02292024 February 29, 2024

NewmontPutsGoldMinesUpforSaletoHelpRaise$2Billion

Newmont Corp., the world’s top gold producer, will seek to sell six mines and twoprojectsinasetofdivestituresaimed atgenerating$2billionincash.

The Denver-based company said ThursdayitintendstodivestthreeCanadiangold mines — Éléonore, Musselwhite and Porcupine —alongwithCrippleCreek&Victorinthe US, Akyem in Ghana and Australia’s Telfer mine. It also plans to sell two “non-core” projects, HavieroninAustraliaandCoffeeGoldinCanada.

Thefirmfirstsignaledplanstosellassets afterclosingitsroughly$15billionacquisitionof Newcrest Mining Ltd. in November, solidifying its position as by far the world’s biggest gold producer. With the takeover, Newmont now operates 20 mines in 11 countries and expects to produce 6.7 million ounces of gold annually by 2028.

The firm on Thursday reported adjusted earnings of $0.50 a share in the fourth quarter, beating analyst expectations compiled by Bloomberg. It produced 5.5 million gold ounces in2023,morethantheconsensusestimate.

In an interview, Chief Executive Officer TomPalmersaidtheminesbeingdivesteddonot meetthecompany’scriteriaof“Tier1”assets— producing 500,000 gold equivalent ounces or more,havingalifeofatleast10years,andbeing located in top jurisdictions.

Thursday High -13

Friday High 4 Low 0

Saturday High 7 Low -1

Sunday High 8 Low 4

Monday High 9 Low -2

Tuesday High 5

Low -5

“We have a number of Tier 2 assets thatareverygoodassets, runbyverygoodpeople, but that don’t make our Tier 1 category,” Palmer said.

The company has

already begun receiving interest from potential buyers,Palmersaid.

It plans to divest the six assets within 12 months.

“NewmontPorcupinecomprisesthetotal footprintinandaroundTimminsincludingHoyle underground mine, Hollinger Open Pit, the

Yarn-a-Thon

Pamour Open pit (which is in development) and the Dome Mill,” said Newmont spokesperson JenniferPakradoonisaidinanemail.

“It’s also inclusive of Borden Mine in Chapleau which sends ore to the Dome Mill. Newmont also manages a number of closed sites intheTimminsarea.”

AchequebeingpresentedtoLegionofficialsbyChantalServantandTaraO’Hearn. Fromlefttorigh :Mireille Larocque, Rosane Connelly,Alex Lambruschini, Gisele Legge, Gisele Robitaille, Tara O'Hearn, MelanieBenner,ChantalServantFiaschetti,LineFuchs, LorraineLemieux, JamesApsey, EstelleLambert,StephanieTangie

Chapleau Moments by Michael

J. Morris

Elementary school education was made available for children in Chapleau from the earliest days of the community, according to a document prepared by the late J.M. "Jack" Shoup, the longtime principal and Grade 8 teacheratChapleauPublicSchool.

UPDATED ON August 5, 2014. Chapleau Public School is being demolished. StudentsweremovedtoChapleauHighSchoola coupleofyearsago.

Mr.Shoupnotedthatthefirstschoolwas founded in 1886 in the vestry of the Roman CatholicChurchandallchildrenwerewelcome. Attendance ranged between 15 and 20 students whousedhomemadedesksandbenches.Slates

ChapleauPublicSchoolfromchurchtotenttohomeonPineStreet

ratherthanexercisebookswereused.

In1889aMr.Hagertaughtschoolintent, butby1893thefirstorganizedpublicschoolwas established. Miss Charlotte Weller who became the wife of G.B. Nicholson was the teacher in charge with an enrolment of one hundred students.Itbecameatwo-roomschoolandwithit camefactorymadedoubledesks,andby1902a four-room school was built when the staff increasedtothreeteachers.

In1921aratepayersmeetingempowered aboardtoselectasiteforanewpublicschooland itgavethedecisiontolocatetheschoolonthesite whereitistodayonPineStreet.

