough parents not sending their kids back to daycare. With fewer kids and higher costs for screening, personal protective equipment, and cleaning, Ford may be setting child ...

NDP MPPs Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre), who is the Official Opposition Municipal Affairs critic, and NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson (Timmins), have urged Doug Ford to commit to providing emergency operating funding right away for municipalities so they can continue to run day cares, transit systems, public health units, water treatment facilities and so much more, after the pandemic has ...

As the Conservative government hikes hydro rates in the middle of a pandemic, Ontario NDP Energy critic Peter Tabuns said Premier Doug Ford’s failure to fix the electricity system is costing families. Thanks to Ford’s hydro rate hike, Ontario families will pay 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour starting today, up from 10.1 cents per kilowatt hour. “Ford promised a 12 ...