To bring all these people together while we are still in the grips of fighting the corona virus is irresponsible. The world is still not ahead in the fight to control this virus and would likely lead to a high transmission rate that would be especially unfair to the people of Tokyo. We can accommodate athletes and competition in a revised format in the future.

Greyhound is pulling its services out of Canada, leaving many rural and low-income communities stranded. [1] It’s a massive loss to all of us who rely on Greyhound to get to work, visit our families, and access critical services. Private companies are clamouring to fill the gap Greyhound left behind — but they’re fully prepared to abandon remote and Indigenous communities in favour of more lucrative routes. [2] This move could mean social and economic isolation for thousands. And for many Indigenous women, the difference between a bus ride and a hitchhike could be life and death. [3] With entire communities deserted for the bottom line, it’s never been more clear that we need a publicly funded, national bus service that is safe, reliable, and affordable. The federal government is in crisis talks to replace Greyhound — and companies like Megabus are fighting hard to get in on the new market. [4] Time is short — but a massive injection of public pressure could be enough to force a publicly-funded national bus service into the federal conversation. Will you add your name to stand up for accessible, affordable, and green transportation for all? [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/greyhound-canada-1.6025276 [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/greyhound-bus-column-don-pittis-1.6026564 [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/7860104/greyhound-closure-disaster-communities/ [4] https://globalnews.ca/news/7863365/megabus-ottawa-toronto-kingston-greyhound-canada/

Nous sommes des artistes, auteurs, créateurs et professionnels provenant de toutes les associations du milieu de la culture. La liberté d’expression se trouve au cœur même de nos démarches artistiques. C’est une valeur sacrée et intouchable à nos yeux, et nul ne saurait remettre en cause cet état de fait. Le gouvernement canadien, ayant à cœur de faire rayonner la culture originale canadienne, impose à tous les diffuseurs d’intégrer au sein de leur programmation des contenus musicaux, télévisuels et cinématographiques produits ici, notamment en français. Malheureusement, cette obligation ne s’applique pas aux géants du numérique tels que Netflix, Spotify, YouTube et autres multinationales étrangères. Celles-ci font pourtant des affaires en or sur notre territoire, sans aucune obligation de réinjecter, ne serait-ce qu’une fraction des sommes générées, en soutien à nos créateurs canadiens et francophones. Cette injustice tue graduellement nos entreprises culturelles, affecte nos emplois, et c’est l’ensemble de notre identité culturelle qui s’en trouve inévitablement menacée. Nous croyons qu’il est urgent d’imposer aux géants du Web les mêmes règles qui prévalent à l’endroit de tous les diffuseurs dans le but de favoriser la création originale d’ici et la vitalité du milieu culturel et artistique. C’est pourquoi nous appuyons le projet de loi C-10, actuellement en discussion à Ottawa. Nous demandons aux parlementaires de tout mettre en œuvre pour établir l’équité dès maintenant et assurer le bon cheminement du projet de loi. Il y va de la survie de notre avenir culturel. Pour plus d’information, consultez cette lettre ouverte signée par les présidentes et présidents de l’UDA, la FNCC-CSN, l’APASQ, l’AQAD, l’ARRQ, la GMMQ, l’UNEQ, la SARTEC et TRACE : https://www.lapresse.ca/debats/opinions/2021-05-06/projet-de-loi-sur-la-radiodiffusion/une-reforme-essentielle-pour-le-milieu-culturel.php

The Greenbelt provides Ontarians with a massive water and air filter, a sustainable food supply, and generates $9 Billion in jobs annually. The establishment of the Greenbelt is the primary reason why Ontario was able to meet its commitment to GHG emission reduction; forest ecosystems of the Greenbelt sequester 137,000 tonnes of carbon annually. The Greenbelt is also plays a vital role in restraining the type of urban sprawl that is motivated by developer greed rather than the municipal need. Undermining its well-established role now will only set back future generations and handcuff government from responding responsibly to our climate change goals.

The proposed policy changes negatively affect the quality of care. The proposed changes to age groups are particularly concerning. Current Preschool age groups include children 30 months-6 years old. Under the proposed changes, Preschool age groups would include children aged 24 months - 5years old. Current Kindergarten age groups include children 44-68 months old. Under the proposed changes, Kindergarten age groups would shift to children aged 44 months - 7 years old. Mixing children of these young ages (24 months) with those who are older is not developmentally appropriate. When children are grouped by their developmental proximity, educators can better meet the needs of all children in the room. It is difficult to plan programing for and to equally support groups of children that are so different developmentally. Under the proposed changes, the staffing ratios for each age group appear to remain constant. The staffing ratio for each named age group remains constant, but the age of the children included in these groups has changed. 24 month old children were previously in maximum groupings of 15 children, with a 1:5 staff to child ratio. Under the changes, 24 month old children are now consider preschoolers, and would be in maximum groupings of 24 children, with 1:6 staff to child support. These changes put children safety at risk. There is less supervision of younger, more vulnerable groups, putting children's well-being at risk.

