04182024 April 18 2024

ChapleauSeniorsClubStainedGlassWorkshop

AStainedGlassWorkshopwas heldat theChapleauSeniors ClubonApril9&10th.

The participants learned how to take a pattern and put it on glass, cut and grind the glass, foil, solder, and finish the completedproject.All the participants made two pieces of stainedglass.

Workshop was attended by a number of very talented individuals who did some amazing work. Many unique and inspired projects were completed,andeveryonehada great time. Lunch was provided, and the socialtimewasfunaswell.

Thisworkshophasbecomean annual event, and has grown from a singledayeventtoa twodayevent.

Thank you to Marie Claire, Elaine Smith and Chapleau Seniors for making this such a successfulevent.

Thursday High 9 Low 2 Long Term Forecast

Friday High 6 Low 0

Saturday High 3 Low -3

Monday High 11 Low 0

PhotographbyNajibeKirameddine

Margaret is asking for your support –RegionalCanadaEmpowermentPageant

A local Wawa woman will be participating in a Canada-wide Empowerment Pageant to be held in Sudbury, Ontario, April25-27,2024.

Margaret Davidson was born and raised here in Wawa, and it most definitely her home. She lives and worksherewithherhusband Richard and her two young children,DaltonandEmber.

The Mrs. Ms. Regional Canada EmpowermentPageantisnotaBeauty Pageant, but rather an empowerment and selfdevelopment program for women25+fromalloverthe country. Thepageant,inits lifetimesofar,hasraisedover $400,000 for their official charity, NOFCC – Northern Ontario Families of Children withCancer.

If you would like to support Margaret’s efforts as a representative of Wawa, you can vote for her at www.mrsmsregionalcanada. ca for the People’s Choice Award, you can reach out to her to provide sponsorship supportortomakeadonation to NOFCC, and you can attend the final show in Sudbury on Saturday, April 27th,2024.

SudburyResidentWins$100,000 PrizeWithInstantGoldPursuit

Ethelbert Jean-Pierre of Sudbury is $100,000 richer after winning with INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT (Game #2411).

Ethelbert,aretiree,sayshisfamily inspired him to purchase an INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT ticket. "I went to purchaseticketsatthestoreandtherewere only three left. I told the retailer to give them all to me," he shared while at the OLGPrizeCentreinTorontotocollecthis winnings.

"WhenIwenttocheckthetickets, it was the last one I checkedthat won the $100,000," Ethelbert continued. "I was ecstatic. I could have hit the roof I was jumping so high! My wife and I couldn't

believeit!"

Ethelbertplanstosharethejoyof thiswindfallwithhisfamily.

INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT is available for $25 and the top prize is $100,000.Oddsofwinninganyprizeare1 in 3.19. Visit the INSTANT page on OLG.caformoreinformationonthisand othergreatgames.

Thewinningticketwaspurchased at Lockerby Confectionary Ltd. on Paris StreetinSudbury.

OLGsupportssafeplayandwants to keep the fun in the game. That's why OLGisproudtobealeaderinpromoting responsible gambling with our globally recognizedPlaySmartprogram.

Obituary

Nadene Elizabeth McEachren (Wyman)

Passedawaypeacefullywithherhusbandby her side on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024, at ChapleauHealthServicesinher69thyear.

Nadene is survived by her loving husband Donald of 45 years. Loving mother of Patrick (Ginette) of Timmins, Jonathan (Nickee) of Chapleau, Brianna (Daryl) of Brisbane Australia, and Meaghan of Toronto. Loving sister toAnne Marie of Woodbridge, Kathleen ofWeston,andPaulaofGuelph. Predeceased by her parents Patrick and Nada (Kovacevic) Wyman. Proud grandmother (Babi) to Wyatt, Aryanna, Cameron, Bailey, Madison, Addyson, Easton, Ciara, and Taynan.

She worked as a veterinary assistant for Dr. Larry Simpson and was the lunch supervisor for Chapleau High School for mostofherworkingcareer. Sheenjoyedcrocheting,bingo,and Swedishweaving,andhadaloveandpassionforGirlGuides. CremationhastakenplaceatRiver'sEdgeCremationCentre, SaultSte.Marie.Thefamilywishestoextendtheirgratitudeto thestaffatChapleauHealthServices,Dr.KendraSaariandall support staff that have helped Nadene in her final years. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial donationsmaybemadetoChapleauHealthServices6Broomhead Rd,ChapleauONP0M1K0. (ArrangementsentrustedtoKerry FuneralHome,Wawa,ON 1-800-439-4937).

www.kerryfuneralhome.ca

Chapleau Moments

by MichaelJ. Morris

With a federal election looming on the horizoninCanada,andthepoliticsofhateonthe rise,notonlyhere,butinothercountriesIdecided to wade into the issue based on one of the most significanteventsinmylife.Iovercamehate.

