{"id":45540,"date":"2021-06-21T08:04:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T12:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=45540"},"modified":"2021-06-20T10:06:42","modified_gmt":"2021-06-20T14:06:42","slug":"news-from-the-park-summer-notwithstanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/21\/news-from-the-park-summer-notwithstanding\/","title":{"rendered":"News from the Park – Summer notwithstanding?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, as of June 21st<\/sup>, with the onset of the summer solstice, we can finally say that summer is officially here.\u00a0 My colleagues in Queen\u2019s Park said they thought it had already set in, but then Premier Ford announced an emergency<\/u><\/em> recall of MPPs to attend to what he said was an urgent matter.\u00a0 So urgent, in fact, that the Legislature had to sit night and day over the weekend and into Monday.\u00a0 I wonder how much that little exercise cost Ontario taxpayers for Doug Ford\u2019s assembly \u201cextra innings?\u201d<\/p>\n

As to classifying the matter as an \u2018emergency\u2019<\/em>, all I can say is that I guess what constitutes an emergency is all in the eye of the beholder,<\/em> as the saying goes.\u00a0 Mr. Ford\u2019s perspective is understandable, I guess.\u00a0 In his shoes, passing a law that strips the rights of Ontarians to share their views, concerns, and observations of the current government\u2019s performance \u2013 for a full year leading into the 2022 provincial election, certainly could be seen as an emergency<\/em> if he wants to save his own hide.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s done is done, though.\u00a0 Ford successfully rammed his stifling legislation through, but he had to callously resort to invoking the notwithstanding clause for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms<\/em> to do so.\u00a0 Voters can speak their mind on this a year from now.<\/p>\n

But now, summer is here, and it\u2019s time to set our sights on the future with a hopeful outlook while we enjoy the incredible opportunities that nature provides us in our own backyard here in Algoma-Manitoulin.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by improving the lives of our most precious resource in Algoma-Manitoulin \u2013 our children and youth \u2013 for they truly are our future.\u00a0 For the last two years, they have been growing up under dark clouds of isolation — mentally and socially.\u00a0 Heck, they couldn\u2019t even enjoy recesses with their friends or after-school sports.\u00a0 With the mental and physical well-being of our children in mind, the NDP\u2019s sports critic, MPP Paul Miller, is calling upon the government to ask experts to make a public recommendation about creating a \u2018game plan\u2019 for the safe return of outdoor leagues in Ontario. \u00a0The mental and physical health of our children and youth depend on it.<\/p>\n

This would help kids get back onto baseball diamonds and soccer fields which would boost their mental and physical health at a time when they really need it.\u00a0 Young people are suffering from anxiety and isolation after being separated from their friends while schools stayed closed for months.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the government passed up the opportunities to get students back into the classroom before the summer.\u00a0 Too late for school now, but it\u2019s not too late to take steps to give kids a chance to safely get outside and play team sports.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s leave politics on the bench for now.\u00a0 To ensure success and safety, the government should seek advice from public health experts, and make it public. \u00a0Experts from the Science Table have said outdoor activity is safe, but league sports like youth softball is largely on hold until the next reopening stage. \u00a0The well-being of young people should be a priority as the province re-opens.<\/p>\n

Almost all of us have loved ones in long-term care or senior homes.\u00a0 They too have been suffering for so long.\u00a0 Like our children and youth, they too need so see some hope coming their way.\u00a0 Finally, the news is telling us of brightened trends of declining positive test cases as we see the number of first and second vaccinations climb faster and faster.\u00a0 Also, the government finally<\/u><\/em> took a realistic look at the need for LTC residents to have visitors and special caregivers. \u00a0So LTC homes now are responsible for supporting residents in receiving visitors with a priority of minimizing exposure to\u00a0COVID-19.\u00a0 So that is a step in the right direction, at least.<\/p>\n

However, in the minds of many, the Ford government was really pushing the envelope too far when it issued a news release on May 27th<\/sup> stating that it had taken action to ensure seniors in LTC homes stay cool this summer.\u00a0 The release said that the government had improved regulations and that it was investing heavily in air conditioning.\u00a0 They said they were not sparing any expense to make sure LTC residents are healthy, cool, and safe this summer.<\/p>\n

What they didn\u2019t tell<\/u><\/em> Ontarians was that for years now, LTC homes have been already required to have cooling in common areas<\/u><\/em>, but not in residents\u2019 rooms or other areas.\u00a0 The problem with this is that there is just not enough room to safely fit all residents into existing common areas.\u00a0 And what is there to do there with so many packed in?\u00a0 As well, staff members are so overworked that oftentimes they just don\u2019t have the time to take patients to the cooling areas.\u00a0 Just picture your loved one up in a third-floor room on a sweltering, muggy day this summer.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have AC in their room and they can\u2019t get to a cool common area themselves.\u00a0 Would you want your loved one sitting in a muggy dead air room of 28, 29, or 30C degrees?<\/p>\n

Our seniors deserve so much better.<\/p>\n

The NDP has already prepared a plan to handle this issue.\u00a0 We have released a realistic plan for better care and better quality of life for aging Ontarians \u2013 and more peace of mind for their families.\u00a0 It makes the entire system public and not-for-profit, creates 50,000 new spaces and ends the wait for home care and long-term care, and finally gives every resident the hours of daily care and attention they deserve.<\/p>\n

This past year Ontarians have learned what really matters in our lives.\u00a0 And we have learned that what government does or doesn\u2019t do, also matters.\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen bad choices with devastating consequences.<\/p>\n

Ontarians have had enough of this.\u00a0 The people of Ontario deserve to have a leadership that chooses the health and prosperity of the people over big business and those with deep pockets.\u00a0 The people of Ontario need to have leadership that is focused on protecting workers. \u00a0Leadership that stands up for local businesses, not big box stores. \u00a0Leadership that, instead of cutting, invests in health care and our kids.<\/p>\n

This is what matters to the people of this province — and it is what matters to me.<\/p>\n

Summer is here, and we all deserve this much-needed respite.\u00a0 This summer, let\u2019s start to look at things anew with a positive outlook on hope for change and new ways of thinking.<\/p>\n

As always, please feel free to contact my office about these issues, or any other provincial matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, as of June 21st, with the onset of the summer solstice, we can finally say that summer is officially here.\u00a0 My colleagues in Queen\u2019s Park said they thought it …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":45421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 02:59:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45541,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45540\/revisions\/45541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}