Politics, Editorials & Letters

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 ...

Back in the 1930s, a particular adage gained notoriety, even though it was around long before then. The adage, which readers will no doubt have heard many times is, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” No one really knows the origin, but my guess is it became popular through the radio show hosted by actor, humorist, and journalist ...

Dans les années 1930, un dicton particulier a gagné en notoriété, même s’il existait bien avant. Le dicton, que les lecteurs auront sans doute entendu à plusieures reprises, est: « Il n’y a rien de tel qu’un lunch gratuit ». Personne ne connaît vraiment l’origine, mais je suppose que c’est devenu populaire grâce à l’émission de radio animée par l’acteur, ...

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. ...

The Doug Ford government is gutting OW and ODSP employment services with its new scheme to contract out the program to multinational companies — one of which is a for-profit corporation — and the Ontario NDP is worried that will mean fewer Ontarians successfully supported into the job or program that’s best for them. “Today, municipalities and District Social Services ...

I am constantly amazed at how much humans know and can do in this modern era. Not being satisfied with just normal intelligence, we felt a need to improve on it by creating artificial intelligence. I remember watching the old reruns of Star Trek when Mr. Spock could just ask the computer absolutely anything and he’d receive an instant reply. ...

Tom Rakocevic, Ontario NDP Auto Insurance critic, released the following statement in response to news that some Ontario drivers will be paying up to 11 percent more for auto insurance this year as rates continue to climb in the province: “It’s wrong for the Ford government to let auto insurers pile on with another rate hike as Ontario drivers struggle ...

Those who read this weekly column have little doubt on how much pride I take in being from Northern Ontario. Some may wonder the reason that I love to share such sentiments and emotions. Quite simply, as is frequently the case, we often take for granted some of the things we treasure most until we don’t have them. Being first ...