Healthcare workers were praised as heroes of the pandemic and it is time to show them exactly how much we mean those words. Everyone can find themselves in a health complication and we all age. Canadians have always been proud of our 'universal' healthcare and the less fortunate cannot afford an even more discriminatory and exclusive system. We need to hold the people truly responsible for this crisis to task and speak fervently in favor of public health for all

Hospitals are the frontline of the privatization fight, and CEOs hold a significant amount of sway with the government — and for the most part, they don't hear from the public. As public members of society, we believe a resilient, well-funded, public healthcare system is crucial to our community. Our CEO needs to hear your voice, NOW. Please sign the petition and show your support for our Public Healthcare system. Say NO to Doug Ford's privatization plans.

We as Canadians, who are fortunate to have public healthcare, will defend this element that makes our country great. The consequences of our healthcare becoming privatized are far reaching and will have a negative impact on not just low-income and marginalized people, but nearly everyone. In March, 2023, Doug Ford proposed Bill 60, on the first day of the current legislative season, after changing the rules of Legislature so that bills could pass by even faster, without the need for democratic discussion in parliament. Under Bill 60, private clinics can be established by any third party/corporation without being subject to the conflict of interest and ethics regulations of public servants and without public notice. Bill 60 essentially hands over the roles of Minister and the Cabinet to any third party/corporation that wishes to open a private clinic, overturning the long history of the Independent Health Facilities Act, which was introduced in 1990 in order to prevent privatized health care in Canada. Tell Arden Krystal, the CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre, to push back against Ford and say a clear "NO" to private health care in Newmarket, Ontario. It is not the way forward, it is not a solution, and it is not an improvement on our current health care system.

155,000 government workers — including CRA workers, cooks and cleaners, Coast Guard search and rescue teams, and passport and immigration staff — are at breaking point, and are now striking in what could be the biggest strike in Canadian history. [1-2] Public service workers are critical to our everyday lives — they provide countless services for people from coast to coast. And like all workers, they deserve to be treated fairly. For years they have been at the bargaining table fighting for better conditions, job security and fair wages that keep up with inflation. [3] The strike is all over the news, and already the government is trying to pit the public against federal workers, blaming those going on strike for asking for too much. We need to show the government we aren’t buying it: that we expect them to come to the table and give workers a fair deal with the wages and working conditions they deserve. A rising tide lifts all boats — the fight for fair wages is everyone’s fight. If you agree, will you add your name to the solidarity statement now. Sources: [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/psac-strike-bargaining-update-april-17-live-1.6812693?cmp=newsletter_CBC%20News%20Morning%20Brief_8816_967874 [2] https://psacunion.ca/strike-deadline-announced-155000-psac-members [3] see 2

We all – the desperate patients, the burned out nurses, the struggling doctors, the other healthcare workers, researchers, and administrators, even the politicians and, certainly, the voters – know that a remedy is urgently needed for the crisis in the health care system. Dangerously overstretched nurses, doctors, and paramedics, closed Emergency Rooms, the chronic shortage of family doctors, the migration of burned out medical professionals – especially nurses – to the private sector or to retirement, the failure to collect and transparently share data that reports resource levels and medical outcomes to allow Canadians to assure themselves that the system is working. These are just some of the issues that need attention and support. Canadians have long believed that healthcare is a right and are baffled that this situation has been allowed to develop. It is more than time that our elected leaders fulfill their responsibilities and solve the health care funding impasse.

We all deserve to lead happy fulfilling lives and none of us should have to worry about our most basic needs. Canada is a very rich country, yet some of our most vulnerable citizens cannot afford some of the most basic necessities of life. A large number of people on ODSP cannot afford to regularly eat and have to make devastating choices each month like whether to pay rent/utilities or to buy groceries. A shocking number of people on ODSP are homeless. We could choose to take care of the most vulnerable now and it should be an easy choice. Recipients of CERB got $2000 a month. Odsp should be at least equal to what CERB was. Let's not sweep this issue under the rug any longer. It's an atrocity that Canadian prisoners are better looked after than those with disabilities. Let's take action today and raise ODSP recipients out of poverty.

Bill 39 is a provincial bill that gives Mayor Tory the ability to pass motions with just 1/3 of the Council - a power of minority rule that is an affront to every instinct of democracy. [1] The bill has united the political spectrum in condemnation - even conservative pundits have called it an affront to democracy. [2] On Wednesday, December 14th, Mayor John Tory told a reporter that "nobody" talks to him about Bill 39. [3] Toronto is facing a numerous issues, from lack of affordable housing to transit overcrowding and more - but upending democracy is no solution. It's time to talk to Mayor Tory about Bill 39. Use this form to send Mayor Tory an email telling him that you care about democracy in Toronto, and that he should defend it - by joining the Mayor of Ottawa in committing to never use Bill 39's autocratic powers. [4] [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ford-government-s-bill-39-is-against-the-basic-democratic-instinct-1.6656706 [2] https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-ford-governments-bill-39-an-affront-to-democracy [3] https://twitter.com/JoshMatlow/status/1603218063503294464?s=20&t=LLuJCI6crlWRyoXSAUWocg [4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-strong-mayor-bill-39-passes-1.6678864