BeforegoinganyfurtherIneedtomakeit clear that hate of any kind is not part of my life, and other than one attempt at it when I was in Grade Nine at Chapleau High School, it has not playedarole.

Those of you who have read 'The Chapleau Boys Go to War" which I co-authored withmycousinMichaelMcMullen,mayalready be aware of my "hate event" described in the chapter "Dr. Karl A Hackstetter, John 'Mac' McClellanandMichael"willbeawareofit.

IquotefromitasIsharemystoryonhate.

Dr. Hackstetter arrived in Chapleau in 1954 to teach at Chapleau High School, nine years after the end of World II. I entered Grade Ninein1955,andalthoughDr.Hackstetterwasa most intimidating person, from the first day I plannedtohurthim.

DrKarlAHackstetter,JohnMcClellan andMichaelonovercominghate

Dr.Hackstetterhadbeenanofficerinthe GermanArmyduringthewarandmyfather.Jim Morris,asmanyofyouknowwaskilledonactive serviceintheRoyalCanadianAirForcein1943. Needlesstosay,perhaps,Iwasahurtingkid,and he was going to share it ----- even though I thoughthewasagreatteacher.

Oneday,itstruckmehowtodoit.Iwould placeaphotoofmyfatherinmybinder,andwhen Dr. Hackstetter stopped by our desks to look at ourwork.hewouldseeit.So,Iplacedthephoto, andsureenoughhemadehisrounds.Ashepeered down,Imovedmyarmsohecouldseethephoto ofmyfatherinuniform.

Dr Hackstetter far right leaving field behind CHS.

He asked, "Who is that man? I do not knowthatman".

"My father, I replied. He had fallen into mytrap.

"Whereishe?'

"Heisdead.Hewaskilledinthewar".

Dr. Hackstetter never said a word. He looked at me for a moment, and now I was terrified.Hewalkedovertothewindow,lookedat meagain,thenlookedoffoutside.Heshedatear andthenlefttheroomabruptly.

Deadsilenceintheclassroom.

Momentslater,JohnMcClellan,aveteran of World War I, the school principal entered the roomandsaidquietly,"ComewithmeMichael."

We went to the office and as best I could toldhimwhatIdid.Hethensaid,"Dr.Hackstetter wonders if you would be willing to have a talk withhim."

Iagreed,terrifiedasIwas,intearsasIam at this moment all these years later as I type. Dr Hackstetter and I had a great chat and then Mr. McClellanreturnedandthethreeofuswentdown tothelandingwherethememorialwallofphotos and plaque honouring the seventeen high school students,includingmydadwas.

Adthereweweresidebyside:WorldWar I veteran John McClellan, me, and former

GermanarmyofficerDr.KarlA.Hackstetter.We stood in front of the plaque in silence for a few minutes,andthenquietlywentourseparateways. Iwas14yearsoldandhadjustlearnedalotabout forgiveness.

From that day forward Dr. Hackstetter andIwerefriends,eventhoughIwasneververy goodinMathematics!Infact,ataschooldancein June1957,hecameovertomeandsaid,"Morris, you are a lucky ******. It is a good thing I like you,”Webothunderstood.

1956-57ltorG.Mino,G.Lemon,J.Riordan, GBowles,CFiaschetti,DrHackstetter

Dr. Hackstetter left but returned a principalfrom1963to1966.Westayedintouchf ormanyyears.

IleaveittoCaroleFutheyandthestaffof CHS yearbook AD ASTRA to sum up Dr. Hackstetter

TheChapleauHighSchoolyearbook'Ad Astra'paidtributetodepartingprincipalDr.Karl A. Hackstetter for setting a high standard for studentsand"tryingtokickusoverit."

The editors of 'Ad Astra', led by Carole Futhey dedicated their yearbook to Dr. Hackstetter as their way of saying thank you for setting high standards, expressing the hope that "we hope that we will not disappoint him. They wereexcitingyears."

The tribute said that Dr. Hackstetter "terrorized and goaded us, stretched us and pushedus.Theexperienceoftenleftuslimp,butit alsoleftusstimulated.

"Because he immensely enjoyed every activity,hetriedtoteachustofindsatisfactionin everything we did. He not only tolerated nonconformity,buthealsoloudlydemandedit.

"The greatest crime was shoddiness. the mostprizedqualitieswereoriginalityandasense ofstyle."

d’Ottawa

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

Foodbankusageacrossthecountryisatits highest level since 1989, according to Food Bank Canada.Weknowthatpeoplearestrugglingtoput nutritious food on their tables, and its affecting everyone. Large grocery chains like Loblaws are raking in record profits while Canadian families deal with the fallout of their greed. PROOF, an interdisciplinary research program that examines household food insecurity in Canada, shows that 17.8 percent of households are currently dealing with food insecurity, including almost 1.8 million childrenundertheageof18,in2023.Ithinkitssafe to suggest that it's time Canada puts in place a NationalSchoolFoodprogram.