V.T. Chapple, W.R. McAdam, and George Young (the father of Dr. G.E. "Ted" Young) selected plans and a new seven room buildingwaserectedwithclassesbeginninginit on February 19, 1923, according to Mr. Shoup's document.

It is interesting that in Chapleau's early yearstwoschoolprincipalsdefinededucationfor somanystudentswhoattendedChapleauPublic School and Chapleau High School. Mr. Shoup was principal from 1927 to 1939 and then took leaveofabsencetoserveinWorldWarII.Hehad alsoservedinWorldWarI.Hereturnedin1945 and retired in 1958. He greatly influenced so many students, as did John "Mac" McClellan, whowasatCHSdownthestreet!

Mr. Shoup was also a long serving memberofChapleaucouncilandhadaparticular interest in the beach area. He was actively

involved on July 1 celebrations as a member of Branch Number 5 of the Royal Canaian Legion where he was also one of its presidents, and Beach Day in August as Chair of the Chapleau Recreation Committee. The recreation committeewasfirstestablishedin1948.

OnapersonalbasismymotherMurielE. Morris, worked with Mr. Shoup for many years andhewasaclosepersonalfriendofourfamily. In fact, he brought the Financial Post and SudburyStar((forwhichhewrote)toourhouse everydayformygrandmother,(EdithHunt)and mystery novels for my mom. Mostly Perry Mason by Erle Stanley Gardner and I read them alltoo!!!!Healsohelpedmanyofthepeopleon Elgin Street where he lived by shovelling snow andotherwisehelpingout.

After Mr. Shoup retired and Foy Wright became principal, increased enrolment caused theboardtobuildanadditionalfourroomswhich were ready in 1964, and another four rooms includingalibraryandgymnasiumwereaddedin 1972.

Fast forward to 1978 when Mansel Robinsonwasboardchairandmembersincluded Anne McGoldrick, W.D. Jardine, Scott Thomson, and Richad Lapp. Mr. Wright was

principal.

Theteachingstaffin1977-78wasWilma Schmidt, Dianne Gendron, Opal Simpson, Jeannette Gjoni, Sally Landry, Jane Ritchie, Cheryl Boucher, Mary Campbell, George Swanson, Shane Wright, Lillian Robinson, James Broomhead, Gerry Boucher and Duncan Rogerson. Louise Coulter and Lucy Boucher were the French language teachers. How many doyouremember?

Iincludethestafffrom1977-78becauseI got some of the material for this column from a feature on Chapleau Public School called Chapleau's People and Places in the Chapleau SentinelofMarch9,1978.

Just a note to thank everyone who is sending me emails at mj.morris@live.ca and special thanks to former Chapleau resident George Tremblay for sending me a copy of his book“BreakatNine.”

FirstSchoolcirca1890s

ChapleauPublicSchool

AlgomaDistrictSchoolBoardApprovesSchoolYearCalendarfor2024-2025

At the February 27th Regular Board Meeting, Algoma District School Board (ADSB),approveditsSchoolYearCalendarfor 2024-2025. ADSB adopts the calendar, consistingofa194dayschoolyear,followingour consultation process. The calendar will be submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval.

The 2024-2025 School Year Calendar willbesimilarthoughnotidenticalforallEnglish and French-language schools and all Public and

Catholic school boards in the Algoma and Sudbury Districts including Blind River, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, Elliot Lake, Espanola, Hornepayne, Manitoulin Island, Massey, the North Shore, Sault Ste. Marie, Spanish, Wawa andWhiteRiver.

OverviewoftheAlgomaDistrictSchoolBoard 2024-2025SchoolYear

! ADSB school staff begin on Tuesday, September3,2024

! ADSB students begin classes on Wednesday,

September4,2024.

! The Christmas holiday schedule is set from Monday, December 23, 2024 to Friday, January 3,2025inclusive.

! MarchBreakisscheduledfromMonday,March 10,toFriday,March14,2025.