On November 24th, Tesla expanded it's beta test of "full self-driving" software to everyone in North America. [1] Just hours later, a six-car pileup on the Bay Bridge was caused by a Tesla suddenly stopping; two people were hospitalized. [2] Tesla's misleadingly named "full self-driving" feature - which is not full self-driving at all, but rather requires human override at all times - is still in beta testing, meaning it is *not* market ready. In fact, the US Department of Justice is investigating Tesla over its misleading claims. [3] And now everyone in Toronto is an unknowing participant in Elon Musk's safety trials. Tesla previously forbid "full self-driving" within Toronto because it would not recognize streetcars picking up or dropping off passengers. When asked by the CBC how this flaw had been fixed, Tesla did not provide an answer. [4] Recent tests in October also showed that Tesla's falsely-named "full self-driving" will not recognize school busses with stop signs extended and will drive around them, even when children are crossing the street. [5] Toronto streets are already too dangerous for pedestrians, transit riders, cyclists, and drivers alike. Elon Musk is free to test out his "full self-driving" software - but he needs to do it on closed courses, or places where people have consciously opted-in to be participants. We did not sign up to be Elon Musk's guinea pigs. It's time to ban Tesla's "full self-driving" until it completes the relevant beta testing and can demonstrate a safety record that actually makes our streets safer. [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tesla-driverless-technology-downtown-toronto-1.6662340 [2] https://www.ktvu.com/news/multi-car-crashes-disrupt-thanksgiving-day-travel-on-bay-bridges [3] https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-full-self-driving-beta-now-available-all-n-america-musk-says-2022-11-24/ [4] See 1 [5] https://dawnproject.com/tests-reveal-that-tesla-fsd-will-drive-around-stopped-school-buses/

Doug Ford lied. Last month he tabled a piece of legislation — Bill 23 — to eviscerate our pristine Greenbelt, breaking his promise to leave it alone. [1] This bill is an attack on the environment and democracy — all under the guise of expanding housing. [2] Bill 23 would allow Ford to take 7,400 acres of farmland and natural areas and strip environmental protections that protect wildlife, keep our drinking water safe, guard wetlands, and ensure flood protection. [3] To pave over our Greenbelt, Ford is undermining the planning power of municipalities, forgoing requirements for public meetings and overriding the ability of communities to appeal decisions. [4] And housing experts and advocates have been clear: with a focus on making money, the bill will actually limit the ability to build new affordable rental housing and jeopardize the affordable housing that exists. [5,6] All the while, corporate land developers are set to profit big from this plan. [7] Public outrage is growing — and there’s still time to stop this Bill from going through. Will you sign this petition to help show mass public support and demand Bill 23 is stopped? Sources: [1] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/11/04/ontario-backtracks-on-greenbelt-pledge-with-plan-to-allow-housing-on-7400-acres.html [2] https://ontarionature.org/bill-23-what-you-need-to-know-blog/ [3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/11/10/opinion/sacrificing-ontario-scarce-green-space-sprawl-giant-mistake [4] see 2 [5] https://acorncanada.org/take_action/doug-fords-bill-23-destroys-existing-affordable-housing-builds-more-luxury-condos-scrap-it-now/ [6] https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/q-and-experts-more-homes-built-faster-act-or-bill-23 [7] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gta-developers-own-greenbelt-land-swap-1.6648273

The locations for these "developments" have been chosen solely based on the, suddenly reduced, assessed price of the land and no other considerations. Deals are being made without due diligence behind closed doors. All efforts to question these decisions are met with silence from the government and developers. Thousands of Nova Scotians are protesting these maneuvers, yet no explanation of the method behind this madness has been offered.

Books, are resources. A local school trustee, and prospective politician amongst six people made it their mission to remove three books from the South Central Regional Libraries (WinklerLibraries) https://www.facebook.com/100063668588322/posts/pfbid0dzTMwbQReZ6zfppKbknM3C3VVE4MDsh8LTkCmySWhN1E5gpSKUdmzkoUPDPaKz61l/. They claim the books are pornographic and are against the law, when however the books are there for families and children to read together, and cover a wide range of sexual education and health information. Parents might use these resources to know how to talk to their children about sex, sex organs, identities, and sex terminology. Learning these things in part help keep children safe, knowing how to properly label their sex organs, parents might want to teach their children these things because it helps teach them what their privates are, and that they aren't bad words and that if someone is violating them they can properly identify the parts, as cute names for sexual parts can be misinterpreted, a vagina is a vagina and a penis is a penis, and can't be confused with a cookie or any other terminology that makes adults feel more comfortable. Two of these three books that are titled It's perfectly normal by Robie H. Harris and Sex is a funny word by Corey Silverberg. These books are more informative but sex is a funny word has a blend of a story infused in it, book exerpts can be found on these links provided: https://sexedrescue.com/its-perfectly-normal/ And https://youtu.be/h_si_7xB_3k The third book being called to be banned is called All boys aren't blue by George M. Johnson, It is written by a queer black author, he says his book is not pornographic in nature, age appropriate and helps children to identify sexual abuse and see themselves represented within literature as the novel is about growing up queer. More can be read at this link regarding this teenage novel: https://time.com/6120915/george-m-johnson-all-boys-arent-blue-book-bans/ These books are optional, they're offered as reading for both education and enjoyment. Not everyone has the same view points, and that's but speaking for diverse families, speaking for diverse readers is a problem, especially when these politicians claim to say less government involvement, and more freedom to make choices for yourself and your family or when they come from a veiwpoint that isn't based in current information and claim otherwise. They're making a choice on behalf of many without providing information as to why many of the reasons they have provided caters to the feelings they have about the particular books in question. These books deserve a proper fight, to be protected, because it's not the books that are being let down, it's children, families and people. Please sign this to keep these books an option for many and offer a wake up call to school trustees and politicians alike.

National Public Inquiries or Royal Commissions have an essential role in examining complex social or political issues, providing detailed, research-based information on Inquiry topics and typically giving the government a menu of policy means to address any serious social concerns the Inquiry discovers in carrying out its mandate. The Federal Government established a Royal Commission on the Concentration of Ownership in the Newspaper Industry. It's time to examine closely what is going on with Canada's newspaper and broadcast journalism to see if it is reflective of what has happened elsewhere and what steps can be taken so that their reporting meets Canadians' expectations.