National food programs aren't really a novelidea.Infact,CanadaistheonlyG7country withoutaNationalSchoolFoodProgram.France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and even the U.S. have some form of national school food program that ensures some degree of basic nutrition for our vulnerable youth. School lunch programs are not all created equal, however. France, for example, makes school meals comply withspecifichealthcriteria,andlimitstheamount of fat, sodium, and sugar placed in food. In Italy, theirschoollunchprogramrequiresthesourcingof locally produced organic food. The U.K. and the U.S. have been roundly criticized for their school food programs, and while it's fair to be concerned aboutthequalityofthefoodprovided,atleastthey have national programs in place. They may be imperfectbutcanbeimprovedupon.InCanada,we currentlyhaveapatchworkofprovincialprograms, charitable organizations, and local initiatives that ensuresourchildrencangotoclassfed,atleastfor those lucky enough to have access to said programs.Toomanystudentsdon'tevenhavethat.

While it's obvious any national program wouldneedtobeadministeredbytheprovinces,as they have jurisdiction over education, the federal governmenthasaresponsibilitytoshowleadership by working with the provinces and territories to implementanationalprogramtoensureuniformity across the country. A well-implemented program would feed students nutritious food, save parents money (particularly the most economically vulnerable),andsupportCanadianfoodproducers.

While the government has promised $1 billion towards the program over five years, details will matter,andthat'swhatweneedtobelookingforin next week's federal budget. In fact, the Liberals promised a National School Food program five years ago, in their 2019 budget. Part of this

AmidFoodInsecurity,NowistheTime foraNationalSchoolFoodProgram

program may just mean augmenting already existing school food programs, or helping provinces implement their own. This should be a model of cooperation between the federal governmentandtheirprovincialcounterparts,asit shouldn'tbedifficulttofindsomedegreeofmiddle ground when it comes to ensuring future generations have enough to eat during the school day.

There does seem to be a mostly broad consensusaroundanationalschoollunchprogram. In December, MPs voted on a Private Members Bill (C-322) which seeks to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. While the bill itself may be redundant depending on what's in next week's budget, it did receive

support from all parties except for the Conservatives,whoseemtotalkabiggameabout affordability but don't seem to have much interest in providing support for the most vulnerable childreninthecountry.

WhilethePrimeMinisteristoutingthatthe program will provide meals to an additional 400,000 children across the country, the details of the budget measures will matter more than the broadstrokepromises.

Theprogramwillneedtofillthosegapsin school nutrition programs that exist. It's unfathomablehow,inacountryasrichasours,that we still have some children who go to school hungry while grocery giants like Loblaws rake in recordprofitsonthebacksofthemostvulnerable.

Encettepérioded'insécuritéalimentaire,ilesttempsd'instaurer unprogrammenationald'alimentationenmilieuscolaire

Le recours aux banques alimentaires au paysestàsonplushautniveaudepuis1989,selon Banques alimentaires Canada. Nous savons que lesgensontdumalàacheterdesalimentsnutritifsetqueleproblèmetouchetoutlemonde.Les grandes chaînes d'épicerie comme Loblaws enregistrent des profits records tandis que les familles canadiennes doivent composer avec les conséquences de leur cupidité. PREUVE - un programme de recherche interdisciplinaire qui examine l'insécurité alimentaire des ménages canadiens, révèle qu'en 2023, 17,8 % des ménagesétaientauxprisesavecdel'insécuritéalimentaire, y compris près de 1,8 million d'enfants de moins de 18 ans. Je pense qu'on peut dire d'emblée qu'il est temps que le Canada se dote d'un programme national d'alimentation en milieuscolaire.

Les programmes nationaux d'alimentation ne sont pas vraiment une idée nouvelle.Defait,leCanadaestleseulpaysduG7 sans programme national d'alimentation en milieu scolaire. La France, le Royaume-Uni, l'Allemagne,leJapon,l'ItalieetmêmelesÉtatsUnis ont une forme de programme national d'alimentation qui garantit que les jeunes vulnérablesbénéficientd'unecertainealimentationde base.Lesprogrammesderepasenmilieuscolaire ne sont toutefois pas tous égaux. La France, par exemple, s'assure que les repas dans les écoles respectentdescritèresdesantéprécis,etlimitela quantité de gras, de sodium et de sucre dans les aliments.EnItalie,leprogrammed'alimentation en milieu scolaire exige que les repas servis proviennent d'aliments biologiques produits localement. Le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis ontétévivementcritiquéspourleursprogrammes d'alimentationenmilieuscolaire,maisbienqu'il

soit logique de se préoccuper de la qualité de la nourriture fournie, on peut se consoler en se disant qu'au moins ils ont des programmes nationauxenplace.Ilssontpeut-êtreimparfaits, maisilesttoujourspossibledelesaméliorer.Au Canada, nous avons actuellement une mosaïque de programmes provinciaux, d'organismes de bienfaisanceetd'initiativeslocalespourveillerà cequenosenfantsn'aillentpasenclasseleventre vide,dumoinspourceuxquisontassezchanceux pouravoiraccèsàcesprogrammes.Tropd'élèves n'ontpascettechance.

