Today,GraydonSmith,MinisterofNatural Resources and Forestry, and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job
Creation and Trade, issued the following statement regarding the latest U.S. decision on softwoodlumberduties:
AChapleauresidentisfacingchargesafter a significant amount of money was stolen from another Chapleau resident's homeinabreak-in.
The Superior East OPP say on July 28, shortly after 8 a.m., officers were notified of a break and enter at a residence on Connaught Street in the community of about 2,000 people northeastoftheSault.
During the break-in, "a large sum of moneywastakenfrominsidetheresidence,"the OPPsaidinanewsrelease.
After an investigation, police say they wereabletoidentifyandlocateasuspect.
Michel Cote, 47, of Chapleau, was arrestedandchargedwith:
Break,enteradwellinghouse
Theftover$5,000
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario CourtofJusticeonSept.18inChapleau.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused is considered innocent unlessprovenguilty.
AChapleau man is facing a number of chargesafteranincidentattheTimmins Walmart.
Late yesterday afternoon (July 27), Timmins Police were called to the Riverside Drive store after a man "entered into an assaultive dispute with store staff and various customers while damaging store merchandise."
A 44-year-old
man who was a customer at the store was assaulted during the altercation, said police in a newsrelease.
A 44-year-old man from Chapleau was arrestedatthescene.
He is charged with assault - causing bodily harm, mischief, resisting a police officer, twocountsoffailingtocomplywithaprobation order,andfailingtocomplywithrecognizance.
The accused was released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug.22.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
“TheOntariogovernmentis,onceagain, calling on the United States Department of Commerce (DoC) to immediately remove all dutiesonCanadiansoftwoodlumberexports. Ontario'sforestsectoranditsworkersare vital to our government's plan to build Ontario. The industry generates nearly $21 billion in annual revenue from the sale of manufactured goods and services and supports more than 142,000directandindirectjobs. Cont’donP.5
Ayouth from Superior East is facing
criminal charges following a domestic dispute.OnJuly12,2023,shortlybefore 8:00 p.m., members of the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were notified of a threats occurrence on PineStreetinChapleau.
Asaresultoftheinvestigation,a15-yearoldfromChapleauwasarrestedandchargedwith thefollowing:
UtteringThreats–CauseDeathorBodilyHarm–Spousal–threecounts
UtteringThreats–DamageProperty
SexualAssaultonaPersonUnder16YearsofAge
Failure to Comply with Release Order – two counts
Failure to Comply with Probation Order – two counts
Theyouthwasreleasedfromcustodyand isscheduledtoappearbeforetheOntarioCourtof Justice in July 2023 in Chapleau.The identity of the accused is being withheld as it is protected under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act(YCJA).
Unlike for the last few months, the map below shows no strong temperature anomalies for July. Most of the province was near normal over the whole month.The northwest, however, did turn cooler after preceding months with warmerthannormaltemperatures.
During the first week, most of the province was warmer than normal, especiallyin theeastandnortheasttowardtheQuebecborder andJamesBay.Ottawareachedahighof33.6oC onJuly6th.Nearnormaltemperaturesdominated the second and third weeks provincewide apart from in the cool northwest. A second warm pattern then traversed the province toward the end of the month. Some of the highest temperatures included Petawawa at 34.5oC on the5th,Oakvilleat34.0oConthe4thandToronto at 31.2oC on the 28th. High humidex values of near 40 occurred in the first and final week prompting heat warnings (e.g. 41 in PortWeller onthe5thand43inWindsorandRidgetownon the28th).
Julywasmuchwetterthannormalinthe south, especially over the southwest where amountsreachedwellover250%ofthemonthly normal (e.g. London, 260%). In contrast, the north was much drier than normal except near HudsonBay.Thisisthethirdconsecutivemonth of below normal precipitation for most of the north. The airport in Timmins, for example, received only 31% of its mean monthly precipitation and this fell almost entirely in the first week. During the first week, intense precipitation produced high daily amounts over the southwest such as at St. Thomas (104 mm) and London (80 mm) on the 2nd. In the final week, areas near the lower Great Lakes had abundant precipitation.These amounts from the 24thto30thwerenearorgreaterthantheaverage monthly total such as at Brownsville (110 mm), Stratford (88 mm) and Burlington (85 mm) (CoCoRaHS).
