02022023 February 2 2023

Talk about good coffee!

Miss Muggins Coffee and Fresh Donuts

It'sthe25thPikeIceFishingDerby

There's a little over a week left until the Chapleau River and Mulligan's Bay are populated by eager anglers who will be trying to reel in a qualifying fish in hopes of winningoneoftheawesomeprizesofferedbythe Rotary Club of Chapleau. Can you believe it? Thereareover$85,000ofprizesupforgrabsthis year, including a mystery prize, so come on out on Saturday February 11 and put your fishing skills to the test. If you haven't purchased your ticket, you may still do so, at RBC Chapleau branch, Collins Home Hardware and NAPA Chapleau Auto Parts. The Rotary Club of

1st

Chapleau will also be selling derby tickets at registration, held on Friday February 10 at the CommunityHallfrom2:00p.m.until10:00p.m. andattheweigh-instationattheCivicCentreon Derby day. There will also be a cash bar at registration, as well as a buffet provided by La Bienvenue restaurant. Come and register, pick up your flags, enjoy a tasty meal and a beverage as you swap

fish tails with your fellow anglers. A reminder…Thereisnofishingordrilling of holes in the week prior to the Derby! Thisyear,youmaynotfishordrillholes ontheChapleauRiverorMulligan's Bay fromFebruary4thonwardsifyouintend onparticipatinginthisyear'sderby. There are a few changes to this year'sderby.Forthosewhohavefishedat the Wawa derby, some of these changes willbefamiliar toyou.Youmustsignon and off the ice on the sheets that will be posted at the entrance of the weigh-in station. Rather than sticks to mark holes as we have done in the past, you will be picking up flags at registration. These flagswillfeatureyourticketnumberand mustbeplacednexttoyouractivefishing hole, or on your hut if you are fishing inside an ice hut.Along with your flags, you will be given a card with your ticket numberonit.Beforeheadingouttoyour fishing spot and drilling holes, you must cometotheweigh-instationandhandoveryour card and we will sign you on the ice so you can head out quickly and get started. If you are several in your party, one party member may bringallthecardsinforyourparty.Onceyouare done fishing, you will return to the weigh-in station,returnyourflagsandsignyourselfoffthe ice.Yourflags,oncereturned,willbeenteredina drawforaprize.Thisistoensurethatallanglers areofftheicesafelyandthatnooneisstrandedat theendofthederby.

2022Winner

There is no meal at the arena following

thederbythisyear.TheRotaryClubofChapleau will be announcing the prizewinners via Facebook Live from the Council chambers. For those who don't have Internet or access to Facebook, you are welcome to attend the prize distribution in person. Prizes will be awarded startingat7:30p.m.Asalways,weinviteyouto visit our Pike Ice Fishing Derby Facebook page for information, for live updates on Derby day andforourFacebookLiveannouncementofour winners.Welookforwardtowelcoming ourout of town anglers and we look forward to seeing youallsoon.

1stPrizewinnerof$10,000 KeithBoyer

WeatherSummaryforOntario January2023:AMostlyMildMonth

Temperatures

The majority of January was characterized by well above normal temperatures across the province, with some areas seeing temperatures as much as 6oC above normal. For some locations, it was one of the top five warmest Januariesonrecord.Lookingatindividualdays, several of them were very mild. In fact, from January 15 to 17, daily temperatures across northern Ontario were more than 16oC above normal. The greatest departure from normal occurred at Moosonee on January 16 when temperatures were an incredible 21.3oC above normal! Despite the very mild days, the main storywasreallyaboutthelongevityoftheabove normal temperatures. From about Christmas through to the last few days of January, many

Obituary

Kenneth Robert Mcauley

Passed Away Peacefully With His Daughter And Son By His Side At The Chapleau Health Services On Sunday, January 29, 2023 At The Age Of 77 Years.