Il est évident que tout programme national devrait être administré par les provinces, parcequel'éducationrelèvedeleurcompétence, maislegouvernementfédéralalaresponsabilité de faire preuve de leadership en travaillant avec lesprovincesetlesterritoiresàlamiseenœuvre d'un programme national, de manière à garantir l'uniformité à l'échelle du pays. Un programme bien implanté permettrait de servir des aliments nutritifs aux élèves, permettrait aux parents d'économiser de l'argent (particulièrement ceux qui sont le plus vulnérables sur le plan économique)etpermettraitdesoutenirlesproducteurs canadiensd'aliments.

Legouvernementapromisqu'unmilliard dedollarsseraitconsacréauprogrammesurcinq ans, mais les détails seront importants. C'est sur ces détails qu'il faudra s'attarder dans le budget fédéral de la semaine prochaine. De fait, les libéraux ont promis un programme national d'alimentation en milieu scolaire il y a cinq ans, dans le budget de 2019. Une partie de ce programme pourrait simplement consister à augmenterdesprogrammesexistantsd'alimentation en milieu scolaire, ou à aider des provinces à SuiteP.11

Club Maria Chapdelaine

Le vendredi 12 avril, le Club Maria Chapdelaine de Chapleau a accueilli MichelTremblay, directeur général de la FARFO provinciale (La Fédération des aînés et des retraités francophones de l'Ontario) pour une journée d'ateliers intitulée « Trop vieux pour apprendre? Pas nous! ». Différents organismes étaient représentés à part le Club Maria Chapdelaine dont Formation+, l'UCFO, le centre du Bel Âge deTimmins et la FARFO régionale du Grand-Nord et même une personne de Wawa. En avant-midi, Michel a présenté son premier atelier sur la gouvernance d'un organisme. Les points abordés ont été : C'est quoi la gouvernance?, Pourquoi

c'est important?, Le rôle du conseil d'administration, Le rôle des administrateurs.trices. L'âgisme était le sujet de sa deuxième présentation. Qu'estce que l'âgisme? Ça regroupe les stéréotypes (la façon d'envisager l'âge), les préjugés (ce qu'inspire l'âge) et la discrimination (la façon de se comporter), dont on est soi-même victime ou dont autrui est victime en raison de l'âge.

Malgré le mauvais temps à l'extérieur, l'ambiance du groupe était chaleureuse. Nous tenons à remercier d'abord le conférencier de s'être déplacé deToronto pour nous faire passer une excellente journée ainsi que les participants et les participantes.

FormationPLUS

UCFO

UCFO

Le 6 avril 2024, notre cercle a accueilli les membres des autres cercles de la région du Témiskaming pour la 49e assemblée générale régionale annuelle.

Depuis le 25 mars, le cercle donne des ateliers de tissage aux élèves de 7 e et 8 e année de l'école

Trillium. Ce groupe avait la possibilité de faire une petite couverture ou un linge à vaisselle. Par la suite, les élèves de la 4 e , 5 e et 6 e année de l'école Sacré-Cœur

participeront à raison de 2 élèves par jour (matin). Ce projet est parrainé par le club Maria Chapdelaine et grâce à celui-ci, nous avons la possibilité de transmettre notre savoir à la prochaine génération.

Un petit rappel du tirage du jolie panier d'articles fabriqués à la main. Le tirage aura lieu le 12 mai 2024. Le panier est présentement chez Collins Home Furniture et vous pouvez acheter des billets.

Centre Culturel Louis-Hémon

Lebudget2024donneunpeuderépitaux Canadiens,maisnes'attaquepasàlacupidité desentreprisesetàl'abusdeprix

Les néo-démocrates ont utilisé leur pouvoir au Parlement pour aider des millions de Canadiennes et Canadiens.

Les néo-démocrates du Canada ont une foisdeplusutiliséleurpouvoiràlaChambredes communes pour pousser le gouvernement à présenter un budget qui prévoit des mesures en matière d'abordabilité, de logement et d'assurance-médicaments. Cependant, le budget ne fait pas assez pour s'attaquer à la cupidité des entreprisesquiapermisàlacrisedel'abordabilité de s'installer, selon la députée Carol Hughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing).

