Community News Update - September 6, 2024
Community News Update - October 21, 2020
Dear Community,
Today we reported another 790 COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with over 300 of those cases being found here in Toronto. Alarmingly, the positivity rate for tests in Toronto has also continued to climb, with today’s positivity rate topping 4%. These figures continue to show that here in Toronto, we are still on an upward trend of COVID-19 cases, and efforts must be redoubled to ensure that we flatten the curve in our community.
That means that we all need to be washing our hands frequently, only coming into physical contact with members of our households, and wearing a mask while we are in public. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we can make the trip a lot smoother if we all put the effort into following the public health guidelines.
Sadly, COVID-19 is not the only health related challenge that we’re facing right now, as it becomes increasingly apparent that our province could be facing a shortage of flu vaccine. We are expecting to see a surge in demand for the flu shot this year, and right now residents across Ontario are being told by health officials that they will have to wait to get vaccinated. It is still not clear how this issue will develop regionally, but you can rest assured that I will keep you abreast of updates on this vital matter as they become available.
In another frustrating twist to the ongoing saga that is Doug Ford’s personal war on local democracy, we have learned today that the Ford government has introduced legislation that would end the ability of municipalities in Ontario to utilize ranked ballots. To make matters worse, this bizarre attack on municipal democracy was found buried within a piece of legislation that largely dealt with the COVID-19 recovery. This encroachment on municipalities will not go unchallenged.
Finally, a major part of my job as an MPP and our job as the Official Opposition is holding the government to account. To that end, I research and prepare questions to ask the Government in the Legislature, and make a point to highlight local issues that require a government response. I often hear from constituents about issues that Doug Ford needs to answer for, and we’re going to make that happen.
Sadly, there are only so many opportunities everyday in question period, and questions that I pitch can’t always make the line-up. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still put those questions to the Ford government.
To that end, I would like to announce that I am soliciting submissions for questions to be submitted to the Government, either orally in Question Period, in writing by way of Order Paper Questions, or if answers are not forthcoming, via social media by tweeting your questions directly at the Government. Doug Ford owes the people of this community, and Ontario more generally, answers for how he has conducted himself and his government. Please submit your questions here, and I will do my best to get answers for you.
In Solidarity,
Jill Andrew
