05022024 May 2, 2024

OntarioStrengtheningProtectionsforFirefighters

The Ontario government will soon introducelegislationthat,ifpassed,willensure wildland firefighters and investigators have the same presumptive WSIB coverage for cancers, heart injuries, and post-traumaticstress disorder (PTSD) that municipal firefighters do. The province is also proposing to expand presumptivecoveragetofirefightersandfireinvestigatorsforskincancerandlowertheservicetime requiredforfirefighterstoreceivecompensation from 15 to 10 years, bringing Ontario to the lowestrequireddurationofserviceinthecountry With presumptive coverage, certain cancers, heartinjuries,andPTSDdiagnosesarepresumed to be work-related, helping ensure quicker and easier access to WSIBbenefits.

“In every corner of our province, firefighters, fire investigators, and volunteers puttheirlivesontheline

to keep our families and communities safe. These frontline heroes deserve a governmentthatvaluestheirserviceand sacrifice – they have earned stronger, more expansive coverage,” said David P

, Immigration, Training and Skills Development “Our government is serving those who serve by expanding cancer coverage and ensuring wildland firefighters have the same health coveragesthatmunicipalfirefightersdo. Thisbuildsontheprogresswe’vemade in our previous Working for Workers legislation,andwewillcontinuetowork with the firefighting community as part of our long-termplantosafeguardthehealthandsafety ofourfrontlineheroes.”

Thegovernmentis proposingchangesto theWorkplaceSafetyandInsuranceAct(WSIA), whichwouldreducethedurationofemployment requirement for entitlement to presumptive coverage for primary-site skin cancer from 15 years to 10, making it faster and easier for firefighterstoaccessbenefits.Growingscientific evidence shows that firefighters, including wildland firefighters, are at an increased risk of developingskincancerbecauseoftheirexposure tocarcinogensandpolycyclicaromatichydrocarbons(PAHs)foundinfiregrounddust.

The new proposals build on the government’s progressfromfourpreviousWorkingfor Workers acts. In June 2023, Ontario expanded presumptive occupational cancer coverage for firefighters and fire investigators to include primary site thyroid and pancreatic cancers, making it faster and easier for them to access

WSIB compensation and services. Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 lowered the required employment period for primary-site esophageal cancer from 25 to 15 years, as well as “super indexing” WSIB benefits above the annual rate of inflation so sick heroes can focus on their health–notstrugglingwiththecostofliving.

Thesechangesarepartofalargerpackage that will expand on the ground-breakingactions introduced in the Working for Workers Acts, 2021, 2022, 2023, which will be unveiledin the comingweekstoprotectworkers,helpthemearn biggerpaycheques,andhelpnewcomerscontribute to building Ontario. By continuing to put workers first, the provinceis buildinga brighter futureforallOntariansandensuringourprovince remains the best place to live, work and raise a family

Approximately five million workers and 325,000 employers are covered by the Ontario WorkplaceSafetyandInsuranceBoard(WSIB).

Over 1,000 people worked as wildland fire and wildland fire investigators during the 2023wildlandfireseason.

There were 741 Ontario wildland fires during the 2023 season that burned 440,000 hectares.

In March 2024, Ontario announced an investmentofover$5milliontoattract,retainand recognizewildlandfirefightingstaff.

Historicallythescientificcommunityhad not identified a causal link between forest firefighting and occupational cancers, until a ground-breaking July 2022 publication by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which established that wildland firefightingiscarcinogenic.

Doc“Hawk”,MathematicsandRevolution: MSS inthe1970’s.

Dr.KarlHackstetter,thedrydetailsread, taught Mathematics at MSS from 1969 until he retiredin1985.

Last of the great chalk throwers, disciplinarian, great teacher for some and misery forothers.

H o w d o w e understand the manandreconcile these contradictoryviews?

Each day at MSS hearrivedinasuit andtie,or,egad,in abowtie!

These were the yearsinwhichhis daughter, and other non conformistsledthechargetowearbluejeanstoclass. Canyouimagine?“Buzz“Brown,Principal,did notknowwhattodo.

