Tag: can you say trashfire?

Ford cuts all provincial funding to Ontario College of Midwives

allthecanadianpolitics:

Doug Ford’s government has revoked current and future funding for the College of Midwives of Ontario, the regulatory body that oversees more than 900 midwives and has had government support for 25 years.

The halt in funding is retroactive to April 1, 2018, and includes almost $800,000 in operational grants for the College’s current budget year, which made up one-third of its budget. The government informed the College on Nov. 8, eight months into the fiscal year.

In a joint statement, the College’s president, Tiffany Haidon, and its registrar and CEO, Kelly Dobbin, wrote that the loss of funding will place a heavy financial burden on the profession in future years, even though a contingency plan is in place “to ensure that the impact of these changes on members is minimal.”

The statement said the changes will have no impact on the public. “We cannot cut our services and programs, as the College’s work is mandated by our governing legislation,” it said.

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Ford cuts all provincial funding to Ontario College of Midwives

Ontario government’s proposed changes reduces employers’ obligation to pay overtime, critics say

allthecanadianpolitics:

A new bill aimed at eliminating “burdensome regulation” will reduce employers’ obligations to pay workers overtime, resulting in “crazy schedules and less pay in the pocket” for employees, critics say.

Bill 66, an omnibus bill that aims to “stimulate business investment, create good jobs, and make Ontario more competitive” loosens regulations around overtime, including scrapping a provision that requires employers to seek approval approval from the Ministry of Labour to exceed a 48-hour work week.

Most significantly, says Deena Ladd of the Toronto-based Workers Action Centre, the bill will remove regulations around the practice called overtime averaging, which has significant implications for how much overtime workers receive.

“Overtime averaging means less money in people’s pockets,” Ladd said. “The only purpose of it is that it helps employers avoid paying overtime, which is absolutely then eroding your basic floor of rights

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Ontario government’s proposed changes reduces employers’ obligation to pay overtime, critics say

Ontario NDP: Ford’s climate scheme is a gift to polluters that doesn’t address climate change

allthecanadianpolitics:

Ontario NDP MPPs Ian Arthur (Kingston and the Islands) and Peter Tabuns (Toronto–Danforth) called out the Ford government’s climate change announcement as a dangerous scheme, and a favour to the province’s biggest polluters.

Arthur, who is the Official Opposition critic for Environment and Sustainability, addressed the government’s policy announcement in a press conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday.

“This so-called climate plan is Doug Ford’s gift to big polluters,” Arthur said. “Instead of having polluters pay for the damage they are doing, Doug Ford wants to use your money to line their pockets.

“The $400 million Ford has put aside to pay massive corporate polluters could go to actually addressing climate change – or it could go to the schools or hospitals that Ontarians need.

“Instead, people are getting another Conservative scheme cooked up in a backroom – one that will not help the environment or slow climate change.”
In his response to the Ford government’s announcement, NDP Energy and Climate Change critic Peter Tabuns said the scheme doesn’t set effective targets for emissions reductions, and has no hope of meeting them.

“The emissions targets Doug Ford has set here are some of the worst in the world,” Tabuns said. “They are nowhere near the Paris Accord targets the international community set to address climate change. In fact, these are in the same league as Russia and China’s targets.

“This Conservative scheme puts us on the road to disaster. At the end of the day, Doug Ford’s insiders win, the environment loses and Ontario families pay for it.”

Ontario NDP: Ford’s climate scheme is a gift to polluters that doesn’t address climate change

Doug Ford’s government abolishes Ontario Environmental Commission days after it issues scathing report | rabble.ca

onpoli:

On November 13, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner issued a
scorching report warning that while Ontario has “some of the most
abundant fresh water in the world,” it is polluting much of it.

The province has done much to make sure drinking water is
safe in the wake of the “Walkerton water tragedy” of the 1990s, the
report says. However, “nothing comparable has been done to protect the
rest of Ontario’s lakes and rivers, many of which are being seriously
harmed by pollution.”