Predeceased By His Common-law Wife Glenda Rose Gherbaz. Loving Father Of Terri-ann Bouchard(danny),DeborahMcauley,Late Lisa Mcauley And Michael Mcauley (meganO'link).ProudGrandfatherOfEric, Robert “bobby” And Jaden. Son Of The LateGeorgeAndNellie“toy”Mcauley.Dear Brother Of Robert Mcauley (liason) And David Mcauley. He Will Be Remembered By His Nieces And Nephews. At Ken's Request There Will Be No Funeral Services. Cremation Has Taken Place At River'sEdgeCremationCentre,SaultSte. Marie. Memorial Donations Made To The Alzheimer Society Would Be Greatly Appreciated By The Family. The Family Would Like To Send A Thank You To The Nurses At The Bignucolo Residence For TheCareTheyHaveGivenToKenDuring HisYearsThere.(arrangementsEntrusted ToTheKerryFuneralHome,Wawa,On,1800-439-4937).www.kerryfuneralhome.ca

placeshadonlyoneor two (and sometimes zero) days with below normaltemperatures.

The last few days of the month featured temperatures that were well below normalacrossportions of northern Ontario, where daily temperatures were as much as 12oC below normal. Over the south, temperatures fell to nearnormalvalues.

Precipitation

With the exception of the far north where precipitation was near normal, much of northern Ontario receivedbelownormalprecipitation,andinsome casesitwaslessthan50%ofthenormalamount. Forthemostpart,southernOntarioreceivednear normalamountsofprecipitation.Thiscamefrom several weather systems that affected the area overthecourseofthemonthwithrain,snowand freezingrain.

Lookingatjustsnowfall,muchofeastern Ontario towards the Golden Horseshoe and up towards the Nickel Belt in northeastern Ontario received near to above normal amounts. In fact, overeasternOntarioclosetotheQuebecborder, snowfall amounts were more than 150% of average. The 96.5 cm recorded at the Ottawa AirportmadeitthesecondsnowiestJanuaryever reported there. Record keeping began there in 1938.Lakeeffectsnowwasgenerallylacking,as there were very few instances of cold arctic air invadingintotheregion.Asaresult,thesnowbelt regions near Lake Huron and Georgian Bay receivedslightlybelownormalprecipitation.

SignificantEvents

January 4 to 5: Wintry Mix in Southern and NortheasternOntario

Alow pressure system brought a wintry mix of precipitation to much of the province. Northeastern Ontario saw a mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. North Bay and Gore Bay had nearly 5 hours of freezing rain and freezing drizzle. Sudbury, Warren and Barrage Temiscamingue all received 15 to 16 cm of snowfall.CentralandeasternOntariostartedout with rain that evolved into freezing rain as

temperatures dropped overnight. Significant freezing rain in Ottawa caused damage and a partialoutagetotheirtransitsystem,whichtook multiple days to fully repair. Reports from Cornwall indicated significant ice build up on trees caused some to split in half and others fell ontocars.BythemorningofJanuary5,justunder 9000 Hydro One customers were affected by poweroutagesacrosscentralandeasternOntario. TheremainderofsouthernOntarioreceivedrain and a few isolated thunderstorms, with Whitby andFishervillereceiving37.8mmand33.0mm of rain, respectively. Downtown Toronto reported20.6mmofrain,whichcausedflooding toanunderpass.

January 12 to 13: Wintry Mix in Southern Ontario(Again)

AColoradolowbroughtawintrymixof precipitation to southern Ontario, creating slippery conditions and causing numerous collisions across the region. Snow and freezing rain were the main concern for eastern Ontario. The highest snowfall amounts occurred over easternOntario,whichwascombinedwithafew hours of freezing rain and/or freezing drizzle. Ottawa Airport received 5.5 hours of freezing rainandfreezingdrizzleand26cmofsnowfall, causing flight delays and cancellations. Buses were also cancelled across eastern Ontario. The restofsouthernOntariosawachangefromrainto snow. Kingston, Mississauga, and Woodstock each received just less than 5 cm of snowfall. Police responded to dozens of collisions on GreaterTorontoAreahighwaysafterrain Cont’donP.5

Chapleau Moments

by MichaelJ. Morris

TheQueenofthe1938ChapleauWinter Carnival arrived for her coronation in true northernstyleonasledpulledbyhuskydogsto the location in downtown Chapleau where CarnivalKingCharlesMcGregorwaswaiting.

