Without the backing of our Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), Bill 140 faces the risk of being shelved, depriving our schools, students and education workers of the chance for a healthier learning and working environment. Clean indoor is important: Health and Safety: Poor air quality can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, allergies, and the spread of infectious diseases. Ensuring that the air quality in schools meets current standards is a fundamental step in protecting the well-being of those who spend significant amounts of time in educational settings. Educational Outcomes: There is a well-documented link between air quality and cognitive function. Cleaner air can improve concentration, productivity, and overall academic performance. Transparency and Accountability: By mandating the public reporting of CO2 levels, this bill promotes transparency, allowing parents and the wider community to be informed about the air quality in schools and childcare centers. This information is critical for ensuring accountability and pushing for necessary improvements. Proactive Health Measures: The requirement for an Air Quality Action Plan ensures that there are predefined steps to take when air quality drops, potentially preventing health issues before they arise and ensuring a quick response to any air quality concerns. Economic Sense: Investing in better air quality has economic benefits. By reducing the number of sick days for both students and staff, there is less disruption to learning and work, which has a positive impact on productivity and educational outcomes. Additionally, the long-term healthcare savings from preventing air quality-related illnesses can be substantial. Setting Standards: Ontario currently lacks clear regulations for indoor air quality in schools, putting students and staff at a disadvantage. Implementing such standards would not only protect them but also position Ontario as a leader in educational health and safety standards. Global Competitiveness: Other regions that have adopted similar measures have seen positive outcomes. Supporting this bill would allow Ontario to keep pace with global best practices in educational and childcare environments, making it a more attractive place to live, work, and learn. Long-Term Benefits: The investment in air quality monitoring and improvement is not just a short-term fix; it's an investment in the future health and cognitive abilities of the community’s children. Healthy students are more likely to grow into healthy adults, contributing positively to society. With the support of Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), we can implement vital measures like Bill 140 to ensure our schools have clean air, thereby securing a safer, healthier, and more academically conducive future for our students and education workers.

According to Statista, "In 2020, almost 40 percent of consumers in a survey in Canada stated that they were willing to reduce their meat consumption, whilst around 9 percent were fully intending on doing so." When we don't provide clear labelling for this information, it doesn't only affect Canadians with existing dietary restrictions, it also poses an unnecessary challenge for those of us who are interested in reducing meat and dairy consumption but haven't quite gotten there yet. In 2018, nearly 10% of Canadians were either vegetarian or vegan. That number has since grown. Why would we make life harder for 1 in 10 Canadians instead of simply updating labelling requirements to provide information which is already accessible to producers? If India can do it, so can we.

More than 4.5 million Canadians — often those who need it most — are left out of Canada’s federal energy efficiency programs. The federal government has strong public support for expanding low-income energy efficiency. According to polling conducted by Abacus Data for Efficiency Canada, 72% of Canadians either strongly support or support government funding toward energy efficiency for low-income housing. This support spans across rural and urban populations, owners and renters, all income groups, voters for all political parties and in all regions [1]. Canada will not meet its net-zero emissions goal without upgrading the buildings where low-income Canadians live. Without a national federal energy efficiency solution, low-income Canadians are vulnerable to rising energy costs due to inflation and carbon taxes. As Canada moves to net-zero emissions, higher income Canadians will be able to escape fossil fuels, leaving lower income Canadians with the burden of paying higher costs for fossil fuel distribution networks [2]. We have a chance to achieve this in the 2024 federal budget – but we must act quickly. Budget negotiations are happening right now. [1] https://www.efficiencycanada.org/polling-canadians-support-low-income-energy-efficiency/ [2] Efficiency Canada, Written Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the Upcoming Federal Budget, Sept 2022, https://www.efficiencycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Efficiency-Canada-submission-to-Budget-2023-consultations.pdf

Rapidly winding down emissions from fossil fuel extraction and burning is key to preventing climate collapse. Like cigarettes, fossil fuels are harmful products. If cigarette advertising isn't allowed on transit, why is fossil fuel advertising?

Road safety is important for all, and especially for seniors & children. Main St. should be a place we can feel free to travel without undue concern for our safety. Everyone can agree that the community spirit shown at car-free days, festivals, farmers' markets, and events should be encouraged every day of the week!

Enough is enough. Now is the time to make sure we have a safe September. Now is the time to make sure every student and education worker walks into a safe, healthy environment. Let’s protect them by getting “back to basics” and providing clean air for them to breathe. Help us remind the Ontario government of its duty to protect students and education workers. Demand they take responsibility for this terrible failure to protect us all. Insist that they act to provide a safe September, and invest those unspent tax dollars on improvements to air quality in our schools - for the sake of our communities and healthcare system.

Ontario has an opportunity to be a leading example of sustainable development. If we don't act now, the window will close forever.

Our rivers, mainly the Oldman River, can’t be subject to selenium pollution without their fish populations being killed off. We see the desperate need to protect what little water we have. Stand up for what’s right.

The Island Corridor is an irreplaceable public asset. Unless a continuous transportation use is found for it, it could be broken up. Many people thought rail service was needed to keep the corridor intact but all over the world unused rail corridors like this one are being saved for public use by converting them to highly successful active transportation routes as multi use trails. Now that rail service has stopped on the Island Corridor for 11 years for safety reasons there is an opportunity to do a rail trail here as a safe local alternative transportation option and a world class low impact tourism attraction. Let's make it happen!

We are in deeply uncertain times. Climate change disasters, including forest fires, flooding and drought, are touching the lives of virtually everyone. Canadians can ensure the federal government acts as though climate change is an existential threat, by using its constitutional powers to take charge. A new world cannot be born while the needed changes to our cultural and economic systems seem politically impossible. Quoting from Klein's A Good War: "Most of us know the battle for our lives must soon get underway, and most of our leaders are now talking tough on climate. But we're not quite sure how to begin in earnest." The time has come for those of us who are aware of the risks to study this book, raise awareness, and lobby the government on its duty to act, no matter the cost. As CD Howe, who established 28 Crown corporations and did detailed economic planning to ensure WWII production was where it needed to be, famously said, “If we lose the war, nothing will matter.” It's even more true now: nothing will matter if we don't beat climate change and biodiversity loss.

This system allows companies and individuals to stake mining claims on First Nations lands from the comfort of their offices, without gaining the consent of the Indigenous people who live there. You have stated that we need to “listen to Indigenous voices and ensure they are heard loudly and clearly.” Your government’s refusal to respect Grassy Narrows’ Indigenous Protected Area completely contradicts your own words. This is not in the spirit of reconciliation that your government espouses to care about. Grassy Narrows has been fighting for justice for over 50 years, it is time to make things right. Grassy Narrows is demanding that Ontario respect their Indigenous Protected Area and end all logging and mining activity on the area. Will you commit to that now? We must respect Grassy Narrows' decisions for their territory. Never again should harmful decisions be imposed on Grassy Narrows people and the territory that they depend on. This is an issue of high concern to me and I will be watching closely to see that justice comes at long last to Grassy Narrows.

We need to recapture our politicians from the undue influence of fossil fuel companies who are even helping to write our government’s climate policies. Recently, for example, the government of Alberta granted 4.3 billion to fossil fuel companies at a time when people are unable to find a family doctor in this province, and at a time when at least two large companies stream-lined their operations by laying off workers. Meanwhile forest fires raged out of control all across the country, affecting peoples lives in several negative ways.