Two days later, Ontario’s provincial government under Doug Ford
abolished the office of the Environmental Commissioner. It said it was a
cost-cutting measure; but as with other similar measures, including the
abolition of the child advocate and the commissioner for
French-language services, the government could not say how much money it
might actually save.

Doug Ford’s government abolishes Ontario Environmental Commission days after it issues scathing report | rabble.ca

Ontario PCs slash spending, unveil tax cut and lengthen LCBO hours in 1st economic plan | CBC News

onpoli:

The major items in the new plan are:

  • The cancellation of rent control for either newly-built units or for newly-leased units. We should have some more clarity on what this actually means pretty soon.
  • The cancellation of a tax hike (which would have generated $275 million
    for the province) for Ontarians with the highest earnings.
  • A provincial income tax credit for those earning around $30,000 a year.
  • Getting rid of Ontario’s environmental commissioner, French language services commissioner, and youth advocate.
  • In addition to the three university expansions that were already cancelled, another French-language university has now also been cancelled.
  • Extending the hours that LCBO stores can be open.
  • MPPs, political candidates, and their staff will be allowed to attend campaign fundraisers again.

Ontario PCs slash spending, unveil tax cut and lengthen LCBO hours in 1st economic plan | CBC News

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario: Ontario economic update is a precursor to privatization

allthecanadianpolitics:

November 15, 2018

After today’s economic update, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is urging the government to rethink its agenda of cuts and privatization that will erode the public services Ontario families rely on.

“Today’s government announcement is misleading Ontarians about the deficit. The real problem in Ontario is revenue generation. For example, the recently cancelled Cap and Trade program would have generated $3 billion in three years to fund public services,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “The slash, burn and privatize approach outlined by this government has proven time and again to be destructive to life in Ontario. It will be felt for decades to come.”

Since June, the government has made a number of cuts or taken what it refers to as “a funding pause” in key areas. In the education sector, parents, children and schools have already felt the impacts. Parents Reaching Out grants were cut, funds for planned retrofits and infrastructure repairs in schools were cut, funding for teacher professional learning in math was cut, Indigenous writing lessons and curriculum updates to implement recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission were cancelled, and at the post-secondary level funding for three new campuses was cut.  

In 2017, ETFO commissioned an independent study that showed public education is already significantly underfunded in Ontario. Funding for public education, health care, child care, transit and other public services provide people with the supports they need to contribute as working families. The union urges the government not to sacrifice public services to fiscal ideology.

“Under the umbrella of ‘Open for Business,’ the government is putting the lives of families at risk. Reductions to public spending only increase the wealth gap to put more money into the hands of corporations and the wealthy. As educators we know that these types of cuts are felt most among children,” added Hammond.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario is committed to building better schools. Its Building Better Schools education agenda can be viewed at buildingbetterschools.ca. The union represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province.

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario: Ontario economic update is a precursor to privatization

Scrapping labour reforms is damaging Ford’s popularity: poll

allthecanadianpolitics:

cosmicdwarf:

allthecanadianpolitics:

Rolling back labour reforms — including cancelling paid sick days and freezing the $14-an-hour minimum wage — is taking its toll on Premier Doug Ford’s popularity, a new poll suggests.

The Campaign Research survey found Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, who won the June 7 election with 40.5 per cent of the vote, have dropped to 34 per cent.

That compared to 32 per cent for the Liberals under interim leader John Fraser, 25 per cent for Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats, and 7 per cent for Mike Schreiner’s Green.

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Why the hell are the Liberals so high?

Probably because Doug Ford has been removing all of the Liberals ‘good’ policies.

This would paint a more rosy picture of the Liberals than reality reflects, as they also did a lot of bad stuff while in office. But those Conservatives policies that the Liberals put into law, are not being targeted by Doug Ford.

The irony is that a lot of these good Liberal policies that are being cut were implemented as a way to try to buy votes from NDP supporters just before an election.

Scrapping labour reforms is damaging Ford’s popularity: poll