Ross Kemp was the driver of the sled carryingtheQueenwhileChiefParadeMarshal Jimmy Purich, resplendent in his uniform, headed the Queen`s procession from the CPR station over the old horsehoe bridge to Main Street,ridingapurewhitehorsepullinganother sled.

It was Chapleau's second winter carnival, and despite the effects of the Great Depressiononthecommunity,peoplewereout foragoodtime.

Marie Perpete was crowned the Queen oftheCarnival.TheChapleauPostreportedthat shewasdressedinapurewhiteskicostumewith white ski boots, white slacks, and a parka trimmedwithwhitefur.

Ever the Chapleau booster, A.J. "Art" Grout, who had the title, Minister of Foreign Affairs,hadwrittenalettertoH.K.Kennedy,the editor of a magazine called 'The Vacationer' extending an invitation to him to come from Toronto for the carnival. I have no idea if Mr. Kennedy made the trip but Mr. Grout, super salesman that he was, extolled the wonders of Chapleauinhisletter.

He wrote in part that Chapleau was a very modern town with a population of about 2,800 people well equipped with schools, hotels, and business places and "is far more modernthanonewouldexpectinaplacesofar in the Northern wilds." Remember that at this time in its history, Chapleau was very isolated with the CPR being primary way to get to and fromtown.

Talk about turning potential negatives intopositiveswhentalkingaboutChapleau,Mr. Groutwasarealprofessional.WritingaboutMr. Grout in Chapleau Trails, Dr. Bill Pellow, the editorandpublisher,referstohimas"astaunch promoter"oftheearlywintercarnivals.Hesure was.

Mr. Grout's letter continued that "timbered forests came down to within a few

ChapleauMoments:1938ChapleauWinterCarnival featured122eventsinmidstofGreatDepression

hundred yards of the outskirts of the town" but the citizens were enthusiastic about winter sportsandgotintowintercostumestoenjoythe carnivaltothefullest.healsomentionedthatit was common to have five feet of snow and 40 belowzerotemperaturesatcarnivaltime.

At the 1938 winter carnival there were 122wintersportseventsspreadoverthreedays, Mr Grout wrote. One of the major events was thesleddograceswithover20highclassteams entered. There were skiing events taking place on a new 45 foot tower for jumping as well as logchoppingandacurlingbonspiel.

Five hockey teams made up of teams from Chapleau and surrounding camps would beplayinginatournamentandtherewasalsoa turkeyshootandofcoursethegranddances.

A highlight of the carnival was the midnight torch light parade and snake dance downthemainstreet.

It fascinates me to see the tremendous

communityspiritthatwassoaliveinChapleau during the Great Depression as the citizens launchedanannualwintercarnival.Ilookedin 'Break at Nine', George Tremblay's excellent bookonthemoviesandlifeinChapleautosee whathemighthavesaidaboutthosetimes. Mr. Tremblay wrote in part: "... Chapleau saw its share of hardship during the depression.There was no such thing as a food bank to help the hungry and unemployment insurance was unheard of in the 30s. However, people helped each other and when a family slipped into a desperate situation, their neighbourswouldorganizeeventstohelpthem out..." Yet they put together a carnival. Mr. TremblaywasbornandraisedinChapleau. Throughtheyears,theChapleauWinter Carnival brought everyone together and I will share more about them in future columns. My thankstoDougGreigforhishelpwiththisone. Myemailismj.morris@live.ca.

1938Carnival Parade onoldhorsehoebridge

from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

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

Canada's treasured public health care system is feeling particularly strained right now. Hospitals are overcrowded, surgical wait lists are long,ERshaveclosedtheirdoorsduetowaittimes, and staffing levels aren't keeping up with the necessary demand,withBernieRobinson, Interim President of the Ontario Nurses' Association recently stating that in this province alone, we are 25,000nursesshort.