Math, unlike some classes, was one you had to pay attention to the teacher Chris ThompsononlyaskedforsilenceintheLibrary. Allofuscannowspelllibrary.

TheHawkrequiredattention,concentration, understanding and comprehension. Please Mr So and So. - he addressed you by your surname, hovering over you hawk like, explain this theorem. Meanwhile, you had just figured out the multiplication table, what was this crap with polynomial equations? I get the triangles, but that calculation that, that…. the sum of the hypotenuseisequaltothesquareoftheothertwo sides?

Thechalkthrowing…no,no,no,notjust thechalk,butthebrushaswellin whichthehaplessvictimisdustedwhiteandhas theentireattentionofthe class.Letmeassureyou,theseeventswererare. Demonstrationsofthat principle : control your class or they willcontrolyou.

Manystudents,allsuccessfulin onewayoranotheraretestamenttohis teaching skills. They were unanimous intheirpraise,eithergoodorbad.“I learned Math, which I hated, which I feared,withDr.H.Couldn’tstandhis class!Hekickedmeout!Typical.

ThomasParadis,recountedthat he had a poor test score and, feared divine retribution as only a Paradis can. The hourhecamebeforetheDoctodiscuss

hissins.Hewasafraid.Hisaccountsoundedasif hehadcomebeforethe master,workedthroughthemath,andsuddenly, inarevelatoryflash,Thomas gainedinsight!

Dr. H’s eyes lit up, Thomas said, “ See! See! I knew you could get it!” Error was essential to the answer

Redemptionthrougherring?Thiswasmath,not theology.

Truepassionwasteachingideastostudentsthat mayneverbenefit.Faith,thateveniftheywereto retainafractionofthatinformation,itwouldadd immeasurablytothesumtotaloftheir understanding.

Morethanoneortwowordsontheback story. Karl’sfatherdiedin1932.Acareerinthe AirForce,likehisfathers,wasanonstarterashe worespecs.Lt.SV 288.PanzerGrenadiers.Heis 24. Crete and the North African Campaigns. Defeat and surrender in Libya. P. O.W., Camp Trinidad, U.S.A. Return Home and Würzburg, his home town destroyed. He is 30. Returned to University of Tübingen as the Red Cross was providingfoodtotheInternationalstudents.Met a beautiful Scots lass there. Their profs introducedthem.

Emigrated from Germany with a PhD in Philologyandapenchantformathematics.Starts a new life in Canada. Prosaic isn’t it? Nope. PickedthesandleavesfromtobaccoinDelhiand peas in Strathroy before a position in Northern Ontariowherehewasoverqualifiedandnotthat welcomed . Tough to gain acceptance. Son. Student.Soldier Refugee.

Emigrant.PeaPicker Teacher Father

Thesearefacts.Canweseetheman?

Thelifeofmenareacts,ifyoubringtothelifeofa student,knowledge-great!

If you bring him illumination, you have servedwithhonour Helefthismark.

ThankyouDr Hackstetter *

RenéHackstetterFebruary4,2021.

*TheauthorisDr.Hackstetter’seldestson.

Chapleau Moments by MichaelJ. Morris

Remember the old ditty that goes something like this: "The 24th of May is the Queen's birthday.Ifyoudon'tgiveusaholiday,we'llallrun away"

Well,we'vechangedthedatetomakeitthe thirdMondayinMay,whichin2020happenstobe the 18th, but Canadians still look forward to VictoriaDay,namedaftertheBritishmonarchwho diedmorethanacenturyago Iwonderhowmany Canadianstodayevenknowwhoshewas.

It says something about this vast and magnificent land, and its people, the majority of whomarehousedalongathineasttowestribbonof

CanadianscontinuetocelebratethebirthdayofQueenVictoriamarking thestartofswimmingandcampingseason(weatherpermitting!)

territory, close to the American behemoth, that the name of the majorSpringholidayisnamedafter afigurefromCanada'spast.

