Millions of non-smokers in our country, particularly in Toronto city are suffering every day due to unscrupulous smokers around all public places. These smokers interpret that "Law prohibits only smoking within 9 meters from a building entrance". Thus they claim they are legally permitted to smoke anywhere else. This is in addition to some who violate all existing laws and they smoke right at the entrance. Children at Risk A recent law revision has prohibited smoking near schools and play grounds. But that was a too short-sighted addition. Please note that, the same children get exposed to smoking on their way home at side walks, bus tops, pedestrian crossings, parking lots, walkways, public transit, and inside own dwelling units. Attention is requested to the menace of unscrupulous smoking in public places, which is causing health hazards to general public through passive smoking effect. While I appreciate the smoke-free Ontario regulation and similar laws across the country exist,evidently they are found to be not reaping the desired benefits. The rule that bans smoking within 9 meters from the entrance of any building, appears to have been miss-interpreted as if it just irritates the building. Any reasonably sensible person can understand that such rule is to avoid passive smoking-effect on other innocent nonsmokers passing by. But most smokers are seen smoking at a couple meters away from the entrance, if not at the entrance/ inside the confined area itself, and mostly right in the middle of other non-smokers by-standing / walking. Such violations are extremely high in crowded cities like Toronto / GTA and probably in other larger cities too . The trend might be proportionately less in other small cities. In either case the damages that would cause are enormous. Consequences of smoking in public: 1. One smoker could cause health hazard to multitude of non-smoking public through passive smoking. 2. Suffocating smell that linger when a smoker travels in a crowded transit vehicle/elevator, which cause all others around sick 3. Cause slow premature death to innocent passive smokers, including young children/ infants and elderly (senior citizens) 4. Huge burden on the exchequer via additional health / medical budget. 5. Instances of children picking up butts from those thrown by others. The teens may not legally get it from stores, but get free butts from the side-walk. 6. Makes the city dirty with butts all around. 7. Create an unhealthy community, and an addicted generation. 8. Fire hazard due to un-extinguished butts being thrown around high-rise buildings. 9. Electronic cigarette and vapes too cause equal health hazard as cigarettes

NOW until December 10th is our time to offer feedback. UPDATE- FEEDBACK PERIOD HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 14. Wood Buffalo National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, in part because of its great concentration of migratory wildlife; its vast inland delta, the Peace-Athabasca Delta; and the fact that it is home to many endangered species such as the Whooping Crane. The park encompass an area larger than the country of Switzerland. The UNESCO designation means that this place has Outstanding Universal Value, and places it among such global treasures as the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids. It is also the traditional homeland of 11 Indigenous groups. In 2014, the Mikisew Cree First Nation petitioned UNESCO to add Wood Buffalo National Park to their list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO agreed there were serious issues in the park, and gave Parks Canada 17 recommendations in order to keep Wood Buffalo off the list. Parks Canada has released a draft Action Plan for public feedback. At this time, there is no plan to address Recommendation 4 - to conduct a full social and environmental impact assessment of the impacts of the Site C Dam on Wood Buffalo National Park. We understand that much work has taken place with the 11 Indigenous groups within the Park, which we respect; however, we feel meaningful engagement with the Canadian public has not occurred. The sustained integrity of the Outstanding Universal Value of Wood Buffalo is a concern for all Canadians. Unfortunately, the Action Plan falls short in responding to all 17 recommendations from UNESCO’s reactive monitoring mission. A significant shortfall is the failure to respond to Recommendation 4 – “conduct, in line with ICUN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and environmental and social impact assessment of the Site C Project, and if moved forward, any hydropower projects potentially affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the Property” (p. 43). By failing to meet this recommendation, Parks Canada undermines efforts to successfully address the threats to Wood Buffalo National Park. Water quality and quantity are the key underlying challenges to the other 16 recommendations identified. From UNESCO’s 2017 Report on the Peace-Athabasca Delta: …Site C…has so far not been assessed in terms of its impacts of the already altered Peace-Athabasca Delta even though the latter is both a fundamental contributor for the justification of World Heritage and Ramsar status, and home to several Aboriginal Peoples.   …the 2014 federal environmental assessment of the Site C project didn’t examine the impacts on the delta because the projects proponent, BC Hydro claimed there would be ‘no detectable effect…the federal panel restated BC Hydro’s position, ‘without providing a conceivable technical rationale for this conclusion’… Parks Canada claims that, “previous assessments are sufficient”, despite presenting evidence at the Joint Review Panel that stated Site C would have a negative impact on the Peace-Athabasca Delta and despite continued calls from Indigenous groups for the discontinuation of the project. You can get more information and request a copy of the Draft Action Plan here: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/info/SEA_EES/action/engagement