! Thelast day of classes for staff and students is Friday,June27,2025.

ExaminationDaysforSecondarySchools

January24to30,2025(5days)

June23to27,2025(5days)

ProfessionalActivityDaysforADSB:

1.September3,2024

2.September27,2024

3.November8,2024

4.January31,2024

5.March28,2025

6.May9,2025

7.June6,2025

The complete School Year Calendar for 2024-2025 will be available on the ADSB websiteatwww.adsb.on.ca.

from OTTAWA Rapport

d’Ottawa

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

Recently, Bell Media gave layoff notices to an astonishing 4,800 people across their broadcastingarmsintelevisionandradioandalso announced it would be selling 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.To call this a dark day for regional news and journalism to pad corporate profits would be downplaying the severe impact thesecutswillhave.Notonlyare4,800peopleout of work, impacting their families and local communities,butCanadiansacrosstheboardwill feeltheimpactsofreducedaccesstolocalnews.

Infact,perhapstheBelllayoffswerebest summed up in off-the-cuff comments from B.C. Premier David Eby: “Bell and corporations like Bell have overseen the assembly of local media assets that are treasures to local communities. They bought them up, like corporate vampires, they sucked the life out of them, laid off journalists. They have overseen the 'encrapification' of local news by laying off journalists, and now they say 'it's no longer economically viable to run these local radio stations,it'snolongereconomicallyviabletohave investigative news.' They were allowed to do this…The fact that they cannot find it possible withalloftheirMBAstooperateafewlocalnews stations… to ensure that people get accurate, impartial, reliable information in an age of disinformationandsocialmediacrazinessissuch an abandonment of any idea of corporate responsibility.”

Ebywasclearlynotmincingwords,buthe didcuttotheheartoftheissue.Asmallhandfulof corporate media conglomerates bought as many small, local stations as possible to reduce competition, and then cut those jobs and stations whentheystartedshowingoperatinglosses.Allof thesecutsdespiteBCEInc.,theparentcompanyof Bell Media, having an operating revenue totaling $6.7 billion in 2023, up from $6.44 billion a year earlier. Bell Media indicates that they had $40 millioninannualoperatinglossesbutwerehappy to receive the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy support during the pandemic designed to keep people employed, to the tune of $155 million. Further to this, with a degree of tone-deafness reserved for all but the most oblivious or greedy individualsandcorporations,Bellannouncedthey wouldpushaheadwithamoregenerousdividend payouttoitsshareholdersby3percent,makingthe payouts among the highest of TMX traded companies. More money for rich shareholders,

BellLayoffsAnotherClearExampleofCorporateBloodsucking

less for local journalism. Bell Media made $697 millionlastyear,butapparentlythat'snotenough. Itscleartraditionalmediahasbeeninabit of a crunch in recent years. CBC/Radio-Canada hasalreadyannouncedtheywouldbecuttingsome 650 jobs this year. Postmedia announced an 11 percent cut to its journalists in January. But nothinghasreachedthelevelofwhatBellisdoing now.Theyhavecutweekdaynoonnewscastsatall CTV stations except in Toronto, and weekend newscasts at all CTV stations except in Toronto, MontrealandOttawa.Thisisgoingtohaveserious repercussions across the country, and Canadians aregoingtofinditmoreandmoredifficulttofind local newscasts and radio that inform them about issuesintheircommunities.

There's little solace for workers in instances like this. Executive leadership at BCE has been called to the Heritage Committee to

explain their layoffs and what those cuts mean to local journalism. While New Democrats also pushedfortheMinistersofHeritageandIndustry to appear before the committee and respond to thesedevastatingcuts,theLiberalmajorityonthe committeeultimatelyvoteddownthisproposal. BCE has seemingly blamed everything and everyone but themselves for this move, includingtherecentCRTCrulingthatforcesBell tosellfiberopticinternettosmaller ISPs,andthe recent actor and writer strikes in Hollywood. When they finalized their purchase of CTV in 2012,Bellpromisedtoexpandandpromotelocal newsandradio,buthereweare,12yearslaterand 4,800jobslost.Perhapstheanswertothesetypes of devastating cuts is to not have the government rubber stamp corporate takeovers, such as the recent Rogers/Shaw deal or RBCs takeover of HSBC.

