Ontario Government Declares Provincial State of Emergency Over Protests and Blockades

The Ontario Government has declared a state of emergency regarding the protesters and ending the blockade at key border crossings in the province announced on Friday.

Truckers from all over the country began rolling into Ottawa to protest on Jan. 28. Screenshot.

Increased fines and penalties on protesters including a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year of imprisonment are placed for any non-compliers.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls the gathering a “siege” rather than a protest. He is urging anyone remaining to go back home in order to minimize harm as the government got the message sent by the protest.

“With a protest, you peacefully make your point and you go back home and I know the vast majority of the people did that,” he said. “You’ve been heard loud and clear. Canada has heard you. I urge you, it’s time to leave and it’s time to do so peacefully.”

Ontario and Alberta have had several blockades with the "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa protesting against vaccine mandates for truckers beginning two weeks ago.

Ontario will provide additional authority to revoke personal and commercial licences to anyone who fails to comply as temporary measures according to Ford. He stated the government "has every intention" to make them permanent into new legislation in the future.

"We are taking the steps necessary to support our police as they do what it takes to restore law and order," said Ford.

The state of emergency declaration will last for 42 hours as the cabinet will meet on Saturday to amend it if necessary.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the RCMP will send more resources to end the blockades in Ottawa, Windsor, Ont., and Coutts, Alta.

Mendicino claims to be in "consistent contact" with Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones to coordinate their response in Ottawa for police backup.

Ottawa had previously requested 1,800 more officers from the Ontario and federal governments with 250 RCMP officers deployed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau give remarks in Ottawa on Friday afternoon regarding the protests and blockades across Canada.

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MP Michelle Ferreri Issues Statement Regarding Erin O'Toole's Removal of the Conservative Party

Several hours after the Conservatives voted Erin' O’Toole out as the party leader, Michelle Ferreri, Peterborough Kawartha MP issued a statement thanking him for his service on Wednesday.

Ferreri (left) defeated former Liberal candidate Maryam Monsef in the federal election on Sep. 20 last year. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Ferreri posted her statement on social media as O’Toole lost the vote 73 to 45 in favour of being removed on Wednesday afternoon. The caucus was held virtually in a secret ballot to determine the former leader’s status.

“I would like to thank Erin O’Toole, his family and his staff for their service and their sacrifices made over the last 18 months,” said Ferreri in the statement. “He has been a strong mentor and a model of commitment for our Conservative team.”

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A post shared by Michelle Ferreri (@michelleferrerimp)

A new interim leader will be chosen Wednesday evening and the caucus will choose a new candidate to lead the party.

Whoever is elected cannot become the Conservative leader when a permanent position gets established.

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Draft Of New Peterborough County Official Plan Released

Peterborough County Council received the release of the new draft of the Official Plan for Peterborough County, at the Jan. 19 Council Meeting, that draft is now available to the public.

File Photo.

A requirement of the County Planning Department was to undertake a Municipal Comprehensive Review of the existing Official Plan and to complete a Growth Plan conformity exercise.

“The Official Plan was largely developed by creating consistencies between local Municipalities”, said Bryan Weir, Director, Planning and Public Works. “Through land use designations and mapping, and then refining the policies to reflect provincial legislation and local context, this new draft plan will serve the County and most of the Townships and is now available for public review and comment.”

The County Official Plan provides direction and guidance on how land in the County of Peterborough will be used and provides policy to ensure that future development will meet the needs of the community. Currently it also functions as the lower tier Official Plan for four local municipalities.

In 2017, the County initiated the development of a new Official Plan; one that is more user-friendly and meets both Provincial and local directives. Is being developed with input from County and Township Councils, public agencies, and members of the public.

The full Draft County Official Plan, detailed Land Use Schedules, and Report to Council in digital or printable format can be found on the Peterborough County website.

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Michelle Ferreri Tells A Story Of A Peterborough Woman In Her Maiden Speech

Member of Parliament Michelle Ferreri gave her maiden speech at the House of Commons on Dec. 16.