"Les néo-démocrates ont poussé le gouvernementàs'engageràprendredesmesures concrètesquiaiderontlesgensàfairefaceaucoût delavieetquiferontuneréelledifférencedansla vie des Canadiennes et Canadiens ", a déclaré MmeHughes."Grâceànotretravail,nousavons maintenantlapremièrephased'uncadrenational et universel d'assurance-médicaments qui fournira gratuitement des contraceptifs à 9 millionsdefemmesetdesmédicamentscontrele diabète à 3,7 millions de Canadiennes et Canadiens. Nous avons obtenu un programme national d'alimentation scolaire qui aidera à nourrir les enfants, ce qui leur permettra de se concentrer sur l'apprentissage. Nous avons aussi forcélegouvernementàconstruiredavantagede logements, à faciliter l'accès au marché pour les primo-accédants et à mieux protéger les locataires.Maislebudgetestloind'êtreparfait". Bien que de nombreux éléments du budget 2024 répondent aux préoccupations des CanadiennesetCanadiens,ilnes'agitclairement pasd'unbudgetnéo-démocrate.Lemontantdela prestation canadienne d'invalidité est trop faible, avecuneprestationmaximaledeseulement2400 $ par an pour les personnes handicapées à faible revenu. Ce budget ne s'attaque pas à la cupidité desentreprisesquiapoussélesbudgetsauborddu gouffre.Leministredesfinancesauraitpumettre enplaceunimpôtsurlesbénéficesexcédentaires pourlesentreprisesquiescroquentlesCanadiens, comme les géants de l'alimentation et l'industrie pétrolièreetgazière,maisilachoisidenepasle faire. Et ils refusent toujours de revenir sur le cadeau fiscal de 60 milliards de dollars fait aux entreprises par le précédent gouvernement conservateur.

"Soyons clairs, certains des meilleurs élémentsdecebudget,commeledoublementdu créditd'impôtpourlespompiersvolontairesetle créditd'impôtpourlesvolontairesenrechercheet sauvetage, sont des idées néo-démocrates", a déclaréMmeHughes."Cebudgetestunpetitpas danslabonnedirection,maisilnefaitpascequ'il fautpourquelesentreprisespaientleurjustepart.

ÉSCTrilliumstudentsdiscovertheirhiddenartistictalents

Last week, ÉSC Trillium (Chapleau) studentsatdevelopedtheirartistictalentsduring a colourful activity! Under the guidance of Kariane and Baptiste from the Conseil desArts

deHearst,thestudentstookpartinawatercolour painting workshop. It was an enriching experience for everyone, and some students even discovered hidden talents. The Trillium

students wish to thank PassepART and the Conseil des Arts de Hearst for this wonderful workshop!

Lesélèvesdel'ÉSCTrilliumdécouvrentleurstalentsartistiquescachés

La semaine dernière, des élèves de l'ÉSC Trillium (Chapleau) ont pu développer leurs talents artistiques lors d'une activité colorée! Avec l'encadrement de Kariane et

Baptiste du Conseil des Arts de Hearst, les élèves ont fait un atelier de peinture à l'aquarelle.Cefutuneexpérienceenrichissante pourtousquiamêmepermisàcertainsélèvesde découvrir des talents cachés. Les Coyotes remercientPassepARTetleConseildesartsde Hearstpourcebelatelier!

Budget2024DeliversSomeReliefforCanadians, butFallsShortinAddressingCorporateGreed andPriceGouging New Democrats used their power in Parliament to help millions of Canadians.

Canada's NDP once again used their power in Parliament to push the government to deliver a budget that secures measures on affordability, housing, and drug coverage. However,thebudgetdoesnotdoenoughtotackle thecorporategreedthatallowedtheaffordability crisistotakehold,accordingtoMPCarolHughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing).

“NewDemocratspushedthisgovernment to commit to tangible measures that will help peopledealwiththecostoflivingandmakeareal difference in the lives of Canadians,” said Hughes. “Through our work, we now have the first phase of a national, universal pharmacare frameworkthatwillprovidefreebirthcontrolfor 9millionwomenanddiabetesmedicationfor3.7 million Canadians. We've secured a national schoolfoodprogramthatwillhelpfeedchildren which will help them focus on learning. We've forced the government to get more homes built, make it easier for first-time home buyers to get into the market, and give better protection to renters.Butthebudgetisfarfromperfect.”

WhiletherearemanyelementsofBudget 2024 that address Canadians' concerns, this is clearlynotanNDPbudget.Theamountofmoney squared away for the Canada Disability Benefit are too low, with a maximum benefit of just $2,400 per year for low-income persons with disabilities. This budget fails to address the corporate greed that has pushed budgets to the brink. The Finance Minister could have implemented an excess profit tax on companies that are gouging Canadians like grocery giants andtheoilandgasindustry,butchosenotto.And they still refuse to reverse the previous Conservative government's $60 billion tax handouttocorporations.

“Let'sbeclear,someofthebestelements ofthisbudget,likethedoublingoftheVolunteer Firefighters Tax Credit and the Search and RescueVolunteersTaxCredit,areNewDemocrat ideas,” said Hughes. “Our approach is always centeredaroundputtingCanadiansfirst,andthis budgetisasmallstepintherightdirection,butit failstodowhat'snecessarytomakecorporations paytheirfairshare.”