And to me, that's OK We areapeoplewhohaveneverreally understood each other very well -Canadahasmoreorlessdeveloped on a regional basis, yet we can enjoytogetherthecommonholiday --VictoriaDay.

When I was a kid growing upinChapleau,theicewouldbeoff the river, and the weekend marked the beginning of the swimming seasonforthehaleandhearty Have toadmitthatIwasnotamongthem, preferring to wait until Dominion Day -- now Canada Day. I see in weather reports from Chapleau, they had snow recently so maybe noearlyswimsin2020

It was also the weekend when summer camps, (now usua

"Join us for the first annual Spring Soirée this May! Mark yourcalendarsandattendacelebrationofspringtimeand music!Thisconcertwillbeapproximately1.5hrsinlength andwillshowcaseavarietyofmusicthroughvoice,piano, andukulele.Ticketswillbesoldbyparticipantsinadvance andwillbeavailableforpurchaseatthedoor."

y called cottages) were opened for the s e a s o n , a n d perhaps most of Canada followed much the same routine At least, today as I reflect on the past 50 years or so, it seems to me they did wherever I happened to be living -- Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,Alberta, andnowBritishColumbia

Wealwaysfeltquitekindly towardsQueenVictoriaforgiving us a holiday, and nobody ever abolisheditsowedidn'thavetorun away Every once in a while, someonewantstochangethename oftheholidaytoreflectcontemporary Canadian society or abolish the monarchy Queen Victoria's great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth II officially remains Canada'sheadofstate

At one point in my life I was a staunch monarchist, most likely because I was so greatly influenced by my grandparents, George and Edith Hunt, who had anabidingfaithinvalueslikeduty, service, the monarch, family, country-andtheAnglicanchurch, thencalledtheChurchofEngland inCanada.

Mythinkingonthemonar-

chy has changed somewhat today but as this VictoriaDayweekendarrivesIpauseandwonderif itwasallsobadyearsago--atleastweknewwhere westoodwithoutequivocation.

Weknewbeyondanyshadowofadoubtas myGrandpaHuntwouldsaywhowewere.Wedid not need opinion polls to tell us what we were thinking.

MuchhaschangedinCanadasincethedays of my grandparents, but on this Victoria Day weekend,havingnowlivedinfiveprovincesofthis greatnation,Ithinkwearestillaworkinprogress Perhaps it is a good time to reflect on ourselves as Canadians and define our future focusing on those thingsthatbringustogetherratherthanthosethings thatdivideus

Many years ago now, the distinguished Canadian journalist Bruce Hutchison wrote in a column: "This nation with all its problems, its unbalanced politics and its repulsive self pity remainstheluckiestinaderangedworld"

So, let's enjoy the Victoria Day weekend, andlet'snotrunawayfromthechallengesbeforeus asCanadians.despitethechallengespresentedtous this year by the virus issues My email is mj.morris@live.ca

from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Last week, one of the partners of GC Strategies, the contractor responsible for the ArriveCan boondoggle, was questioned by the entire House of Commons The individual in question,KristianFirth,joinstherareranksofthe select few people to ever be admonished by the Speaker of the House. But more so than that, he becamethefirstpersonin111yearstoactuallybe questionedbyMPswithintheHouseofCommons chambersitself

ThereasonforMr.Firthbeingcalledtothe baroftheHouseofCommonswasdirectlyrelated to his intransigence at recent meetings of the Standing Committee on Government Operations andEstimates(OGGO).Inbothmeetingshewas called to testify at, Mr Firth refused to answer questions truthfully or directly about his involvement with GC Strategies, and MPs in the Committee unanimously passed a motion to outline the breach and forward this to the House The House then unanimously passed a motion to haveMr FirthappearintheHouseforquestioning anddeclaringhimtobeincontemptofParliament At Committee, he was being questioned about the absurd amount of money the developmentoftheArriveCanappcostCanadian taxpayers TheAuditor General ran the numbers, andwhileshedeterminedtheactualcostoftheapp was “impossible to determine” due to poor accounting and record-keeping, the estimated costs are around $59.5 million, with some $19.5 millionhavingbeenpaidouttoGCStrategies By Firth'sownadmission,GCStrategiesdoesnotdo ITwork,butactsasanITstaffingcompany They are essentially a middleman, at best, or another canary in the coalmine for a broken procurement system,atworst.