In Ferreri’s first ever speech she brought to light the mental health crisis in Peterborough-Kawartha.

She told the story of Cassie, a Peterborough local who struggled with her mental health.

On Sept. 20, Cassie passed away. Ferreri made a promise to Cassies’s mother that her story wouldn’t end in vain, and that she would work to help the other ‘Cassies’ in Peterborough.

“Cassie is the real example of what needs to be solved and the crisis we’re living in,” said Ferreri. “Her mom wanted her story shared. She wants people to know what happened.”

When Ferreri posted a video of her clip on Facebook, members of the community and Cassie’s family members expressed their praise in the comments.

“I wrote the speech myself, I didn’t have any help or input on what I chose to write. I think I’ll be able to look back on my maiden speech in the future and it will remind me of why I started this. There’s days when it gets hard and overwhelming but I can go back to my maiden speech and be reminded of why I’m doing this and what I’m trying to achieve.”

Ferreri also noted how COVID-19 has magnified the opioid and mental health crisis, and that Canada needs to learn to live with COVID.

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MP Michelle Ferreri Named Shadow Minister of Tourism

On Tuesday Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, announced the Conservative Shadow Cabinet for the 44th Parliament.

File Photo.

It is the shadow cabinet's responsibility to scrutinize the policies and actions of the government, as well as to offer alternative policies.

Ferreri says she can not wait to help the tourism sector move into recovery while supporting and promoting Canada.

The current Minister of Tourism is Randy Boissonnault.

Also announced on Tuesday, Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence was named the shadow minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for eastern, central and southern Ontario.

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Greg Dempsey Nominated As Peterborough-Kawartha Liberal Candidate

Greg Dempsey has been nominated as their Ontario Liberal Party (OLP) candidate for the next provincial election in the Peterborough-Kawartha riding announced Saturday.

Photo Courtesy of Greg Dempsey.

He won the nomination over Dane Bland after the party had narrowed the selection down to two candidates.

“Greg is truly committed to improving life for those in Peterborough—Kawartha, and brings a lifetime of experience advocating on behalf of Canadians to the table," said OLP Leader, Steven Del Duca. “By electing Greg Dempsey as their MPP, families in Peterborough—Kawartha will have a strong fighter on their side.”

Greg Dempsey grew up in Peterborough, graduating from Adam Scott CVI in 1999. He holds a BA and BSc from Bishop’s University, a law degree from the University of Victoria, a certificate in International Indigenous Studies from Columbia University in New York and a cum laude LLM in International Human Rights Law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Dempsey has served with distinction in the Canadian Foreign Service since 2008, representing Canada at the UN in New York, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva and in Kabul, Afghanistan.

He has supported the Prime Minister's special advisor on LGBTQ2S+ issues and advised the Hon. Ralph Goodale on Canada’s response to the tragic downing of flight PS752.

“I am incredibly honoured to be the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Peterborough—Kawartha,” said Dempsey. “From my roots in Peterborough, I’ve built a career bringing people together, and I'm committed to electing a better, more caring provincial government — one that will take decisive action on the climate crisis, support the under-resourced, partner with Indigenous peoples, and restore our relationship with healthcare and education workers. Together, I know we can."

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Ontario Government Raises Minimum Wage to $15 Beginning Next Year

The Ontario Government will raise the minimum wage from $14.35 to $15.00 effective on Jan. 1, announced at UNIFOR Local 414 in Milton on Tuesday.

The 43rd Ontario general election will be on June 2, 2022. Screenshot.

The increase would add an extra $1350 in income to minimum wage workers according to Doug Ford, Ontario Premier.

“As a result of these changes, more than 760,000 Ontario workers will be getting a raise,” he said. “I can’t think of a better way for our government to be working for workers than ensuring hundreds of thousands of people take more pay home.”

Servers and hospitality workers go from $12.55 to $15.00, a 19.5 per cent pay raise.

Students under 18 will go from $13.50 to $15.00. Hunting and fishing guides and homeworkers will also be a part of the minimum wage increase.

