A residential school apologist with a history of sexist and transphobic positions is running for the Conservatives in North Island—Powell River — and the polls have him in the lead.  Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn is making national headlines for publicly stating that Canada’s residential school system, which claimed the lives of thousands of Indigenous children through its hundred-year history, did not constitute a genocide.  Despite the fact that regional Indigenous leadership and 57 and growing names of local mayors and councillors in the riding have called for his removal, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is defending Aaron Gunn’s statements. It is unacceptable for a prospective Member of Parliament to dispute the facts of Canada’s colonial history. The trauma of residential schools still lives on in many Indigenous communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brought to light the dark history of Canada’s residential schools as sites of rampant abuse, designed to erase Indigenous cultures, where children were torn from their families, stripped of their languages, and subjected to systemic harm. In 2022, the House of Commons officially called the residential school system what it was: a genocide, carried out with the intent of erasing a people from the land.  But now, Aaron Gunn is making a mockery of that truth in a cynical attempt to buy votes from his far-right base.  We the undersigned call on Pierre Poilievre to immediately remove Aaron Gunn as the Conservative candidate for North-Island—Powell River. Sources: [1] Open Letter to CPC, https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1yn1znTrv3ZYF_WDVIZhy5rncPAq_vlZpyrdJuf00z0A/mobilebasic?usp=embed_facebook&urp=gmail_link 

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

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. 

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.