It's vital that the Federal government stop dragging its feet when it comes to responding to Provincial and Territorial health care needs to ensure that publicly funded health care is able to handle the current strain. This is an issue that has been discussed consistently for over a year, when the Premiers from across Canada asked the Prime Minister, in no uncertain terms, to sit at the table withthemtohammeroutanewdealforhealthcare delivery. While there is some positive indication thatanewhealthcaredealisintheworks,concerns remain regarding the failure of the government to defendourpublichealthsystem.

Oneofthemostsignificantissuesthathas been coming off the back of the health care crisis

3

HealthCarePrivatizationMustBeStopped

our country is facing is the slow normalization of privatization of parts of our health care system in the name of “streamlining” services, predominantly from Conservative Premiers. Recently, Ontario Premier Doug Ford expanded the private delivery of public health care by funding private clinics to perform essential health services such as MRI and CT scans, colonoscopies,cataractsurgeries,andhipandknee replacements; a move opposed by five major Ontario health care unions, including The CanadianUnionofPublicEmployees,theOntario Nurses' Association, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Service Employees International Union Healthcare and Unifor. In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith has floated the ideaofa“healthcarespendingaccount,”butdetails on this proposal are limited at the moment. Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, in their province's November Speech from the Throne, advised they would be looking at using more privatepartnershipstodeliverhealthcare.

Butthesearen'ttheonlyareaswherehealth careservicesarebeingthreatenedbyprivatization. Maple, an Ontario-based company funded in part by Loblaws, offers people the opportunity to visit virtually with a general practitioner – for $69 per visit, or for a $30 monthly user fee. Usually, a companycannotchargeforhealthservicesoffered under OHIP or other provincial health insurance, as this would be a direct contravention of the CanadaHealthAct.However,theygetaroundthis by connecting clients with a

(NC) In recent years, discussions about plant-based protein and vegetarian diets havebeenmagnified.Althoughthesetypesofdietshaveexistedformanycenturies, recentstudieshaveshownthatoptingforplant-basedmealsafewtimesaweekcan havemanybenefits.

1.

Getaddedfibre

Unlike animal meats, plant-based proteins include lots of fibre, a crucial nutrientforourhealth.

“Various nutrients, includingfibre, can have a significantrole in managing our heart health, blood sugar, gut and kidney health,” notes Karen Sevong, a registereddietitianvolunteerwithTheKidneyFoundationofCanada.

“Replacing animal-based protein with plant-based alternatives may help easeourkidneys,whichhelpbalancetheacidityinourbodiesbyreducingtheacidic load.”

But if you have kidney disease, Sevong adds that it’s important to keep in mindphosphorusandpotassiumlevelsinplant-basedingredients.

2.Managegrocerycosts

With inflation and a high cost of living, saving on groceries has become a priorityformanyofus.Ifyou’relookingtocutdownonyourgrocerybills,consider switching at least a few meals a week to plant-based ingredients.This easy switch willhelpkeepyouonbudgetandloweryourspending.

3.Lighterenvironmentalfootprint

Cropfarmingoftenusesfeweracrescomparedtoanimalfarming,andoften useslessreducedwatertoo,makingitalessresource-intensiveoption.

Ahealthydietisadietfilledwithnutritiousfoodandavarietyofingredients. Adding more plant-based meals can help you diversify your meal plan to get the nutrientsyouneedandsatisfyyourhunger.

Find resources and recipes for healthy plant-based meals at kidneycommunitykitchen.ca.

GP or nurse practitioner outside of their home province, which is not covered by provincial insurance, and therefore, is not technically in contravention of the Canada Health Act. Health Canadahasexpressed“concern”aboutMaple,but they are technically acting within the law. It's a slowpushtowardstwo-tieredhealthcarewhenwe allowcompanieslikethesetochargeforaccessto essentialhealthcareservices.

