Dear Community,
Welcome to 2023! I hope that those of you who wanted to enjoyed some well deserved time off over the holidays with family and friends.
Dear Community,
Welcome to 2023! I hope that those of you who wanted to enjoyed some well deserved time off over the holidays with family and friends.
As expected, Ford filed an appeal of the Superior Court decision that ruled Bill 124 unconstitutional in late November. The original ruling (accurately) stated that the wage-suppressing Bill infringed upon the Charter rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining.
I join public sector workers, labour unions, and allies across the province in their outrage with Ford's decision to drag out the process of overturning this harmful and illegal Bill -- a process being paid for with tax payer dollars that could be put towards fixing our broken healthcare system and public sector, and tackling the continued cost-of-living crisis facing our province.
Know that Ford's fight against workers will be matched with our fight for them.
Over the holiday, our Ontario NDP family received the devastating news that Liam Coward, legislative assistant to MPP Pasma of Ottawa West—Nepean and former constituency assistant to MPP Stevens, passed away suddenly. His loss will surely be felt in the hallways of Queen's Park and in his community of St. Catharine's where he has long been a tireless advocate of social justice. But mostly, it will be felt by his friends, family, and his loving partner.
I extend my deepest condolences to each of them with hope they find comfort and healing in knowing how many lives Liam touched in his time here.
Read more of Liam's life and legacy.
Lastly, I will be hosting my annual New Year's check in via zoom on January 10 at 7 PM. Anyone who lives in Toronto-St. Paul's can attend to let me know about an issue you think is important., ask some questions about the provincial government, or just chat. If you would like to attend, you can RSVP here, we will e-mail you a zoom link on the day of the check-in.
In Solidarity,
Jill Andrew
Toronto-St. Paul's