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Parents, Critics Waiting For Autism Program

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The wait for a new autism program continues.

It was announced in February, but NDP critic Teresa Armstrong says there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

“The pilot program, that has yet to determine its metrics for success, has no staff to run it, or families to pilot with, and will service a mere 600 kids when there are 42,000 on the wait list,” she says.

Armstrong says many more have aged out of the program, making them ineligible for any support.

Angela Brandt, president of the Ontario Autism Coalition, says wait lists for “life-changing” therapies continue to get longer.

“This government promised to reduce the wait list, but instead they doubled it,” she says.

Brandt says the Ford government promised to eliminate the wait list in 2019.

Alina Cameron, a parent of a child with autism in the Thunder Bay area, says the delay is hurting families in northern Ontario.

“There is no plan to help families and providers in northern, rural, and remote locations bridge the immense distances between them,” Cameron argues. “Those distances, barriers to care, have grown exponentially for many while we’ve been waiting for the Ford [Ontario Autism Program].”

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Horwath Blames Ford For Longer Lockdown

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As the lockdown stretches out longer, the Official Opposition are putting the blame on the Premier.

Ahead of the announcement, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath claimed that if the emergency orders had to be extended, it would be because the Premier hadn’t been doing enough to combat COVID-19.

“The government, in many, many ways, has been very slow to act, has not behaved with any urgency whatsoever on a number of fronts. Whether that’s safe return to school, whether that’s the sloppy and slow rollout of the vaccines when they first arrived, the lack of care around long-term care, the lack of putting anything in place to actually save our seniors from going through the hellish nightmare that unfolded in the first wave,” Horwath said on Friday. “All along, Doug Ford has not wanted to spend the money to stop the virus effectively.”

Horwath added the province should also have been doing more to prevent outbreaks in long-term care homes.

After Monday’s announcement, Horwath remains critical of the Premier’s plan to allow retail shopping in all areas by February 22nd.

“People deserve hope that this lockdown will be the last lockdown, and that their family members will be safe this time,” she says in an emailed statement.

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Proposed Bill Adds Paid Sick Days

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The provincial NDP want guaranteed paid sick days for workers to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

London West MPP Peggy Sattler is behind a proposed bill that she says is needed so that people can stay home when they’re sick.

She points out people who have been deemed essential face an “impossible choice” if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

“Because staying home to recover or care for their child means giving up their pay. It could mean not being able to make the rent, not being able to pay the bills, not being able to buy groceries,” she says.

The southern Ontario MPP claims low-wage workers aren’t able to follow public health advice meant to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“It is all too clear how dangerous it is when workers must lose their paycheque to stay home when they are sick,” Sattler says. “If they are coming down with the flu, they can’t afford to stay home in bed. If they go for a COVID-19 test, they can’t afford to wait at home for the results. And when going to work sick is the only option, it puts us all at risk.”

The Stay Home If You Are Sick Act would also remove the requirement for workers to provide a doctor’s note. Sattler says her motion would be better than the federal sick leave program because it wouldn’t require applying or proving you have lost income due to illness.

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Ontario NDP Release Northern Business Plan

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The Ontario NDP say they have a plan to help struggling small businesses in northwestern Ontario.

The Official Opposition are updating their “Save Main Street” plan, which was first announced in April.

It includes a utility freeze for businesses, a 75% commercial rent subsidy up to $10,000 per month for three months, and a fund to help businesses work remotely.

The plan also calls for a dedicated fund to re-train people, help them get new jobs, more paid sick days and a ban on evictions.

Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says he heard “day in and day out” over the summer from businesses that were suffering and didn’t qualify for provincial or federal help.

He adds they’ll be raising awareness about these issues at Queens Park.

Mamakwa says “Whether it’s Sioux Lookout. Whether it’s Red Lake. Whether it’s Kenora. Whether it’s Thunder Bay. We need to be able to work together and come up with a common goal, common voice, on how we can work with small business.”

The NDP also want to focus on a “she-covery, a program helping women who tend to face barriers in getting jobs while also being responsible for childcare amidst the pandemic.

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Liberals, NDP Reach Agreement To Avert Election

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It looks like Canadians will not be heading to the polls this fall in a snap election.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said Friday his party has reached an agreement with the Liberals concerning sick-leave provisions in Bill C-2.

The bill would create three new temporary COVID-19 aid benefits, including a 10-day sick leave benefit.

“If what we’ve agreed upon is reflected in the bill that’s presented on Monday, if all the same elements are still there, then we will be able to support that bill, and yes, we will be able to support the throne speech,” Singh told reporters.

The Liberal minority government requires the support of at least one opposition party in order to pass the Speech from the Throne.

Both the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois have already said they will not lend their support.

Singh declined to give specifics about the sick leave changes, except to say the definition will be broadened.

“What the Liberals are proposing would help thousands of Canadians. What we have achieved will help millions of Canadians. That’s the scale of the difference,” he said.

The NDP leader described the agreement as a “historic moment,” adding the party believes this is the first step to creating a permanent federal paid sick leave program for all Canadian workers.

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More Support Needed For First Nations Schools

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Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa is calling on Premier Doug Ford for more funding and resources to keep First Nations children safe at schools.

Mamakwa says the Premier knows that First Nations communities need extra money and support for their back-to-school plans but he has yet to take action.

