02082024 February 8, 2024

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS

Local News Weekly

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Vol. 28, Issue 22, February 8, 2024

705 - 864 - 0911

Ontario Opposes Softwood Lumber Duties Harming Forest Sector U.S. trade practices unfairly target lumber exports from Ontario and Canada

T

oday, Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural 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 softwood lumber duties: “The Ontario government is renewing its call that all duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports should immediately be removed by the United States.

Our government's plan to build Ontario depends on the forest sector. It generates close to $21

billion in annual revenue and provides more than 142,000 direct and indirect jobs, supporting families and strong communities across our province.

Ontario strongly disagrees with the U.S. Department of Commerce's recent decision, which signals that duty rates on Canadian softwood lumber exports are likely to increase in the final determination expected later this year – these duties are harmful and unwarranted.

Ontario's softwood lumber producers deliver high-quality building materials to consumers on both sides of the border – and all parties face

additional costs due to the burdens imposed by the United States.

Ontario will continue to defend the workers, families and communities who rely on our forest sector and strongly oppose any trade practices that restrict our companies from fair competition in export markets.

Together with provincial governments, the federal government and industry leaders across the country, we stand united to support the Canadian forest industry and free trade between our two countries.”

Chapleau drug bust sees fentanyl, cocaine, crystal meth seized

A

drug trafficking investigation has led to charges and the seizure of suspected fentanyl, cocaine and crystal methamphetamine.

On Februrary 1st, a multiple police forces executed a search warrant at a home on the zero to 100 block of Blue Jay Crescent in Chapleau, said Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) in a news release. The effort involved the NAPS north east drug unit, the NAPS emergency response team, OPP, and the Timmins Police.

The search Long Term was a result of a Forecast drug trafficking Thursday investigation into High 5 activity at the Low 2 house that was Friday search and drug High 5 trafficking into Low -1 the neighbouring

Brunswick House First Nation.

Suspected fentanyl, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, cash and drug trafficking paraphernalia were seized by police.

Three people — a 36-year-old man, 41year-old woman and 35-year-old woman — are each charged with: -Possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking -Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking -Possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking -Posession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000 The accused were released from police custody with condition. They are slated to appear in court on April 16.

None of the charges have been tested in court and the accused are considered innocent unless proven guilty.

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 2

Ontario Supporting Growth and Innovation in the Forest Sector Province providing over $9.4 million to 14 forest biomass projects in Northwest Ontario The Government of Ontario is supporting economic growth and creating jobs with the second phase of funding under the new Forest Biomass Program. The $9.4 million investment will develop the untapped economic potential and environmental benefits of new and emerging uses of underutilized wood and mill by-products, collectively known as forest biomass.

“Our Forest Biomass Program has delivered dozens of critical investments to launch the future of Ontario’s forest sector,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “Today’s investment continues that progress, with targeted funding that will create jobs, strengthen communities and redefine our forestry sector in Ontario.”

Forest biomass is used in everything from food additives to building materials. It also has many emerging uses, including renewable natural gas, bioplastics and hydrogen – responsible alternatives to carbon-intensive products.

The full list of the 14 research, innovation and modernization initiatives is available here.

Each project will advance the use of forest biomass, including: • Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper Mill $5,000,000 to modernize the mill’s electrical system by upgrading and improving equipment,

enabling future measures to expand green energy production, reduce emissions and increase forest biomass usage.

• Rutter Urban Forestry - $245,000 to support renewable energy production and deliver clean and cost-efficient heat generation by acquiring a mobile forest biomass chipper and tractor to produce heating chips.

• Lake Nipigon Forest Management Inc. $200,000 to increase the use of forest biomass and expand alternative fuel production by supporting the development of a renewable natural gas and biocarbon facility.

• FPInnovations - $100,000 to enhance forest sector business competitiveness and provide environmental benefits by exploring methods to improve the carbon footprint and reduce the operating costs of producing lignin, a versatile wood extract.

This is the second phase of Forest Biomass Program funding – the first phase was announced in December 2023. Through the program, Ontario is investing $19.6 million in projects to increase the use of the province’s forest resources while developing new technologies, improving productivity and providing environmental benefits.

Ontario’s Forest Biomass Action Plan is part of the broader Forest Sector

In Memory Sydney O'Riley February 5th, 2023 Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!”

