Schedule 9 of Bill 66 outlines an unacceptable erosion of hard earned union rights earned through Ontario's history. The proposed changes to the Labour Relations Act, 1995, will open the bidding of Public Infrastructure work to contractors who are not committed to the use of unionized workers. This will compromise workplace safety, and greatly diminish the efficacy of collective bargaining agreements. Schedule 9 also will increase workload and time spent on the job site on a daily basis: "Part VII of the Act is amended to remove the Director’s approval for employers to make agreements that allow their employees to exceed 48 hours of work in a work week.The employee’s hours may be averaged in accordance with the terms of an averaging agreement between the employee and the employer over a period that does not exceed four weeks." "Part VIII of the Act is amended to remove the Director’s approval for employers to make agreements that allow them to average their employee’s hours of work for the purpose of determining the employee’s entitlement to overtime pay. The employee’s hours may be averaged in accordance with the terms of an averaging agreement between the employee and the employer over a period that does not exceed four weeks." Under this outline, a worker could potentially work 3 weeks at 40 hours, and be required to work 72 hours on the 4th week without overtime in order to remain employed. (this is a worst case scenario, but it's still possible) This section of the bill would greatly compromise hard earned workers rights gained through historical labour movements in Canada. It is an attack on history and on progress. Workers will have less time to spend with their families and often be payed far less overtime for this sacrifice. These changes only pander to the benefit of contractors who will cut corners on workplace safety. This will hurt workers who make up the heart of the industry.

It is an expensive venture to fund sustainable energy projects, however, the climate change situation has reached a point where a proactive approach is crucially necessary. The raising of funds through an OLG "Green" lottery would support these initiatives without having to use tax payer's money..

The Ford government just announced its plans to make it easier and faster for landlords to evict tenants. They’re going to shorten the period for eviction notices and allow private “bailiffs” to boot people from their homes -- to “boost rental supply”. This is dangerous. Landlords already illegally evict tenants through “renovictions” and false claims -- all to drive their own profits. [1] Making it easier for landlords to unfairly evict tenants makes housing insecure and will leave renters vulnerable -- especially in places like Toronto, where with only 1% of rentals vacant, finding a new place to live could be next to impossible. [2] Secure housing should be a right, and landlords shouldn’t have more power to pull housing rugs out from under tenants. For now, these plans are only plans, but we’ve seen the lightning speed that Ford can dismantle the things that keep us safe. Legislature resumes in over a week, and they could drop this legislation ASAP, so we need to act fast. Will you add your name now to stand up for tenants’ rights? Sources: [1-2] http://torontostoreys.com/2019/02/ontario-government-could-change-eviction-regulations/

The Ontario PC Party has been hijacked. Under a cloud of controversy, Doug Ford and a small group of supporters took control of the political party prior to the 2018 Ontario election. This group refused to present a PC Party election platform to Ontario voters and instead rode to power on a wave of frustration with the previous Liberal Government. Now more than six months into their mandate, the Doug Ford controlled PC Party government has revealed its policy agenda and the manner in which it intends to operate. This includes: appointment of unqualified friends to high level public positions; a refusal to respond to news media questions; illegal spending on personal items like RVs for the Premier's personal use; gutting our education system; and secret plans to privatize healthcare in Ontario. This secret agenda was never presented to Ontario voters during the 2018 election and we are just seeing the beginning. The Doug Ford government approach and their secret policy agenda do not represent the values of the Progressive Conservative Party and the vast majority of PC Party supporters. The PC Party is under seige and Ontario's democracy is under attack. We are calling on MPPs currently sitting within the PC Party caucus to stand up for the values of the PC Party and Ontario voters by leaving the caucus for the duration of the current provincial government. This is in the interests of the constituents you represent and to ensure the integrity of the PC Party.

I was discussing the coin collections with my neighbour who has never seen any of them and I realized that i have yet to see a collection that highlights those that have helped shape this great country from the early settlement days to our present times. It's only right that we correct this issue. I realize some will say this isn't significant but, i feel that isn't correct. This will show how we remember our past and present and spread knowledge regarding who helped create what we have today and to give people something to do research on and perhaps learn how the individual has affected us to this day. Please join me in signing this and lets try to set a collection for 2020 if at all possible

