Right now, we have a key opportunity to change the reckless actions of the oil and gas industry. The federal government is currently looking at a new policy — called an “emissions cap” — that could totally shift the game. [1] If done right, it could actually force oil and gas companies to wind down oil and gas production urgently, in line with the science. But only if it's done right. The oil and gas lobby is already trying to water down the cap on emissions, knowing the threat it represents to their profits. [2] We cannot stay silent. Together, we can show the government that the public demands bold and necessary action to address this climate crisis—and that the era of big oil and gas is over. Sign our petition now. Sources: [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/04/its-over-for-fossil-fuels-ipcc-spells-out-whats-needed-to-avert-climate-disaster [2] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/

The cost of groceries, bills, and rent is skyrocketing. For the millions of Canadians with disabilities who are forced to rely on an inadequate fixed income, it means that making ends meet is a struggle. Putting more money in the pockets of people with disabilities is a crucial first step to ensuring everyone can meet their basic needs, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their heads. And in 2020, the federal government promised a new Canadian Disability Benefit [1] — but so far it’s failed to materialize. Here’s where you come in: On April 7, the federal government will release its budget: a crucial roadmap that determines where to spend money over the next year. [2] It’s the exact place where the government could turn their promise of the Canadian Disability Benefit into action, but so far they haven’t indicated whether there’ll be money in the budget for the new benefit or not. As the Finance Minister is getting ready to release the budget, a flood of emails from thousands of us could send a loud and clear message that Ontarians expect funding for the Canadian Disability Benefit in the budget. It could force her to think twice about releasing a budget without support for people with disabilities — but only if enough of us speak out. Send a message now. Sources [1] https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2022/03/07/disability-should-not-equal-poverty.html [2] https://financialpost.com/news/economy/federal-budget-to-be-delivered-on-april-7

Improving children's and teenagers mental health in Ontario: Mental health has been around for century's and has continued to affect children and teenagers physical and mental well-being. Research conducted by Garcia & Elliott states that the closures of schools are impacting the learning and retention of previously taught material for children and teenagers. The closures of schools are impacting children’s and teenager’s mental health as they are feeling less confident in their work and feeling a lack of motivation which then creates children and teenagers wanting to give up on life. Perhaps enforcing schools to be open and finding different support systems within the schools, will help improve children’s and teenager’s mental health during covid-19. With schools being closed for a long period of time and now reopening has caused many children and teens feeling depressed and an increase of their anxiety as they don't know what to expect next. There needs to be better support systems for children and teenagers in our Ontario community today, if not it will continue to become worse and nothing will change but the lives of our future children and teens. Lets be the change in our community and use our voices to help support children and teenagers who are suffering in silence with mental health damage inside.

Changes in the climate have recently become more than obvious. By the end of this century, it is estimated that the Earth's surface temperature will rise by approximately 2°C, having devastating effects on our ecosystems, flora, fauna, and humans. Nature itself is already very fragile, and our attitude is destroying a whole world of living organisms and our very own home. We are residents in one of the neighborhoods within the peel region and our keen observation is that some apartments have a central waste collection point but every time you go there, there is always household waste disposed on the floor, a mixup of recyclable and non-recyclable waste items inside the same bin bag when appropriate and well-labeled refuse bins have been provided. A lot of these negative effects could be improved if humans slightly amended their behavior. By managing waste in a way that avoids landfills and reducing consumption by reusing products, we avoid the creation of unnecessary waste. Nevertheless, by separating and recycling the waste we do create, we could reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills. The waste that remains would actually be burnt to create energy, meaning less waste or nothing at all is actually sent to landfill. The environmental benefits of a proper waste disposal system are clear. When a person doesn’t dispose effectively of a plastic product or a product that may contain dangerous chemicals, these chemicals can eventually find their way into local water sources and the soil. Proper waste disposal can help preserve our natural environment, and ensure a healthy ecosystem for the long-term future. People need to know about the importance of proper waste disposal to help induce action. The better you are aware of the value and benefits of the good waste practice, the easier and more efficient the desired behavior can be adapted.

