Article from the CBC can be found at the following link: https://apple.news/A9Q92_xRCS9KyexkKASBFbg Additionally, I'm starting this campaign as someone who has been totally blind from birth. I'm also a single parent of 2 children, one of whom has a severe cognitive disability, making her someone with a print disability. I've relied on places like the CNIB Library, and now CELA, for books my whole life. As a child, I used to read many books produced at CNIB, and as an adult, I've used CELA's library to get books to assist my daughter in school, and to help curb boredom during the pandemic. I think it's wrong that they want to make this cut, just because people with disabilities are a minority. I believe we should be entitled to books we can access for free, just like our sighted peers. Access to literature should not be a right reserved only for those who can afford it.

The University of Toronto likes to publicize its ranking as one of Canada’s top 100 employers. However, the truth is, in any given month, U of T, one of the richest (if not the richest) publicly funded education institutions in the country, hires more than 5,000 people on casual contracts – many working at or near full-time hours – with no guarantee of hours of work, no health benefits and no paid sick days. The University administration recently granted support staff three temporary, paid “Staff Wellness Days.” However, only a small percentage of those on casual contracts actually qualify for such paid leave. There exists at U of T and other post-secondary institutions an ingrained staff stratification where University management, with their inflated salaries and perks, argue that workers on casual contracts, many of whom are also students, somehow don’t deserve the health and income protections afforded by paid sick days. When sick and without paid sick days, these workers must make the difficult choice of going without income or else potentially infecting their fellow workers by going in to work. No person, especially during a global pandemic, should have to make such a choice. Right now, the union that represents many of these workers – United Steelworkers Local 1998 (Casual Unit) – is currently bargaining with U of T management, and one of the asks is paid sick days. Based on our initial meetings, we are expecting the University’s negotiators to reject this reasonable and necessary proposal. This is not what we should expect from a “model” employer. As one of the biggest employers in Toronto and amid a growing call for paid sick days for all, the U of T administration has an opportunity to show leadership on this issue and implement paid sick days for all employees at U of T. To that end, we encourage you – whether or not you are a part of the U of T community – to sign the petition.

The Toronto ravine system is a distinctive feature of Canada's largest city that should be protected and celebrated. It has taken decades of political advocacy, community devotion, and legal protections to undo industrial pollution in the ravines. Any development that takes place in this fragile ecosystem has to be done with the utmost caution and care. Spending the money to do it correctly now will save money on restoration efforts later.

as we know women are the initial part of society if there are no women the men where not exist in this universe

Huron County already has a tree-cutting by-law; we should be following their foot-steps. Lambton Shores specifically as well as various areas in Lambton County consist of areas of important natural lands that should be valued highly for its biodiversity, animal habitat, and our own enjoyment/health. We still see farmers trimming away at their native treed woodlots 5 - 10 acres at a time. We understand that farmers feed us, but farmers also need the aid of naturally protected lands and waters to maintain proper biodiversity and pollination to maintain a healthy crop. We all need to look at the bigger picture and work together for the health of ourselves and our lands. A tree-cutting bylaw similar in scope to Huron County should be our goal here in Lambton County and Lambton Shores.

On February 18th, columnist Rex Murphy published an article about the deadly ice storms plaguing Texas. It would be too polite to say that the column is full of lies, because lies contain an implicit admission that there is a different, hidden truth. Rather, Murphy's column is simply a regurgitated spew of false information that Murphy clearly believes to be true. A few examples: - Murphy alleges that the storm in Texas actually *disproves* climate science because, and I quote, "I thought we were not having winter anymore". - He claims that the real reason the grid failed is too much reliance on wind power - in Texas. Experts with actual meaningful information have determined that much of the grid failed, including gas, coal, and even nuclear power plants, and the blackouts were made worse by Texas being disconnected from the national grid (a move that was made to avoid federal safety regulations). - He closes the article by alleging once again that "winter" disproves all of climate science. With the climate crisis raging, Murphy's obvious misinformation is not just frustrating and off target - it's deadly. If Rex Murphy can't be bothered to learn the truth, then he can't be trusted with a public platform. It's time for the National Post to retire Rex Murphy.

The 407 is already underused and overpriced, due to previous Conservative government. One idea is to divert trucks from the 401 to the 407 and subsidize those independent truckers and trucking companies with the money planned to build a new and unnecessary highway. It will increase safety on the 401, lessen congestion and save our environment and billions of dollars. Our kids are depending on us to do the right thing for the environment and their future.

Until we have a national livable basic income guarantee for everyone who needs it, regardless of their work status, many of us will continue to be left behind living in poverty. We need a renewed social safety net for the 21st century that includes both income security and the social supports and services we need. We are facing turbulent times: climate change; energy transition; employment transition; racism and discrimination; vast income inequality; deep poverty; pandemics; an opioid crisis and food insecurity. Any one of us can fall into poverty at any time. To successfully adapt to all of the challenges of the 21st century, we need a social safety net that will catch not just some of us - but all of us. We each deserve to live with sufficient income and the supports and services we need to live with dignity.

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

The role of Governor General is purely ceremonial. If we are to maintain the role, it must go to a Canadian icon who is universally loved and able to deliver on the pomp and pageantry of the job. That icon is Bret Hart. Bret Hart is a legendary showman and philanthropist, possibly the most famous Canadian of all time. He is an inspiration not just for his accomplishments but also for his loving and caring approach to life. He has never once forced anyone to calculate the distance between the sun and moon and indeed, like most Canadians, may have no idea how far apart the two are. Bret Hart can unify our nation as he once united with John Cena to take on Edge and Chris Jericho. He is the best choice there is, the best choice there was, and the best choice there will ever be for the role of Governor General. PM Trudeau, make amends and make history at the same time - appoint Bret Hart as Governor General of Canada.