A low pressure system tracked through southern Ontario, bringing significant rain and producing four tornadoes in eastern Ontario. Between 40 and 80 mm of rain fell from the morning through the afternoon with the highest amount,82mm,reportedinMonktonlocated56
km northwest of Kitchener. In the afternoon, severe thunderstorms struck eastern Ontario producingtwoEF-1tornadoesinBarrhavenand subsequently two EF-0 tornadoes; one in EmbrunandtheotherinFournier,aspersurveys done by the Northern Tornadoes Project. ResidentialcommunitiesinBarrhaven,asuburb ofOttawa,sustainedthebruntofthedamagewith over 125 homes affected. Roofs were ripped off homes along with damage to windows and shingles. Power outages were reported along with numerous downed trees. One person was injured after being struck by shattered glass and subsequently required stitches. The tornado in Embrun caused tree damage and minor roof damage to several homes, while the tornado in Fournier resulted in damage to crops and trees. No injuries were reported in either of those instances.
movedthroughsouthwesternOntarioduringthe eveningofJuly26th,producinganEF-1tornado inthetownofBlenheimandin EF-1downburst in the Harrow-Kingsville area. The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed the events after damage to homes, sheds, crops and trees was found in Blenheim, with one particular shed caving in on itself as found in drone footage. In Harrow and Kingsville, snapped power poles resultedinnumerouspoweroutagesanddowned trees caused significant structural damage to homes.Thestrongestrecordedwindspeedswere reported at Harrow 91km/h and Windsor InternationalAirport 87km/h. The same system also brought significant rainfall spanning from southwestern Ontario to northeastern Ontario withanaverageof40to60mmofrainreported, however an impressive 86.9 mm of rain was reportedonPeleeIsland.
July 20th:
Another low pressure system moved throughOntarioonJuly20th,bringingheavyrain to portions of northeastern and central Ontario, whilst damaging winds and hail pummeled southwesternOntario.Between30and70mmof rain was reported throughout northeastern and centralOntariowithGoreBayreceivingatotalof 72.6 mm, the highest total reported.As the cold front swept through southwestern Ontario, severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as baseballs in Courtright andAmherstburg, while Cottamreceivedtennisballsizedhail,asightnot often seen in Ontario. The Northern Tornadoes Project later confirmed that the storms also producedtwotornadoesandfourmicroburstsin additiontothehail.AnEF-1tornadooccurredin the evening in South Buxton, significantly damaging the roof of a home. Tree and crop damagewasalsofound.AnEF-0wasconfirmed inPetroliawherethetornadocauseddamagetoa barnroofaswellastrees.FourEF-0downbursts were confirmed to have occurred in Point Edward/Sarnia, Wardsville, Wilkesport, and Alvinston resulting in minor damage to homes, trees, crops, farm equipment and more significantdamagetoalargemachineshed.Peak wind gusts of 117 km/h were reported in Sarnia and 98 km/h in St. Catharines as the storms passedthrough.
July26th:DamagingWindsandHeavyRains AffectSouthernOntarioOnceAgain
Another line of severe thunderstorms
July 28th: Impressive Storm Prompts Broadcast Intrusive Severe Thunderstorm WarninginOttawa
Yet another system moved through southernOntarioonJuly28th.IneasternOntario a cold front prompted severe thunderstorm warningsintheNationalCapitalRegion(NCR) with the main concerns being large hail and damaging winds. One particular storm strengthened rapidly as it approached Ottawa, eventually prompting forecasters to issue a broadcastintrusiveseverethunderstormwarning foruptobaseball-sizedhail.Ping-pongballand golf ball sized hail were reported with some reports of up to tennis ball-sized hail in the Ottawa region. The rarely seen damaging hail caused cracked windshields, broken exterior lights and tree damage in the NCR.Afterwards, numerous additional thunderstorms formed, prompting tornado warnings and causing tree damage in Gatineau, Embrun and Russell. Funnelcloudswerealsospotted,however,there are no known confirmed tornadoes at this time. The thunderstorms resulted in over 43,000 customerslosingpowerandtherewerereportsof significant ponding and pooling on roads in the Ottawaarea.
Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for much of the province with the exceptionofWindsortotheGreaterTorontoArea where there is no clear trend. For precipitation, thereisnocleartrendfortheprovince.
Whenever it gets close to Christmas, no matterwhereIam,mythoughtsturntogrowing up in Chapleau, and the Dr. G. E. 'Ted' Young display that was referred to as "our Disneyland" Indeeditwas!