In late 2018, Ford had scrapped the scheduled wage hike to $15 for Jan 1, 2019 and kept it at $14. The move was made shortly after he was elected into office during the 2018 Ontario general election.

The 43rd Ontario general election is on June 2, 2022. Ford will be contested by NDP leader Andrea Horwath, Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner and New Blue Party leader Jim Karahalios.

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Ontario Government Releases Plan For Province's Safe Reopening

The Ontario Government plans to lift all COVID-19 public health measures including mask mandates by the end of March announced at a press conference in Queen’s Park in Toronto on Friday.

Screenshot.

Due to Ontario’s cautious and careful approach with COVID-19, the province is poised to gradually lift all restrictions over the coming months according to Doug Ford, Ontario Premier.

Roughly 88 per cent of eligible Ontarians have at least one vaccine dose.

Beginning Monday, the Ontario Government will increase capacity limits and distancing requirements for restaurants, bars, gyms, casinos, indoor meeting and event spaces.

Other settings are permitted to lift capacity limits if they opt-in to require proof of vaccination such as barbershops; salons; indoor areas of amusement parks, galleries and museums.

Passports will not be required for places of medical care, grocery stores or basic medical supplies.

If COVID-19 levels no longer become a concern, vaccination passports could be lifted early next year.

To see the government's long-term plan click here.

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Peterborough-Kawartha Provincial Liberal Association Announces Candidate Nomination Vote

The Peterborough-Kawartha Provincial Liberal Association (PKPLA) announced on Wednesday that the nomination vote to select the Liberal candidate for the next Ontario election will take place on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

Photo courtesy of Dane Bland and Greg Dempsey.

Vying for the nomination are Dane Bland and Greg Dempsey.

Bland is a graduate of the Trent University Business Administration Program and holds a BBA from Trent, he also completed the Seneca College Fundraising Management postgraduate certificate program. He has spent the last decade working in sectors like Arts, Culture, Education, Human Rights, Healthcare, and Long-Term Care.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Dempsey holds a BA and BSc from Bishop’s University, a law degree from the University of Victoria, a cum laude LLM in International Human Rights Law from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and a certificate in International Indigenous Studies from Columbia University in New York. He has served with distinction in the Canadian Foreign Service since 2008, representing Canada at the UN in New York, the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The vote will take place online, on November 6, between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. To be eligible to vote residents need to be a member of the Ontario Liberal Party by Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

Those wishing to become a member of the Ontario Liberal party can do so online at https://ontarioliberal.ca/become-a-member. Membership in the Ontario Liberal Party is open to residents of Ontario who are 14 years of age or older.

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Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party is Looking for a Local Candidate for MPP

The Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association announced Wednesday that they are looking for contestants for nomination as the local Green Party Candidate for MPP.

Photo courtesy of The Green party of Canada

“We heard loud and clear during the Federal election that people in our riding are concerned about the affordability of housing. The Green Party of Ontario has a stellar housing strategy. It is time for the needs and the solutions to meet,” said Pati Beaudoin, President, Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party.

This emphasis on Housing and Environment fits the priorities outlined by Mike Schreiner, MPP, and leader of the Green Party of Ontario, who tabled at motion on this topic in the legislature last week.

“Transportation is the biggest source of climate pollution in Ontario,” Schreiner said. “And a big portion of that comes from cars commuting back and forth pumping carbon into the air. That’s why I tabled a motion to tackle the housing affordability issues that are leading to more sprawl. This way we can greatly reduce pollution and tackle the housing and climate crises at the same time.”

The Green Party’s 9-point housing strategy focuses on building “15-minute communities” by lifting red-tape that prevents building duplexes, triplexes, laneway houses, tiny homes, etc., within urban boundaries. The policy includes provisions for “housing by Indigenous People and for Indigenous People” in urban areas. Housing First and Housing is a Human Right are fundamental principles. The policy provides for 60,000 units of permanent supportive housing along with other models such as shelters.

For more information on running as contestant for the Green Party contact info@ptbogreens.org

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