LeslicenciementschezBell,unautreexempleflagrant despratiquesvampiriquesdesentreprises

Récemment, Bell Média a annoncé le licenciementd'unnombreimpressionnantde4 800 personnes dans l'ensemble de ses services de radiodiffusion (télévision et radio), ainsi que la vente de 45 de ses 103 stations de radiodiffusion régionales. Dire qu'il s'agit d'un jour sombre pour l'informationrégionaleetlejournalismereviendrait à sous-estimer l'incidence profonde de ces licenciements,quivisentsimplementàaccroîtreles profits d'une entreprise. Aujourd'hui, 4 800 personnes sont sans emploi, ce qui a des répercussions sur leurs familles et leurs collectivités locales, et les Canadiens et les Canadiennes de tous les horizons auront un accès réduitàl'informationlocale.

En fait, les commentaires spontanés du premier ministre de la Colombie-Britannique, DavidEby,résumentassezbienlasituation:«Bell et les entreprises comme cette dernière ont supervisé la consolidation des actifs de médias locaux qui sont précieux pour les collectivités locales. Comme des vampires, ces entreprises ont vidé les médias locaux de leur substance et ont licencié des journalistes. Ils ont supervisé la « faillite programmée » des médias locaux en licenciantdesjournalisteset,àprésent,ilsaffirment qu'iln'estpluséconomiquementviabledegérerces stations de radiodiffusion locales et que le journalisme d'enquête n'est plus économiquement viableluinonplus.Onleuralaissélechamplibre pouragirdelasorte.Lefaitquelesdirigeantsdeces entreprisesnepuissentpastrouverdefaçon,malgré toutesleursmaîtrisesenadministrationdesaffaires (M.B.A.), d'exploiter quelques stations d'informationlocalespours'assurerquelesgensont accèsàdel'informationexacte,objectiveetfiableà l'ère de la désinformation et de la folie des médias sociaux indique que toute idée de responsabilité d'entreprise a été reléguée aux oubliettes

[TRADUCTION].»

David Eby n'a clairement pas mâché ses mots, mais il a parlé du cœur du problème. Une petite poignée de conglomérats médiatiques a achetéautantdepetitesstationslocalesquepossible pour réduire la concurrence, puis a supprimé ces emploisetcesstationslorsqu'ellesontcommencéà enregistrerdespertes.Toutescesréductionsonteu lieumalgrélefaitqueBCEInc,lasociétémèrede BellMédia,aenregistrédesrevenusd'exploitation totalisant 6,7 milliards de dollars en 2023, ce qui représente une hausse par rapport aux 6,44 milliards de dollars de l'année précédente. Bell Média a déclaré avoir enregistré des pertes d'exploitation annuelles de 40 millions de dollars, mais elle a été ravie de recevoir 155 millions de dollarsautitredelaSubventionsalarialed'urgence duCanadapendantlapandémie,sommequidevait serviràpréserverlesemploisdesonpersonnel.Qui plus est, Bell a annoncé avec un degré d'inconsciencetelquemêmelesindividuslesplus irréfléchis ou les plus cupides n'auraient pas pu rivaliser que, dans sa grande générosité, elle allait verser des dividendes de 3 % à ses actionnaires. Voilà qui constitue un versement parmi les plus élevésdessociétéscotéesàlaBoursedeMontréal (TMX). Ainsi, il y a plus d'argent pour les riches actionnaires,moinspourlejournalismelocal.Bell Média a déclaré des revenus de 697 millions de dollarsl'annéedernière,maisilsemblequecelane luisuffitpas.

