Some of the drugs currently in short supply are crucial for maintaining the health of Canadians. Parents who have searched pharmacy aisles unsuccessfully for medication to bring down their child's fever know how serious this situation is. One of the drugs I use to control my moderately severe case of restless legs, ropinirole, can't be obtained in Canada now. My doctor has prescribed a similar drug, pramipexole, which most Canadians on ropinirole will now be taking. How long will it take before there's a short supply of this drug too? This drug is also used to decrease the symptoms of Parkinson Disease. These drugs are needed not only for quality of life, but are essential in ensuring I and many others can sleep at night. It doesn't take many days without sleep before people become psychotic and then die. Prime Minister Trudeau has likened the drug shortages to a shortage of oranges, clearly having no understanding of the seriousness of the situation. This shortage is turning Canada into a third world country. It's critical that Canada do something about it!

We all deserve to lead happy fulfilling lives and none of us should have to worry about our most basic needs. Canada is a very rich country, yet some of our most vulnerable citizens cannot afford some of the most basic necessities of life. A large number of people on ODSP cannot afford to regularly eat and have to make devastating choices each month like whether to pay rent/utilities or to buy groceries. A shocking number of people on ODSP are homeless. We could choose to take care of the most vulnerable now and it should be an easy choice. Recipients of CERB got $2000 a month. Odsp should be at least equal to what CERB was. Let's not sweep this issue under the rug any longer. It's an atrocity that Canadian prisoners are better looked after than those with disabilities. Let's take action today and raise ODSP recipients out of poverty.

This issue was brought to my attention when learning that my Uncle Ken, who is living off of ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) due to his chronic disability of Multiple Sclerosis, cannot access affordable internet. Unfortunately, there is a significant lack of affordable internet options for those on ODSP or other similar provincial support programs across Canada.  For those who are already at a disadvantage, not being able to afford the internet leaves them more isolated and exacerbates their vulnerability. To access virtual programs and services in the community, internet service is required. The people who need these services the most are the ones who cannot afford to participate. The safety and well-being of recipients and their families rests on their ability to access information, connect with loved ones, attend support programs virtually, as well as attend medical and other necessary appointments. There are peer support, social programs and counseling services currently offered virtually and these are a lifeline to those who live alone and suffer a disability. As the pandemic has shown us, access to the internet is essential and a human right. At a time when MAID is free but the cost of living is so high, equitable access to services is essential if we are to value the lives of our most vulnerable.

Doug Ford lied. Last month he tabled a piece of legislation — Bill 23 — to eviscerate our pristine Greenbelt, breaking his promise to leave it alone. [1] This bill is an attack on the environment and democracy — all under the guise of expanding housing. [2] Bill 23 would allow Ford to take 7,400 acres of farmland and natural areas and strip environmental protections that protect wildlife, keep our drinking water safe, guard wetlands, and ensure flood protection. [3] To pave over our Greenbelt, Ford is undermining the planning power of municipalities, forgoing requirements for public meetings and overriding the ability of communities to appeal decisions. [4] And housing experts and advocates have been clear: with a focus on making money, the bill will actually limit the ability to build new affordable rental housing and jeopardize the affordable housing that exists. [5,6] All the while, corporate land developers are set to profit big from this plan. [7] Public outrage is growing — and there’s still time to stop this Bill from going through. Will you sign this petition to help show mass public support and demand Bill 23 is stopped? Sources: [1] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/11/04/ontario-backtracks-on-greenbelt-pledge-with-plan-to-allow-housing-on-7400-acres.html [2] https://ontarionature.org/bill-23-what-you-need-to-know-blog/ [3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/11/10/opinion/sacrificing-ontario-scarce-green-space-sprawl-giant-mistake [4] see 2 [5] https://acorncanada.org/take_action/doug-fords-bill-23-destroys-existing-affordable-housing-builds-more-luxury-condos-scrap-it-now/ [6] https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/q-and-experts-more-homes-built-faster-act-or-bill-23 [7] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gta-developers-own-greenbelt-land-swap-1.6648273

The locations for these "developments" have been chosen solely based on the, suddenly reduced, assessed price of the land and no other considerations. Deals are being made without due diligence behind closed doors. All efforts to question these decisions are met with silence from the government and developers. Thousands of Nova Scotians are protesting these maneuvers, yet no explanation of the method behind this madness has been offered.

Ultimately, locals and visitors who read the current Cadboro Bay signs as their only knowledge of the site are missing pieces of its history. We believe that updating this sign will promote truthful conversations about our colonial past and present, and plant seeds for a decolonial future.

Right now, there is no program like it available and a full-time caregiver like me do not get any financial support for taking care of a disabled senior parent. Turning to Ontario Work for a little bit of support is only temporary as OW is not for caregivers. Some nations like Australia and Europe offer similar programs for caregivers, then why not Canada or Provinces or Municipals.

