You can count on TVO to cover the stories others don’t—to fill the gaps in the ever-changing media landscape. But we can’t do this without you.
Energy credits:CBC News reports there’s a provincial proposal to sell energy credits to companies looking to lower their carbon footprint. Businesses could buy credits and count them toward carbon-reduction targets. Critics say this would not reduce emissions.
This week, The Agenda asked if Ontario is ready to ditch masking.
Agenda segment March 16, 2022: Is Ontario ready to ditch masking?
Permanent PSW pandemic pay: Some personal support workers who received pay bonuses of $3 per hour during the pandemic will get to keep their raises. Ford confirmed this in Brampton Tuesday. Recently, the government promised Ontario nurses a $5,000 retention bonus.
Medical school: At that same Brampton announcement, Ford said Ontario will add spots to medical schools and residencies, calling it the biggest expansion in 10 years. He says the 160 new medical school and 295 new postgraduate positions will help prepare the next generation of doctors.
Childcare: During his Wednesday news conference with Trudeau, Ford said there will be an announcement on a deal to reduce child care costs “very, very soon.” This is the first time Ford has promised a fast approaching announcement on the federal child care plan, for which Ontario is the only unsigned province.
Ejected: Late Thursday, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath removed Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MPP Paul Miller from caucus. Miller says this is due to fabricated evidence, an assertion the NDP disputes. Horwath says the party found something while vetting Miller for the 2022 election that it found unacceptable. Neither Miller nor the party have said what this was, but the Toronto Star reports its sources confirm the ousting is not due to criminal behavious, sexual misconduct, or previous allegations of bullying, discrimination and abuse.
#onpoli podcast March 15, 2022: Goodbye Mask Mandates
Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath discuss whether the decision to end mandatory masking is based on science or politics. They also have a surprising interview with Rima Berns-McGown, NDP MPP for Beaches-East York, about why she won’t be running for a second term.
Housing: In a column, John Michael McGrath wonders if Ontario will get a housing bill before the upcoming election. He writes: “We’re now almost two months out from TVO.org’s first reporting on the contents of the province’s Housing Affordability Task Force report, and we have yet to see anything resembling a bill from Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark. There’s a finite amount of time left in the political calendar; the house must be dissolved before the June 2 election, and anything that isn’t passed by May 4 will go up like so much legislative smoke. And the government still has to get a budget passed.”
Jerry Dias: The Globe and Mail reported that Jerry Dias, the labour leader who retired from his job as president of Unifor citing health reasons, is under investigation by the union for allegedly breaching its constitution. The union has not shared specifics. Unifor is Canada’s biggest private-sector union and represents 315,000 workers.
Online gambling: Ontario’s iGaming is set to launch next month, and while it’s been touted as a way to take online sports betting out of a gray market, the impact on many First Nations may be profound. Chief Kelly LaRocca of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation joined The Agenda to talk about it.
Agenda segment, March 17, 2022: Why First Nations oppose online gambling
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
