Whereas: • Throughout Canada’s history the United States has always proven to be an unreliable and unpredictable ally and trade partner; • The United States has shown in recent years a greatly diminished commitment to democracy and the rule of law, civil and human rights, and a reduced commitment to honouring trade and defence agreements it has negotiated and signed; • The United States has historically and recently made threats against Canadian sovereignty; • The nations of Europe have consistently been Canada’s friends and allies since the end of World War II and in some cases much longer than that; • The European Union has shown an ever-stronger commitment to free markets, workers rights, a strong social safety net, a rules based international order, democracy, the rule of law, equality, civil and human rights including indigenous rights; • Membership in the European Union offers strength, stability and security for Canada’s economy, geographic territory and its citizens individually in a constantly changing and more hostile world without threatening Canada's unique identity and culture or status as a sovereign country; We the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, urge the Government of Canada, its provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples to enter into open and transparent negotiations with our allies in the European Union about the possibility of Canada becoming a member state of the European Union.

Premier Kinew stated, “The way that we have a successful critical minerals strategy in our province is by saying we can bring these minerals to market in our province with higher environmental standards, higher respect for human rights, higher labour standards than any other jurisdiction in the world.”[1]  Standards required for this success can only be achieved through meaningful law and policy reform that ensures real and enforceable protections. For decades, Commissions have provided recommendations to bring about these standards however they have been ignored by governments at our peril.[2][3] True reform is “in the best interests of Manitobans”.  We cannot develop critical minerals “in a good way” until the commitments to reform are honoured.[4]  It’s time to Draw a Line in the Sand On Antiquated Environment & Mineral Legislation   Please sign our Petition.     Sources: [1] Premier Kinew Feb 16, 2024, license decision announcement on silica sand extraction proposal (29:47)  https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=62000&posted=2024-02-16&fbclid=IwY2xjawJC1X5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWS_oZdnp8de9Vj_M4U3QwmF2in5iqfTFV__ZJ3NPnRUDd_XWs1WmNLyzQ_aem_DzE_hUrbW-6iUjnegokc9g [2] Manitoba Clean Environment Commission Reports Archive [3] Manitoba Law Reform Commission Report on “Manitoba’s Environmental Assessment and Licensing Regime under The Environment Act” 2015 [4] Manitoba Hansard, Environment and Climate Change Minister, April 5, 2024 (p.1059) https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/hansard/43rd_1st/hansardpdf/38.pdf#page=23  For more information, please see: https://ourlineinthesandmanitoba.ca/  https://www.facebook.com/ourlineinthesandmanitoba

Elon Musk is the main shareholder of Tesla, owning more than 20% of the company, he is also a very visible advisor to the Trump Administration. Given the Administration's continued threat to annex Canada, it is a national security issue to continue to allow Musk's businesses to operate in Canada. It provides financial benefits to a person who is hostile to our continued sovereignty. As a non tariff response to these continued threats we need to ban the sale of new Tesla vehicles in this country.

The number of seniors without primary care is increasing, despite provincial announcements of funding increases. Without primary care, seniors lose their independance more quickly, their quality of life is reduced and their lives are shortened. Without seniors primary care, emergency rooms become overburdened, hospitals reach capacity and the effects on the health care system are felt throughout all age groups.

In Slocan Park, BC, there's an incredible old growth Ponderosa Pine forest with a local herd of 30 elk that use this area as their overwintering habitat. The trees tower above and there's no understory, making it a magical place to walk through as you can just see gigantic trees above and below you on the steep slope. This forest is also home to owls, bats, and is alive with songbirds. This forest also houses the 27th largest Ponderosa Pine in BC.  Below in the valley is a community that this forest is protecting from forest fires. Because there is virtually no understory, and there is evidence of a past fire on the bark of the old trees, the bark is rock hard and less susceptible to fire. The bad news is that this area is slated to be auctioned off for logging in November 2025 through BCTS. Our community is writing this petition in the hopes that we can turn this area into some sort of protected area for the elk instead, and protect our homes from future forest fires. Please help us protect this amazing area. You can also help by contacting the local MLA Steve Morissette: [email protected] Phone: (250) 304-2783 and by contacting BC Timber Sales - Arrow Field Team Nakusp Field Office: Phone (250) 265-0355 Fax: (250) 265-3067 E-mail: [email protected] To address your concerns. Thank you for helping us save this amazing place. Below is the official petition you are signing:   The petition of the undersigned states that: WHEREAS a biodiverse and rare 7-kilometer-long stretch of mature mixed forest, with many majestic ponderosa pines, Douglas firs and other tree species is located above Slocan Park in the Slocan River Valley of the West Kootenays; AND WHEREAS this forest provides prime winter habitat for our local elk herd, as there is minimal undergrowth and lots of grasses for forage and the elk show an obvious preference for the mature forest versus adjacent 10 year old tree farms; AND WHEREAS this forest also serves as an essential buffer and natural fire break, due to the spacing and height of trees and the relatively scarcity of undergrowth, protecting the adjacent community and private properties from the threat of fast-moving wildfires commonly associated with tree plantations; AND WHEREAS this forest includes the 27th largest Ponderosa pine in the province and numerous old-growth trees that have survived wildfires and other past disturbances; AND WHEREAS despite the aforementioned values and ecological significance of the Slocan Park Stands, the BC Timber Sales division of the Ministry of Forests (“BCTS”) is proposing to auction the stands for harvesting; Your petitioners respectfully request that the Honourable House adopt a resolution calling on the Government of British Columbia to: 1. direct the BC Timber Sales division of the Ministry of Forests to cancel the proposed auction of Timber Sale Licence TA2325; and 2. protect the vital Slocan Park Elk Corridor in perpetuity in a provincial park, an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, or an equivalent protected area. Dated this 30th day of January, 2025.