Now, it's clear thatArriveCan has been a colossalwasteoftaxpayermoney Tobecalledto questioninfrontoftheHouseofCommonsisnota decision to be taken lightly, so to be called unanimously means that Mr. Firth's testimony at committeedidn'texactlypassthesmelltest.Soit wasdoublyfascinatingtoseethatthedaypriorto Mr Firth'sappearanceintheHouseofCommons, theRCMPraidedGCStrategies'office Although an RCMP spokesperson said the search warrant was not related toArriveCan, the office that was searchedwasownedbyGCStrategies,confirmed byFirthatthestartofhistestimony,andrelatedto an issue involving the editing of resumés by GC StrategiestogaingovernmentcontractsforBotler AI,whoblewthewhistleontheordeal

DuringMr.Firth'sappearanceintheHouse ofCommons,wherehewasjustthefourthperson

GC StrategiesPartnersAstonishingCalltotheBaroftheHouse

admonished by the House since 1990, he put up another wall of intransigence.While the Liberals supported his call to the bar, they refused to question him on grounds of Mr. Firth having a doctors note related to apparent heart and mental health issues, while all other MPs took the opportunity to push for more answers However, those answers were mostly vague, with many inconsistencies,andarepeatedpatternofclaiming tonotunderstandbasicquestionsfromMPs.

One of the most astounding moments involvedquestioningfromNDPMPPeterJulian, whoasked“Mr Firthmentionedearlierthathedid in fact falsify or alter the resumés. According to whatweheardincommittee,onepersonwassaid tohave13yearsofexperience,whenthatwasnot true Other information about these people was also falsified I want to ask two questions First, does Mr Firth regret the fact that those resumés were falsified? Second, to date, the federal government has not asked for the questionable amounts to be repaid. Is Mr. Firth prepared to reim

questionableamountsofthesecontracts?”

Mr. Firths response: “Mr. Speaker, the

Botler contract was in no way related to the ArriveCAN application. Furthermore, I made a marginofzerodollarsontheBotleropportunity.” Canadians across the country are disappointed in both the dramatic failure of the procurementsystemthatallowssomeonelikeMr Firthtobeinvolvedinprocurementatall,butalso in the clear gaps that allow poor reporting of information and invoicing that makes it so that even the Auditor General can't come to a reasonableconclusionabouthowmuchwasblown on the development of the app Mr Firth, somewhat ironically, highlighted exactly what is wrong with Ottawa's procurement processes, whether he realizes it or not. We have what can best be described as a poster boy for taxpayer wasteandcorruptionthatecho'spastgovernment scandals, most closely the $400 million ETS scandal from the Harper Conservatives It demonstrates that government contracts, without clear oversight, can cost the government and taxpayers far more than simply hiring a few fulltime employees to do the same work without someoneliningtheirpockets

L'undespartenairesde GC StrategiesestconvoquéàlabarredelaChambredesCommunes

Lasemainedernière,l'undespartenairesde GC Strategies, l'entrepreneur responsable du gâchis d'ArriveCan, a été interrogé par l'ensemble de la Chambre des communes L'individu en question, Kristian Firth, fait partie des rares personnesàavoirétéréprimandéesparleprésident de la Chambre. Mais plus encore, il est devenu la premièrepersonneen111ansàêtreinterrogéepar lesdéputésdansl'enceintemêmedelaChambredes communes.

