Thunder Bay Atikokan ONDP

Ford is calling it quits at the height of the pandemic. MPPs should be staying at the legislature and working to use the $12 billion in COVID funding Doug Ford ...has been withholding from the people of Ontario. We can do so much more to stop the spread, and save lives from paid sick days to supports for small businesses and a plan to hire thousands of staff in long-term care. Instead, all Doug Ford managed to accomplish this session was helping his ultra-wealthy developer pals pave over environmentally sensitive lands, and re-paying an IOU that Doug Ford owed infamous bigot Charles McVety. Giving up, going home, and waiting for a vaccine is not a good second-wave plan.

Last week my Member's statement called on the Province to provide adequate funding and direction to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the north. Since that time, ...the situation has gotten much worse. We have lost another life to COVID-19. Case numbers are skyrocketing. At the time of the statement our number of confirmed positive cases as 50 - we now have 82 active cases. The Northwestern Health Unit has reported 26 active cases. This is how fast the virus spreads. Over the summer and into the fall, cases remained extremely low, but that’s quickly changing. Almost overnight in Thunder Bay, we had over 50 cases, with three person in the hospital and an outbreak in a long-term-care home. Our local public health units and hospitals in Thunder Bay have done an excellent job containing the virusbut there is only so much they can do. Frankly, this government needs to step up. The province needs to provide sufficient resources for contact tracing, rapid testing, quarantiningand also give clear instructions based on public health recommendations. We also need this government to focus more on northern Ontario, where we have far less health resources than the south. I hear about this from constituents calling and emailing my office every single day. The province must leadand not leave it up to local officials to figure things out the best they can, with insufficient resources. This is not a good strategy, especially as cases are rising. We can and must do better for the north, for Thunder Bay and Atikokan, and for all of us across this province. This government must take active steps to contain and end the COVID crisis.

Tuesday, Dec. 15th, 2pm EST, CAFP Memorial Services will take place parlvu.gc.CAFPMemorialServiceTribute. John Rafferty will, be memorialized during this tribute program. We miss him everyday.

On December 6th 1989, 14 lives were taken - because they were women. A man entered into a classroom; he separated the women from the men, and as he shot the wom...en, he yelled he hated feminists. Montreal, L'Ecole Polytechnique, December 6 1989. I lived in Montreal at the time. We will remember. Say Their names. Genevieve Bergeron, civil engineering student Helene Colgan, mechanical engineering student Nathalie Croteau, mechanical engineering student Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student Maryse Laganiere, budget clerk in the Ecole Polytechnique's finance department Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student Michele Richard, materials engineering student Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student Say their names!

Today, we remember and honour those who have died as a result of transphobic hatred and prejudice. Transphobia has no place in Ontario or anywhere. We will continue to stand alongside the Trans, Two-Spirit, and non-binary communities in the fight for recognition and safety.

Day 4 of social isolation had me connecting with constituents & consulting with the Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic on what is happening at the Landlord Tenant Board. ...Hearings have resumed, which raises concerns around access to technology and other accessibility issues. I've also written to the Premier, urging him to withdraw Section 6 from Bill 229. I believe in transparency and engaging meaningfully with stakeholders when making changes to legislation - this was not done for Schedule 6.