Dear Neighbours,

It’s been a week of big news, starting with Ontario finally signing onto the national child care program. When I was pregnant with my now 21 year old daughter, Mahala, I remember the talks I had with other new parents about Quebec’s $7/day childcare. Why couldn’t Ontario do the same? It seemed so impossible. Soon we would have two daughters in full-time daycare, with both my partner and I working. Daycare costs were extraordinary then, and today it's even worse, climbing up under the last provincial government to the highest levels anywhere in Canada. Watching this unfold is one of the driving reasons I ran for office, and even in recent years the prospect of a national child care plan was always just out of reach. 

That’s why we should all take a moment to celebrate this victory and give thanks to the countless advocates who have tirelessly pushed for this for years. 

But we can also acknowledge that it has been a painful wait for families. The deal they’ve signed is largely unchanged from the offer put forward 9 months ago, so there are real questions about why families here were asked to keep paying exorbitant fees while other provinces have already started delivering reduced fees. In light of this, the Ontario NDP is calling for the funding to be made retroactive to the start of the negotiations.

There are also other details of the plan that need to be looked at carefully (more info below), including the  wages and benefits for child care workers and ECEs, and the risky expansion of for-profit child care. I have already met with childcare experts and I will be keeping a close eye on the details. Families literally can’t afford for us not to get this right. 

I also want to acknowledge the importance of the agreement between the federal New Democratic and Liberal parties to deliver the largest expansion of public healthcare in a generation - including dental care and Pharmacare. With the reactionary and anti-democratic sentiments that have been emerging across the country, I know there is a real desire to see elected representatives work together for the common good. The federal agreement includes a commitment to action on Reconciliation, climate, housing and workers’ rights - issues that a majority of Canadians want to see progress on, but where the Liberal government has not always lived up to commitments. A provincial NDP government elected in Ontario this June would build on these initiatives to fix what matters most, from schools to health care to taking real climate action.

Please read on for more updates from this week, including some worrying updates on COVID-19 that we should all be aware of.

Thanks and have a great rest of your weekend,
 
Marit 

In this issue:

• The latest on COVID-19 
• Ontario finally joins national childcare program
• New housing bill fails to address issues facing our community
• Calling for OHIP wait time exemption for Ukrainian refugees
• New motion tabled: Endometriosis Action Plan
• Clean Trains Now! Bill re-tabled
• Letter to Minister: Stop the clawback of Trillium benefits
• Making Spaces Working Group Meeting
• Call to action from Build a Better Bloor Dufferin
• Bloordale/MacGregor Park Spring Clean up - Sunday, April 24
• Upcoming Easter Egg hunts

The latest on COVID-19 

Ontario is once again seeing a rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions as experts warn we are now in a sixth wave of this pandemic. 

Because of restrictions on testing and reporting, the current number of cases is not publicly available, but based on waste-water monitoring, experts at the Ontario Science Table estimate that the actual number of daily infections is in the 30,000-35,000 range.

Despite this, the Minister of Health has told the press that resuming public health measures like mask mandates is not on the table. Taking things a step further, the Ford government announced that the Science Table would be folded into Public Health Ontario. Read our statement on the importance of keeping an independent Science Table.

I encourage everyone to keep relying on the protections we know work: masking in crowded indoor spaces, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated and boosted.

The provincial government has announced that the distribution of free rapid test kits will be extended into the summer. These tests are available through retailers including pharmacies and grocery stores, free of charge. Find a location near you here.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Ontario joins national child care program

Ontario became the last jurisdiction in the country to sign on to the national child care plan on Monday. Here’s what we know so far:

• As a first step, all Ontario families with children five years old and younger in participating licensed child care centres will see their fees reduced, up to 25 per cent, to a minimum of $12 per day, retroactive to April 1, 2022.

  • The NDP is calling for this to be retroactive to the beginning of negotiations.

• In December 2022, parents will see another reduction. In total, fees for families will be reduced, on average, by 50 per cent.

• In September 2024, families will see further fee reductions, culminating in a final reduction to an average of $10-a-day child care by September 2025.