LaraisonpourlaquelleM.Firthaétéappelé à la barre de la Chambre des communes est directement liée à son intransigeance lors des récentes réunions du Comité permanent des opérations gouvernementales et des prévisions budgétaires(OGGO).Lorsdesdeuxréunionsoùil a été appelé à témoigner, M. Firth a refusé de répondre aux questions de manière franche et directe sur son implication dans GC Strategies, et les députés qui siège sur le comité ont adopté à l'unanimité une motion décrivant l'infraction et celle-ciaétésoumisàlaChambredescommunes. La Chambre a ensuite adopté à l'unanimité une motiondemandantàM.Firthdeseprésenterdevant laChambredescommunespouryêtreinterrogéet déclarant qu'il avait commis un outrage au Parlement.

Auseindelacommission,ilaétéinterrogé sur le montant absurde que le développement de l'application ArriveCan a coûté aux contribuables canadiens. La vérificatrice générale a fait les comptes et, bien qu'elle ait déterminé que le coût réeldel'applicationétait"impossibleàdéterminer" en raison d'une mauvaise comptabilité et d'une mauvaisetenuedesdossiers,lescoûtsestiméssont

d'environ 59,5 millions de dollars, dont quelque 19,5 millions ont été versés à GC Strategies. De l'aveumêmedeM.Firth, GC Strategiesn'effectue pasdetravauxinformatiques,maisagitentantque société de recrutement de personnel informatique. Il s'agit essentiellement d'un intermédiaire, au mieux,oud'unautrecanaridanslaminedecharbon d'un système de passation de marchés défectueux, aupire. Ilestclairqu'ArriveCanaétéungaspillage colossaldel'argentdescontribuables.Êtreappeléà répondre à des questions devant la Chambre des communes n'est pas une décision à prendre à la légère,etlefaitd'êtreappeléàl'unanimitésignifie que le témoignage de faux-fuyants de M. Firth, ainsi que son refus de répondre à certaines questions lors qu'il a comparu devant le comité étaient tout à fait inacceptable Il est donc doublementfascinantdeconstaterquelaveilledela comparution de M. Firth devant la Chambre des communes,laGRCaeffectuéunedescentedansles bureauxdeGCStrategies.Bienqu'unporte-parole delaGRCaitdéclaréquelemandatdeperquisition n'étaitpasliéàArriveCan,lebureauperquisitionné appartenait à GC Strategies, comme l'a confirmé M. Firth au début de son témoignage, et était lié à une affaire impliquant l'édition de CV par GC Strategies afin d'obtenir des contrats gouvernementaux pour Botler AI, qui a dénoncé l'affaire.

LorsdesacomparutiondevantlaChambre des communes, où il n'était que la quatrième personneadmonestéeparlaChambredepuis1990, M.Firthadresséunnouveaumurd'intransigeance. SuiteP.7

ÉcolesecondairecatholiqueTrilliumstudentstakeactiononEarthDay

OnApril22,studentsatÉcolesecondairecatholiqueTrillium(Chapleau) took action to enhance the Chapleau community on Earth Day. This year, the school's Student Parliament marked the day by focusing on the theme “The PlanetAgainstPlastics”.Aspartofthisactivity,thestudentstookpartwithmuch energyandconvictioninawasterace.

Lesélèvesdel'ÉSCTrilliumenactionlorsdelaJournéedelaTerre

Le 22 avril dernier, les élèves de l'école secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau) ont tenu à poser un geste concret etbénéfiquepourlacommunauté deChapleaulorsdelajournéede la Terre. Cette année, le Parlement des élèves de l'école a souligné la journée en mettant l'accent sur la thématique « La planète contre les plastiques. » Danslecadredecetteactivité,les élèvesontparticipéavecénergieetconvictionàunecourseauxdéchets. C'estdansunespritd'appréciationpournotreMère-Terrequelesélèvesde l'ÉSCs'engagentàfaireunedifférencedansleurcommunauté.

MOMENTS IN TIME

On May 17, 1885, Apache leader and medicine man Geronimo escaped from an Arizona reservation.Afterayearandahalfofrunning,he and his 38 remaining followers surrendered the followingSeptember Geronimowasrelocatedto Floridabeforefinallybeingfreedtwoyearslater.