lestclairquelesmédiastraditionnelssont en situation de crise depuis plusieurs années. CBC/Radio-Canada a déjà annoncé qu'elle supprimerait quelque 650 emplois cette année. De son côté, Postmedia a annoncé en janvier une réduction de 11 % du nombre de ses journalistes. Toutefois, rien de tout cela ne rivalise avec ce que SuiteP.7

ÉSCTrilliumshinesashostofregionalsecondaryschoolsportstournament

OnFebruary13and14,Écolesecondaire catholiqueTrillium(Chapleau)hostedtheNorth Shore High School Athletic Association's volleyball and basketball tournaments. For the occasion, the school welcomed several schools fromNorthernOntario.

ÉSC Trillium students and staff joined forces to organize the hosting of all these sports

teams, starting with the decorations, timetables, menus, live broadcasts on social media and all other preparations for the event. The Coyotes from Trillium also showed great school spirit towards their junior and senior athletes, who playedtheirbasketballandvolleyballgameswith flying colours. Between games, athletes and visitorshadtheopportunitytorefuelbystopping

by the school's 'Energy Station' for a smoothie carefully prepared by members of the Trillium StudentParliamentorasnack.

Congratulationstotheschoolteamforthe success of this event, and to the Coyotes for representingtheirschoolsowellbothonthecourt andatthiswelcomeevent.

Untournoiquimobiliselacommunautéscolairedel'ÉSCTrillium

Les 13 et 14 février, l'ÉSC Trillium (Chapleau)futl'hôtedestournoisdevolleyballet de basketball de l'Association athlétique des écoles secondaires de la Rive Nord. Pour l'occasion,l'écoleaaccueilliplusieursécolesdu Norddel'Ontario.

Les élèves et membres du personnel de Trillium ont uni leurs forces afin d'organiser

l'accueil de toutes ces équipes sportives en commençant par les décors, les horaires, les menus, la diffusion en direct sur les médias sociaux ainsi que tout autre préparatif pour l'événement.LesCoyotesontaussidémontréun bel esprit d'école envers leurs athlètes juniors et séniorsquiontdisputéleursmatchsdebasketball et de volleyball avec brio. Entre les parties, les athlètes et visiteurs avaient l'occasion de refaire

le plein en passant par la «Station énergie» de l'école afin de se procurer un bon smoothie préparéavecsoinpardesmembresduParlement desélèvesdeTrilliumouunecollation.

Bravo à l'équipe-école pour le succès de cet événement et aux Coyotes d'avoir si bien représentéleurécoletantsurleterrainquedansle cadredecetteactivitéd'accueil.

“IwillkeepfightingforaccesstohealthcareintheNorth.”says MPPMichaelMantha

Today MPP Mantha's Bill 13, the Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, was defeated by a vote of 32 to 73 at second reading.

“I want to thank my colleagues who supported this bill to help Northerners seeking access to medical treatment. Sadly, the Progressive Conservatives caucus used their majorityinthelegislaturetoseeitfail.”Mantha said.

The bill would have struck a committee of healthcare providers and patients from Northern Ontario to make recommendations to improve the Northern Health Travel Grant (NHTG).

“I am disappointed in the Progressive Conservative caucus for voting against this measure to improve the lives of Northern Ontarians.” Mantha said. “It is especially disheartening to see that some Northern MPPs voted against this bill, when their constituents relyonthisgrant.”

TheAuditorGeneral'sAnnualReportfor 2023 identified the NHTG as an area where the governmentneedstoimprovetoensureresidents of Northern Ontario are getting timely and adequateaccesstohealthcare.

“We know that the NHTG is necessary, but that it's not working as well as it could.” Mantha said. “I will keep fighting for access to

healthcareintheNorth.WhetheritistheNHTG, our public hospitals or homecare, Northerners deserve the same services and care as everyone elseinourprovince.”

Lastweekssolutions

MOMENTS IN TIME

On March 12, 1999, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland formally joined NATO, endowingthenationswithalevelofpoliticaland militarysecuritythathadbeenlackingformuchof the20thcentury.Themovewassaidtosignifythe beginningofaunitedEurope.