Henry Scott Holland, Death is Nothing at All

Loving you always Gail, Shawn and Shane.

Strategy launched in 2020. The strategy sets out the province’s plan to create jobs and encourage economic growth in the forestry industry, supporting the Indigenous, northern and rural communities that depend on the sector while ensuring forests are managed sustainably for generations to come.

Facts The Forest Biomass Action Plan is a fiveyear plan that encourages the use of forest biomass resources to secure jobs, support economic development and encourage sustainability in Ontario’s forest sector. Forest biomass has many current and emerging uses, including as a source of low-carbon consumer products and renewable energy.

The forest sector generated $20.9 billion in revenue from the sale of manufactured goods and services in 2021 and supported more than 142,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2022.

Email us at chaexpress@sympatico.ca

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 3

Chapleau Northern Pottery manufacturing plant Moments officially opened on 'gala afternoon' in 1973 by

Michael J. Morris

Arthur Grout The official opening of the new Northern Pottery manufacturing plant was "something of a gala afternoon" in 1973, according to Margaret Costello in her Sault Star column.

"Well over 150 townsfolk travelled down Highway 129 about a mile or so south of town to have a good look at the enterprise and get acquainted with Peter and Jeanette Gjoni its gifted and energetic owners, " Maggie wrote.

On hand for the opening was Arthur Grout, of Chapleau, a member of the board of the Northern Ontario Development Corporation, who would cut the ribbon stretched across an attractive display of original design and beautiful colour in pottery.

Before the official ribbon cutting, Mr. Grout said he had been immediately interested when he had seen the Gjoni productions in the Centennial building back in 1969.

As time passed and he watched the steady growth, and expansion became a must, Mr. Grout

said that as a director of NODC he was only too happy in recommending financing for what he felt was an up-and-coming enterprise for the town.

He congratulated Peter and Jeanette Gjoni for what had been accomplished in a short time and "with a flourish snipped the ribbon."

Guided tours by Sidney O'Riley of the staff and Mr. and Mrs. Gjoni were "something of an eye opener for anyone unfamiliar with this particular industry."

"The weather was ideal for the occasion and there was an atmosphere of pleasant informality which all added up to an auspicious official launching of a first" for Chapleau.

Meanwhile, at about the same time in the summer of 1973, Maggie writes about the Malaysian contingent of Canada World Youth who had been in Chapleau for a month and had thrown a "delightful farewell party" in the basement of the Town Hall.

Maggie described them as "a most engaging group of hosts and hostesses" who had come to Canada as part of the Canada World Youth exchange program. Throughout their stay they worked with the participants in a Chapleau Opportunities for Youth program funded by the government of Canada.

The program included Malaysian music and dancing and delicious Malaysian food.

Guests joined in the dances with the Malaysian visitors, and they also performed some interesting dance numbers.

The Malaysian group was very much involved in Chapleau's first Summerfest chaired by Ed Swanson.

Maggie also noted that the Chapleau Overture Concerts Association was formed in 1973 which she strongly supported. It was formed to bring good professional entertainment to town.

The response to the campaign for members by the concert association far exceeded expectations

and Feux Follets presented for the grand opening of professional performances in Chapleau saw no empty seats in the house.

While most remember Maggie as a reporter with the Sudbury Star and later the Sault Star, she had been a professional actress in the United States. In 1969, she played a leading role in the Chapleau Little Theatre of 'Three to get Married' a comedy by Kay Hill and delighted the audience with her performance as the spinster Aunt Lizzie.

The summer of 1973 also saw the demolition of the historic overhead horseshoe bridge as construction got underway on the pedestrian overpass and new bridge.

As I worked on this column, I could not help but reflect on Chapleau in the 1970s. In all aspects of community life, it was a very busy place, and would not have been so, if it were not for a tremendous spirit among the citizens of all ages who committed themselves to those things that improved and brought the community together. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 4

REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa by/par

Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

If there's one thing in politics that is sacrosanct, it's the right to vote. Voting is the most fundamental expression of what a person wants out of their local representative, as well as the direction they want the country to move towards. However, for some, the limited number of ways we can express our opinions through our vote can lead to frustration, and in a worst-case scenario, even prevent people from exercising this fundamental right. So let's make it easier.