This would provide more jobs for Ontario workers, keeping money in Canada, and we can cut ties (in one way) with Musk, who continues to gain power and is trying to influence elections, as he flirts with Nazi sympathizers around the globe. In Ford's words, we should not "pay a penny" of our Canadian tax dollars. Whether you support Ford or not, this $100 million contract was a BAD deal to begin with for the pocket books of Canadians. Tell Doug Ford to end the contract, and bring it back to Canada. 

The CEO of social media platform X, also called Twitter, has used the platform to interfere in democratic elections across the globe. He is also a cabinet minister in the Trump administration, a hostile foreign government that has explicitly indicated it wishes to force Canada to become a subsidiary nation. Whether we like it or not, Canada is now on the frontlines in the fight to save democracy and resist global oligarchy. To preserve our own freedom of speech and informational security, we must prevent representatives of hostile foreign governments, such as Musk, from flooding us with disinformation and propaganda. We must ban X/Twitter before the next federal election - and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has the power to do it, as the role in charge of telecom policy. Officials across Canada are already debating the role of X/Twitter in public communications. A massive outpouring of support for an outright ban could be the push needed to get the federal government to take this urgently needed step to help secure Canada's information environment from American aggression and propaganda.

Doug Ford is dragging Ontario into a snap election that literally no one asked for — and it’s clear this is all about one thing: Ford’s desperate grab for power. He’s trying to sell us some flimsy excuse about needing a fresh mandate from Ontarians. But he already has one, thanks to the big majority he rode in on last time. And as for that $200 rebate? Nice try, Doug. We want dependable public services, not a one-time handout (or shall we say bribe?) to buy our vote. With the cost of living soaring, tariff threats from Trump, and a federal election looming, Ontario’s already juggling a lot. So what’s Ford doing? Throwing away $175 million in public funds, and kicking off a month of chaos, rather than working with opposition parties to protect our communities and workers. This election isn’t for Ontario — it’s all about Ford. And we’re not buying it.

Premier Doug Ford tabled draconian and callous legislation that will criminalize people for not having a home — and he is ready to override the courts to make it happen.  This bill will give cities more power to increase policing and forcibly dismantle encampments — when people have nowhere else to go.  Community advocates and experts have come out against it: this legislation doesn't get to the root of the issue — it will just land more people in jails, cost millions of dollars and spread encampments to new places.  Already some cities have started to speak out against it. If more cities reject Ford’s brutal legislation and demand Ford provide real solutions to the housing crisis, it could force Ford to back down.  A wave of local campaigns calling on local mayors and city councils to come out against Ford's draconian legislation could help tip the scale. Sign the petition to your city’s mayor and council demanding they reject Ford’s crackdown on the houseless community.  

