Online Continuing Education courses are better for the following reasons: - access is improved and more equitable for instructors and students from across the city - time, distance and cost of travel to in-person sites can be a major deterrent. This is especially true with the current high cost of gas. - access is made possible / more convenient for people with disabilities - attendance will be improved by elimination of problems travelling in inclement weather - potential participants (e.g., seniors, immunocompromised) will not be deterred by ongoing risks related to COVID-19 - the TDSB will save expenses associated with maintenance of existing buildings for in-person courses. Please help support online Continuing Education courses. Let's give Toronto residents the option of taking them. Supporters of online Continuing Education courses (Learn4Life) at the TDSB

I hate seeing people getting judge because they are homless and there nothing in our town to help them. I dont like seeing people sleeping outside in the cold. The students are so scared thinking they want to hurt them and steal there stuff. The police have other important jobs to be doing but they have to deal with the homeless people its so important to me because this is were i grew up and i love my home town. I want to make it safe and fun place to be like when i grew up u could leave your door open and not worry about people walking in. I want to help

Bill C-11 provides users more control over their personal data, provides more protection of user data from exploitation, and manipulation from organizations, and provides more accountability. In the 2016 US federal election, we saw the consequential and deleterious effects of Cambridge Analytica's targeted ad campaign to sway voters based on psychological profiles generated from millions of Facebook user data. We need to reign in social media's algorithms based on user data, which foment and spread misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. In 2020 we have seen the harm it has caused in regards to COVID-19, the US federal election, and QAnon.

Money laundering and all other ways corrupt money is coming from certain known countries leaves a negative impact on our local businesses, affordability of life and real state conditions. For example, in Iran's case, the people that are bringing this mentioned corrupt money, generally have good relations with the corrupt and amoral Iranian government and terrorist militia (SEPAH PASDARAN). These people and their unprincipled actions influence the governing bodies and even terrorist activities. Our Canadian government needs to take corrective measures and effective action against his behavior. Check out this news article for more detail. https://globalnews.ca/news/7593255/ottawa-must-crack-down-on-toronto-underground-banks-community-leaders-say/

Right now in Canada, the ability to follow COVID-19 social distancing guidelines without serious negative impacts to one’s livelihood is a luxury that is unavailable to significant portions of the Canadian population. In particular, it is largely limited to those whose occupations and existing financial security enable them to work from home, and whose living arrangements do not put them at significant risk for virus transmission. Disproportionately, the Canadians who enjoy this fortuitous situation are the traditional beneficiaries of white privilege, who, not coincidentally, are those whose lived experiences bears the closest resemblance to that of Canada’s political elite. For instance, while restaurants are presently required by law to implement social distancing measures and hygiene protocols for the protection of their guests, they are not obligated to provide improved working conditions for their staff.[1] Meanwhile, the Canadians who have suffered the worst repercussions, both from COVID-19 itself and from the public health regulations instituted in response to the virus, are those who must choose between social distancing and having a source of income and/or live in crowded housing. Disproportionately, the people in these circumstances live in racialized communities in major urban centres. It should not surprise us that the privileged experience enjoyed by our public officials instills them with an intellectual laziness that prevents them from using scientific evidence about the social and environmental determinants of health as the basis for crafting their policies.[2] The government of the State of Vermont has implemented a set of policy measures that make adherence to social distancing guidelines feasible for all Vermont residents. Some of these measures include free pop-up testing sites in vulnerable communities, meal delivery, hazard pay, and state-supported housing for homeless Vermonters. Additionally, Vermont Governor Phil Scott has proposed the distribution of $1000 stipends to Vermonters required to self-isolate. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government’s leading infectious diseases expert, has endorsed this approach as “a model for the country.”[3] This approach might serve as a template for Canada as well, and, if implemented in conjunction with a massive ramp-up of vaccination efforts, might be sufficient to crush the pandemic in Canada within a matter of a few months. Such an effort could be funded through a combination of voluntary donations from the Canadian public in general – as well as large tax hikes directed at Canada’s richest 10%, whose lifestyles and business activities exacerbate racism and economic inequality, and promote the spread of zoonotic pathogens to human populations. Finally, a massive overhaul is needed for Canada's COVID-19 vaccination plan, which has thus far been slow and disorderly. This is largely a result of how, between 2015 and 2019, the Trudeau Liberals have wasted the opportunity to improve Canada's vaccine manufacturing capabilities. This has forced us to rely on shipments from external manufacturers, and limited our ability to deliver vaccines to Canadians in a timely manner. This problem may be partly addressed by accelerating the process of approving all proven vaccine candidates. The standards and procedures on which Health Canada has historically relied for approval of vaccine candidates were designed during, and for, non-crisis circumstances, and are therefore unsuitable for situations in which rapid distribution of vaccines to the public is a priority. All experimental or bureaucratic irregularities not resulting in serious illness or fatality should therefore be considered acceptable for the purposes of determining approval of vaccine candidates for distribution to the Canadian population. In light of the federal government's recent decision to accept vaccine doses through the Covax program, Canada must become an active contributor to global vaccination efforts. Canada can make progress toward this goal through the restoration own vaccine production capacity to its former excellence, which was obliterated through the privatization of Connaught Labs by Prime Minister Mulroney’s Conservative government.[4] The restoration and expansion of manufacturing facilities for this purpose may be accelerated by instituting the Emergencies Act. Sources: [1] Source, https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-covid-19-results-in-pandemic-winners-and-losers-150604 [2] Source, https://www.vox.com/2020/11/19/21541810/vermont-covid-19-coronavirus-social-distancing [3] Source, https://www.vox.com/2020/11/19/21541810/vermont-covid-19-coronavirus-social-distancing [4] Source, https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/03/11/the-public-lab-that-could-have-helped-fight-covid-19-pandemic.html?rf

growing inequality is destructive to the health and well-being of all

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

City people need clean, healthy air to support good health. The country needs clean air to reduce the frequency of forrest fires, windstorms and torrential downpours which flood many parts of our land. The costs related to saving lives and repairing the damage affects everyone by increasing their insurance rates.

It’s important because we need to be counted also. If the liberal government can increase their wages anytime they want - why is it so hard to do for people who have paid in all of their lives? And are not receiving as much as they should be entitled to?

We need to be smart about how we respond to the pandemic. And consider the costs. Our short-term costs may turn out resulting in the greatest benefits long term. At the very least, we need to buy ourselves time to come up with an effective longer term plan.

Because this is so serious and final for the person’s that have and will be affected.. We also need to present a glimmer of hope through this situation

The people at the bottom of society have all but been forgotten, the middle class needs both parents of the family to hold full time jobs in order to maintain that stature. Their children are left to be raised by strangers lacking the love and focussed required to nurture a wholesome human being. The wealthy add to their riches by investing in other business enterprise while little of the prosperity filters down.