Removing barriers to voting is one of the objectives of the Supply and Confidence Agreement between the government and New Democrats. The key requirements for democratic reform under this agreement include three basic guiding principles that should ultimately make voting easier for people. This includes expanding “Election Day” to a three-day voting period, allowing people to vote at any polling station within their riding, and improving the process for mail-in ballots to ensure everyone who chooses to vote this way has their vote counted. At their core, these are three simple ways that we can improve the electoral system without changing the fundamentals of how we vote.

While it may make election day a little less exciting, expanding the period to three full days will allow more people to take time out of their busy schedule to vote. Whether it's because of a busy work schedule, childcare requirements, or a scheduling conflict such as a doctor's appointment, we often hear anecdotes of people who were unable to exercise their democratic rights on election day.

While some people will know in advance that they won't be available on election day, sometimes issues come up at moment's notice. Nobody should be denied their right to vote because a child comes down with a sudden cold, or they get called into a work shift they weren't expecting.

Voting should be as easy as walking to your nearest polling station. Too often, as many people in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing can attest, the polling station down the road might not be the one you are expected to vote at, turning a quick trip to exercise your democratic right into an excursion that may dissuade some people from voting at all. While the details of the polling station will often appear on people's voting cards, every election we hear stories of people who don't receive them. Cutting out the confusion and allowing people to vote wherever a polling station exists in their riding seems like the best option.

Years ago, mail-in ballots were seen as predominantly an option for people who would not

We Need to Make Voting Easier for Canadians be able to vote in person on election day. But during the 2021 election, a record 1.2 million Canadians requested a mail-in ballot. However, Elections Canada confirmed last election that almost 100,000 were not counted, most because they were not received on time. Simplifying the mail-in balloting system and ensuring that those ballots are counted will go a long way to ensure Canadians have options when casting a ballot.

These are fairly common-sense changes to our electoral system that seek to make the process of voting easier for every Canadian. We should expect to see details of these changes in the coming months.

The Prime Minister also infamously promised almost a decade ago that “I'll make sure the 2015 election will be the last under first-pastthe-post system,” and then ignored this idea as soon as it became clear that the current system is what

swept his government to power. How do we address actual changes to our electoral system? A Private Members Motion (M-86) which was tabled in the House of Commons could be of assistance in removing this process from partisan hands. M-86 calls on the government to create an assembly comprised of ordinary Canadians tasked with giving the government recommendations on how to reform our system. M-86 has already received support from MPs of all parties. An EKOS poll from 2022 indicates that 76 percent of Canadians supported the creation of a citizens' assembly to study the country's electoral system. The motion will be put to a vote as early as February 7th.

It's clear that we can make democracy work better for people. Making it easier for people to vote is one key way we do this, and allowing citizens to tell us how they want their votes counted is another.

Nous devons faciliter le vote des électrices et électeurs canadiens S'il y a une chose sacrée en politique, c'est bien du droit de vote. Le vote est, pour une personne, l'expression la plus fondamentale de ce qu'elle attend de son représentant local et de l'orientation qu'elle veut pour son pays.

Cependant, pour certains, le nombre limité de façons dont nous pouvons nous exprimer par le vote peut conduire à la frustration et, dans le pire des cas, empêcher les gens d'exercer ce droit fondamental. Rendons donc le vote plus facile.

L'élimination des obstacles au vote est l'un des objectifs de l'entente de soutien et de confiance conclue entre le gouvernement et le Parti néo-démocrate. Les exigences fondamentales de la réforme démocratique en vertu de cet accord comprennent trois principes directeurs de base qui devraient en fin de compte faciliter le vote pour les citoyens. Ces principes comprennent l'élargissement du « jour des élections » à une période de vote de trois jours, la possibilité de voter à n'importe quel bureau de vote de leur circonscription et l'amélioration du processus de vote par la poste afin que toutes les personnes qui choisissent ce moyen fassent valoir leur vote. Par essence, ces trois moyens simples améliorent le système électoral sans modifier les fondements de notre système électoral.