I hope you join me in this campaign. I'm asking for your help. I have heard from many families and vulnerable people now unsure on how they can remain safe this winter, or how to protect their grandparents or their family members. They have to work or go to school, some are low-income seniors unable to afford better masks, or disabled struggling to get by and laughing at the idea that they can afford better masks. I hear from vulnerable people concerned that others around them are maskless and coughing or ill. Some don't even know there are better masks. They need our help now. They deserve health equity. And if provincial mask mandates come this fall or winter, which I expect, let's make them work better. You can help by signing this petition. If you want to learn more about masks and N95 respirators, you can check out the pinned thread at the top of my twitter page, Bill Comeau @Billius27.

Please sign our petition to keep RATs free for all Canadians who need them. Many people who are at highest risk of being exposed at work or school cannot afford to purchase RATs to test themselves for covid so they can avoid exposing others. Much of our transmission is still occurring from those who are asymptomatic, presymptomatic, or post-symptomatic. Many people are contagious for days, and sometimes even more than a week, post-symptoms. RATs can help you determine if you're no longer infected before you return to work or visit someone at high risk for severe disease. Since the easing of many mitigation efforts, spread of covid plateaued at a high level over the summer, but is now creeping up again. We have also already surpassed the number of covid deaths we had in either of the first two years of the pandemic. The federal government is considering halting the supply of free RATs to the provinces at the end of the year. This will result in people losing yet another tool that allows them to responsibly manage their own risk. With every tool we lose in our mitigation toolkit, the burden on our strained healthcare system and the effect of widespread workplace illness on the economy becomes greater. Let's do what we can to prevent 2023 from being even more deadly and costly than 2022 is shaping up to be.

For far too long, sexual harassment and sexual violence has been covered up and dismissed in a sport that you proudly sponsored. For far too long, survivors have been disbelieved, especially when speaking out against the culture of professional hockey. For far too long, gender-based violence has been a pervasive reality in Canada. The level of violence that women and girls experience in Canada has barely changed over the past two decades. Recent statistics show that more than 4 in 10 women has experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Indigenous, Black, immigrant and refugee, racialized, and low-income women, young girls, and gender-diverse people face the highest rates of compounding violence. Last year, 173 women and girls were violently killed in Canada. Ending gender-based violence is a pressing priority. Yet, support services, such as sexual assault centres, gender-based violence organizations, transition homes, and VAW shelters, are grossly underfunded and under-resourced. Canada’s ambitious declaration of “a Canada free of gender-based violence” and the first-ever National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Girls has no actual timeline for implementation. We urgently need a universal, coordinated, and integrated system of anti-violence programs and support services that are adequately funded and offered across all geographic locations, and accessible to all women and gender-diverse people who have experienced any form of gender-based violence in Canada.

Low wage workers should not be subjected to employment scams by powerful and rich employers.

Books, are resources. A local school trustee, and prospective politician amongst six people made it their mission to remove three books from the South Central Regional Libraries (WinklerLibraries) https://www.facebook.com/100063668588322/posts/pfbid0dzTMwbQReZ6zfppKbknM3C3VVE4MDsh8LTkCmySWhN1E5gpSKUdmzkoUPDPaKz61l/. They claim the books are pornographic and are against the law, when however the books are there for families and children to read together, and cover a wide range of sexual education and health information. Parents might use these resources to know how to talk to their children about sex, sex organs, identities, and sex terminology. Learning these things in part help keep children safe, knowing how to properly label their sex organs, parents might want to teach their children these things because it helps teach them what their privates are, and that they aren't bad words and that if someone is violating them they can properly identify the parts, as cute names for sexual parts can be misinterpreted, a vagina is a vagina and a penis is a penis, and can't be confused with a cookie or any other terminology that makes adults feel more comfortable. Two of these three books that are titled It's perfectly normal by Robie H. Harris and Sex is a funny word by Corey Silverberg. These books are more informative but sex is a funny word has a blend of a story infused in it, book exerpts can be found on these links provided: https://sexedrescue.com/its-perfectly-normal/ And https://youtu.be/h_si_7xB_3k The third book being called to be banned is called All boys aren't blue by George M. Johnson, It is written by a queer black author, he says his book is not pornographic in nature, age appropriate and helps children to identify sexual abuse and see themselves represented within literature as the novel is about growing up queer. More can be read at this link regarding this teenage novel: https://time.com/6120915/george-m-johnson-all-boys-arent-blue-book-bans/ These books are optional, they're offered as reading for both education and enjoyment. Not everyone has the same view points, and that's but speaking for diverse families, speaking for diverse readers is a problem, especially when these politicians claim to say less government involvement, and more freedom to make choices for yourself and your family or when they come from a veiwpoint that isn't based in current information and claim otherwise. They're making a choice on behalf of many without providing information as to why many of the reasons they have provided caters to the feelings they have about the particular books in question. These books deserve a proper fight, to be protected, because it's not the books that are being let down, it's children, families and people. Please sign this to keep these books an option for many and offer a wake up call to school trustees and politicians alike.