New Fires One new fire was reported on July 12. Chapleau 8 is under control at 0.1 hectares (ha) and is located on the southeast edge of Spanish Lake. By the time of this report, one new fire was confirmed in Cochrane. It is being observed at 1.0 ha and will continue to burn until [Read more]
Gas prices are just ridiculous It is fitting that gas prices jumped considerably at the same time as the Harper government gave a conditional green light to the Northern Gateway pipeline project. Those two events highlight just how far off course our oil and gas policies have strayed from consumer [Read more]
Somewhere along the line Canada has slipped into the plot of a George Orwell novel and it is becoming more difficult to fight back. People will be less inclined to attend peaceful protests if they are guaranteed to be placed on a list of suspects by the government. The new legislation aimed at [Read more]
Parliament saw welcome moments of agreement this week which amounts to good news for Canadians as we passed a New Democrat motion on a pan-Canadian palliative and end-of-life care strategy and got down to work on a government bill for drug safety. The motion should jump-start the government [Read more]
A lot of attention is paid to the salaries and bonuses of Canada’s wealthiest CEOs since they differ so dramatically from the take-home pay for most everyone else that it is always shocking. A recent study from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) explains that the problem of [Read more]
As Decoration Day approaches and as we gear up to mark the 70th anniversary of D Day it is appropriate to consider the way we are treating our veterans. All indicators point to strained relations between veterans and the government who have pinched considerable pennies from the [Read more]
While the Liberals and Conservatives continue to battle it out in a “he said, she said” libel lawsuit over gas plant scandal accusations; New Democrats continue to listen to your concerns and take action. This week my colleague MPP Sarah Campbell, Kenora Rainy River, used her Private Members [Read more]
‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’ may not be a historically accurate phrase, but it describes being occupied with unimportant matters while faced with a more urgent crisis. That is pretty much what is happening with Stephen Harper who leads a government that has clearly demonstrated their [Read more]
Last week we highlighted the recent news that the Ontario Provincial Police were pursuing criminal charges against the former Liberal Premier’s chief of staff. Police allege that the Premier’s top advisor was responsible for overseeing a massive removal of emails related to the gas plant [Read more]
The Liberal Gas plant scandal just won’t go away despite the Liberals best efforts. On Thursday another bombshell announcement came just before question period ended. News that the Ontario police are pursuing a criminal charge against former Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Chief of Staff was made [Read more]
This week in Queen’s Park the NDP announced their plan to create jobs for families in Ontario through a targeted tax credit that rewards job creators for new hires. This tax credit will help small businesses that are creating jobs here Algoma-Manitoulin and northern Ontario not the ones [Read more]
It was a noteworthy week in Canadian politics despite the fact that it was a constituency week for MPs. What made it interesting were announcements that Olivia Chow and Jim Flaherty are stepping down to pursue other options. We know that Olivia is leaving to run for Mayor of Toronto, while Mr. [Read more]
Accountability is best assured by dismissing scrutiny. That is the message the Harper government inadvertently makes every time they rush legislation through the House of Commons. How else can they justify their incredible run of closure used on debate? The sad fact is the Conservatives set a [Read more]
This week marked another constituency week where I had the opportunity to tour the riding and offer clinics. I visited several communities in the northwestern part of the riding and heard many of your concerns. Unfortunately things are not improving for many families. Affordability continues [Read more]
As I travel across Algoma-Manitoulin I continue to hear your frustration with rising electricity costs. This week at Queen’s Park New Democrat leader Andrea Horwath unveiled our plan to cut hydro waste and pass the savings on via $100 rebate. Ontarians are paying the highest electricity prices in [Read more]