Roughly 16% of couples in Canada experience infertility. This number has doubled since the 1980s. Furthermore, the costs of fertility treatments can be prohibitively expensive. For example, fertility treatment for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) can cost between $15,000 to $23,000 (plus $2,000-$7,000 for medications). Currently, the majority of Canadian provinces do NOT offer funding for fertility treatments. And without funding, treatments become impossible to afford for many Canadians. Thus, we are leaving them with the unfortunate reality of never getting to become parents. ... MORE INFORMATION “In a country where about one in six Canadian couples experiences infertility, this poses a financial barrier for many.” - CBC “Canada is often lauded for its universal health-care system. But no comprehensive coverage exists for assisted fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).” - CBC “Roughly 16% (or 1 in 6) couples in Canada experience infertility. This number has doubled since the 1980s.” - Public Health Agency of Canada “IVF can cost between $15,000 to $23,000 (excluding costs of medications) depending on the level of intervention necessary. Medications are not covered by OHIP.” - Hannam Fertility Clinic “... infertility treatment causes high stress and puts a large burden on people's emotions and relationships.” - CBC “... it can cause severe emotional distress and affect someone's long-term well-being. “"Some people perceive suffering from infertility as like having cancer," he said, adding it's important to have networks of support.”” - CBC “Treatment coverage currently exists in only four provinces and varies significantly. Ontario provides funding to cover the first round of IVF. Manitoba offers a tax credit and New Brunswick has a grant to help cover partial costs. Quebec previously covered three rounds of IVF, but rolled back its coverage in November 2015 to a refundable tax credit. The remaining nine provinces and territories have no coverage.” - CBC “‘Fortunately we had the resources to do that,’ said Montgomery, ‘That also kind of felt unfair because I felt, well okay, that's great for us, but what about all those other couples out there that don't have equity to leverage to do this or investments that they can cash out on?’ - CBC “..."That's what I can afford. I'm not willing to go into debt for this process.” - CBC “...having a standard, publicly funded system across provinces would improve the safety and quality of IVF services and lower health-care costs in the long run.” "I think that one of the fundamental benefits of having something that is uniform, that is national, is that every individual Canadian and IVF patient is going to be treated similarly and have access to the same kind of treatment," - CBC “Canada does not have universal coverage for assisted fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization...” - CBC “Dr. Anthony Cheung, a Vancouver-based fertility specialist, said fertility needs to be more integrated in the public health system, adding that treatments are covered in Australia and many European countries.” - CBC Ottawa Fertility Clinic the costs for treatments are - example

“With classes ending and Canada in the midst of a deadly third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are facing a dismal job market and high unemployment as they move into the summer. Unless the CESB is renewed, students will continue to struggle to recover from the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic for years to come. For many students, summer is when they earn money to support their studies. Without those summer jobs, and without the CESB, debt will grow, and racial and social inequities amongst students will only deepen. Students without other support systems will fall through the cracks. The Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure all those eligible for the CESB receive $2,000 per month – the same amount as the Canada Recovery Benefit – and not last year’s figure of $1,250. The benefit should also cover both international and recently graduated students. “In 2020, the government justified offering students a discounted emergency benefit based on the promise of summer jobs,” said Ms. Paul. “Those jobs never materialized; the summer student unemployment rate was 40 per cent and many students were driven into further debt. We cannot make that mistake again. “Reinstating the Canada Emergency Student Benefit must be a critical part of Budget 2021. Supporting our students is one the best investments we can make in our future.” -quote taken from the Green Party of Canada https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-release/2021-04-13/green-party-leader-annamie-paul-calls-prime-minister-and-federal-government

This government is politicizing the distribution of vaccines to low-income and needy people. They are using it to gain votes in the next election. This is wrong.

Many low-income people use Dollar stores and budget stores that have been left off a list of "essential" goods during COVID in favor of rich area stores. This is discriminatory and will make more people get sick and die - especially in areas hard hit by COVID 19.

You do business in our community. It is on you to invest in the future of our community, and of our planet, not profit from its destruction. This November, the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow will see governments up their ambition on climate action, and the institutions in their respective countries must do the same. Long-term commitments to zero out emissions are vital, but so are the short- and medium-term actions necessary to keep warming under 1.5°C. As one of the world's biggest bankers of climate chaos, you have an outsize responsibility to take immediate action.

Covid 19 will eventually stop spreading. As seen in Australia. Australia has minimal cases. This is important because it will save lives as well and allow us to get back to life. It will prevent variants from coming into Canada and allow us time to Eliminate the Present Pandemic.

These front-line workers are caring for the children of other front-line workers but are all but forgotten. Emergency daycares are open and these workers were rly with children, staff and parents and need to be prioritized for the vaccine.