Asdiscussionsaboutadditionalhealthcare funding between the federal government and provincialcounterpartscontinue,weshouldexpect toseesomeformofdealonthisfrontinthecoming monthsthatwillgiveourailinghealthcaresystem aninjectionofmuch-neededfunding.Butanydeal shouldcomewiththeclearcaveatthatprivatization ofhealthservicesbeconsideredanon-starter.Forprofit clinics will cannibalize public health nurses andotherstaffwhokeepoursystemrunningonthe front line but are too often not compensated appropriatelyfortheworktheydo.

The federal government needs to ensure they are meeting their end of their health care obligations under the Canada HealthAct, and this includes appropriate, stable funding to the provinces.Butwhatcannotbeallowedtohappenis leavingthedooropentotheprivatizationofhealth services that push us further towards the Americanizedpay-for-accesssystemthattoooften straddlespeoplewithimpossibledebtloadstopay forhealthservicestheyneed.Thefundingneedsto bethere,buttherealsoneedstobestringsattached to ensure public health care is not slowly dismantled.

reasonsplant-basedmealsmightberightforyou

OntarioHelpingSmalland

The Ontario government is launching a new pilotprogramtoexploredynamicelectricitypricingand its ability to lower electricity bills for small and medium-sized businesses including retail stores, commercialofficesandfarms.Thisnewprogrambuilds on the government's commitment to give consumers more control of their energy bills while benefiting the provincialgrid.

“Keeping electricity costs down for businesses helps create jobs and promote economic development,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “That's why we're launching our new dynamic pricing pilot to give them more choice in how they use and are billed for electricity – just like we've done for residential consumers.”

The pilots will test alternate pricing structures that encourage participants to shift electricity consumptiontohourswhereelectricitydemandislow,

Medium-SizedBusinesses

LowerElectricityCosts New pilot program will increase consumer choice and support provincial grid

helping to reduce costs for businesses. The pilots will help inform the government on the potential for alternate pricing options to provide electricity system benefits and in turn, lower electricity bills for all customers.

Smallandmedium-sizedbusinesses,farmsand community centres that are included in the Class B electricity rate class and don't have access to time-ofuse or tiered rates may be eligible to participate in the newpilotprogram.

This builds on the government's commitment to provide more choice to all electricity consumers. Residentialandsomesmallbusinessconsumersalready havetheopportunitytoselectthepriceplan–Time-ofUse or Tiered – that keeps their bills lowest. The governmentisalsolaunchinganewultra-lowovernight electricitypriceplanthatwillbeavailabletoconsumers next year, helping to support the adoption of electric vehicles.

WeatherSummaryforOntario January2023:AMostlyMildMonth

Cont’d fromP.2 changes to snow overnight. This combined with temperatures falling to below freezingcausedicyroadsacrosstheregion.AsectionofHighway401wasclosedfor severalhoursfollowingmultiplecollisions.

January25:SnowstorminSouthernOntario

ATexaslowbroughtthefirstmajorsnowfalloftheseasonformanyplacesin southernOntario.Alargeswathof15to27cmofsnowfalloccurredfromParkhill throughSt.CatharinestoWinchesterandfromWiartontoRenfrew.Inadditiontothe intensesnowfall,thundersnowwasobservedoverportionsofextremesouthwestern Ontario,NiagaraandintheKingstonarea.Peaksnowfallratesof3to6centimetres perhourwerereportedduringtheeveningrushhour,makingfortreacheroustravel conditions and excessively long commute times. Ontario Provincial Police respondedtomorethan120collisionsonhighwaysacrosseasternOntario,including a snowplow that rolled over into a ditch, and over 40 crashes in the Greater TorontoAreaduringthestorm.PearsonAirportreportedthatover 25percentofscheduledarrivalsanddepartureswerecancelled.OttawaAirportalso cancelled some flights due to the conditions. School bus cancellations occurred in Toronto, York, Durham, Hamilton, Halton, Niagara, Waterloo, Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, London, Barrie, Muskoka, Grey-Bruce and Huron. Hamilton schools were closed. Recreational centres, libraries, and drop-in programswereclosedacrosssouthernOntario.Over6000customerswerewithout powerinAjaxandKitchener,combined.