Bien que le jour des élections puisse en devenir un peu moins excitant, l'extension de la période à trois jours complets permettra à un plus grand nombre de personnes de prendre le temps de voter malgré leur horaire chargé. Que ce soit en raison d'un horaire de travail chargé, des besoins en matière de garde d'enfants ou d'un conflit d'horaire comme un rendez-vous chez le médecin, nous entendons souvent des histoires des gens qui n'ont pas pu exercer leurs droits démocratiques le jour des élections. Si certaines personnes savent à l'avance qu'elles ne seront pas disponibles le jour de l'élection, il arrive que des

problèmes surviennent à l'improviste. Personne ne devrait être privé de son droit de vote parce qu'elle est appelée à un quart de travail auquel elle ne s'attendait pas ou parce que son enfant est soudainement enrhumé.

Aller voter devrait être aussi simple que de se rendre à pied au bureau de vote le plus proche. Trop souvent, comme beaucoup de gens d'Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing peuvent en témoigner, le bureau de vote situé au bout de la rue n'est pas forcément celui où l'on est censé voter, ce qui transforme un déplacement rapide pour exercer son droit démocratique en une excursion qui peut dissuader certaines personnes de voter. Les coordonnées du bureau de vote figurent souvent sur les cartes de vote, mais nous entendons à chaque élection des histoires de personnes qui ne les ont pas reçues. La meilleure solution consiste à éliminer la confusion et à permettre aux gens de voter partout où il y a un bureau de vote dans leur circonscription.

Il y a quelques années, les bulletins de vote par la poste étaient surtout destinés aux personnes qui n'étaient pas en mesure de voter en personne le jour de l'élection. À l'élection de 2021, toutefois, un nombre record de 1,2 million de Canadiennes et de Canadiens ont demandé un bulletin de vote par la poste. Toutefois, Élections Canada a confirmé lors de la dernière élection que près de 100 000 bulletins n'avaient pas été dépouillés, la plupart du temps parce qu'ils n'avaient pas été reçus à temps. En simplifiant le système de vote par la poste et en veillant à ce que ces bulletins soient comptabilisés, on s'assurera que les Canadiennes et Canadiens disposent de plusieurs solutions de vote.

Ces modifications de notre système électoral relèvent du bon sens et visent à faciliter le processus de vote pour toute la population Suite P.7

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 5

Ontario Training Thousands of New Long-Term Care Staff $100 million investment will provide 32,000 nursing and personal support worker students with hands-on training The Ontario government is investing more than $100 million in two programs that will train more than 32,000 new personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses in long-term care over the next three years. The investments are part of the government’s Your Health plan to recruit and retain tens of thousands of long-term care staff over the coming years.

“Our government is fixing long-term care by training, hiring and retaining thousands of health care workers to provide high-quality care for residents,” said Stan Cho, Minister of LongTerm Care. “We’re investing in programs that are building a pipeline of talent for the future and giving them more hands-on clinical training so our long-term care residents get the high-quality care they deserve.”

Ontario is investing $94.5 million over three years to extend the Preceptor Resource and Education Program for Long-Term Care (PREP LTC). Since its launch in 2021, the program has already helped 500 long-term care homes

provide clinical placements for over 17,000 nursing and personal support worker students.

With the new investment, the program now aims to train more than 3,000 new preceptors and support 31,000 new clinical placements by 2027.

Clinical placements are key to providing nursing and personal support worker students with hands-on experience on-site in long-term care homes under the supervision of preceptors — experienced staff who are trained for this role.

Positive clinical placement experiences drive recruitment, as students often take jobs in the homes where they complete their placements.

Meanwhile, becoming a preceptor gives existing long-term care staff the opportunity for career development and growth.

Ontario is also investing nearly $11 million over three years to expand Living Classrooms, a program that helps students train to become PSWs on-site in local long-term care homes. With this investment, the program will double the number of living classrooms from 20

to 40, which will support the training of up to 1,300 new personal support workers by 2026.

Unlike traditional P S W training programs, where students start with a classroom education and then move on to clinical placements, living classrooms integrate education into a long-term care home. Students alternate between in-class learning — delivered in the home or nearby — and applying what they learn as they work with residents within the home. The program is especially beneficial to rural, remote and northern regions, as homes can grow their own staff and students can train without having to leave their communities.