Email your MPP here: https://act.leadnow.ca/tell-your-mpp-support-independent-facilitation/ People with developmental disabilities and their families are just learning their life-line to inclusion is about to be severed by our provincial government “for the people.” There has been a terrible misrepresentation of what Independent Facilitation is and what this $3.1 million program means to our most vulnerable neighbours and their families. So let me try to explain. Imagine you're the loving parent of a child with a moderate-to-severe developmental disability. Imagine the almost all-consuming amount of stress this has caused you - first, the diagnosis, the battery of tests and appointments, wanting nothing more than a clean bill of health for your loved one, the anxiety of not knowing how severe it will be, then the crushing feeling of all the expectations you had around family life and raising children slipping away. Imagine that coupled with getting to experience the sweetest little person; the unmitigated joy you see in their smile and eyes when you make them laugh with delight. This person, who you know better than anyone, yet who, chances are, will not be known in this way by anyone else. Imagine the struggles of raising this child through school, where kids can be so needlessly mean, especially to those more vulnerable in the social pecking order than them. Imagine the tears, the frustrations, you have tried your absolute best to help guide them through, as they encounter situation after situation where they are told they are different, where they are made to feel unwelcome, where they don't feel like they belong. Imagine watching them struggling to express their feelings to you, wondering why they don't have friends. Imagine watching them slowly recede into isolation, spending time only with you, or by themselves. Imagine wondering - will they ever experience a romantic kiss? Will they ever know love aside from you? Imagine your heart breaking as you realize the thing you want to provide to them most - a sense of community, the joys of companionship - is beyond your ability to build by yourself. Imagine the terror that keeps you up on some nights, as you consider what life might be like for them once you are dead. Once the one person who knows them, their champion, is gone. Imagine the concern you feel, not knowing how they will fend for themselves. The vast majority of connections your loved one has developed inside the medical system over the years have been largely transactional, with no real depth of relationship with any of their health care providers. Sure, they know your child's name, and can tell you up and down about their condition, but that's about all they know. Imagine everyone telling your son or daughter what they can't do, what they won't be, and informing them what their very limited options are. For so many families, this is not imagination. This is heart-wrenching reality. Now, imagine a person who comes and visits with your child weekly. Who forms a relationship with them. Who gets to know them, as an individual, not just as a collection of conditions. A person who is geared towards helping your child realize the skills and talents that they do have, that they can use to create meaning and happiness in their life. A person who will work to help build friendships and community up around your child; a network of care that will persist well into the future after you are gone. A person who walks beside your loved one, helping them find their own voice, to be able to make their own choices. A person who listens, and helps them feel understood. A person who can help bear the burden and can offer you a break. A person who, beyond the health of your child, cares about their empowerment. Finding a job, joining a club, volunteering - these are all outwards signs of the real change that is happening; the creation of social networks and instances where the individuals can use their talents to give back and feel valued. To feel like they belong. Independent Facilitation also eases many downstream systemic burdens - on the health care system, housing, missed work for parents. The increased quality of life resulting from reduced family stress, as well as the self-directed aspect of helping people find their voices to make their own choices, is hard to overstate. One of the biggest benefits of Independent Facilitation, above and beyond what is provided through the existing institutional approach, is the impact it has on depression and loneliness. Studies, focused on greater society, have correlated depression and isolation with negative health outcomes – which means more economic burden. In a community that is arguably the most isolated, many people for the first time had someone to walk with them and help guide them through how to structure a meaningful, connected life. It is very human to want to feel useful, to have purpose. Independent Facilitation helps individuals who otherwise would have been overlooked to determine theirs, structure the necessary steps needed to achieve it and empower them to actually move themselves forward. This is prime space for Ontario, and Canada, to exhibit leadership; how we treat our most vulnerable populations says more about our culture, province and country than any number of political slogans ever could. It is a crying shame to see our provincial leaders effectively turning Ontario's back on a significant portion of our own. Honestly, I can't help but feel that if Doug Ford had a family member with a developmental disability, he would get it. He would be Independent Facilitation's biggest champion instead of being the guy who is about to drop the axe on the service.

Ford just made slashing cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). This will put higher education out of reach for tens of thousands of Ontarians. Ford's legislation will also end the six month grace period for repaying student loans, which means students could graduate in April and receive a bill for hundreds of dollars in May - before they’ve even secured a job interview. Doug Ford is balancing his budget on the backs of students - mere months after handing billions in tax breaks to his well-connected buddies. We have to stand up for students, and put a halt to this short-sighted, fiscally irresponsible and cruel cut to students' futures. Students have been organizing rallies, and there's another one this Friday. If we get this petition as big as we can before that, we can show Ford that students won't allow this. Tell Doug Ford and the Education Minister - immediately save and fully reinstate OSAP.

URGENT: Tomorrow Toronto City Council will be debating whether or not to declare a state of emergency to trigger immediate action on the homeless crisis affecting our city. Declaring a state of emergency will take people off the streets and help save lives. We’re partnering with Progress Toronto to deliver the petition to councillors tomorrow, but to convince them to support it, we have to collect as many signatures as possible right now. Sign before it’s too late. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently, the City of Toronto began issuing eviction notices to homeless people who seek shelter from fierce winter weather in tents under the Gardiner. These notices are delivered under the guise of “no camping” by-laws and force people to either hide from authorities or attempt to navigate a shelter system that lacks the resources to accommodate them. [1] With severe winter weather predicted this weekend, forcing these people out of their tents into unsafe and over-capacity shelter system that may or may not even be able to take them in is cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. The city of Toronto must take immediate action to expand shelter capacity, and halt tent evictions until capacity is more than adequate to provide safe, secure shelter for those in need. All too often, these are the people who are left behind. A flood of public pressure from a massive petition will let Mayor Tory and City Council know that this issue isn’t going to fade away, and could force a change in policy. Source: [1] https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/city-giving-homeless-living-in-tent-cities-2-weeks-to-vacate-structures-1.4254610