This year has been no different with a boostfromLeoVezinaandHarrietBouillon.Leo postedaphotofromoneofthedisplaysonLouise Tremblay's Chapleau History and Genealogy page on Facebook and Harriet suggested he contactmerephotosshehadsentmesomeyears ago.IsawtheirpostsandhereIameventhoughI mayrepeatmyselfabitfromearliercolumns.
Togetstarted,whenIwasgrowingupin Chapleau and had come down with one of the commonchildhooddiseases,aftermymotherleft for school, I would suggest to my grandmother thatwecallDr.Youngwhoforsurewouldcome andmakemebetter.
Almost momentarily, or so it seemed, Dr. Young would appearwithhisblackbag,andsit besidemybed.takemypulseand temperature, and my favorite, takeouthisstethoscopeandand have me take deep breaths to makesureIwasstillalive.Then he would talk with Nanny, my grandmother, Edith Hunt, who assuredmeshewouldfollowhis instructions and in due course, I would be "all better" and head backtoschool.
When my dog Rex was hit by a car while I was still in public school, I carried him into the house, in tears, shouting at mymother,MurielE.Morris,"CallDr.Young." She did and once again, it seemed within moments, he arrived. After examining Rex, he told me to put a blanket near the wood stove as well as food and water, and let him be. Amazingly, Rex recovered and lived another 10 years.Dr.Younghaddoneitagain.
George Edward "Ted" Young, who served Chapleau and area for 50 years as a medicaldoctor,wasbornonNovember2,1914, diedatage95onNovember14,2010.
Foralmostacentury,borninChapleau to George and Mabel Young, he strode like a colossusthrougheveryaspectofcommunitylife -- as a young athlete who became famous for swimming to Mulligan's Bay, as an officer in Number 1181 Chapleau High School Cadet Corps,asamedicalstudentatQueen'sUniversity who came home to practise for six months in 1942 and remained 50 years before he retired in 1994, as the builderoftheChapleaubeach,as
amemberoftownshipcouncil,asacabletelevision pioneer, and as one who wasconstantlyundertakingnew projects, many of which were never quite completed. He was also a founding member of the Chapleau Rotary Club and servedasitssecondpresident.
He started his famous Christmasdisplaysshortlyafter he launched his practise in the home originally built and owned by G.B. Nicholson, the community's first reeve, and lumberbaron.
After I posted some photos on Louise Tremblay's popular page, the comments aboutDr.Youngstartedandhad reached close to 50 when I Cont’donP.5
by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
It's been almost a year since the Federal ElectoralBoundariesCommissionforOntariofirst submitted their proposal to change the electoral map, proposing to eliminate Algoma-ManitoulinKapuskasing, and reducing the total number of ridings across Northern Ontario, from ten to nine. TheConstitutionofCanadarequiresthisprocessof redrawing electoral maps every ten years, and while a large part of the process is focused on changingpopulationdemographics,thedecisionto removearidinginNorthernOntariodefinitelyfelt shortsighted, particularly as the population in Northern Ontario is growing. However, despite rational arguments to maintain the number of ridings across the North, both during the short public hearing phase, and during Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) meetings, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontarioultimatelydecidedtoeliminateourriding, and as a result this will surely negatively impact representationacrosstheNorth.
Following a short few months of public consultations,noneofwhichwereheldinAlgomaManitoulin-Kapuskasing, the current riding being affected the most by the proposal, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario camebacktothetablewithasecondproposalthat didnotallowforpublicinput.Thiswasafterinitial interventions from across the North that voiced significantconcernsabouteliminatinganelectoral district. In the words of the Federal Electoral BoundariesCommissionforOntario'sreport,“this proposal for Northern Ontario generated considerable public interest, input and criticism. There were submissions related to several topics; however, there was an especially high volume of submissionsurgingtheCommissiontomaintain10 ridings in this region. This included resolutions from dozens of municipalities, political representatives,variousorganizationsoperatingin the North, and the general public.” There was a clear interest from Northern Ontario communities and residents to maintain their voice through the redistribution process and despite the number of submissionsfromacrosstheNorthtomaintainthe numberofridings,onlyminimalbutconsequential adjustments were made by the Commission to its initialproposal.
