Provincial

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have been concentrating on the Canada Road Safety Week since May 14, 2019. This initiative continues until May 20, 2019, with a focus on increasing public awareness and compliance with traffic laws relating to the “Big Four” causal factors in motor vehicle collision fatalities, with the aim of saving lives. The “Big Four” consists of alcohol/drug ...

The Ontario government is protecting what matters most by investing $850,000 in the Invasive Species Centre to support ongoing research and management of invasive species across the province. The Invasive Species Centre, based out of Sault Ste. Marie, brings together government, academic, industry and Indigenous communities and organizations to conduct invasive species research, response planning, management and habitat restoration. “We ...

Northeast Region As of the early evening of May 17, there are no active wildland fires in the region. The fire hazard is low across the region. Crews deployed to assist with flood response There are 46 members of the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services team currently deployed to assist with sandbagging efforts and the movement of water from ...

Jill Andrew, MPP for Toronto-St. Paul’s and Ontario NDP Culture critic, tabled a motion yesterday calling on Doug Ford to reverse his library cuts, which are already hurting communities.   The Ford Conservatives have cut the Ontario Library Services North’s budget by 50 per cent, and slashed the Southern Ontario Library Services’ funding by even more.   “Not only are ...

Northeast Region As of the early evening of May 16, there are no active wildland fires in the region. One new fire was extinguished today, Sudbury 1 is now out at 0.1 of a hectare. The fire hazard is low to moderate across the region.   Crews deployed to assist with flood response 43 members of the Aviation, Forest Fire ...

Northeast Region As of the early evening of May 15, there are no active wildland fires in the region. Four new fires were discovered this week in the Northeast, all of which are currently out. Cochrane 1, 2 and 3 (0.5 of a hectare, 0.5 of a hectare and 1 hectare respectively) occurred near the far North community of Fort ...

The Ontario Government is exploring new ways to improve traffic flow and safety on provincial highways by introducing three speed limit pilots on select highways. At the same time, Ontario’s Government for the people will launch province-wide consultations on how to safely increase highway speeds to align with other provinces, and how people currently drive. Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation, ...

Premier Doug Ford and John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, issued the following statement on the flooding situation in Ontario: “Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen first-hand the devastating effect of flooding on our communities. The people of Ontario can’t go through this every year. Something needs to change. Our government is committed to protecting ...

NDP MPP France Gélinas held a press conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday to help enact a law that will save lives by ensuring that all Ontarians have access to 911 emergency services.    Gélinas’ bill, 9-1-1 Everywhere in Ontario, is up for debate in the Ontario legislature on Thursday afternoon. Bill 75 has three parts. The first will do away with 1-800 numbers in case ...

Peter Tabuns, Ontario NDP Energy and Climate Change critic, held a press conference today to re-introduce a private member’s bill proposing to ban fracking in Ontario.   The bill, which Tabuns first tabled in 2015, has only taken on increasing urgency as new evidence has emerged showing that fracking is even more problematic than anyone realized four years ago. Recent ...

Doug Ford’s decision to cancel the 50 million trees program is hurting northern businesses and tree growers, and wasting millions of tree seedlings that could have grown Ontario’s forests, said NDP MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell (Thunder Bay – Atikokan) during question period Thursday.   “The Ford government is hurting businesses in northern Ontario that depended on the 50 million trees program ...

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa  released the following statement to express their deepest condolences after a tragic fire in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation claimed multiple lives:   “Today we join with the people of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation who are grieving the tragic deaths of community members and loved ones in an early morning house fire.   Our thoughts and our hearts are ...

Despite the recent Ontario government announcement to cut the 50 Million Tree program, Forests Ontario expects to find a way, with existing and new partners, to plant trees, educate Ontarians and speak for the forest and all forest users, the tree planting and forest advocacy group said today. Forests Ontario, Canada’s largest tree planting charity, remains optimistic that now that ...

France Gélinas, Ontario NDP Health critic, urged the Ford Conservatives to stop cuts to public health funding that will jeopardize school nutrition programs.   The Conservatives are cutting $1 billion in funding at Toronto Public Health alone, and cutting 25 of the 35 public health units in Ontario. The cut to public health has thrown the future of a school ...

Today, the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman has assumed all the investigative functions of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. The Ontario government explains that this “is a crucial step towards building a better child protection system. These changes, set out in the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018 introduced last fall, will bring greater oversight and provide ...