The poisoned drug supply has affected people and communities across Canada. No region or demographic group remains untouched. Many young people are being taken from us too early, but our legislators have the power to stop this! After Portugal decriminalized possession, deaths due to drug use dropped by 80%. We have the information, the expertise and the resources to stop these deaths. We just need our politicians to recognize the value of every life and change the policies that are killing people.

Improving children's and teenagers mental health in Ontario: Mental health has been around for century's and has continued to affect children and teenagers physical and mental well-being. Research conducted by Garcia & Elliott states that the closures of schools are impacting the learning and retention of previously taught material for children and teenagers. The closures of schools are impacting children’s and teenager’s mental health as they are feeling less confident in their work and feeling a lack of motivation which then creates children and teenagers wanting to give up on life. Perhaps enforcing schools to be open and finding different support systems within the schools, will help improve children’s and teenager’s mental health during covid-19. With schools being closed for a long period of time and now reopening has caused many children and teens feeling depressed and an increase of their anxiety as they don't know what to expect next. There needs to be better support systems for children and teenagers in our Ontario community today, if not it will continue to become worse and nothing will change but the lives of our future children and teens. Lets be the change in our community and use our voices to help support children and teenagers who are suffering in silence with mental health damage inside.

Vladimir Putin's sudden, unprovoked and brutal launching of a war on Ukraine is an atrocity happening in real time. Putin has expressed that he believes the Ukraine is "historically Russian territory" - and he has backed his words with armed military assault across the length and breadth of the nation. (1,2) While the world reels and looks for ways to sanction Russia, Ukrainians are suffering and dying in their homes. Canada must lead the way in offering solace and safety to the persecuted innocents of Ukraine. We must immediately create a priority path to refugee status for all Ukrainians impacted by the war criminal Putin's aggression, and waive all fees to entry. Canada has created priority refugee paths before for those affected by violence (3). We must do so again, for all Ukrainians whose lives have been upended by hostile invasion. Canada can and must lead by example. While the world looks for ways to bring peace and security back to Europe, Canada can offer our own peace and security to the Ukrainians who have just had it ripped away at the point of a bayonet. Prime Minister Trudeau: lead by example and expedite a fee-free, priority path for Ukrainian refugees immediately. Sources: 1. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-russia-ukraine-history-speech-rcna17132 2. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-moscow-66891d68fe3d51fbed4b1758cc49d501 3. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/afghanistan/afghans-canada/priority-processing.html

Changes in the climate have recently become more than obvious. By the end of this century, it is estimated that the Earth's surface temperature will rise by approximately 2°C, having devastating effects on our ecosystems, flora, fauna, and humans. Nature itself is already very fragile, and our attitude is destroying a whole world of living organisms and our very own home. We are residents in one of the neighborhoods within the peel region and our keen observation is that some apartments have a central waste collection point but every time you go there, there is always household waste disposed on the floor, a mixup of recyclable and non-recyclable waste items inside the same bin bag when appropriate and well-labeled refuse bins have been provided. A lot of these negative effects could be improved if humans slightly amended their behavior. By managing waste in a way that avoids landfills and reducing consumption by reusing products, we avoid the creation of unnecessary waste. Nevertheless, by separating and recycling the waste we do create, we could reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills. The waste that remains would actually be burnt to create energy, meaning less waste or nothing at all is actually sent to landfill. The environmental benefits of a proper waste disposal system are clear. When a person doesn’t dispose effectively of a plastic product or a product that may contain dangerous chemicals, these chemicals can eventually find their way into local water sources and the soil. Proper waste disposal can help preserve our natural environment, and ensure a healthy ecosystem for the long-term future. People need to know about the importance of proper waste disposal to help induce action. The better you are aware of the value and benefits of the good waste practice, the easier and more efficient the desired behavior can be adapted.

The equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic enters our oceans EVERY minute. Plastic is everywhere, destroying our ecosystems by releasing harmful microplastics and contaminating our water bodies. If we want to stop plastic pollution from destroying our environment beyond repair, we need to take action at the local level to push for impactful change. This is why we are calling on Toronto leaders to do their part in the fight against plastic pollution. We can do better. Every year, Toronto uses approximately 215 million plastic bags, which equals 1400 tonnes of plastic waste, adding to our growing body of plastic pollution. Black plastic takeout containers and cutlery are still used extensively, even though black plastic cannot be recycled in Toronto. 54,000 tonnes of recyclable material go to Toronto landfills every year due to contamination. As a city, we have made some progress with Phase 1 of Toronto’s Waste Reduction Strategy by encouraging businesses to reduce single-use takeaway items. But we must take bolder measures to make the necessary reductions in plastic waste that are needed to save our environment for Phase 2. So, we are pushing Toronto City Council to strengthen Phase 2 of its Waste Reduction Strategy. Toronto must ban single-use plastic bags, non-recyclable single-use black plastic, and take steps to gradually phase out single-use water bottle consumption.

Natural Resources Minister Wilkinson is considering rubber-stamping a multi-billion dollar tax credit for Big Oil to invest in carbon capture — a fantastical, false climate solution. [1] Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is touted by the Oil and Gas lobby as a way of cutting emissions, by capturing carbon before it escapes into the air. But hundreds of climate experts are sounding the alarm: CCS is flawed — in fact, it actually increases emissions. And it’s economically risky and hasn’t been proven at scale. [2-4] This greenwashing tactic is flying under the radar of the public because it sounds good on paper — it might even be tricking MPs and policymakers. With the federal budget expected as early as next month, we have a small window to raise the alarm and expose Big Oil’s last ditch attempt to save their dying industry. The first step is a massive petition, signed by all of us. Together we can send a loud message to the federal government: Don’t give Big Oil a multi-billion dollar lifeline — fund real climate action, workers, and communities instead. Sign now. Sources: [1] https://www.theenergymix.com/2022/01/19/carbon-capture-tax-credit-likely-for-2022-budget-wilkinson-says/ [2] https://thenarwhal.ca/carbon-capture-explainer/ [3] https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/academics-urge-canada-to-ditch-carbon-capture-tax-credit-letter [4] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/12/20/beware-of-false-solutions-to-the-crises-of-climate-change-and-plastic-pollution.html

Over six years ago when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action were put forth, several of them (71 through 77) related to missing children and unplotted cemeteries at residential school sites. TRC call to action #73: “We call upon the federal government to work with churches, Aboriginal communities, and former residential school students to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries, including, where possible, plot maps showing the location of deceased residential school children.” Indigenous communities have always known about these unmarked graves. After waiting for six years for the government of Canada to do anything at all about this, it was decided to go ahead and uncover the mass graves themselves, with minimal resources. And now after dragging their feet to map out and uncover these mass graves of children, the governments of Canada and the RCMP are dragging their feet on beginning any criminal investigations into these deaths. And even if the RCMP and the governments of Canada were to start criminal investigations into the mass grave sites of Indigenous children, how could it be a legitimate investigation when these organizations are all currently engaged in ongoing human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples, such as the illegal invasion of Wet’suwet’en territory by the RCMP, the illegal harassment of Mik’maq fishers by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the ongoing denial of reparations to the survivors of St. Anne’s residential school by the Canadian Federal government, just to name a few of the outrageous violations continuing to this day? In countries where the governments, military and police cannot be trusted to do a proper investigation into crimes against humanity, the International Criminal Court can come in to oversee the process. That is what we need in Canada today. Join us in calling on the ICC to come to Canada and bring objectivity to the investigation of these crime scenes. Send your letter to the ICC and the Prime Minister of Canada to let them know where you stand.

