Many people including public health experts, healthcare workers on the front line, workers who have worked non-stop throughout this entire pandemic, labour organizations, and more have been calling on paid sick leave since the start of the pandemic (and before), but it is not yet widely spread that a bill was put forward to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in early December 2020 to legislate paid sick leave. This bill, Bill 239, was put forward by MPP Peggy Sattler, and went through a first reading on December 8, 2020. The bill needs attention to ensure Ontario mandates paid sick leave for all workers. We cannot miss this opportunity to ensure this passes. The bill has to go through more readings by other Ontario MPPs, committee members, and be discussed before being moved forward into legislation (or failing). The public can provide further input in this process, like how the bill should be altered in any way to make it more protective of any person in Ontario providing any sort of labour to an employer in Ontario, including undocumented and temporary workers. You can email or call your local MPP and provide them with any important changes they should discuss in the process, and urge them to ensure that paid sick leave is passed into legislation. Paid sick leave should be mandatory, and in 2018 Premier Doug Ford removed the few protections that existed. This moment is of course especially urgent given the ongoing and escalating COVID-19 situation as we go into the end of the year and a provincial "lockdown". Numerous outbreaks are taking place at workplaces such as warehouses, and many of them are not included in the lockdown. Many nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers are continually exposed to COVID-19, and are working between hospitals and Long-Term Care homes, are under-staffed and over-worked, and need to be ensured that they will have paid sick leave for their own protection, patients' protection, their loved ones, and for everyone else. This also applies for people working in grocery stores, pharmacies, schools, and all other labour and services that have just been symbolically applauded but absolutely not sufficiently compensated or protected. These government failures are allowing for growing hazardous working environments, and the failure to reinstate mandatory sick days already negates the purpose of a coherent public health response. People need to be able to stay home for their health, the health of others, and should not have to choose between income and health. The Ontario Financial Accountability Officer also confirmed this month that the Ontario government has $12 billion in contingency funds for COVID-19 spending. Paid sick leave is completely feasible by large employers, and can be supported by the government for small businesses. Paid sick leave is one of many steps that are necessary to respond to this pandemic, alongside an eviction ban, emergency income support, hospital surge funding, expanded testing and vaccination capacity, and more. https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-239 https://www.peggysattler.ca/paidsickdays

Dear Minister Lecce and Premier Ford, we demand the immediate vaccination of all Ontario educators against the Coronavirus to safely continue their frontline work in schools, particularly in the province's hotspot regions. Over 160 thousand public teachers in Ontario need to be recognized as "essential, frontline workers," who face the daily risk of exposure to a life-threatening virus in their workplace. UNESCO, the United Nations agency for education, called on governments to give teachers priority access to COVID-19 vaccines. Currently, there are over 13,000 Covid-19 cases reported in Ontario schools. That's over 25 % of schools, not including asymptomatic students uncounted for because of insufficient testing. The political narrative that continues to claim that "children are incapable of spreading the virus," is now old science. In fact, it is probable that the majority of Covid cases in schools are potentially spreading between asymptomatic student carriers to their homes. Studies from Canada and around the world have shown that schools are significant vectors for the transmission of COVID-19, particularly with the more contagious and deadly variants that are now the predominant infections. A study conducted by Dr. Simona Bignami of the Université de Montréal and Dr. John F. Sandberg of George Washington University, found that it was Montreal children who infected their parents last fall, not the other way around, transforming Canada’s second largest city into a COVID-19 epicentre. Educators are well-aware that safety measures such as "cohorting," mask enforcement and social distancing look good on paper, but despite educators best efforts, these essential measures are impossible to systematically apply and enforce consistently with children. They are all the more ineffective in schools that are overcrowded and poorly ventilated. According to government data, more than 30,000 Ontario students and school staff have been infected with COVID-19. The frightening truth is this: asymptomatic outbreaks are probable throughout schools, particularly those in hotspot regions. Without adequate asymptomatic testing, the government can continue the narrative that schools are safe, that children's mental health is more important than their physical safety - and ultimately justify the political agenda to keep the economy open. Indeed, our economy is important, but how can the economic agenda take precedence over protecting lives? Teachers and students are expected to return to school during the current provinces lazy-lockdown, to bravely "step up," and face the increasing risk of contracting the new and more deadly Covid variants. The government has repeatedly defended the safety of our schools remaining open, using rhetoric that downplays increasing virus case-counts inside schools as simply a reflection of the increased numbers in the community. Wouldn't that indicate schools are also unsafe? There's this rationalized myth that schools are magically exempt from the spread and dangers of this virus, because "children can't spread the virus," that, hand sanitizer and safety screening will make up for overcrowded and poorly ventilated classrooms, that the exponential spread of more contagious and deadly variants, and our overwhelmed hospital ICU's that are at a breaking point, are factors scary enough to lockdown the entire province for another month - but schools are somehow safe? The fact is, schools are not safe! I ask you Minister Lecce and Premier Ford, how can you honestly and ethically justify sending teachers and students back into a clearly unsafe environment without the existing protection of vaccines? Is it not your responsibility to ensure the safety of your citizens, their families and ultimately our children? Our healthcare heroes, our vulnerable seniors, and those who are medically at risk, clearly take vaccination precedence - but our teachers also need to be prioritized in the line-up for vaccinations. They actually need you to "step up, Premier Ford," and do your part - either vaccinate educators - or move all schools to virtual learning! Sincerely, Lisa Porter and the included signatories