On Monday, after weeks of uncertainty amidst the rise of the Omicron variant, BC students finally returned to school. [1] But less than two days later, two schools shut down when students and staff fell sick. [2] Omicron has changed the game, but BC’s school reopening plan doesn’t reflect that. Many teachers have not received their COVID-19 booster shots, critical equipment like HEPA filters and N95 masks are in short supply, and from now on parents won’t even be notified if their child is exposed to the virus. [3-4] BC’s current plan takes for granted that huge numbers of teachers and students will contract the virus—but that’s not a sacrifice we’re willing to accept. [5] To make sure our schools are safe for our kids, we need the government to deliver: Safer Classrooms: N95 masks should be available, and better ventilation and HEPA filters installed in shared spaces. Protections for Staff: teachers should be prioritized for access to the COVID-19 booster, and plans should be in place so they can stay home if they get sick. Better reporting: rapid antigen tests should be widely available, and cases closely monitored and reported in schools. Options for online learning: online learning needs to be available to students who are sick or who can’t risk getting infected. These calls are coming from educators, unions, students and parents [6-8]. They have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for the past two years—and they know what they need to be safe. Will you sign the petition calling on Minister Whiteside to deliver a real plan that prioritizes the health and safety of students and staff? Sources [1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-parents-in-bc-alberta-anxious-as-schools-set-to-reopen-amid-covid-19/ [2] see [1] [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/8495596/covid-bc-back-to-school-plan-friday-omicron/ [4] see [1][2] [5] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-dr-bonnie-henry-says-bc-schools-must-plan-for-the-likelihood-of/ [6] https://globalnews.ca/news/8501219/bc-medically-vulnerable-parents-teachers-school-covid/ [7] https://globalnews.ca/news/8499505/covid-omicron-back-to-school-worries/ [8] https://globalnews.ca/news/8480530/covid-b-c-teachers-delayed-back-to-school-plan-omicron/

COVID cases are skyrocketing in Ontario. Our loved ones are getting sick, businesses are closing, and many Ontarians are finding themselves strapped for cash and without access to emergency benefits. [1-3] It’s winter and people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads — but instead of supporting those who need it, Premier Ford just rubber-stamped a new maximum rent increase. [4] This would allow landlords to hike rents that many are already struggling to afford. For many, this could mean the difference between keeping and losing a home. It doesn’t have to be this way. At the beginning of the pandemic, Ford instated a rent freeze and banned evictions to keep people from losing their homes. [5] Now, with COVID cases reaching record levels, a flood of public pressure could be enough to force him to do it again. Sign the petition calling on Premier Doug Ford and Housing Minister Steve Clark to freeze rents and reinstate the evictions ban. Sources [1] https://globalnews.ca/news/8483263/ontario-covid-cases-january-1-coronavirus/ [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/business-covid-measures-1.6302678 [3] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/despite-new-covid-19-restrictions-no-one-is-eligible-for-the-new-federal-benefit-1.5716262 [4] https://globalnews.ca/news/6687167/coronavirus-ontario-eviction-enforcement/ [5] https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-introduces-residential-rent-freeze-for-2021-1.5109278

You’ve faithfully masked up, kept your distance, and gotten your jabs. Your family life, social life, work and mental health have all suffered. You may be facing housing and financial crises. You’ve likely not received much medical or dental care, either. By necessity, we have all ceded so much control over our lives to the pandemic. The pandemic isn’t over. The only way through it with our sanity intact is regain control over our ability to protect each other and stop the spread through informed choices. Rapid covid tests have their flaws, but the one thing that they do fairly well is let us know when we are infectious. Masks and vaccines are great and the new antivirals look very promising, but they don’t tell us what we need to know when we need to know it: before you cuddle your best friend’s newborn, or leave your elderly mother stranded at the ferry terminal because you felt a tickle in your throat at 2 am the night before. Free rapid tests are available universally in some provinces and are restricted to specific populations in others. Calls for the BC government to make these tests universally available have fallen on deaf ears for many, many months. We must redouble our efforts to put pressure on this government to do the right and infinitely doable thing. Please add your voice to others calling for free, universal access to at-home rapid Covid-19 tests NOW.