The NDP critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation stresses the funding available today is completely inadequate and is compromising the start of the school year and the safety of students and staff.

Mamakwa notes there is no more time to waste on what he calls a “jurisdictional game of ping-pong being played with First Nations education.

The federal government announced $112-million in funding Wednesday but it’s not clear how that money will be doled out.

Mamakwa says the money is just a fraction of what’s needed to get kids back in school safely, and prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in First Nations schools.

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NDP Leader Believes Schools Aren’t Ready

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The NDP says the Ford government has to do more to ensure a safe return to school.

Leader Andrea Horwath says parents are left with more questions than answers with a couple of weeks to go before classes resume.

“Its been a lot of confusion. A lot of miscommunication. A lot of effort that’s been put in by boards who didn’t have enough information, who didn’t have enough resources.”

Horwath says “The message is Mr. Ford. Don’t pinch pennies on the backs of our kids. Don’t open kids up to the likelihood of the virus because you didn’t do your homework.”

She adds “What parents don’t want to see frankly is the spread of COVID-19 through the schools and then coming back to the family and perhaps coming back to grandparents and other loved ones. I think it’s pretty clear that safety has to be the primary piece here.”

Horwath is suggesting learning take place in community halls or Rec Centres so small class sizes can be followed.

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NDP Call For School Reopening Strategy

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The provincial government is being asked to provide answers on how it plans to reopen schools this fall.

The call for action comes from the NDP.

The party is asking the Conservatives to implement a number of measures including funding for more school busses to allow for physical distancing.

The NDP is also asking for additional support for students with special needs or who are struggling online.

The province is also being asked to strike a COVID-19 recovery school advisory group that includes frontline education workers, parents and students, school boards and parents.

Here is a list of all recommendation from the party:

-Guarantee that parents will be able to access paid, job-protected leave until school and child care fully resumes.
-Immediate funding to stabilize the child care sector to prevent fee increases and layoffs.
-Hire more teachers and other education workers to allow for more, smaller classes.
-Immediate funding for urgent school repairs and upgrades, including infection control (eg: touch-free sinks and soap dispensers).
-Funding for more school busses to allow for physical distancing.
-Additional support for students with special needs or who are struggling online.
-Strike a COVID-19 recovery school advisory group that includes frontline education workers, parents and students, school boards and parents.
-Consult with municipalities to find ways to use available public infrastructure so that school and child care centres can resume in-person for as many children as possible in a safe and healthy way.
-Guarantee that no essential workers currently receiving emergency child care will lose child care provision when the emergency child care program ends

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Demand Made To Close Thunder Bay Jail

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A heartfelt plea for the government to close the Thunder Bay Jail.

In the Ontario Legislature, Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says a close relative is the latest aboriginal person to die while he was incarcerated.

“This includes my nephew. Kevin. He died three weeks ago while he was in custody at the Thunder Bay District Jail. Another young Indigenous man died at the same jail in recent weeks. 9 have died since 2002.

The NDP critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation says “Like Kevin. These young people were our sons, our fathers and nephews. The Human Rights Commissioner, Coroners Inquests, the Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, even my brother, have all called for this jail to close.”

Mamakwa stresses “How many more Indigenous people need to die at the Thunder Bay Jail before the government takes action to solve this crisis.”

Solicitor General Sylvia Jones says they have announced and re-announced a new jail in Thunder Bay, and they are in the process of local consultations.

Jones says they will share the findings of a report on Kevin Mamakwa’s death, when it’s completed.

The NDP is also outraged that Premier Doug Ford is seen walking out of the Legislature during Mamakwa’s question.

To watch the video visit https://www.dropbox.com/s/pc8vcv1rtphb2te/SolMamakwa06232020.mov?dl=0

(With Files from Tim Davidson)

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MPP Calls For Action On Reconciliation

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Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples bill supporting reconciliation continues to collect dust.

Mamakwa introduced the legislation one year ago and it passed second reading, but has since been left in legislative limbo.

When asked about its status, Premier Doug Ford wouldn’t comment on if it will move forward.

“Well there’s never one step to reconciliation in my opinion. There’s always multiple steps and we have to constantly be doing a better job.”

Mamakwa says it’s clearly time for Ford to get to work so that First Nations basic human rights can be met.

“We must all demand that Indigenous Peoples are treated equitably under the law. After more than 150 years of colonialism, the status quo is no longer acceptable. As we have seen in demonstrations across the continent, the struggle for justice is real. Racial inequalities are not acceptable.”

The NDP critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation adds “The people of Ontario must ensure their government respects human rights for Indigenous communities.”

Meantime, the provincial government was asked this week to provide an update on reconciliation efforts with First Nations.

It’s been one year since the release of the final report on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Premier Doug Ford says it’s all about understanding the communities and relating to their concerns and feeling the pain that they have gone through.

“We’ve built up an incredibly strong relationship right across this province. I give all the credit to Minister Greg Rickford. Greg Rickford was a nurse and lived with First Nations communities for 7 to 8 years. He was in there helping these communities when they needed help most. No one was listening to them. As far as I’m concerned he’s the best minister for Indigenous Affairs. So we’re going to continue working with him and supporting him every which way we can.”

Ford adds they have a phenomenal relationship with First Nations and he appreciates their support and the great work they do on a daily basis.

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