The plans for rail expansion in Toronto’s Lakeshore East corridor by Metrolinx will relieve congestion and improve public transportation, but can and should be done without the wholesale destruction of a community’s green spaces including the environmentally sensitive ecosystem of Smalls Creek Ravine and Williamson Park Ravine. There remains an opportunity for Metrolinx to create a model for sustainable city building by working with the affected communities in finding ways to restore and revitalize these greenspaces as part of their construction work. Help us send a message to Metrolinx that they cannot ignore the communities in which they operate. Update - Feb 2022 Metrolinx has clear-cut and destroyed over 200 trees, the majority of which created a canopy that took over 100 years to establish. This will be replaced with a permanent concrete wall up to 10 ft tall and over 400 ft long in addition to a replacement concrete that is now 6 meters wide and above ground. As well, the path connecting the west and east sides UPDATE January 7, 2021 - Since the launch of this petition Metrolinx has publicly responded, saying they have indeed conducted and continue to conduct community consultation. This is true. But it changes nothing about the content of this petition. To date, Metrolinx has only publicly released the same documents SmallsCreek.ca had to first obtain through a Freedom of Information request. Their Dec 24th blog post reiterated much of what they have said already, and while mentioned it is interested in further community consultation, takes the tone that this project - still slated to begin as early as the end of January 2021 - is a done deal. SmallsCreek.ca will continue our community outreach until Metrolinx recognizes the petition's requests and engages in a meaningful dialogue that takes our positions into active consideration. We want more trains & two way service. We want a 4th track, but ask our provincial transportation stakeholders to install the transit, without sacrificing an important community ecosystem. Learn More at www.smallscreek.ca

We certainly are nowhere near rich if we're on PWD. A sudden deduction is felt by us in a powerful way. This drop in assistance is disorienting and problematic for people, especially who go just a modest amount over the limit and who do so at the end of the year, when the seasonality of things can also increase expenses and decrease work income. It can be really bad timing! Covid-19 just makes this all harder to deal with, too. Costs and expenses typically do not go down, but suddenly a PWD client can be without that extra money earned through their hard work, through their disability. In fact, the actual work might be continuing the same, but suddenly there is a loss in access to otherwise available resources. It's not a smooth transition for us. Things someone might buy with this extra income if it weren't clawed back: It could go toward a doctor recommended supplement which is not covered, toward a psych or physio therapy session which is not covered but does wonders for overall management of stress and health issues, toward a meaningful gift to a loved one at Christmas, or toward something otherwise out of reach but which afforded increases one's quality of life and health. Like mentioned, on PWD we are not rich, so these small amounts mean a lot to us.

As a self-employed business owner, I was out of work due to the lockdown for Covid-19 and I followed the rules for applying for CERB in order to not only survive, but to keep my business afloat because my landlord didn’t bother with the rent subsidy. I realize that there were many who may have accidentally applied, but we self-employed had no other option and now are being told we were not eligible all because the word “net” was inferred and not actually stated on the website or the automated recordings when filing by phone. This is going to further destroy many small businesses and their owners more than this pandemic already has. To reduce us below eligibility for net profits after our deductions is beyond unfair and seems as though the rules are being changed to benefit CRA and the economy.

Global Pandemic

Millions of Canadians support incoming President Biden’s rejection of Keystone XL. Please let Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson know that you are among them. Joe Biden wants to see immediate and strong action on the climate emergency. He has promised to bring the US back into the Paris Agreement and, as a decisive first step, cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project. That pipeline would enable a huge expansion of Canada’s fossil fuel industry, carrying 300 million barrels of tar sands oil annually. We read that the Canadian government is preparing to lobby the president-elect to break this promise. This, despite a throne speech commitment to take immediate action on the “extreme risk” posed by climate change and the warnings of climate scientists. As the IPCC has made clear, there are less than ten years to cut global emissions in half if we are to avoid climate catastrophe. It is time for Canada to be a leader in addressing the climate emergency and to encourage the world’s biggest oil producer and second biggest producer of greenhouse gases to do the same. It is time for climate leadership in both countries. Des millions de Canadien·ne·s appuient le rejet de Keystone XL tel que le propose M. Joseph Biden. Par cette pétition, nous souhaitons informer le premier ministre, M. Justin Trudeau et le ministre de l’Environnement, M. Jonathan Wilkinson que ces Canadien·ne·s ne veulent pas de ce pipeline et exigent que leur gouvernement laisse enfin tomber Keystone XL. M. Biden dit espérer des actions immédiates et fortes en faveur de l’urgence climatique. Il a promis de ramener les États-Unis dans l’Accord de Paris et, comme première étape décisive en ce sens, il a promis d’annuler le projet de pipeline Keystone XL. Ce pipeline, s’il est construit, permettrait une expansion considérable de l’industrie canadienne des combustibles fossiles, transportant chaque année quelque 300 millions de barils de pétrole extrait des sables bitumineux. Or, nous apprenions récemment que le gouvernement canadien s’apprête à faire pression sur le président élu états-unien pour qu’il rompe cette promesse, et ce, malgré les engagements du discours du trône en faveur de mesures immédiates contre le « risque extrême » posé par la crise climatique et malgré les avertissements des climatologues. Comme le GIEC l’a clairement indiqué, nous avons moins de dix ans pour réduire de moitié les émissions mondiales si nous espérons éviter une catastrophe climatique. Il est plus que temps pour le Canada d’être un chef de file dans la lutte contre les crises climatiques et d’encourager les plus grands producteurs de pétrole et de gaz à effet de serre à faire de même. Il est plus que temps de faire preuve de leadership en matière de climat dans les deux pays.