Fax 705-856-4862

tgendron@northernlightsford.ca sales@northernlightsford.ca

LeslicenciementschezBell,unautreexempleflagrant despratiquesvampiriquesdesentreprises

SuitedelaP.4

Bellafaitaujourd'hui.Eneffet,Bellasuppriméles bulletinsdenouvellestélévisésàmidilesjoursde semainedanstouteslesstationsCTV,àl'exception de ceux de Toronto, et les bulletins de nouvelles télévisés la fin de semaine dans toutes les stations CTV,àl'exceptiondeceuxdeToronto,deMontréal et d'Ottawa. Cette situation aura de graves répercussions dans tout le pays, et la population canadienneauradeplusenplusdemalàobtenirdes bulletins de nouvelles locales, télévisés ou radiodiffusés, qui les informent sur les problèmes auseindeleurcollectivité.

Ce genre de situation n'offre que peu de consolationauxtravailleurs.LadirectiondeBCEa été convoquée devant le Comité permanent du patrimoine canadien pour expliquer les motifs de ces licenciements et ce que ces compressions signifient pour le journalisme local. Les néodémocrates ont également insisté pour que les ministres du Patrimoine et de l'Industrie se présentent devant le Comité et donnent leurs impressions sur ces compressions dévastatrices, mais la majorité libérale du Comité a finalement rejetécetteproposition.

BCEaapparemmentrejetélafautesurtout le monde pour cette décision, notamment la décisionrécenteduCRTC,quiobligeBellàfournir aux petits fournisseurs d'accès Internet (FAI) un accèsàleursréseauxdefibreoptique,ainsiqueles grèves récentes chez les acteurs et scénaristes à Hollywood. Lorsqu'elle a mis la touche finale à l'entente sur le rachat de CTV en 2012, Bell a

promisd'étendreetdepromouvoirladiffusionetla radiodiffusion des nouvelles locales : 12 ans plus tard, nous en sommes à 4 800 emplois perdus. La solution à ce type de compressions dévastatrices consistepeut-êtreànepaslaisserlegouvernement approuver les rachats d'entreprises, comme le récentaccordentreRogersetShawoulerachatde HSBCparlaRBC.

Pimii Kamik Gas Bar

One might think that since I spend so much time in Toronto week after week, I'd take advantage of the many forms of entertainment available: music, movies, stand-up comedy shows, sports and live entertainment. But the truth is I seldom venture out to such venues. In theevenings,withthenews andsports channels oninthebackground,Iturntomycellphoneand laptoptofollowuponalltheday'smessagesand phone calls received. By the time I finish, I'm ready to hit the sack to rise early for my regular workouteachmorning.

Recently,tomychagrin,Idiscoveredthat Iapparentlyholdseasonticketsforlivetheatrein Toronto. I say to my chagrin because it's not a show I want to see.Worse is that I will see new scenes play out before me each day in the Legislature.

I say this because in preparing for the sessiontoresumeatQueen'sParkafterthewinter break,Ireviewedwhatbillsandlegislationwere on the horizon. I read that the Ford government wasintroducinganomnibusbillcalledtheGetIt Done Act. My assistant, Max, heard me saying out loud, “What? Git-r-Done!? Is Premier Ford nowturningtoLarrytheCableGuyforpolitical andpolicyadvice?”

There was a time not so long ago when titling legislation reflected thoughtfulness,

Git-r-Done:NowplayinginQueen'sPark

sobriety and class. When a bill is introduced, it should bring an air of resolve, sincerity and confidence as it will impact many thousands of lives or businesses. To stoop to titling bills that are blatant self-serving political promotion, patronage, or propaganda does the institution of government a disservice. And if you are not certainhowthetitleoftheabovebillispolitically self-servingtotheFordgovernment,justlookup theOntarioConservativeParty's2022campaign slogan.“Let'sGetitDone.”