• Ontario will address increasing demand for child care by creating 86,000 new, high quality child care spaces. (This includes more than 15,000 new spaces already created)

• Ontario will improve compensation for all Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) working in licensed child care, including RECEs providing child care for children six to 12 years old.

  • We are calling for a wage grid to be included in this, as other provinces have done.

Read the full government press release here.

Read the Opposition’s response to the announcement here. 

New housing bill fails to address issues facing our community

Here in Davenport, the out of control cost of housing is one of the top concerns I hear about. From tenants being gouged by rent increases and forced out onto the streets by sketchy renovictions, to young families priced out of buying their first home and forced to leave our community. All the while, people continue to sleep in the rough while emergency shelters fill up and supportive options are few and far between. 

A new bill from the Ford government claims to provide “More Homes for Everyone” but it doesn’t build starter homes or 'missing middle' homes like duplexes and townhomes. The bill does nothing to take on speculation. It doesn’t help renters or buyers. It doesn’t even do the bare minimum its own task force recommended. 

I will continue to push for real action on these pressing housing issues for our community, in line with the NDP’s comprehensive proposals on housing, put forward last year.

Calling for OHIP wait time exemption for Ukrainian refugees

At Queen’s Park this week, the Opposition called on Doug Ford to waive the OHIP waiting period for Ukrainian refugees who have fled the illegal invasion. The federal government has not yet provided Ukrainian refugees health care coverage. British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland have all announced that they will waive health coverage waiting periods for Ukrainians entering the province under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. The standard OHIP waiting period is three months.

New motion tabled: Endometriosis Action Plan

Ontario's first official Endometriosis Awareness Month is coming to a close, but our work is far from over! It's time to take the next steps to increase access to timely care. Learn more about my call for a provincial Endometriosis action plan.

Clean Trains Now Act re-tabled

This week, I joined four of my fellow MPPs whose ridings include the Union-Pearson express line to re-tabled the Clean Trains Now Act. First tabled in the last session, this bill seeks to expedite the electrification of the Union-Pearson Express and phase out the diesel engines currently running through our dense urban communities. Read the bill.

Letter to Minister: Stop the clawback of Trillium benefits

Door knocking in community housing here in Davenport, I met a number of seniors who had been given invoices to pay back as much as $950 for Ontario Trillium benefits they received for years and had no idea they were ineligible for. My Toronto NDP colleagues and I wrote to the Minister of Finance calling on him to work with the CRA to stop this unfair clawback. Read the letter. 

Making Space Working Group Meeting

On Friday, I hosted the second meeting of our Making Space working group. The group formed as a result of the Making Spaces townhall that I hosted in February. We are working to meet the challenges facing artists and creative workers here in Davenport, who are struggling to find space to live and work. Today we head from James Partanen of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust about their long history of advocacy, and I gave an update on the Ford government’s recently proposed housing bill. I'm proud to continue this work to find creative solutions to the challenges facing our amazing cultural community.

Call to Action from Build a Better Bloor Dufferin 

BBBD invites interested residents to join them on April 7th (7 – 8:30) to participate in a coalition building activity and initiate a public letter writing campaign.

The City is currently engaged in four major policy reviews impacting what future development will look like. BBBD is inviting you to join a coalition of like-minded groups to quickly make a strong impression on city planners of residents' needs and wants. More information here.

Bloordale / MacGregor Park Spring Clean Up - Sunday, April 24

Neighbours in the MacGregor Park area will hold a Spring Clean Up on April 24, all are welcome to lend a hand! (Planning a clean up in your neighbourhood? Drop me a line and we’ll help promote: MStiles-CO@ndp.on.ca)

Easter Egg Hunts in Davenport

It’s that time of year again! Annual Easter events are quickly approaching. Here are a couple that have been posted recently- though I’m sure there are many more that will come up. We will be sure to share them as we hear!

Saturday, April 9th
Meet the Easter Bunny with St. Clair Gardens’ BIA 

Details: https://www.facebook.com/SCGBIA/posts/2491437560993227 

Sunday, April 16th
Councilor Ana Bailao’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Dufferin Grove