The services of dieticians and diabetic educators are and essential health service to the patients they serve. Their expertise help individuals control their own blood sugar. Uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to organ failure and amputation. Delaying care is dangerous and unacceptable. A lot of these service can be delivered via the phone.

The purpose of the inquiry we request is to determine the extent of harms put upon injured, ill and/or disabled Canadians in provincial and territorial jurisdictions nationally. We raise these concerns to ensure as well our own full and fair redress in the form of workers compensation benefits as we are entitled to receive and rightly, legitimately deserve. We believe that only with a National investigation of provincial law, policy and regulations that govern provincial/territorial occupational health and safety can troubling issues be properly rectified. Those agencies and agents so empowered by law, policy and regulations have not responded to our direct engagement to address these issues with integrity. As these issues are of long-standing national concern, we assert that the concerns receive the attention that these matters require as it is in the National interests of all Canadians to do so.

The pandemic has laid bare exactly who the truly essential workers are. While many well-paid workers work from their homes, it is the bravery and determination of front-line workers that are keeping our nation moving through the pandemic. That includes grocery store workers, many of whom make barely above minimum wage. At the start of the pandemic, Loblaws guaranteed those workers a $2/hr increase in "hero pay" - a modest increase for people who are literally putting their lives on the line so that we can eat. But Loblaw's cancelled the hero pay when cases declined over the summer of 2021. Now, we face an overwhelming wave of a dangerous new variant, and cases are reaching new heights never before seen in Canada - but not only has Loblaw's refused to reinstate the hero pay, they've instead chosen to increase the amount of money going to their wealthiest shareholders through dividends, and reward their CEOs with bonuses. It couldn't be clearer: Loblaws executives call the work essential but treat the workers as expendable. Call out their greed and demand better. Sign your name to demand Loblaw's reinstate hero pay immediately for the essential heroes keeping food on our tables.

*UPDATED April 16th, 2021* Ford's response to the pandemic has only gotten worse. In February, as variants of concern (VOC) began to take off, Ford's own doctors predicted a total catastrophe in Ontario if he didn't expand public health protections. Not only did he fail to do so, he actually reduced those protections. The result: Ontario is now facing a completely predictable, completely preventable humanitarian disaster. Other nations, states, even other provinces in Canada have managed to avoid the third wave. Ontario has plunged head-first into one, and the worst is yet to come. Ford's only strategy is to attempt to shift blame and point fingers. It is clear that the only way out of this pandemic is with new leadership. Doug Ford must resign and make way for someone capable of managing an effective public health response to the pandemic. *End of updated text* In early November, Doug Ford introduced new guidelines for COVID restrictions. He claimed to have consulted public health professionals in devising the guidelines. However, the guidelines had thresholds for activation that were *four times higher* than public health doctors had actually called for. In other words: Ford lied, and put all our lives at risk. This latest outrage is the last straw. From the beginning, Ford has mismanaged the pandemic. He's given mixed messages that insist we must keep businesses open yet scolds people for visiting those businesses. He's refused to offer supports for small businesses or employees, passing the buck to the federal government. He's refused to address the crisis in long term care, instead passing the buck to local public health agencies. His "COVID relief bill" does things like interfering in local democracy, and he's rescinded paid sick leave guarantees passed by a previous government. He refused to adequately support schools or to close them when they proved to be vectors for transmission. The result? Under Doug Ford's watch, cases have reached record numbers and every day more people die. This is a crisis of negligence and incompetence and it cannot be tolerated any longer. It's time for Doug Ford to resign.

- We need to protect this land for future generations living in Ontario - We must protect our environment. We cannot live if our air, water and land is polluted - These lands are home to Endangered Species only found in Ontario - The Conservation Authorities work to ensure significant lands are protected - These lands prevent flooding and other natural disasters - By developing this significant lands, we are increasing our carbon footprint when we are in a Climate Change crisis - Greenspace directly impacts pandemics (dense areas with less greenspace cause illness and viruses to spread faster)