A few weeks ago, right
after the Legislature was called to sit for a summer session following the June
election, in my weekly column I wrote, “Fasten
your seatbelts. We better hang on for a wild ride.” Admittedly it didn’t
take a fortune teller to help me reach that conclusion. For conservatives who
enjoy sharp turns and falling drop-offs, clearly the ride so far hasn’t
disappointed them. I wish I could say the same for all Ontarians, especially
those individuals and families who are the most vulnerable. It is interesting
to note that just after Doug Ford was sworn in, Canada’s Wonderland announced that the world’s largest
rollercoaster would be coming to town. Hmmmm…. Coincidence?
Let’s face it, this ride
was designed to appease radical social conservatives and PC insiders. In only
their first few weeks in office, the Ford government has moved quickly to drag
Ontario backwards, wasting no time to eagerly meddle with ongoing municipal
elections, hurting our most vulnerable families, and rolling sex education back
by decades and closing safe injection sites. By pledging $330 million in cuts
to mental health services, canceling the basic income pilot, rolling back any
action on climate change, and cutting millions from our kids’ schools, Ford is
signalling that he will continue to divide Ontarians and target families
already struggling to make ends meet.
Constituents have told me
time and time again that hydro costs are one of the most worrisome issues they
have to face for their families and businesses. They have been begging for
years for relief from impossible electrical bills. Ford promised Ontarians to
have no fear because, “Help is on the way.” The conservatives campaigned on the
promise of fixing the hydro crisis. Giving Wynne’s “6-million-dollar-man” a $9 million payout moves Ontario backwards
and leaves families behind. Replacing one Board of Directors with another at a
privatized Hydro One won’t bring our rates down.
Ontarians need a
government to develop policies and take meaningful action that will actually improve
their lives, not make life harder. Ontarians need a government to focus on what
will make things better for them, not on settling old political scores or honouring
back room deals with conservative friends.
Recently the
Conservatives announced that they were halting the opening of planned
overdose prevention sites. This flies in the face of all of the advice from
experts, community members, and volunteers, and places the lives of Ontarians
struggling with addiction at tremendous risk. The Premier is willfully
interfering with local health care experts and front line workers, who have
been crystal clear: these sites save lives!
Doctor David
Juurlink, the head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at the University of
Toronto, has said: “These places save lives, connect people to addiction care,
reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and save the health system money. We
need more of these sites, not fewer.” Ford’s Conservatives have slashed
millions of dollars in funding earmarked for addiction and mental health
services, leaving Ontarians struggling to access the services they urgently
need. Like Andrea Horwath pointed out to Ford, “People can’t get treatment if
they are dead.”
NDP MPP
Jennie Stevens said that there were over 1,200 people who overdosed last
year. Those were 1,200 lives that could have been saved. Yet the Ford
government has already confirmed that no new sites will be opened anywhere in
Ontario despite calls for new life-saving sites.
So, if saving
lives or helping our most vulnerable is not a priority for this government,
what is?
Rather than
saving lives, Doug Ford put his full effort into ramming through legislation
that flies in the face of democratic values and slashes the size of Toronto
City Council in half. In so doing he cancelled local elections in multiple
municipalities, notably where his political rival Patrick Brown was planning to
run.
Instead of
finding ways to effectively reduce hydro rates, Ford was more focused on honouring
back room deals he’s made. He was more intent on satisfying old friends and lobbyists
like Tanya Granic Allen and Charles McVety as proven by his decision to force Ontario
teachers to revert back to teaching the 1998 sex education curriculum; a
curriculum they don’t even have in print any more.
Rather than
providing the woefully small 3% planned increase to already meagre social
assistance, he is cutting that in half to a contemptuous 1.5%. As well, rather
than seeing the first basic income pilot project in North America through to
its 3 year completion date, Ford axed the project without collecting and analysing
data or consulting with stakeholders and experts to determine it’s
effectiveness.
Like I said, Ontario better hang on for this wild ride. But be assured
that New Democrats are up for the challenge and are committed to pushing back
against Doug Ford’s divisive and dangerous agenda. We will fight to ensure
everyone can build a great life here in Ontario.
As always, please feel free to contact
my office about these issues, or any other provincial matters. You can reach my
constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca
or by phone at 705-461-9710 or Toll free 1-800-831-1899.
Michael Mantha MPP/député
Algoma-Manitoulin