Politics, Editorials & Letters

La fête du Travail est à nos portes, marquant la fin des vacances scolaires et le virage inévitable vers l’automne. Bien qu’il soit facile de se concentrer sur le jour férié, il est également important de se rappeler qu’il célèbre de nombreuses campagnes qui ont contribué à façonner nos milieux de travail modernes de maintes façons remarquables. Des défilés de ...

Labour Day is upon us marking the end of school vacations and the inevitable turn towards autumn. While it is easy to focus on the day as a holiday, it is also important to remember that it celebrates numerous campaigns that helped shape our modern workplaces in many significant ways. Those are marked by Labour Day Parades and festivities held ...

I just came back (Friday August 25, 4 p.m.) from a walk on Driftwood Beach.  My old legs told me that one third of the way down the beach was far enough. I am absolutely amazed at the lack of litter so far this fishing season…. Well done!  I DID pick up two partial lure plastic bags, a couple of bottle caps, ...

This week I attended the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa where I joined municipal leaders and delegations from across Ontario including several from communities in Algoma-Manitoulin. The purpose of the AMO, which is comprised of almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments, is to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of municipal government in Ontario. At the ...

On Tuesday, NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) wrote the Minister of Education calling for Indigenous curriculum development to resume immediately. Last month, the Ford government abruptly cancelled writing sessions intended to make final revisions to a reconciliation curriculum and develop a curriculum to introduce children to Indigenous languages.   Aug. 21, 2018  The Hon. Lisa Thompson Minister of Education Mowat ...

Doug Ford has been doing an excellent job cleaning up Ontario after 15 years of disastrous Liberal rule. Lets start with the cancellation of the Green Energy Act , as we paid 37 billion dollars more for our hydro between 2006 – 2014 in global adjustment fees and by 2032 an additional 133 billion dollars more will paid out in ...

A few weeks ago, right after the Legislature was called to sit for a summer session following the June election, in my weekly column I wrote, “Fasten your seatbelts. We better hang on for a wild ride.” Admittedly it didn’t take a fortune teller to help me reach that conclusion. For conservatives who enjoy sharp turns and falling drop-offs, clearly ...

Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath says Doug Ford’s decision to halt the opening of planned overdose prevention sites flies in the face of all advice from experts, community members, and volunteers, and risks the lives of Ontarians struggling with addiction.   “Late on Friday, the government ordered a halt to previously approved overdose prevention sites. The Premier is interfering with ...

During question period on Monday, Mushkegowuk – James Bay NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin called on the Ford government to stop ignoring the needs of Northern families and invest in passenger transportation for Northern Ontario.   Bourgouin said that disjointed bus services force some Northern families to travel for days to get to cities within only a few hours’ drive.   ...

During question period Thursday, NDP MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell demanded answers from Doug Ford for local participants of the Basic Income Pilot Project cancelled by the Ford government this summer. ”When did the government inform participants of the Basic Income pilot program that it was to end, and have they been informed when they will no longer receive the income that ...

In the 5 weeks since the Ontario PCs’ cabinet was sworn in it has become increasingly apparent that when Premier Doug Ford was sloganeering about his government being the first “For the People”, he didn’t mean LGBTQ2 people or anyone who cares about child safety or building a more inclusive Ontario.   The PCs have moved hastily to scrap the ...

Would someone please inform Doug Ford that the election is over? Since the Conservatives have now formed government it seems that Ford is having problems transitioning to actually governing with real plans and policies. When you sit back and look at what he has said and done since taking office it seems he has committed the Conservatives to governing using ...

Today let’s begin with a little game of, “Who Said This?” Oh, and the only clue is that the person lives in Canada, so it’s not Donald Trump. “You know me. I’m for the little guy.” (While you think, play the “Final Jeopardy” theme song in your head.) If you guessed Doug Ford – BING! BING! BING! – You got ...

Official Opposition leader Andrea Horwath has tabled a motion in the legislature that will be debated Thursday to stop Doug Ford’s attempts to meddle in municipal elections in Toronto, Muskoka, Peel, York and Niagara.   “Doug Ford didn’t consult anyone before announcing that he plans to pass a law that amounts to rigging municipal elections,” said Horwath at a rally ...

Official Opposition leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement in response to Doug Ford’s plan to cut social assistance rates and cancel the basic income pilot program:   “Doug Ford’s decision to slash the meagre increases to social assistance is appalling, it drags Ontario backwards, and it pushes those already at a disadvantage even deeper into poverty. For Mr. Ford’s ...