The future of Ontario Place, a publicly owned waterfront park in Toronto, is in peril. In 2014, after extensive consultation with local community groups, the province released a long-term revitalization plan for Ontario Place - building on the site’s legacy of innovation, fun, live music, and public spaces. [1] Now, Doug Ford wants to rip up this plan years in the making to impose his own. He’s appointed an old friend and major CPC donor as head of the Ontario Place board, who has already stated “there’s ‘nothing worth saving’ at Ontario Place”, and rumors are circulating that Ford plans to sell off the park to the highest bidder to build a privately-owned casino mega-complex. [2, 3] The reality is that the people have already spoken. Years of community input resulted in a long term plan that is already unfolding successfully - and Doug Ford’s obsession with meddling in Toronto affairs can’t be allowed to derail it. We’re here to defend Ontario Place and the community-led plan.This plan includes a landmark park and trail, revitalizing iconic architecture, and publicly accessible spaces that connect Ontario Place to nearby neighbourhoods. Once before,Doug Ford try to impose a mega-casino on Ontario Place. We beat him then with a flood of public outrage, and we can do it again - but we need your help. A massive petition will show Doug that we’re ready to beat him again. Sign now to tell Doug Ford: hands off our waterfront. Ontario Place belongs to all of us, not to his cashed-up buddies and casino megamalls. [1] http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/ontarioplace/vision.shtml [2] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2019/01/08/nothing-can-be-saved-at-ontario-place-thats-simply-not-true.html [3] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/07/comments-trigger-alarm-bells-over-fate-of-ontario-place.html

"There is no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian... A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate... What the world should be seeking, and what in Canada we must continue to cherish, are not concepts of uniformity but human values: compassion, love and understanding" - Pierre Trudeau

The Ford government just tabled legislation to take over Toronto’s subway system, which will leave the TTC open for privatization or a two-tiered transit system, which will mean longer commutes, less control and higher fares. [1] The TTC already has the smallest amount of government funding of any big city transit system in North America with 70 percent coming from fares, [2] which are among the highest in North America. [3] When Rob Ford was mayor of Toronto, he made service cuts and raised fares. Doug Ford running the TTC from Queen’s Park won’t improve the TTC. Ford needs to keep the TTC’s control in the hands of the city and provide it with adequate funding. If we put our foot down with a huge showing of opposition, making sure Ford knows Torontonians want to keep the TTC public, properly funded, and in the hands of its users, he’ll have to pay attention. Will you add your name before the legislation moves ahead (any week now)? Sources: [1] https://globalnews.ca/news/4834294/ontario-government-upload-toronto-subway/ [2] https://www.cp24.com/news/ttcriders-hold-day-of-action-over-ford-s-plan-to-upload-subway-to-province-1.4197455 [3] https://www.blogto.com/city/2016/02/how_do_ttc_fares_stack_up_against_other_cities_in_2016/

Millions of non-smokers in our country, particularly in Toronto city are suffering every day due to unscrupulous smokers around all public places. These smokers interpret that "Law prohibits only smoking within 9 meters from a building entrance". Thus they claim they are legally permitted to smoke anywhere else. This is in addition to some who violate all existing laws and they smoke right at the entrance. Children at Risk A recent law revision has prohibited smoking near schools and play grounds. But that was a too short-sighted addition. Please note that, the same children get exposed to smoking on their way home at side walks, bus tops, pedestrian crossings, parking lots, walkways, public transit, and inside own dwelling units. Attention is requested to the menace of unscrupulous smoking in public places, which is causing health hazards to general public through passive smoking effect. While I appreciate the smoke-free Ontario regulation and similar laws across the country exist,evidently they are found to be not reaping the desired benefits. The rule that bans smoking within 9 meters from the entrance of any building, appears to have been miss-interpreted as if it just irritates the building. Any reasonably sensible person can understand that such rule is to avoid passive smoking-effect on other innocent nonsmokers passing by. But most smokers are seen smoking at a couple meters away from the entrance, if not at the entrance/ inside the confined area itself, and mostly right in the middle of other non-smokers by-standing / walking. Such violations are extremely high in crowded cities like Toronto / GTA and probably in other larger cities too . The trend might be proportionately less in other small cities. In either case the damages that would cause are enormous. Consequences of smoking in public: 1. One smoker could cause health hazard to multitude of non-smoking public through passive smoking. 2. Suffocating smell that linger when a smoker travels in a crowded transit vehicle/elevator, which cause all others around sick 3. Cause slow premature death to innocent passive smokers, including young children/ infants and elderly (senior citizens) 4. Huge burden on the exchequer via additional health / medical budget. 5. Instances of children picking up butts from those thrown by others. The teens may not legally get it from stores, but get free butts from the side-walk. 6. Makes the city dirty with butts all around. 7. Create an unhealthy community, and an addicted generation. 8. Fire hazard due to un-extinguished butts being thrown around high-rise buildings. 9. Electronic cigarette and vapes too cause equal health hazard as cigarettes