Newreport:For-profitclinicsexpandedbyFordgovernment chargingpatientsthousandsinunlawfulfees

Released today, a new report 'Illegal, UnlawfulandUnethical:CaseStudiesofPatients Charged for Medical Care in Ontarios Private Clinics, featured evidence from more than a hundredpatientsaboutuserfeesbeingchargedin Ontario's private clinics. The Health Coalition held press conferences to release the report with patientswhohavebeenchargedhundredsoreven thousandsofdollarsforaccesstocareinfor-profit clinics. Most of the patients are seniors on fixed incomeswhowerechargedupto$8,000ormore for eye surgeries and tests, reported the Health Coalition. The fees impose significant financial strain,forcingonepatienttogobacktoworkatthe ageof71topaythebill,andotherstofallintodebt, use up all their savings, borrow money or go withoutotherneeds.

The Coalition noted that when Premier Doug Ford announced his government's plan to privatize surgeries and diagnostics, he made a headline-grabbing promise that Ontarians would neverhavetopaywiththeircreditcard,onlytheir OHIPcard. Hisgovernmentalsopromisedstrong “guardrails”toprotectpatientsfromextra-billing and user fees. Those promises are belied by the realityofpatientbeingchargeduserfeesinprivate clinics, said Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra, who noted that not only were the guardrailsperformative,notreal,thegovernment actually widened the door to the privatization of vitalhealthserviceswithlesschecksandbalances, andexpandeduserfees.

In response to patient complaints, the Coalitionconductedaprovince-widesurveyfrom February5toMarch8.Of231patientssurveyed, 120 patients were unlawfully charged by private clinics. In addition to the surveys, the Coalition obtained receipts and evidence to pull together eighteen more in-depth case studies to illustrate whatishappeningtopatients.

Themostcommonfeeswererelatedtoeye surgeries in for-profit clinics. Patients reported that they were faced with charges ranging from $50 - $8,000 when they went in for cataract surgeries,asfollows:

· Patients were told they had to pay for medically needed surgeries that are, in fact, coveredbyOHIP.

· Patients were told that if they didn't pay, they would face extreme wait times (most often twoyearsranginguptofiveyears).Inthereport, theCoalitionshowedtheactualwaittimesonthe public website for wait times in every public hospital in Ontario. The highest priority patients are both seen by a specialist and receive their

surgery within an average of three months. Even thelowestprioritypatientsgofromfirstreferralto specialist to completion of surgery within seven months.

· Patients were denied vital information about the effectiveness of OHIP-covered eye surgery to compel the patients to pay. OHIP provides for everything a patient actually needs related to all medically necessary eye surgeries. No patient needs to pay in order to get effective, qualitycare.

· For-profit clinics charged patients for extraeye measurements,testsand speciallenses, telling patients that these unnecessary add-ons were necessary, safer or “better” than OHIPcoveredservicesforcataractsurgery.

· Patients reported that the private clinics co-mingled unnecessary services with necessary services in order to charge fees. Those patients were charged for these unnecessary services without discussion or were denied access to surgeryiftheydidnotpayout-of-pocketforaddons.

In addition to cataract surgeries, patients reportedbeingchargedappointment,membership andadministrativefeesforprimarycare,aswellas user fees for diagnostics and physician-ordered labtests.

“The Ford government is expanding privatizationintheveryfor-profitclinicsthatare breaking our medicare protection laws, charging patientsoutrageouspricesandmanipulatingthem into paying for a burgeoning array of medically unnecessary things,” warned Natalie Mehra, executivedirectoroftheOntarioHealthCoalition. “TheHealthCoalitionhasmonitoredthesituation for decades. This widescale extra-billing and charging user fees to patients never happened beforethefor-profitclinicsbegantotakeoverour publichospitals'surgeries,and,inourexperience, it has never been worse than it is now,” she reported. “Ontarians need to raise their voices in nouncertaintermsandforcetheFordgovernment to stop privatizing the ownership and control of ourpublichospitals'services.”

Patientquotes:

Kate Armstrong, a small business owner in Toronto,wastoldbyasurgeoninaprivateclinic that she would face an impossibly long wait and that the public hospital could not provide the “upgraded” lens, and thus was convinced to pay forextratestsandeyesurgeryataprivateclinic:“I feel that the close to $8,000 I am out of pocket should'vebeencoveredbyOHIP.Atnotimeever was I told that any of this was covered under

OHIP. This was not a cosmetic procedure. This wasanecessity.Icouldnotfunctionwithoutit.”

ShalomSchachterinTorontoreportshis experience at a for-profit clinic where he was recommended extra eye measurement tests and lenses.Heultimatelypaid$350fortheuseofthe diagnosticassessmentmachine,$190forthelens foroneeyeand$575forthelensfortheothereye: “IwantedtomakeaninformeddecisionsoIasked fordocumentationfromtheclinicsupportingtheir claimthattheirprivateequipmentwouldprovidea better outcome. I was promised the information wouldcomelaterthatdaybyemail.However,the only information forwarded was the same schedule of extra fees that I was given in their office. I wrote back asking for actual "scientific" explanations and received a response that they were not going to respond substantively to my inquiriesandthatifIwasunsatisfied,Icouldfind anotherophthalmologist.”