Conservative Alberta Premier Jason Kenney just inked a deal with the Federal Government for $10/day child care. [1] Ontario could also have more affordable child care if they work with the Federal Government — but surprise, surprise: Premier Doug Ford is a blocker. [2] Since Premier Kenney and Prime Minister Trudeau jointly announced an affordable child care plan for Alberta on Monday, the spotlight has been on Doug Ford. Parents are questioning why Ford’s holding out when Ontario has among the highest child care costs in Canada. [3] Eight provinces and one territory have already penned a deal for $10/day child care. Doug Ford’s case for not signing on is getting weaker by the day. [4,5] So let’s build a huge people-powered petition now, while the spotlight is still on him, to drive home the message: Ontarians want him to stop blocking $10/day childcare. Add your name now. Sources [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ottawa-alberta-reach-child-care-deal-1.6248936 [2] https://ipolitics.ca/2021/11/10/ontarios-10-day-daycare-delay-based-on-wrong-numbers-ottawa/ [3] https://www.policyalternatives.ca/TheAlarm Page 8 [4] See [1] [5] See [2]

Almost 90,000 seniors will have their benefits slashed because of an administrative oversight. Seniors who accepted financial support to help them weather the pandemic are now having their benefits clawed back by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). [1] Seniors who receive the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) can earn less than $19,248. [2] But rather than support them when they need it more — the CRA is pulling the rug from under their feet. As winter approaches, more and more stories are emerging of seniors who are struggling to make ends meet and don’t know how they’ll get by as their income is cut. One senior in Edmonton has to keep the lights off and the heat so low that her home is freezing cold, because she can’t afford to pay the bills. [3] It’s unacceptable. After a pandemic that disproportionately affects older populations, it’s disheartening to see the government roll back support for seniors. But this isn’t going unnoticed. Several MPs and advocacy groups are already sounding the alarm. [4,5] Now we need a wave of public pressure to get this on the government’s radar. The more signatures we get, the harder it will be for Ministers Freeland and Khera to ignore. Sign this petition now to add your voice. Sources [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cerb-cra-gis-payment-clawback-1.6237311 [2] See 1 [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/8347132/low-income-seniors-gis-struggle/ [4] See 1 [5] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-loss-of-gis-because-of-pandemic-benefits-is-creating-a-financial/

This grotesque, untimely and out of scale development might be have been possible 20 years ago, but now it is clearly destructive to the River and landscape which makes the area unique. It is disrespectful of First Nations eons of care for the land and waters. It disregards local settler communities and their heritage village. And it sets a precedent for development and pollution along the banks of the Grand to Lake Erie.

Safe, accessible public transit is the backbone that keeps a big city like Toronto moving. It’s an essential part of our lives — enabling people who live and visit here to efficiently commute from home to work, to a doctor's appointment, or to pick up food at the grocery store Thousands of people rely on public transit every day in Toronto, especially those who are struggling the most to make ends meet and don’t have access to a car or taxi. But right now, the TTC is planning to slash services as soon as this month. [1] Imagine you’re a frontline worker. You rely on transit every day to get to work. Your daily commute usually takes you 30 minutes but lately it’s been taking you up to an hour to get to work. You have to wait in the freezing cold at a bus stop every day, because TTC services are being cut. This could be the reality for many of us if TTC service cuts go ahead. [2] A huge wave of public pressure could force the city, provincial and federal government to save the TTC — but only if we all speak out. Sign the petition now to stop the cuts and save the TTC. Sources [1] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/10/27/ttc-plans-service-cuts-starting-in-november-because-of-workers-who-havent-complied-with-vaccine-mandate.html [2] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/10/06/its-too-much-of-a-risk-riders-left-the-ttc-in-droves-over-covid-19-could-that-trigger-a-public-transit-death-spiral.html

Not all disabled people can operate a car, or afford to own one. And sidewalks are often too narrow, and/or uneven for mobility aids. The climate emergency requires that we give everyone the opportunity to travel using low-carbon modes of transportation. Bike lanes host many types of users, who move at different speeds - including some with disabilities. Many cycling advocates and other organizations support access to cycling facilities by people using electric mobility aids.