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. ...
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Contracting out employment services to foreign multinationals will hurt job matching
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 ...
Read More »News from the Park – AI & PSWs
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. ...
Read More »NDP Say Doug Ford dings Ontario drivers with another insurance rate hike
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 ...
Read More »News from the Park – Winter Roads & Drive Test
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 ...
Read More »From the Park – lorsque vous êtes en bonne santé
Jan 27, 2020 at 08:06 – Nous avons tous entendu le dicton: « lorsque vous êtes en bonne santé, vous avez à peu près tout». Cependant, l’auteur américain Augusten Burroughs n’a ajouté qu’un court addendum à cette déclaration qui, je pense, y apporte une toute autre tournure. Il a écrit: « Quand vous êtes en bonne santé, vous avez à peu ...
Read More »From the Park – If you have your health
We’ve all heard the saying, “when you have your health, you have just about everything.” Many would successfully argue with the validity of this statement. However, American author Augusten Burroughs added just a short addendum to that statement that I think puts a whole different twist on it. He wrote, “When you have your health, you have everything. When you ...
Read More »Horwath responds to hallway medicine reports
In response to reporting by CBC on shocking hallway medicine statistics, Andrea Horwath, Leader Official Opposition New Democrats, released the following statement: “After two years of the Ford government, we’ve seen hallway medicine go from bad to worse, and people are suffering. CBC’s reporting describes what so many families have experienced. Long waits in pain and worry. Nights spent on ...
Read More »News from the Park – Joyeux 2020
Maintenant que l’agitation de la saison des fêtes est terminée, je suis heureux de dire que je me sens rafraîchi et impatient de faire face aux nombreux problèmes qui nous touchent tous en tant que résidents du Nord de l’Ontario. Je sais que nous sommes déjà deux semaines dans la nouvelle année, mais je vous souhaite à tous et à ...
Read More »News from the Park – Happy 2020
Now that the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season is over, I’m happy to say I feel refreshed and eager to tackle the many issues that affect all of us as Northern Ontarians. I know we are already two weeks into the New Year, but I want to wish everyone all the best in 2020. Over the holidays I ...
Read More »Michael Mantha – Christmas is a time for love
News from the Park – Christmas Break
Readers of a particular age may recognize the lyrics, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin, slippin’, into the future,” from the late 70’s song Fly Like an Eagleby the Steve Miller Band. As soon as the Legislature rose for the Christmas Break, upon stepping outside I felt kind of out of step with time –suddenly realizing that the Holiday Season is ...
Read More »Ford paying to tear down yet another wind farm
The Official Opposition NDP is demanding to know how much Doug Ford’s war on the environment will cost this time, as Ford rips wind turbines out of the ground at the Nation Rise Wind Farm in North Stormont leaving Ontarians on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in cancellation costs, yet again. “Doug Ford declared his war ...
Read More »Ontario Government Fails to deliver needs-based autism funding
The Hon. Todd Smith has broken his promise to create a needs-based autism program by April 2020 that would implement all of the recommendations of the Autism Advisory Panel. In his press conference, he stated families may have to wait until 2021 to access core therapies that are needs-based. Families are devastated. The announcement that the Ford government will continue ...
Read More »Families deserve immediate access to autism services, not more broken promises
Monique Taylor, NDP Children and Youth Services critic, issued the following statement about Doug Ford’s latest broken promise to families of children with autism. “Once again Doug Ford has hurt kids with autism. He’s already put families through hell over the last year by denying access to the services their children need. Because of his cuts, autism workers have been ...
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