Maureen Monro in London reports that she was told she would have to wait two years unless she paid thousands of dollars for cataract surgery: “I was informed the cost to receive the surgery would be almost $7,000. Being as I live alone, I did not want to lose my quality of life. Therefore,I paid the $7,000.Being a senioron a fixedincome,Iamstilltryingtocatchupwithbills fromthissurgery.”

MikeSuta'swifewascharged$3,000for cataract surgery: “The optometrist told her there wasa two-yearwaittogetthesurgery. However, hesaidthatifshewantedtogetdonerightawayit would cost $3,000. She did not want to have headachesforthenexttwoyears,soshetookher totallifesavingsof$3,000andsaidshewasgoing topayforit.Whentheoptometristcalledback,the appointmentwasmadewiththesamesurgeonthat didthefirstoperationinthehospital4yearsearlier andhenowhadafor-profiteyesurgeryclinic.My wife got the surgery done at the for-profit clinic anditcost$3,000morethanwhenitwasdoneat the hospital. We have one question: who is supposedtoprotectusfromsuchscams?”

Lastweekssolutions

MOMENTS IN TIME

OnApril30,1993,tennisplayerMonicaSeleswas stabbed between the shoulder blades by Gunter ParcheduringamatchinHamburg.Parche,afan of German tennis star Steffi Graf, apparently hopedthatbyinjuringSeles,hisidolwouldbeable toregainherNo.1ranking.

Business 705-856-2775

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Encettepérioded'insécuritéalimentaire,ilesttempsd'instaurer unprogrammenationald'alimentationenmilieuscolaire

SuitedelaP.4

instaurer leur propre programme. Il devrait s'agir d'un modèle de coopération entre le gouvernement fédéral et ses homologues provinciaux. En effet, il ne devrait pas être difficile de trouver un certain terrain d'entente lorsqu'il s'agit de s'assurer que les générations futuresmangentàleurfaimpendantlesjournées d'école.

Le programme national d'alimentation en milieu scolaire semble généralement faire consensus. En décembre, les députés se sont prononcés sur un projet de loi d'initiative parlementaire (C-322) visant à élaborer un

cadre national en vue de la création d'un programme d'alimentation en milieu scolaire. Le projet de loi lui-même pourrait être redondant selon ce que contient le budget de la semaine prochaine, mais il a reçu le soutien de tous les partis,sauflesconservateurs,quifontdebeaux discoursàproposdel'abordabilité,maisquine semblent pas vraiment vouloir soutenir les enfantslesplusvulnérablesaupays.

Le premier ministre se vante que le programmefourniradesrepasà400000enfants de plus à l'échelle du pays, mais les détails des mesuresbudgétairesimporterontdavantageque lesvastespromesses.

Le programme devra combler les lacunes qui existent dans les programmes d'alimentationenmilieuscolaire.Ilestinconcevable,dansunpaysaussirichequelenôtre,qu'il yaittoujoursdesenfantsquiarriventenclassele ventre vide, alors que des géants de l'alimentation comme Loblaws engrangent des profitsrecordssurledosdesplusvulnérables.

youjustneedsomeonetolisten,callourTollFreeCrisislineat1800-461-2242oryoucandropinattheCentre.Wearehereforyou.

Anyone who has tuned in to watch TV recentlyhasprobablybeengreetedwithadsfrom DougFordandthePCparty.There'sevenachance thatyou'veseenadscirculatingandpaidforbythe province of Ontario that tout this government's successinleadingtheprovince. ItseemstomethatthePremierhasboughtintothe words of the Hollywood film producer Joseph E. Levine,whosaid,“Youcanfoolallthepeopleall thetimeiftheadvertisingisrightandthebudgetis bigenough.”

For Ford, the budget doesn't just refer to the amount of money put into producing these commercials (although I will get to that). He has adopted this philosophy into his governing practices,spendinghugesumsyearoveryearsohe canspinhimselfasamanofthepeople.

In Budget 2024, the government expects to bring in $204.3 billion and spend $207.3 billion, meaningthegovernmentwillspendmorethanany before it and will be responsible for creating the largest deficit ever outside of the COVID-19 emergency.

For the average person, breaking down a budget the size of Ontario's and determining its meritsonpaperisdifficult.Wecanseetheeffects of the budget on the ground. When hospital wait times are increasing, emergency rooms are routinely closing, and highway infrastructure is crumbling,weobviouslythinkinsufficientmoney is being spent. But when we are presented with a budget that spends more money than we can get our heads around, it makes us second guess ourselves.

Government budgets have a murkiness aboutthemthatsomeargueisbydesign.Theytend to be general statements on spending and only a broad overview of Ontario's fiscal position.They do not provide citizens with an in-depth look at how the government will spend in the coming fiscalyear.

So, as Budget 2024 is debated in the legislature, I think it is worth looking at how PremierFordspentmoneyinpreviousyearsandif ithasbeeneffectivelyputtousebythepeopleof Ontario.