Politics is serious business, not fun and games. People's livelihoods, well-being, and evenhealthdependonpoliticianstogetitright.If onlyPremierFord'stheatricswerelimitedtojust the titling of bills. Unfortunately, politicians nowadays seem more focused on campaigning andusetheatricsofeverydescriptiontodothisall yearround.Theirattentionshouldbefocusedon governing today, not on popularity polls and beingelectedtomorrow.

Oflate,theConservatives'entiremanner ofgoverningresemblestheplotofaseasonofthe old TV night-time soap series, Dallas. Intrigue, suspense,dramaandscandalgalore.Theconservativeswriteaplotandscript.Theydoitfastand, as much as possible, limit consultation with stakeholders.Then,theyputtheirshowonstage to see how Ontarians react. If the reaction is significantlyadverse,theyreturntothedrawing board for a plot and script rewrite, followed by oneofDougFord'snowcommonwalk-backs.

For example, think of the Greenbelt scandalthatwasalltheragerecently.Therewasa greatpublicoutroarafterrevelationsofimproprieties that led to several cabinet resignations and ministry official firings. Doug Ford had no choicebuttodoarewriteandwalkbackhis$8.2 billionGreenbeltswap.

Examples of other plot rewrites by the Ford governmentinclude:

· Recalling new blue vehicle licenses that arenotvisibleatnight

· Closing public playgrounds during pandemic

· Retroactivecutstopublichealth

· Useofnotwithstandingclausetoimpose acontractonCUPEeducationworkers

· Reversal of Bill 124, which unconstitutionally capped public service workers, nurses, teachers,etc.,contractsto1percent

A true showperson can't keep using the sameoldtricksandthesameoldstoryline.Ifyou want to keep your audience involved and keep them guessing what's next, you have to mix up your repertoire. One of Premier Ford's tactics is using omnibus bills to achieve this. Omnibus billsfacilitatemultiplelegislativechangesunder theguiseofexpedience.ButwhatOmnibusbills

reallydoisburyapileofunrelatedchangesunder onecover.Thehopeisthatbymakingthebillso jam-packed and cumbersome, no one will have timetogothroughandreadthefineprintbefore membersareforcedtovoteonthebill.TheGetIt Done Act 2024 is a prime example of this. It includes:

· Streamlining the environmental assessmentprocess

· BanningtollsonOntariohighways

· Automatic renewal of vehicle and photo IDcards

· Mandatoryholdingofprovincialreferendumsbeforenewtaxescanbecreated

· ReferendumonwhetherOntarianswanta carbontaximplemented

· ChangestotheOfficialPlanAdjustments Act

My question is, if a government has confidenceinthequalityoftheirlegislation,why wouldtheywanttohideitortrytoslipitthrough unnoticed–likeinanomnibusbill?And,justlike titling legislation, the contents of a bill should reflect thoughtfulness, sobriety and class. One wouldthinkagovernmentwouldbeproudtolet the voters and even political critics see the government's resolve, confidence and pride. Wouldafarmerwanttoslipinabunchofbruised or malformed items buried in a bushel of produce? Of course not. Ontario food producers have much more pride in their work to pull somethinglikethat.Sowhywouldagovernment bury what it is doing for the people of the provinceifitbelievesinwhatitisproposing?

Itseemsthatwhenitcomestoconstructing policies, legislation and governing, the objective should not be to just “Git-r-Done” but rather to be methodic, thoughtful and Get-ItRight–thefirsttime.IkindofwishIcouldjust return the season's tickets for the show directed byPremierFord.Iamnotcontentwiththescenes I see unfolding across the aisle. Like most Ontarians, I want to see a premium-level show withhigh-qualityperformancesfeaturingawellestablishedplot,includingtransparent,meaningfuldialoguebyagovernmentthatattunesitsears towhatitsaudienceexpects.

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 my new address, mmantha-co@ola.org orbyphoneToll-freeat1-800-831-1899.