NorthernLightsFordSales

Andrew G. McKenzie Travis Gendron

Highway 17 North P.O. Box 1033

Wawa, ON. P0S 1K0

Business 705-856-2775

Fax 705-856-4862

tgendron@northernlightsford.ca sales@northernlightsford.ca

Ste. Marie Office T: (705) 253-3800

(705) 942-0142

(705) 856-4970 W: www.algomalawyers.ca E: info@algomalawyers.ca

L'undespartenairesde GC Strategiesestconvoqué àlabarredelaChambredesCommunes

SuitedelaP.4

Bien que les libéraux aient soutenu son appel au barreau, ils ont refusé de l'interroger au motif que M. Firth avait un certificat médical relatif à des problèmescardiaquesetmentauxapparents,tandis quetouslesautresdéputésontprofitédel'occasion pourdemanderdavantagederéponses.Cependant, cesréponsesétaientpourlaplupartvagues,avecde nombreusesincohérences,etunetendancerépétée àprétendrenepascomprendrelesquestionsdebase desdéputés.

L'un des moments les plus étonnants a été celui où le député néo-démocrate Peter Julian a posé la question suivante : "M. Firth a mentionné plustôtqu'ilavaiteffectivementfalsifiéoumodifié les curriculum vitae. D'après ce que nous avons entenduencommission,unepersonneétaitcensée avoir13ansd'expérience,alorsquecen'étaitpasle cas D'autres informations concernant ces personnesontégalementétéfalsifiées.Jevoudrais poser deux questions. Premièrement, M. Firth regrette-t-il que ces CV aient été falsifiés ? Deuxièmement,àcejour,legouvernementfédéral n'a pas demandé le remboursement des montants douteux. M. Firth est-il prêt à rembourser aux contribuables canadiens les montants douteux de cescontrats?"

Réponse de M Firths : "Monsieur le Président,lecontratBotlern'étaitenaucuncasliéà l'application ArriveCAN De plus, j'ai fait une margedezérodollarsurl'opportunitéBotler".

LesCanadiensdetoutlepayssontdéçusà la fois par l'échec dramatique du système de passation de marchés qui permet à quelqu'un comme M. Firth d'être impliqué dans la passation demarchés,maisaussiparleslacunesévidentesqui

permettent une mauvaise communication des informationsetdelafacturation,desortequemême la vérificatrice générale ne peut parvenir à une conclusion raisonnable sur le montant dépensé pourlamiseaupointdel'application.M.Firth,de manière quelque peu ironique, a mis en évidence exactement ce qui ne va pas avec les processus de passation de marchés d'Ottawa, qu'il s'en rende compteounon.Nousavonscequel'onpeutdécrire comme un exemple de gaspillage et de corruption des contribuables, qui fait écho à d'anciens scandales gouvernementaux, en particulier le scandale de l'ETS de 400 millions de dollars des conservateurs de M. Harper. Il démontre que les marchés publics, en l'absence d'un contrôle clair, peuvent coûter au gouvernement et aux contribuables bien plus que le simple fait d'embaucherquelquesemployésàtempspleinpour effectuer le même travail sans que personne ne se remplisselespoches.

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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE Offers shelter, emotionalsupport,andinformationforwomenandtheirchildrenwhoarein crisissituations WehaveaTollFreeCrisisLinewhichisstaffed24hoursa day WecanarrangeforfreetransportationtotheCentreforwomenwho liveintheAlgoma/Chapleauarea Wealsooffersupporttowomenwholive in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and HornepaynethroughourOutreachProgram OurOutreachWorkertravels tothosecommunitiestomeetwithwomenwhoneedemotionalsupportas wellasinformationabouttheirrightsandoptions Ifyouneedtospeakwith the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment You do not need to be a residentoftheCentreinordertouseourservices Ifyouneedsomeoneto talktoorifyoujustneedsomeonetolisten,callourTollFreeCrisislineat1800-461-2242oryoucandropinattheCentre Wearehereforyou

Recently, one evening, I was working from home, catching up on some reading and making notesafterenjoyingameetingwithseveralrepresentatives from the Ontario Federation ofAgriculture. We covered various issues that farmers and the agriculturalsectorfacetoday.Overtheyears,Ihave enjoyedmanyopportunitiestoconnectwithseveral prominent farming associations. It was definitely time well spent, as the discussion helped me better connectwiththeindustry'srealities.