YoumayrememberthatakeypartofMr. Ford'spitchtotheelectoratewhenheranin2018 was that he would trim the fat from “runaway” budgetsandputanendtogovernmentwaste.And beforethat,whenherantobecomeaTorontocity councillor,hecameacrosswithanappealtovoters that he would end the “Gravy Train” that was givingoutfavourstoaselectfew.

Looking at the Premier's track record on fiscalmanagement,Ihavetosayitdoesnotmatch

Governmentbudgetshaveamurkiness aboutthemthatsomeargueisbydesign

hisrhetoric.

In fact, in the Premier's own office, expenses have risen, not just steadily but also by leapsandbounds.Beforehetookofficetherewere 18 members of the Premier's staff who were making more than $100k a year. After Mr. Ford tookover,thatnumberincreasedto20inhisfirst year but now sits at 48. Collectively, these employeeswerepaid$6.9millionlastyear.Thatis a136%increasetothePremier'sstaffingbudgetin 5years.

Runaway office expenses are one thing, and it should give Ontarians serious pause when theyweighwhetherthePremierwasbeinghonest in his promise to bring fiscal responsibility to Ontario. But there is an even more concerning trend with this supposedly conservative government of siphoning public money into privatepocketsatalarmingrates.

On the day the 2024 provincial budget cameout,DanielDufort,presidentoftheMontreal Economic Institute, wrote in the Globe and Mail about Premier Ford's growing largesse regarding corporate subsidies. He found that “Ontario has spentanaverageof$9.1billionayearinconstant dollars”oftaxpayers'moneyonhandouts.Making Ontario the jurisdiction with the greatest average transfer of public funds into corporate bank accounts.

Now, I will concede that there are times when public funds being used to spur economic actionproduceresultsforOntarians.However,the leveltowhichthisgovernmenthastakensubsidies is unprecedented, and a detailed review raises questions about how this government gives them out.

I looked back at the Auditor General's (AG) and the Financial Accountability Officer (FAO) reports since Ford took office, as they provide valuable, independent oversight into the effectivenessofgovernmentspending.Morethan afewalarmingtrendscanbeseeninthedocuments theirofficeshavepublished.

In2021,theAGlookedatspendingduring theheightofthepandemic.Thiswasatimewhen the government was spending more than ever to blunt the economic impacts that this global emergency was having on people and businesses inOntario.

The government budgeted $11.2 billion forprogramstargetedatbusinesses.Uponauditing the books, the AG found that these programs “lacked clear goals and eligibility criteria were poorly defined, allowed thousands of ineligible businessestoreceivefunds.”Infact,shefoundthat around $230 million was given to ineligible businessesthroughthoseprograms.

Again, in 2021, the government was

exposed for forgiving $1 billion in penalties that the407ExpressTollRouteprivateoperatorsowed to Ontario. A subsidy by any other name, the money should have been part of the provincial budget.However,adeliberatepolicydecisionwas madenottoseekpayment.

In 2022, the government offered the Ontario Tourism Recovery Program, which purported to provide funds to the sector after the pandemic slowed their businesses. It took them over a year to roll out the funds after they had announceditwouldtakeweeks,whichcostmany medium-andsmallbusinesseswhowerebanking onsupporttogetby.

A later review of the program by CBC revealedthatamongtherecipientswhogotfunds were major airlines and “companies who own hotelsbutwhosemainbusinessisconstructionor realestate.”Hardlythelocaltourismoperatorsthat suffered the most during the province-wide shutdown.

In 2024, we are still learning about the government's deal with the private spa company Therme to reopen Ontario Place. The 2023 AG reportuncoveredthatthegovernmenthadsigneda contractrequiringittobuildaparkingstructurefor thecompanyatanestimated$307million.

To top all of this off, government-paid advertisements, which I referenced at the beginning of this column, were purchased to the tune of $24.89 million. The Auditor General's office said these commercials' content was essentiallypartisan.

Unfortunately, the Auditor General no longerhasthepowertopreventpartisanadsfrom being paid for with public money because the Premierwentbackonhis2018promisetoreinstate the parts of the GovernmentAdvertisingAct that allowedthemtodoso.

Inmyopinion,thePremier'slambastingof the “Gravy Train” rings hollow when compared with his track record. So, when he once again presents a budget that spends more than ever but includes real-dollar cuts to healthcare, education, and social services, we should be wary of his government'sattempttospinthestory.

Premier Ford has relied on the size of his budgetstoprovidecoverforhisspendinghabits.It is easy for him to point out that he is spending billions upon billions, and Ontarians are inclined to believe this is going towards them. It is only oncewetakeafine-toothedcombtothebooksthat hishypocrisycomesout.

As always, I invite you to contact my office about these issues or any other provincial matters.Youcanreachmyconstituencyofficeby emailatmmantha-co@ola.orgorcallToll-free1800-831-1899.