Sincetherewasnopossibilityforthepublic to provide input on the second iteration of the commission's proposal, it was up to Members of Parliament to bring those matters to the PROC Committee. Five MPs representing Northern Ontarioconstituenciesvoicedtheirconcernsabout
the major impact this would have on effective representation in our huge neck of the woods. Thoseofuswhoarguedtomaintainthenumberof ridings across Northern Ontario were generally well-receivedbytheCommittee.InfactthePROC Committee,intheirreportontheFederalElectoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario's proposal, supportedtheargumentsmadebyNorthernOntario MPstomaintain10ridings.
However,therewasaninterestingpieceto theCommitteemeetingsthatdidnotfeelobviousat the time, but does in retrospect, especially in reading the Conservative Party's Dissenting Opinion on the PROC Committee report. Not a single Conservative MP from Northern Ontario appeared at the PROC Committee to discuss the ElectoralBoundariesCommission'sproposal.And intheirDissentingOpinion,theConservativeParty rejectedtheideaofretainingtenridingsinNorthern Ontario, stating “respectfully, we submit that no changesshouldbemadetotheCommission'sfinal proposal for Northern Ontario ridings.” Further, they state that “to claim that the loss of a single Northern Ontario riding will create 'undue hardship' is unpersuasive.” It was truly shocking anddisappointingthattheConservativessupported having a riding removed from Northern Ontario, which reduces effective representation and our voiceinOttawa.
Ultimately, the final decision on the redistribution rested with the Federal Electoral
Boundaries Commission for Ontario, and following the tabling of the report, this riding will beremovedasanelectoraldistrictandredistributed toSouthernOntario.Initsreport,theCommission did recommend for Parliament to address the number of seats in Northern Ontario. This would require an act of Parliament, and there is precedence for this, both at the Federal and Provincial levels. For example, in 2015, the Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission (FNEBC) was established to examine how representationcouldbeimprovedinourprovince's two largest and northernmost ridings, and added two separate electoral districts to ensure everyone inNorthernOntariohadtheirinterestsrepresented. We must now examine the possibility of a similar processtotheFNEBCattheFederalleveltoensure theinterestsofNorthernOntariansareprotected.
It is also worth noting that the Commission'sproposalsstillneedtobedeclaredto be in force by proclamation of the Governor-inCouncil, which will not occur until September. Further to this, if, for any reason, an election is calledwithinsevenmonthsoftheproclamation,we retainthepreviouselectoralmaptogiveElections Canada enough time to prepare for a new general electionunderthenewboundaries.
The idea that Northern Ontario is losing representationisexceptionallyunfortunate,butthe fight must continue to address effective representationinNorthernOntario.
dansleNorddel'Ontario.
Après la tenue de consultations publiques durant quelques mois, dont aucune n'a eu lieu au sein de la circonscription d'Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, la plus affectée par la proposition en question, la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électorales fédérales pour l'Ontario est revenue à la charge avec une deuxième proposition qui n'offrait aucune occasion à la population de s'exprimer. Cette proposition a été avancée après que des intervenants à travers le Nord de l'Ontario ont exprimédespréoccupationsmajeuresausujetde l'abolition d'une circonscription électorale. Le rapport de la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électorales fédérales pour l'Ontario établit le constat suivant : « La propositionsurleNorddel'Ontarioasuscitéune grandemobilisationpubliqueetdonnélieuàun nombre considérable de commentaires et de critiques. Les observations portaient sur plusieurs sujets, mais on y exhortait surtout la Commissionàmaintenirlesdixcirconscriptions de la région. Notons également que des résolutionsontétéprésentéespardesdizainesde municipalités, d'élus, d'organismes de la région SuiteP.8
LeredécoupagedescirconscriptionsélectoralesduNorddel'Ontarionuitàcetterégion Cela fait presque un an que la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électorales fédérales pour l'Ontario a présenté une proposition de modificationdelacarteélectoralevisantàabolir la circonscription d'Algoma-ManitoulinKapuskasing,etàréduirededixàneuflenombre total de circonscriptions dans le Nord de l'Ontario. La Constitution du Canada exige que le processus de redécoupage des cartes électoralessoitrévisétouslesdixans.Toutefois, bienqu'unegrandepartieduprocessussoitaxée sur les changements démographiques, la décision d'abolir une circonscription dans le Nord de l'Ontario témoigne d'un manque de vision, notamment parce que la population du Nord de l'Ontario est en pleine croissance. Malgrélaprésentationd'argumentsrationnelsen faveur du maintien du nombre de circonscriptions dans le Nord de l'Ontario, tant aucoursdelacourtephased'audiencepublique quelorsdesréunionsduComitédelaprocédure et des affaires de la Chambre (PROC), la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électorales fédérales pour l'Ontario a tout de même décidé d'abolir notre circonscription, ce qui aura assurément des conséquences négatives sur la représentation
ThegovernmentsofCanadaandOntario are investing up to $7.5 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help eligible agri-food businesses and contributors enhance their biosecuritymeasurestosupportanimalandplant health,andfoodsafety.
The Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative (BEI)isanew,cost-shareofferingthatwillhelp farmers, food processors, and other essential farm-supporting agri-food businesses protect their operations against disease, enhance operational resilience and heighten public trust in the
foodsupplysystem.
“Ontario's diverse agri-food system upholdssomeoftheworld'shigheststandardsfor processingsafetyandpreventativebestmanagementpractices,”saidPeterFragiskatos,Member of Parliament for London North Centre. “This Initiative will help the sector enhance the biosecurity of their operations to continue growingsustainablytohelpfeedCanadaandthe world.”
Cont’dfromP.3 beganworkonthiscolumn.
HereisarandomselectionwithoutnamesasIdidnotask permissiontoquote.
"AChapleau icon. Fondly remembered as a great man" -"Fantasticdoctorandwealwayslookedforwardtowhatnewthing hewasaddingeachyear,"-- GreatoldDr.Young.Ihadmanygreat conversations with him and will always remember him." --" Dr. Youngwasfromtheoldschool.Hehadno problem making homevisits."
Thereweremanysimilarcomments.
On a personal basis, Dr.Young and I were good personal friends,andafterImovedfromChapleautoteachatCollegeofthe RockiesinCranbrookBC,IspentamonthvisitingwithhimwhenI returned home for the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Chapleau in 2001. Much storytelling which continued when he travelledwestandvisitedmehere.UntilthatvisitIwasnotaware thathismotherwasfromCrestonsowewentthereandvisitedthe church the family attended and the family plot in the local cemetery. He told me he was not sure he could find the grave but he walkedrighttoit!!!
Asafeandstablesupplychainrequiresa strong biosecurity approach.To support Ontario in this goal, as outlined in the Grow Ontario Strategy, this initiative will be available to entities such as veterinary clinics, livestock auction barns and commingling facilities, grain elevators, seed treatmentfacilities,andtransportation providers. Examples of eligible projects include establishing or improving cleaning practices, creating isolation facilities,constructingwashbays for disinfecting and training to support the mitigation of biosecurityrisksinfoodproduction.
consumers can trust that the highest safety standards are employed as Ontario produces someofthebestsourcesoffoodavailablearound theglobe.”
UndertheBEI,themaximumamountof funding available and the proportion of costsharefundingforprojectsdependsontheactivity supported.Thisinitiativewasdevelopedfollowing discussions with agri-food sector businesses andorganizations.Italsofollowsinvestmentsof approximately$3milliontoenhancebiosecurity and emergency preparedness in Ontario's pork sector.
Sustainable CAP is a five-year (20232028), $3.5-billion investment by federal‐provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food, and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territoriallyforprogramsthataredesigned anddeliveredbytheprovincesandterritories.
IextendmymostsincerethankstoLeoVezinaandHarriet Bouillon for prompting me to reflect on a few memories of Dr. Young, and congrats to Louise Tremblay for her Facebook page..Myemailismj.morris@live.ca. Reprinted
“In our Grow Ontario Strategy, we identified that new technologies, best practices and biosecurity measures will strengthen Ontario's agriculture and food industry,” said Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “By ensuring the industry can embrace these protocols,
Dutiesonsoftwoodlumberhurtingforestryindustryand
705-864-4376
SinceApril2017,CanadiansoftwoodlumberexportershavefacedU.S.duty deposits,andwhiletheDoCrecentlyreduceddutyratesforOntariocompanies,our governmentremainsdisappointedthattheseunwarranteddutiesstillexist.
The United States depends on softwood lumber from Ontario's forests for high-quality building materials, but its trade practices are harming Canadian softwoodlumberproducersandaddingadditionalcostsforconsumersonbothsides oftheborder.