The government is fixing long-term care to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve. The plan is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 6

Last weeks solutions MOMENTS IN TIME On Feb. 19, 1906, American industrialist W.K. Kellogg teamed with Charles C. Bolin to found the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, now known as the multinational food manufacturer Kellogg's, after 25 years of working for his brother, John Harvey Kellogg, and buying out his in-debt brother's business.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 7

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Nous devons faciliter le vote des électrices et électeurs canadiens Suite de la P.4 canadienne. Les détails de ces changements devraient être exposés au cours des prochains mois.

Il y a près de dix ans, le premier ministre a également promis, de manière tristement célèbre, que « je m'assurerai que l'élection 2015 sera la dernière dans un système uninominal à un tour », avant d'écarter cette idée dès qu'il est devenu clair que le système actuel avait permis à son gouvernement d'accéder au pouvoir.

Comment apporter de réels changements à notre système électoral? Une motion d'initiative parlementaire (M-86) déposée à la Chambre des communes pourrait aider à éliminer la partisanerie de ce processus. La motion M-86 demande au gouvernement de créer une assemblée composée de simples citoyennes et citoyens, chargée de lui donner des recommandations sur la manière de réformer notre système. La motion M-86 a déjà reçu le soutien de députés de tous les partis. Un sondage EKOS datant de 2022 révèle

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que 76 % des Canadiens sont favorables à la création d'une assemblée de citoyennes et citoyens chargée d'étudier le système électoral du pays. La motion sera soumise au vote dès le 7 février.

Clairement, nous pouvons améliorer le fonctionnement de la démocratie pour la population. Faciliter le vote est l'un des principaux moyens d'y parvenir; un autre consiste à permettre aux citoyennes et citoyens de nous dire comment ils souhaitent que leurs votes soient comptabilisés.

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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotional support, and information for women and their children who are in crisis situations. We have a Toll Free Crisis Line which is staffed 24 hours a day. We can arrange for free transportation to the Centre for women who live in the Algoma/Chapleau area. We also offer support to women who live in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and Hornepayne through our Outreach Program. Our Outreach Worker travels to those communities to meet with women who need emotional support as well as information about their rights and options. If you need to speak with 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 resident of the Centre in order to use our services. If you need someone to talk to or if you just need someone to listen, call our Toll Free Crisis line at 1800-461-2242 or you can drop in at the Centre. We are here for you.

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, February 8, 2024- Page 8

Ontario's Public Health Services: Creeping to the brink of collapse I am getting a bit concerned about Ontario Premier Doug Ford's welfare. Seeing him across the aisle when the House sits, he looks fine. But I have noticed something that maybe he and others close to him just are not aware of at the moment.

Yet, the problem seems quite apparent to many Ontarians. I am starting to think that maybe Mr. Ford is becoming somewhat tone-deaf. I say this because when it comes to healthcare in Ontario, alarm bells are ringing high, low, left, right and center, and he doesn't even seem to hear a thing.

Perhaps it is because the bells have been loudly ringing all around him for so long that he has become oblivious.

Since December, News from the Park has explored hospital medical staffing issues, meetings I had with all Algoma-Manitoulin hospital administrators, the desperate need for more in-home care training and staff and the oversight of long-term care facilities. Each of these healthcare issues has bells with their own distinct sound that ring out specific problems.

Each bell toll tells Mr. Ford how people are suffering and how it will only worsen if he doesn't take action.

If there is anything we learned – or at least should have learned – from the pandemic, we cannot possibly afford to sit back and simply react to situations as they arise as we did. We need to be ready to act. As Grandma said, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Most of us are hardly even aware of the critical role that Public Health Units (PHUs) play in keeping us healthy and safe from disease and illness locally. PHUs focus on preventing and controlling all manner of communicable diseases.

They inspect public places and businesses like restaurants to ensure proper cleanliness and procedures are followed in food preparation. They provide us with information and programs about sexually transmitted diseases, smoking cessation, and support and advice on healthy lifestyles. And one of the most important responsibilities is to provide the public with vaccines to keep viral infections at bay.

With lessons learned, it is most perplexing that the government has become so complacent about public health, believing that the COVID threat is in the rearview mirror. But here we are in 2024, and it is obvious government officials were wrong about infectious viruses being in our rearview mirror. Ontario is again seeing hallway medicine rearing its vicious head with sudden rises in flu, respiratory and gastro viruses. Patients are languishing on gurneys in emergency department hallways for up to 72 hours waiting for a bed.