There are several families like my own and MP Tom Kmiec's who have experienced the life altering pain of child or infant loss who could have benefitted from extended time to heal, process, or help our significant other heal beyond the standard ESA standards act or corporate allowances that are insufficient for this specifically devastating type of loss. More details here: https://globalnews.ca/news/4550439/conservative-mp-who-lost-newborn-daughter-urges-others-to-hug-your-kids-in-house-of-commons-speech/ http://www.blakerichards.ca/motion-110/help-motion-110/?fbclid=IwAR3fiYcLw5gh9xIBkfcXuHzXrTylaYAS9VJifDEl_eu2H4AT6w2fTiQGQLI

Every Canadian should live with dignity regardless of their circumstances. Combing the resources of all Federal and provincial income support programs could fully fund such a pension program with enough left over to support low-income housing and other social programs to lift everyone out of poverty. Such initiatives would also reduce medical and prescription costs as well as impact significantly to reduce the cost of situational mental disorders and associated stressors.

Doug Ford just scrapped the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, which is responsible for making sure kids in the welfare system and other institutions are protected from abuse. This will leave the most vulnerable people imaginable -- children accessing public services, children with disabilities, Indigenous children -- without independent oversight, advocacy and protection that they need. [1] This office plays an incredibly important role in the lives of young people and those who care for them in this province. It ensures that young people, and especially those living in the care of public institutions such as child welfare and youth justice, have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. The discontinuation of this office and amalgamation with the Ombudsman office will inevitably lead to its serious reduction of capacity and expertise to help young people who desperately need this support. The Ombudsman of Ontario does not have the experience, expertise and participatory methods in working with young people in the areas of child welfare, child & youth mental health and youth justice sectors. Not only do young people benefit tremendously from this Office's work, professionals across the country regularly highlight this Office's leadership role in the province and Canada. And Ford’s doing it to fund corporate handouts. He’s claiming there's no money for it, but with millions in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, that’s more than a bit rich. We can’t allow him to strip children of their rights and their safety. We saw that after massive backlash about the Ford government moving to debate whether to remove gender identity from school curriculums, he backtracked and shut it down. [2] If we show them that the majority of people in Ontario won’t tolerate these absolutely callous cuts to children’s safety with a massive petition, he could reverse again. They could be packing up the office of Provincial Advocacy for Children and Youth any day now. Will you add your name before it’s dismantled? [1] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/11/19/eliminating-the-ontario-child-advocates-office-a-mistake.html [2] https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/11/19/ford-gender-identity-debate/

Children are our future leaders and law makers. We must raise our children with morals, integrity, self-esteem and to assimilate empathy into their lives and personal experiences and behaviours.

Bangladesh planned to start sending Rohingya refugees back to Burma on November 15th. There are rumours of delays. There are rumours it has already started. The UN has described the genocide in Burma as ongoing. They have said that the conditions in Burma are not conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of refugees. BUT The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has made a deal with the governments of Bangladesh and Burma. The UNHCR has agreed to assess if the refugees that Bangladesh wants to send back, are going willingly. This means the UNHCR is helping to facilitate a process of repatriation, even though they know it is not safe to go back. This repatriation process has sparked terror in the camps. Some refugees have fled into hiding, a few have attempted suicide. Canada is on the executive committee of the UNHCR. Canada is the 8th largest donor to UNHCR. Canada needs to stop this process now.