Ontariowillcontinuetodefendtheworkers,familiesandcommunitieswho rely on our forest sector and strongly oppose any trade practices that restrict our companiesfromfaircompetitioninexportmarkets.
Togetherwithprovincialgovernments,thefederalgovernmentandindustry leadersacrossthecountry,westandunitedtosupporttheCanadianforestindustry andfreetradebetweenourtwocountries.”
Lastweekssolutions
OnAug. 16, 1962, Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as drummer for The Beatles after the group's manager,BrianEpstein,firedBestattherequestof John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Best sued the rockers for defamation of characterandwonanout-of-courtsettlement.
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
MICHAEL C. ALLEMANO, B.A., L.L.B.
Certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Real Estate Law P.O. Box 10, 369 Queen St. E. Suite 103 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
P6A 1Z4
Phone (705) 942-0142
Fax (705) 942-7188
TIMMINS - CHAPLEAU - TIMMINS
Monday to Friday: 1 lb. to 10,000 lbs
Monday to Friday
P.O. Box 1700, 37 Broadway Avenue, Wawa, Ontario P0S 1K0
Phone (705) 856-4970
Fax (705) 856-2713
GIVE USACALLAT 1-705-264-4334
1-705-363-7804
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (A.A).Open discussion meeting every Monday evening. Brunswick House First Nation Band office lounge 7pm.NarcoticsAnonymous(N.A)everyTuesdaysameplacesametime. NNADAPWorker@864-0174info.
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.
Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, Jamie West (Sudbury), NDP Critic for Labour, and Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay—SuperiorNorth), NDPCriticforWSIB and Injured Workers, are raising their concerns about recently proposed changes to the WSIB appeal process that will negatively impact injured workers.
“The proposed changes will make it harder—oroutrightimpossible—forworkerstoget justice,” Stiles said. “We're talking about people's livelihoods and their ability to provide for their families. We can't let Ford's Conservatives hang injuredworkersouttodry.”
Amongthechanges,whichwereproposed byprivatecorporateconsultants,hiredbyWSIB,is a push to shorten case appeal time to 30 days. A recent FOI by the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups Statistics for statistics from the WorkplaceSafetyandInsuranceAppealsTribunal revealedthatoverasixmonthperiodin2022,more than 80 percent of negative WSIB decisions were overturned at appeal—indicating that injured and illworkers'claimsarebeingunfairlydeniedatthe initialadjudicationlevel.
“Torequiresomeoneinpaintoscrambleto make an appeal within 30 days is unnecessarily
cruel, especially when wait lists to access these services are often much longer than that,” Stiles said.
WSIB is mandated to make injured workers financially whole and to facilitate a safe return to work, if possible. The proposed changes wouldmakebothmuchmoredifficult.
“Howcanyouclaimtosayyou're'working for workers' when you're taking away their access to justice and pushing them into poverty?” Vaugeois said. “The changes all seem designed to let businesses off the hook, which will only force more injured workers onto insufficient public assistanceastheironlysourceofsupport.”
After pressure from injured workers, the labour movement, and the NDP, the government reluctantly and quietly agreed to a truncated consultationprocessontheproposedchanges.The deadlineforfeedbackistoday.
The Ontario NDP is calling on the governmentto:
1. RejectthechangesproposedintheKPMG report;
2. Failingthis,extendthedeadline(currently July 21) to permit submissions for another six months so that unions and the public have time to respondthoroughlytotheproposedchanges;
3. Ensure consultations occur in a public setting and should be led by experienced workers' compensationadvocates;and
4. Notify all injured workers of the consultation so they have the opportunity to respond.
“Injured workers already feel invisible underFord'sConservatives,”Vaugeoissaid.“This government returned $1.2B to businesses from a so-called 'surplus' of WSIB funds—that's money effectivelystolenfrominjuredworkers.Asaresult, we have seen some injured workers self-medicate with opioids so they can work through the pain, becausethey'reafraidoflosingtheironlysourceof income.”
“This fight is about bringing awareness to workplace injuries, standing up for the rights of injured workers and adding more provisions to ensure workers have access to the compensation they need and are entitled to,” added West. “The proposed changes suggest a shift in focus by the WSIB, unjustly placing the burden of workplace injuriesonthepublicratherthanholdingemployers accountable for providing safety and protection at all times. Workers deserve fair treatment and support, not added obstacles on their path to recovery."