DwightD.Eisenhoweroncesaid,“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the cornfield.” Like many Ontarians, I have long recognized farmers as unsungheroesofoursociety.Farmersarerecognized fortheirtoughnessanddeterminationtoputfoodon ourtables,nomatterwhatconditionsMotherNature ortheeconomythrowsatthem.Farmershavealongstanding, well-earned reputation for being creative, resilient,andstrongguardiansofthelandthatfeeds theworld.

Butyouknowwhat?Whenyouareafourth orevenfifthgenerationofafarmfamilylegacy,the pressuretoappearsuccessful,stoicandrobustcanbe daunting.Afterall,farmingismorethananoccupation.Formany,itisaheritage.It'sexpectedofyou. When you know your parents and generations even beforethemhavehandeddownasuccessful,sustainable, productive farm to you, there is tremendous pressuretothrive.

OneissuethatisofgreatconcerntoOntario farmers is vanishing farms. Ontario's productive farmland is a scarce resource, making up less than fivepercentofallthelandintheprovince.TheCBC reported that census data shows that, in Ontario alone, a whopping 319 acres of good farmland vanishes daily for urban development. Think about that.Thatmeans2,233acresofgoodarablelandare lostforever,weekafterweek.Landthathelpstofeed aworldpopulationofover8billionpeople.Theloss statisticsdonotincludethetotalsofotherprovinces ornations.Andwhenafarmvanishes,sodoesafarm family,maybeevenaproudlegacy.

Anotherstressorforfarmersisthattheyare subjecttohighratesofaccidentsonpublicroadsand highways.Everyyear,Ontarioseesmorecarsonthe road as the population grows, and more people commutefurtherandfurthertogettoworkorschool eachdayasourcitiesexpand.Governmentstatistics show that slow-moving farm vehicles are up to nearly 5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision per kilometre of roadway than any other typeofmotorvehicle.Iwouldnotlikethoseoddsifit wereme.

Ontario Provincial Police statistics show farm vehicle accidents are primarily the result of rollovers, which occur while entering, exiting, or crossingroadwaysorveeringofftheshoulder These high accident rates are of genuine concern for farmers.Iftheyarehurtorkilled,whowillbeleftto careforthefarmandfeedthefamily?Morestresson thefarmerandthefamily

These are just a few examples of newer stresses that have been accumulating in addition to those of the past.And the list certainly doesn't stop there.

There are many more concerns than there were one or two generations ago. Noticeable climate and environmental changes and newer stresses - ones that individual farmers have no control over. There are more droughts, more floods, and less snow accumulationthangenerationsago.

A CBC News report dated November 1, 2023,stated, “Thenatureofagricultureisriskyand leavesthelivelihoodsoffarmersvulnerable,eitherto theweatherorwhimsofmarketforcesbeyondtheir control. Consecutive years of poor crop yields, livestock epidemics or unexpected equipment breakdownscandeliverunexpectedfinancialblows thatleavemanyfeelingtrapped.”

Mental stress for farmers and their families has been rampantly increasing. Yet, it seems to go almostunnoticedinoursociety.Itseemsthatwejust expect that no matter what punch in the gut farm families receive, at the end of the day, they will be standing on their own two feet just as they have alwaysdone.Thisispartiallybecausefarmfamilies are not on our doorstep. Unlike urban areas, where we might hear and see evidence of nearby families sufferingduetomentalstresses,peopleinruralareas may not even be able to see their next-door neighbour.Theyliveinsmallerruralcommunities,kindof outofsightandoutofmind.