IceConditionsintheGreatLakes

The combined Great Lakes ice coverage on January 29th 2023 was 8.0%, this is significantly below the climatological average of 29.0% for the end of January.AbovenormaltemperaturesacrosstheGreatLakesfortheentiremonthdid notallowicetoformattheclimatologicalpaceresultinginlowerthanaverageice concentrationsespeciallyinthesouthernGreatLakes.Icecoveragegrewto7.0%at mid-month, about a third of the long term average of 22%. This trend continued throughtheendofthemonthwithlowlevelsoficegrowthinalllakes.LakeErieis 0.2%icecoveredwhiletheaveragefortheendofJanuaryforLakeErieis52%ice coverage.LakeOntariois2.0%icecoveredwhiletheaveragefortheendofJanuary is15%icecoverage.

OutlookforFebruary

Temperatures are forecast to be below normal for most of the province, particularly in northern, far northern, central, eastern, and extreme southwestern Ontario. Portions of southwestern Ontario are expected to be near normal. PrecipitationisforecasttobebelownormalinfarnorthernOntarioandportionsof northern Ontario, including a few areas north of Lake Superior, Kapuskasing and Timmins.Therestoftheprovinceisforecasttohavenearnormalprecipitation.

Electricity System Operator (IESO) to work with the OntarioEnergyBoard(OEB)todeliverthesedynamic pricingpilots.The OEB planstoopenapplicationsfor theprogrambytheendof2022.

The government has directed the Independent

Lastweekssolutions

MOMENTS IN TIME

OnFeb.19,1473,NicolausCopernicuswasborn in Poland to a prosperous merchant family. Originallydesignedforacareerinchurchlaw,heis considered the father of modern astronomy and was the first European scientist to propose that Earthandotherplanetsrevolvearoundthesun.

NorthernLightsFordSales

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Business 705-856-2775

Fax 705-856-4862

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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

P.O. Box 1700, 37 Broadway Avenue, Wawa, Ontario P0S 1K0

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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.

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Drop by and check out our line of Authentic Native Crafts, Unique Gift Ideas, Jewellery, and Gift Certificates TOO! We also carry road trip snacks, which includes Subs, Chips, Pop, plus a whole lot more.

Monday 1-5 pm

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Thursday & Friday 1-5 pm Website : www.chapleau.ca Follow

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Readers may have to search their childhood memories to recall this movie quotation. It is a line from the 1939 classic children's movie The Wizard of Oz. The line comes from the scene where Dorothy, Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man have an audience with the powerful-looking, giant floating head. The foursome felt dwarfed and overwhelmed speaking to the all-wise and powerful wizard. Theyweresofearfulanddesperatethattheywere readytotakehiswordsatfacevalueandflee.But, as everyone knows, Dorothy's little dog, Toto, savesthedayandexposesthetrueidentityofthe all-knowing and powerful wizard. Even as children, we all understood the purpose of the diminutiveoldman.Hehada secrettohidethat hecouldnotaffordforthecitizensofOztolearn thatmightdestabilizehispowerandposition. Fastforwardto2023inOntario,wherewefacean ongoing, snowballing crisis in our healthcare system. This is not news to anyone. We are witnessinganonsetofanguishandsufferingthat wehavenotseeningenerations.Somesituations haveevenledtopotentiallyavoidabledeaths.

So,I amnowthinkingthatPremierFord is reprising the character of the giant floating

head in The Wizard of Oz, saying, “Pay no attention to what is going on behind Ontario's healthcarecurtain.”Ifhehassuchconfidencein hisprivatizeOntario'shealthcaresystem,whyis heknowinglycausingsomuchneedlessanguish andoutrightsufferinginpeople'slives?Ifitisso good,whyisheveilingwhatheisdoingbehinda curtain?

Oneofthegovernment'smostsignificant challenges is a severe shortage of doctors and nursesthroughouttheprovince.Accordingtothe Ontario Nurses Association, Ontario needs 25,000 qualified nurses right now. And it is the responsibility of the government to develop an effective strategy that will address the shortage, bothnowandinthefuture.