SuitedelaP.4 etdemembresdupublic.»Lescollectivitésetles habitants du Nord de l'Ontario ont clairement manifesté leur volonté de continuer à faire entendreleurpointdevuedanslecadreduprocessus de redécoupage des cartes électorales. Cependant, malgré le nombre élevé de soumissionsprovenantdel'ensembleduNorddel'Ontario enfaveurdumaintiendunombreactueldecirconscriptions, la commission n'a apporté que des ajustements mineurs, mais conséquents à sa propositioninitiale.
Lapopulationn'ayantpaslapossibilitéde donnersonavisconcernantladeuxièmeversionde lapropositionavancéeparlacommission,c'estaux députés qu'il incombait de présenter ce genre d'enjeux au comité PROC. Ainsi, cinq députés représentant des circonscriptions du Nord de l'Ontario ont exprimé leurs inquiétudes quant à l'impact majeur que cette décision aurait sur la représentation effective au sein de notre région. Les députés qui ont plaidé pour le maintien du nombreactueldecirconscriptionsdansleNordde l'Ontario ont généralement reçu un accueil favorabledelapartdelacommission.Enfait,dansson rapport portant sur la proposition de la commission, le comité PROC a réitéré les arguments avancés par les députés du Nord de l'Ontario en faveurdumaintiende10circonscriptions.
Néanmoins, les réunions tenues par la commission comportaient un aspect intéressant qui ne semblait pas évident à l'époque, mais qui l'estenrétrospective,notammentlaprésentationde l'opinion dissidente du Parti conservateur sur le rapportducomitéPROC.Aucundéputéconserva-
teurduNorddel'Ontariones'estprésentédevantle comitéPROCpourdiscuterdelapropositiondela commission. Par ailleurs, dans son opinion dissidente, le Parti conservateur a rejeté l'idée de conserver 10 circonscriptions dans le Nord de l'Ontario, affirmant la chose suivante : « Nous estimons en tout respect qu'aucun changement ne devrait être apporté à la proposition finale de la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électoralesfédéralespourl'Ontario.».Parailleurs, les conservateurs ont déclaré que « prétendre que l'abolition d'une seule circonscription du Nord de l'Ontario risque de créer des ''contraintes excessives'' n'est pas convaincant. ». Il est tout à fait choquant et décevant de constater que les conservateurs soutiennent l'abolition d'une circonscription électorale du Nord de l'Ontario, ce qui aura pour conséquence concrète d'affaiblir notre représentationàOttawa.
La décision finale concernant le redécoupage des cartes électorales revient à la Commission de délimitation des circonscriptions électorales fédérales pour l'Ontario. À la suite du dépôt du rapport, la circonscription d'AlgomaManitoulin-Kapuskasingseraabolieetredécoupée enfaveurduSuddel'Ontario.Danssonrapport,la commission recommande bel et bien que le Parlementsepenchesurlenombredesiègesdans leNorddel'Ontario.Cechangementdevrapasser paruneloifédérale,etilexistedesprécédentsenla matière, tant à l'échelle fédérale que provinciale. Parexemple,en2015,laCommissiondedélimitation des circonscriptions électorales du Grand Nord (CDCEGN) a été mise sur pied dans le but d'examiner la manière d'améliorer la représenta-
tiondanslesdeuxcirconscriptionslesplusgrandes et situées les plus au nord dans notre province. Deuxcirconscriptionsélectoralesdistinctesontété créées pour faire en sorte que les intérêts de l'ensemble des habitants du Nord de l'Ontario soient représentés. Nous devons à présent examiner la possibilité de mettre en place un processus similaire à celui introduit par la CDCEGN à l'échelle fédérale, afin d'assurer la protection des intérêtsdeshabitantsduNorddel'Ontario.
Il convient également de noter que les propositions de la Commission devront être réputées être entrées en vigueur par proclamation dugouverneurenconseil,cequinerisquepasdese produire avant septembre. En outre, si, pour une raisonquelconque,desélectionssontconvoquées dans les sept mois suivant la proclamation, nous devrons conserver l'ancienne carte électorale afin de donner à Élections Canada suffisamment de tempspourpréparerlatenuedenouvellesélections généralesselonlesnouvellesdélimitations.
Le fait que la population du Nord de l'Ontario perd une circonscription est tout à fait navrant,etnousdevonsparconséquentpoursuivre laluttepourassurerunereprésentationefficacede cetterégion.
