Tag: this is fucking disgraceful

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.

Continue Reading.

Ford cuts all provincial funding to Ontario College of Midwives

onpoli:

Within the past two days, both the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director published reports containing evidence of systemic racism in policing in Toronto and Thunder Bay, and it’s already clear that neither the TPS, TBPS, or their municipal governments have any sense of accountability or desire to create change.

The TPS made a statement dismissing the issue, refusing to admit that their officers assault, shoot, and kill black people at disproportionate rates and instead saying that maybe some black people “feel” that this happens. The TBPS referred to evidence of their racism and callous disregard for Indigenous lives as a “barrier in policing.”

TPS Chief Mark Saunders told the CBC that “when it comes to racism as a whole, it exists everywhere.” Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro said that “it’s true we have our issues but it’s true that all communities have similar issues.” Mike McCormack, the president of the Toronto Police Association, said that we shouldn’t call out the TPS based on “sensationalized” data because every institution is biased and “we deal with it.” These aren’t acknowledgements of the problem, they’re attempts to deflect valid criticism.

None of these people are going to take responsiblity and actually do something unless we force them to. This means calling our city councillors, demanding that the recommendations from the OHRC and OIPRD are accepted, supporting political candidates who aren’t going to sit on their hands, and showing up at police board meetings – the next Toronto Police Services Board meeting is January 18.

Tories’ Bill 66 would undermine clean-water protections that followed Walkerton tragedy, victims and advocates warn

allthecanadianpolitics:

“Do not drink this water,” warned the signs taped to fountains and bathroom sinks in a small Ontario town.

For thousands of people in the rural community 150 kilometres northwest of Toronto, the water they once used to brush their teeth, bathe their children and prepare their meals had become a hostile enemy.

Jugs of clean water had to be delivered to a depot. Hospitals were overrun with new patients. Children were pulled out of school. Businesses closed.

The tainted-water scandal in Walkerton in the spring of 2000 devastated the community, with thousands falling ill and seven people dying. It was one of the worst health epidemics in the province’s history.

Nearly 19 years later, environmental advocates say Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government is posing one of the greatest risks both the environment and public health have faced in decades.

Last week, the government tabled a new piece of legislation, Bill 66, that, if passed, would allow commercial development to bypass several long-standing laws meant to protect the natural environment and the health of residents, including the Clean Water Act that was put in place following the Walkerton tragedy.

Continue Reading.

Tories’ Bill 66 would undermine clean-water protections that followed Walkerton tragedy, victims and advocates warn

Youth come to Queen’s Park to beg Ford to restore Ontario’s Child Advocate’s Office

allthecanadianpolitics:

The NDP critic for Children and Youth Services Monique Taylor was joined by young people Thursday, who begged the Ford government to reverse its cruel decision to cut the Ontario Child Advocate’s Office.

“The most vulnerable children and youth in Ontario will be left to fend for themselves,” Taylor said. “When children in care — kids who are supposed to be under the watch of the government — are being abused or hurt, the Child Advocate is where they are supposed to turn. To take that resource away from them is cruel.”

Youth and adults with lived experiences in care, child and youth advocates, and parents packed into the Legislature to express their disgust and concern, and to support the NDP as Taylor questioned the Ford Conservatives on the cut.

“By removing the Child Advocate’s Office, the government will be encouraging the ongoing trend of youth being silenced,” Regan Bucciol, a former youth in care, said. Bucciol was among a group of youth with lived experiences in care who begged the Conservatives to maintain the office that protects children and youth from abuse, holds their abusers accountable and speaks up for vulnerable youth’s physical, emotional and mental health needs.

This morning, a panel of youth stressed the importance of an independent Child Advocate at a packed news conference organized by the Ontario Children’s Advocacy Coalition (OCAC) and Ryerson University’s School of Child & Youth Care.

Ford’s decision “will increase the risk of children falling through the cracks and strip them of their ability to be heard when their safety, health and well-being is at risk,” an OCAC spokesperson said. “Nearly 13,000 children in government care will now have no way to hold guardians like foster homes accountable.”