Despite all of the improvements through educationanddialogue,astigmaremainsonmental illness Unfortunately, farming is one of those lifestyles that is almost impossible to grasp unless you wear those boots. Of course, there are age-old worriesaboutsuitableweatherconditions,cropand animaldiseaseandcommoditypriceswhenitcomes to harvest. Then, of course, they have to be concerned with government-regulated quotas, tariffs andtradeissues.

In recent years, many studies have been conducted, revealing shocking statistics. One such studybytheUniversityofGuelph,wellknownforits agricultural studies and programs, conducted a poll of 1,000 farmers across Canada and found that “57 percent met the criteria for anxiety, 34 percent for depression,and62percentexperiencedpsychologicaldistress.”

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has reported that before the pandemic, one in eight farmerssaidtheydidn'tknowiflifewasworthliving anymore. That number has skyrocketed to one in 4 farmersexpressingthesameviews.Imagine!Doyou thinkthatifyoupolledyourfriendsandneighbours in more urban areas, one in four would question if their lives were worth living? I highly doubt that wouldbethecase.

Why are farmers facing greater risks today than ever before? Here are a few causal factors published by the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Machinerybreakdowns;

Unfortunately,theFordgovernment'srecord for effectively addressing mental health issues is dismal, to say the least. Do a quick headline search for mental health issues, and the list of inadequate funding and other criticisms is seemingly endless. TheProvinceofOntariomustdomoreintheareaof preventativeandrestorativementalhealthsupport.

Thankfully, more and more studies on agricultural mental health are taking place, and mental health professionals and agricultural-based organizationsandassociationsareworkingtogether tobringaboutchange.Theyarecallingforimproved mental health programs to support farmers specifically.Itisonlynowbeginningtoberecognizedthat we have failed to consider that farmers live in rural and often more remote locations. It may take them hours or even a whole day to travel where services areavailable.Anddon'tforgetthatinternetaccessin ruralandremotecommunitiesiseonsbehindthatof more populated areas. Therefore, video conferencingisnotevenviableinmanyinstances. Wheredowegofromhere?

First and foremost, bring the issue of agricultural mental health out of the shadows through dialogue and education. Ontarians must acknowledge the problem and start to develop and fundthenecessaryresources.

Secondly, it is essential that helpful resourcesbemadeavailablerightwherepeoplelive, nothoursordaysawayfromhome.Farmingfamilies can't afford to take time off or pay travel expenses anymorethanotherOntariofamiliescan.

Finally, promote, educate and normalize Ontarianstounderstandthatallofusaresusceptible tothemountingpressuresoftheeconomy,environment, society and regulatory demands. No one is immunetosuchinfluences,notevenfarmers.

Toconclude,Iencouragereaderstobringthe imageofSuperman–thegreatManofSteelhimselfto mind. (A character created by Canadian Joseph Shuster, I might add.) Think of him standing atop some building, his bulging biceps and abs of steel, andhiscaperipplinginthewind.Whataterrificicon foryoungsterstoimagine.Ifyourecall,strongashe was, he had vulnerabilities.RememberKryptonite? Superman wasn't real, of course. Nonetheless, he represented something good in society In some ways, we might consider farmers as true-to-life supermen. We count on our farmers to put food on ourtables365daysayear Wecountonthemtobethe guardians of the land and animals that feed us. Therefore, we can also respect and hold high the imageandidealsofourstalwart,resilient,hardworking farmers because, for the whole world, they are trueSupermenandSuperwomen.

Next week, News from the Park will continueexaminingoneofthemostworrisomestressors listed above playing out in Wilmot Township. It seemsourSupermenandSuperwomenhavereached their limit with governments and bureaucracy and aremakingthemselvesheard.Staytuned.

Asalways,Iinviteyoutocontactmyoffice about these issues or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or call Toll-free 1-800-8311899. It's

· Financial uncertainty; Barriers to mental health services; Isolation; Blurred distinction between work and home life; Weather; Government regulations; Commodity prices; Culture of the resilient, strong farmer;Publicperceptionand stigmatization of farming; Family conflicts; Long hours;