Dispenasry workers face fines, arrest, and up to 2 years in jail for the crime of working (and paying taxes) in a grey/black market venture. Please help workers caught in this regrettable, structural failure under Ontario's Conservative Government, and its failed MJ distribution scheme. More arrests, this time in Ottawa and Windsor, maybe Leo Lucier could get you some respondents: https://sputniknews.com/us/201811091069661388-cannabis-shops-raided-ontario/ TO police raided 5 dispensaries, 19 October: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cannabis/article-toronto-police-raid-and-shut-down-five-marijuana-dispensaries-vow-to/ 6 arrested in Hamilton, Oct. 25: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-police-execute-warrant-georgia-peach-cannabis-dispensary-1.4880436) And four more arrests Tues, 6 Nov, in Essex, ON: https://theprovince.com/news/local-news/opp-lay-cannabis-act-charges-after-raid-on-pot-shop-in-essex/wcm/f65698d7-ea66-49b3-8a03-23220ced72ed

Racialized youth are disproportionately impacted by Canada’s criminal justice system. Racial disparities exist within Canada’s policing, courts, and correction services but are rarely discussed. According to Statistic Canada’s (2018) correctional statistic from 2016-2017 Indigenous youth account for 46% of incarcerated youth. Black Canadians are one of the fastest growing populations in federal prisons. Our justice system is rooted in injustice and continues to criminalize, victimize, and marginalize racialized youth. As a nation we need to move past punitive approaches to youth criminality and towards holistic approaches. Racialized youth deserve a justice system that is inclusive, equitable, and truly just!

To celebrate cultural identity of 7000 years old Indus Valley civilization

107 municipalities receive funding through the Provincial Gas Tax Program. The Provincial Government cancelled an estimated $364 million per year in promised funding to these municipalities without notice in their 2019 Provincial Budget[1], putting our public transit service at risk[2]. Municipal public transit in Ontario has been underfunded since 1998 when the Harris government cut the fifty per cent subsidy of the net operating costs of municipal transit agencies [3]. Instead agencies have received a much smaller amount of funding through the Province’s gas tax program since 2004 [4]. To make life affordable, we need good public transit. We need more funding for our municipal public transit systems, so we can have lower fares and better service. The Provincial Government has quietly announced that they are going back on their promise to honour the previous government's commitment to double funding for municipal transit [5][6]. This increase in funding is critical in supporting a growing number of municipal transit systems across Ontario, serving over 90% of Ontario’s population [7], that connect our communities. It’s also imperative that long-term stable funding is reinstated for our transit systems to serve our communities well. Together we can hold the new government to their promise to double their contribution to municipalities and urge them to re-instate stable operating funding. Supporting Organizations: ActionKeele - North York Citizens United for a Sustainable Planet (CUSP) - Thunder Bay CodeRedTO - Toronto Environment Hamilton Hamilton Transit Riders Union Friends of Sudbury Transit Healthy Transportation Coalition - Ottawa Keep York Moving - York Region London Transit Riders Alliance London Environmental Network Scarborough Transit Action Network South Etobicoke Transit Action Committee Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) Transit Action Alliance of Guelph (TAAG) TTCriders - Toronto [1] https://budget.ontario.ca/pdf/2019/2019-ontario-budget-en.pdf [2] https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2019/01/2018-19-gas-tax-funding-by-municipality.html [3] https://www.blogto.com/city/2016/04/the_year_it_all_went_down_the_tubes_for_the_ttc/ [4] http://www.octn.ca/uploads/userfiles/files/Kevin%20Dowling%20-%20Gas%20Tax%20Introduction.pdf [5] https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2017/01/enhanced-gas-tax-program.html [6] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-gas-prices-fuel-tax-1.4665386 [7]http://www.octn.ca/uploads/userfiles/files/Questions%20and%20Answers%20on%20the%20Provincial%20Gas%20Tax%20MTO%20March%202017.pdf

Israel is an apartheid state that illegally occupies Palestinian land. Decades of United Nations Resolutions have done nothing to compel The State of Israel to comply with international law. As Educators, we do not wish to profit from the illegal seizure of Palestinian land, and the human rights abuses committed against Palestinian men, women and children. Please Boycott, Divest, and Sanction our pension plan holdings of all Israeli companies, and companies that do business with the state of Israel.