There is great concern for Ontario's public health services, which have been creeping closer to the brink of collapse because of habitual underfunding and even cutbacks. And the people of Algoma-Manitoulin are not immune to this looming issue. Premier Ford believes the answer is to find efficiencies by reducing the number of PHUs in Ontario. In 2019, the Province proposed reducing PHUs from 35 down to 10. This was subsequently put on the backburner due to the pandemic, but the proposal is up and running again. To entice PHUs to amalgamate with a unit of their own choosing, the government is bribing units with one-time funding to amalgamate voluntarily. On November 23, 2023, CBC News reported that Algoma PH was looking into the potential of amalgamating with SudburyManitoulin PH. This would create a ginormous territory.

CBC reports that the response from most municipalities ranges from guarded to suspicious.

Sault mayor Matthew Shoemaker said he questions the Province's true motivation on this issue. He is quoted as saying, “I question the commitment not to reduce staff. It seems if their objective in 2019 was to save $200 million, that's probably still their objective, it's just not being said.”

PHUs in the North already serve vast areas comprising dozens of communities with unique needs and circumstances. The realities facing Northern PHUs are different from those in urban and southern parts of Ontario. Southern cookiecutter set-ups won't necessarily work up here.

Also, offering additional funds only to PHUs that can manage such restructuring puts Northerners at a disadvantage, who have been coping with decades of underfunding of public health services.

Following up on this story locally, The Sault Star interviewed Algoma Public Health administrators. The paper reported in the January 13, 2023 edition that, while APH claimed any organizational and funding changes would not impact the services provided, they did acknowledge that a “limited workforce reduction” would be necessary to balance a new budget.

But here is the thing. APH is already behind the 8-ball with current staffing. According to the Sault Star, APH has a backlog of 6000 families with overdue child vaccines that are needed. Each child will have to be looked up, and the family will be contacted by letter and then vaccinated. Ontario Nursing Association president Erin Ariss says that in the case of APH, “Nurses in the immunization program are completely overwhelmed with the thousands of vaccines that need to be provided to children.” Yet, despite the

overwhelming backlog, APH has axed three nursing positions and is part of 6 jobs within the board overall.

To be clear, this situation is not the fault of APH leadership. They have no choice but to do their best with the funding dollars given. The Sault Star quoted Dr. Jennifer Loo, APH Medical Officer of Health and CEO, “Provincial dollars have not kept pace with inflationary pressures. We continue to seek funding opportunities as we've always done and have been very diligent at working at efficiencies with potential for cost savings across the board.”

The people of Algoma-Manitoulin and all of Northern Ontario deserve better.

Premier Ford has had a full term and a half to save Ontario's precious public healthcare system. Let's not kid ourselves; it was a mess when he inherited it from the Liberals. But instead of fixing it, he is determined to lead (or push us) down a path leading to a colossal collapse of cost-cutting and privatization that can never be restored.

At this very moment, Premier Ford has $416 million in unspent funds allocated for public health. The Financial Accountability Office identified this money. It should be used to restore total, reliable funding to PHUs. We need stable financing for public health in the North to tackle the healthcare crisis found in Algoma-Manitoulin and the communities of the Northern region.

Many have heard the incredible bell ringing in London whenever there is a special celebration such as a Royal wedding. The sound is deafening, and you can't escape it anywhere in the city. In this case, the bells are ringing in every corner of this province, yet Mr. Ford can't seem to hear them. Or, worse, perhaps he is like Odysseus of Greek mythology, who had the ears of his ship crew members stuffed with beeswax so they would not hear the siren's song leading them toward certain death on the rocks of the Island of Circe.

Perhaps the Premier has ordered his cabinet ministers to use beeswax also.

I guarantee you that my office team and I do not have beeswax in our ears. We hear the alarm bells that public health, hospital staff, homecare, and long-term care workers ringing loud and clear.

And, of course, we hear the constituents also pulling on the ropes from their homes. We are running out of time. Once we lose our healthcare, the silence and sorrow for many will be eternal.

As always, please feel free to contact my office about these issues or any other provincial matters.

You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or by phone Toll-free at 1800-831-1899.