Youth come to Queen’s Park to beg Ford to restore Ontario’s Child Advocate’s Office

Postal Workers to Trudeau: We Will Remember

allthecanadianpolitics:

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is exploring all options to fight the back-to-work legislation passed in the Senate this evening, which will send our members back to the same old unresolved problems in the workplace at the busiest time of the year.

“Postal workers are rightly dismayed and outraged,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “This law violates of our right to free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Going back to work under the old collective agreements means that between now and the holidays:

  • At least 315 disabling injuries will happen to postal workers;
  • Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) will work roughly 250,000 hours without pay;
  • Urban postal workers will work thousands of hours of forced overtime;
  • RSMCs will continue to be treated, as Canada Post calls it, with “equity but not equality”.

Prior to this round of collective bargaining, the Trudeau Liberal government had claimed to be a champion for the labour movement, but through this legislation, it is clear that it has turned its back on postal workers.

“Postal workers will continue to defend our right to negotiate a settlement,” adds Palecek. “We know that an arbitrated contract will only prolong our problems with injuries, inequality, and overwork. If the Trudeau government thought that passing this legislation would end the dispute, they’ve made a mistake.”

Postal Workers to Trudeau: We Will Remember

allthecanadianpolitics:

tigressjasper:

Lisa Macleod the minster of child services and social services laughed when told about how ontario citizens on ontario disability support program and ontario works felt heightened in their anxiety and depression and suicidal thoughts when waiting to hear what the progressive conservatives were going to do with these programs. Then called the second part of Lisa Gretzky’s question a joke. 

It is great to know as a canadian living with mental illness, my illness is seen as funny and a question about my livelihood is a joke. 

Link to video:

https://twitter.com/LGretzky/status/1065729837594226688

Privacy at risk from Canadian political parties, says U.K. watchdog

allthecanadianpolitics:

allthecanadianpolitics:

“Canadian political parties still aren’t subject to any rules governing the personal information they gather on citizens — everything from names and addresses to political opinions.”

Also this is relevant.

See, there are some parties like the NDP and Greens who are trying to fix this issue.

Problem: The Liberals aren’t interested:

NDP MP Nathan Cullen and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May both urged the minister to accept amendments to the bill that would address concerns that political parties are exempt from federal laws ensuring the personal information of Canadians is kept safe and is not used in unauthorized ways.

While Ms. Gould did not state categorically that she opposes such a change to the bill, it was strongly implied in her comments.

“I would like to see a broader study of privacy and political parties. I think that it’s something that is really important,” she said. “I think it does require a deeper dive.”

Mr. Cullen said he was told that the Liberal MPs on the committee will vote this week to defeat all of the NDP’s amendments.

Privacy at risk from Canadian political parties, says U.K. watchdog

Ontario PC Party passes resolution to not recognize gender identity

kc749:

mathbalnase:

onpoli:

The Ontario PC Party has passed resolution to no longer recognize gender identity theory, sources tell Global News.

The vote happened Saturday morning, during the party’s three-day convention in Toronto.

The resolution says gender identity theory is “A highly
controversial, unscientific ‘liberal ideology’; and, as such, that an
Ontario PC Government will remove the teaching and promotion of ‘gender
identity theory’ from Ontario schools and its curriculum.”

The vote was adopted as a party policy and is not binding government policy.

The
policy, named Resolution R4, was proposed by Tanya Granic Allen, a
former Ontario PC candidate in the June general election who was ousted
following what the Ontario Liberals called “homophobic” comments in a
2014 video.

The Bigoted Asshole Party passes a motion reconfirming their dedication to being bigoted assholes, while simultaneously reminding the entire world that they wouldn’t know legitimate scientific theory if it stabbed them in the face.

Sadly, this will only endear them to their transphobic conservative fans. Thanks again to all the assholes who voted for the useless Liberals and split the vote in the last election and gave us these assholes for the next four years.

Ontario PC Party passes resolution to not recognize gender identity

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.

Continue Reading.

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