We learned in December that MCCSS will be cutting all the funding for the Health Nexus FASD Ontario website https://fasdinfotsaf.ca/. This bilingual website, launched in 2018, has become a trusted source of FASD research, best practices, events, support groups and diagnostic clinics. The FASD Ontario website is regularly accessed by people with FASD, family members, professionals, and service providers including our provincial FASD workers and has become a critical resource for the Francophone community which is plagued by a lack of FASD resources in their language of origin. To learn that funding to maintain this website has been cut is devastating. The following are critical reasons to continue funding maintenance and updating of this website:  1. The website provides navigation to publicly funded Ontario FASD Diagnostic Clinics (updated regularly). This is not available on any other site.   2. The repository of agencies delivering MCCSS’s FASD Worker Program, including contact information, resides on this site (updated regularly). Individuals and families depend on this resource as it provides more detail and is more frequently updated than the only other source of this information, https://www.ontario.ca.  3. A map and descriptions of the 40+ MCCSS-funded FASD Family and Caregiver Support Groups across Ontario are “housed” on this website, so individuals with FASD and their family members can find regional in-person and virtual support groups. Applications for this MCCSS funding and the required mid-term / final reports for groups are completed through the FASD Ontario website.   4. The newly relaunched website includes pages for Anglophone and Francophone people with FASD, a unique and critically needed resource.  5. Francophone families experience multitudes of barriers to accessing FASD resources and supports in French. The vast majority of MCCSS-funded FASD Workers only speak English. This website is bilingual and addresses a pressing need for French resources and navigation support.  6. Research and articles included on the website have been reviewed by FASD experts before sharing to ensure they are evidence-based and current.  7. MCCSS-funded FASD webinars and public virtual trainings are recorded and shared on the newly relaunched website, creating impact beyond the actual events, a smart investment and another example of “cross pollination” of MCCSS funded FASD initiatives.  8. Health Nexus is committed to the website promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). Website content is created with an IDEA lens, with advisory support from the FASD Advisory Committee.  9. MCCSS has invested in this website creation and maintenance since 2018, reducing inequities in funding of supports for Ontarians with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs). For example, provincial funding for Ontario’s FASD strategy is far less than funding for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite the fact that FASD is 2.5 times as prevalent as ASD (CanFASD, 2018). Cancelling funding for this website further increases these inequities, creating discrimination among NDDs and increasing the stigma felt so deeply by the FASD community. It also contravenes the recommendations of Ontario’s comprehensive FASD Roundtables’ findings.  The Canada FASD Research Network estimates that 4% of Canadians have FASD though the majority are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The best predictors of improved outcomes for people with FASD are a stable, loving home and early diagnosis followed by customized strategies. The FASD Ontario website assists with navigation to diagnostic services and supports, shares evidence-based strategies and research through webinars and website pages, directs families to support groups to reduce isolation and build connections, and equips families to be strong and resilient. Removing these resources will cost Ontarians in the long run through increased costs related to education, health, mental health, substance use disorders, child welfare, homelessness and justice. Frankly, this website is not only a good investment, but also a critical investment. Signing the petition is an opportunity to voice support for a vital resource that ensures individuals with FASD and their families can access the services, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive. The consequences of losing this website would extend beyond the FASD community, perpetuating many inequities for Ontarians with neurodevelopmental disabilities. We’ve also created a page on our website to Share Your Story with Health Nexus to help our advocacy efforts https://www.fasdinfotsaf.ca/share-your-story/.

Premier Doug Ford has tabled draconian and cruel legislation that will further criminalize people for not having a home — and he is ready to override the courts to make it happen.  This bill will give cities more power to increase policing and forcibly dismantle encampments — when people have nowhere else to go. This is being introduced as winter sets in, a time when houseless folks face the additional threat of freezing to death.  Community advocates and experts have come out against it: this legislation doesn't get to the root of the issue — it will just land more people in jails, cost millions of dollars and spread encampments to new places.  Further, it terrorises people who face regular trespasses to their safety from police and state agencies. Raiding and clearing encampments leads to some of the most vulnerable people in our society being physically assaulted, arrested, and having their only belongings destroyed or confiscated. Clearing encampments criminalises what is for many their only means of survival.  Ford would also have to violate Canadians’ human rights to enforce this legislation by overriding the courts with the notwithstanding clause. This would override a decision in January 2023 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. According to the CBC: “Justice M.J. Valente ruled that Waterloo Region could not use a municipal bylaw to evict people living in an encampment in Kitchener because that bylaw was deemed to be in violation of Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Already some cities have started to speak out against it. If more cities reject Ford’s brutal legislation and demand Ford provide real solutions to the housing crisis, it could force Ford to back down.  A wave of local campaigns calling on local mayors and city councils to come out against Ford's draconian legislation could help tip the scale. Sign the petition to your city’s mayor and council demanding they reject Ford’s crackdown on the houseless community.  

Premier Doug Ford tabled draconian and callous legislation that will criminalize people for not having a home — and he is ready to override the courts to make it happen.  This bill will give cities more power to increase policing and forcibly dismantle encampments — when people have nowhere else to go.  Community advocates and experts have come out against it: this legislation doesn't get to the root of the issue — it will just land more people in jails, cost millions of dollars and spread encampments to new places.  Already some cities have started to speak out against it. If more cities reject Ford’s brutal legislation and demand Ford provide real solutions to the housing crisis, it could force Ford to back down.  A wave of local campaigns calling on local mayors and city councils to come out against Ford's draconian legislation could help tip the scale. Sign the petition to your city’s mayor and council demanding they reject Ford’s crackdown on the houseless community.