On Monday, after weeks of uncertainty amidst the rise of the Omicron variant, BC students finally returned to school. [1] But less than two days later, two schools shut down when students and staff fell sick. [2] Omicron has changed the game, but BC’s school reopening plan doesn’t reflect that. Many teachers have not received their COVID-19 booster shots, critical equipment like HEPA filters and N95 masks are in short supply, and from now on parents won’t even be notified if their child is exposed to the virus. [3-4] BC’s current plan takes for granted that huge numbers of teachers and students will contract the virus—but that’s not a sacrifice we’re willing to accept. [5] To make sure our schools are safe for our kids, we need the government to deliver: Safer Classrooms: N95 masks should be available, and better ventilation and HEPA filters installed in shared spaces. Protections for Staff: teachers should be prioritized for access to the COVID-19 booster, and plans should be in place so they can stay home if they get sick. Better reporting: rapid antigen tests should be widely available, and cases closely monitored and reported in schools. Options for online learning: online learning needs to be available to students who are sick or who can’t risk getting infected. These calls are coming from educators, unions, students and parents [6-8]. They have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for the past two years—and they know what they need to be safe. Will you sign the petition calling on Minister Whiteside to deliver a real plan that prioritizes the health and safety of students and staff? Sources [1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-parents-in-bc-alberta-anxious-as-schools-set-to-reopen-amid-covid-19/ [2] see [1] [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/8495596/covid-bc-back-to-school-plan-friday-omicron/ [4] see [1][2] [5] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-dr-bonnie-henry-says-bc-schools-must-plan-for-the-likelihood-of/ [6] https://globalnews.ca/news/8501219/bc-medically-vulnerable-parents-teachers-school-covid/ [7] https://globalnews.ca/news/8499505/covid-omicron-back-to-school-worries/ [8] https://globalnews.ca/news/8480530/covid-b-c-teachers-delayed-back-to-school-plan-omicron/

Doing nothing is not an option when you see one individual undermining how democracy should work. Through Minister's Zoning Orders and furtive changes to existing legislation, Premier Ford has by-passed the usual process of debate in the House, consultation with affected communities and clarification of intention, with motives that are clearly suspect. The people of the Province of Ontario deserve principled, competent leadership in accordance with our democratic system and norms.

Salmon are dying a death of a thousand cuts. Fish friendly infrastructure investments will allow desperately needed healthy habitat to return. These improvements will provide access to over 250 km of habitat currently impacted by pump stations and flood gates.

COVID cases are skyrocketing in Ontario. Our loved ones are getting sick, businesses are closing, and many Ontarians are finding themselves strapped for cash and without access to emergency benefits. [1-3] It’s winter and people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads — but instead of supporting those who need it, Premier Ford just rubber-stamped a new maximum rent increase. [4] This would allow landlords to hike rents that many are already struggling to afford. For many, this could mean the difference between keeping and losing a home. It doesn’t have to be this way. At the beginning of the pandemic, Ford instated a rent freeze and banned evictions to keep people from losing their homes. [5] Now, with COVID cases reaching record levels, a flood of public pressure could be enough to force him to do it again. Sign the petition calling on Premier Doug Ford and Housing Minister Steve Clark to freeze rents and reinstate the evictions ban. Sources [1] https://globalnews.ca/news/8483263/ontario-covid-cases-january-1-coronavirus/ [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/business-covid-measures-1.6302678 [3] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/despite-new-covid-19-restrictions-no-one-is-eligible-for-the-new-federal-benefit-1.5716262 [4] https://globalnews.ca/news/6687167/coronavirus-ontario-eviction-enforcement/ [5] https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-introduces-residential-rent-freeze-for-2021-1.5109278

Millions of people across BC have stepped up and done their civic duty to protect themselves and their communities by wearing masks, limiting social interactions and getting vaccinated. It's unacceptable that the BC government will not roll out rapid testing before the holidays, especially with reinfections from Omicron on the rise. Rapid testing is a critical tool that would enable us all to continue to protect one another. In addition to universal vaccination and masking in public spaces, it is necessary that every BC resident have immediate access to free at-home rapid tests, as is the case in other provinces. Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta have already taken decisive steps to provide free access to rapid testing to the public in time for the holiday season. [2] Imagine, before going to visit an elderly parent or grandparent, you took a test at home that told you whether you had the virus. It could help ensure the people you care about don’t get sick. Public health experts are clear: rapid testing is one important tool in our toolbox against COVID-19. It can help us keep ourselves, our co-workers, and our loved ones safe while the pandemic is ongoing. [3] The BC government has made half-hearted commitments and excuses about protecting the public against the new variant. [4] But with the holiday season approaching, free and universally accessible rapid testing is needed now—not just in the new year—so people can make safe decisions before spending time with their loved ones. [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/omicron-rapidly-escalate-canada-1.6284011 [2] https://globalnews.ca/news/8436042/bc-access-rapid-test-covid/ [3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-rapid-tests-1.6281509 [4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/free-rapid-tests-nova-scotia-libraries-1.6283621