Obviously, Ontarioisstarvingfornurses and has a limited pool available. So, they are broadening their nets to try to pull in healthcare workersfromacrossthecountry.Butcurrently,it takes at least 18 months for out-of-province qualificationsto be checked and approved.That iswhyPremierFordandHealthMinisterSylvia Jonesrecentlyannounced,withgreatfanfare,that the government plans to remove qualification barriers that prevent or delay hiring healthcare professionals whose qualifications were earned outsideOntario.Thatisaconsiderablereduction tothecurrent18monthsormoretimeframe.

To be sure, many healthcare advocates and the NDP applaud this move. Ontario can't honestly claim to have the country's only acceptable medical training standards. At the media announcement, Mr. Ford told out-ofprovince healthcare workers, “If you have been thinking about making Ontario your new home, nowisthetimetomakethemove.Wearewaiting withopenarms.”

This is a significant step in the right direction. But we cannot stop there. It is a good idea to amend the qualification barriers that discourage nurses from leaving jobs in other provincestocomeworkhere.Thoseconsidering relocatingwill look for improvedhourly wages, working conditions and affordable housing. However, it will take a juicy carrot to make it worthwhile for healthcare workers to consider packinguptheirentirelivesandfamiliestomove toOntario.

Bill 124 is a major hurdle because it has capped nurses' and other public sector workers' wagestojusta1percentincreasesince2019.

The Province has known all along that Bill124posedasignificanthurdleforhospitalsto adequatelystaffourfacilities.Andforyears,the Fordgovernmentrefusedtoadmitthattheirantiworker,wage-cappingbillintensifiedthestaffing

crisis in our hospitals.As we all know, Ontario labourunionstooktheFordgovernmenttocourt over Bill 124, maintaining that it was an unconstitutional limitation on fair labour negotiations.Thecourtsstruckdowntheactand declareditnolongeralawinOntario.

Therulingconfirmedwhatlabourunions had told the Premier all along. “Bill 124 is unconstitutional.” So, given the clarity of this decision, what message is the Ontario government relaying by announcing they will appeal the ruling? Out-of-province nurses and healthcare workers don't need an MRI, x-ray machine, or heart monitor to see what is in PremierFord'sheartandmind.Hisactionsspeak louder than words. Why would healthcare workers choose to relocate to a place that underpays, overworks and disrespects hospital staff?ThereinliestheweaknessofPremierFord's solutionofdroppingqualificationbarriers.

All Ontarians have paid the price for Ford'swage-cappingBill124— justlookatthe staffing crises that have hit our hospitals and schools.Thousandsofworkershaveleftbecause they felt overworked, underpaid and disrespected.

Enough is enough. Real people are experiencing anguish, sorrow, fear, and pain as theyortheirlovedonessuffer.

Premier Ford must stop trying to hide his longtermobjectivesanddisguisinghisactionsbehind a curtain of secrecy. Instead, he must be transparentandaccountabletoOntariansandlet themassessthesituationthemselves.It'stimefor the Conservatives to step away from their influential deep-pocket supporters and instead thinkofthewelfareofOntarians.

It's time to treat our healthcare workers with the dignity and respect they have demonstratedwiththeirloyaltyandcommitment totheirpatients.

The Ontario NDP is committed to ensuring that Queen'sParkalwaysrespectsworkers'rightsand thatthehealthandwelfareofallOntariansisthe first and foremost consideration, not politics — today,tomorrow,andforgenerationstocome. There's no time left for distractions and tricks. It is time for Premier Ford to stop politically hiding his healthcare privatization agendasbehindcurtains.WeneedTototocometo Queen'sParktopullbackDougFordscurtainto exposetheConservativesrealhealthcareagenda. As always, please feel free to contact my office abouttheseissuesoranyotherprovincialmatters. Youcanreachmyconstituencyofficebyemailat mmantha-co@ndp.on.caorbyphoneat705-4619710orToll-freeat1-800-831-1899.

“Paynoattentiontothatmanbehindthecurtain!”

the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, people have increasingly turned to their local newspapers for reliable information. In just a few weeks, the number of readers of our digital version of the newspaper has increased by