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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS

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Vol. 25, Issue 47, July 29, 2021

We were there for patients in the pandemic,” say Fort Frances, Chapleau hospital workers mobilizing to fight wage cuts and concessions

F

ront-line hospital staff working at northwestern Ontario hospitals are speaking out about their dissatisfaction with how their hospital employers and Doug Ford's provincial government are treating them.

Mobilizing actions are planned in Fort Frances Chapleau, tomorrow, Long Term Tuesday, July 27.

Forecast Staff at Fort Thursday Frances' Riverside High 20 Health Care and Low 8 Services de santé de Friday C hapleau Health High 19 Services are among Low 11 nearly 70,000 hospital Saturday High 19 Low 11 Sunday High 18 Low 10 Monday High 19 Low 11 Tuesday High 20 Low 12

workers across Ontario currently negotiating a new provincial contract. But after working the past 18 months at a hectic pace in a pandemic, these workers feel devalued by both the province and their hospital employers.

They deserve a fair contract say their unions, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and SEIU Healthcare but, they are instead, being “rewarded” by a wage cut under a provincial policy (Bill 124) that restricts them to a wage increase less than 1/3 of the rate of inflation. Bill 124 also impacts hospital workers' ability to negotiate much-needed increases to mental health supports like psychotherapy and post-traumatic stress counselling.

At next week's northwest Ontario rally actions, hospital workers are asking for respect and better pandemic protections – safety measures, which will also benefit patients. In addition to getting Bill 124 repealed, the unions and their bargaining committees are also asking the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) to take several concessions, including language around seniority and retirement packages, off the table.

These rallies are the first of many across the province scheduled through the end of August.

SEIU Healthcare and CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) began bargaining with the OHA last month and will return to the table in early September.

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 2

Ontario Ramping Up Efforts to Reduce Surgical Wait Times Additional Funding Will Allow Province to Perform Thousands More Surgeries, Procedures and Diagnostic Imaging Hours The Ontario government is investing up to $324 million in new funding to enable Ontario's hospitals and community health sector to perform more surgeries, MRI and CT scans and procedures, including on evenings and weekends, as part of a wider, comprehensive surgical recovery plan to provide patients with the care they need. This plan will enable Ontario's health care system to perform up to 67,000 additional surgeries and procedures as well as up to 135,000 more diagnostic imaging hours to address wait times for surgeries and procedures, improve access to care and support the government's commitment to end hallway health care.

“Ontario's hospitals have been unwavering in their commitment to provide exceptional care to Ontarians. While the pandemic has been challenging for hospitals, we have made significant progress in addressing wait times for surgeries and other procedures and are in a much better situation than was expected mere months ago,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “As Ontario continues on the path to reopening and recovery, our government is committed to improving access and reducing wait times for scheduled surgeries and procedures across the province.”

The C O V I D-19 pandemic placed significant pressures on hospital and health care resources, requiring the government to take extraordinary measures to maximize capacity and ensure that Ontarians can continue to have access to safe, high-quality health care. Thanks to the ongoing efforts and dedication across the health care system as well as targeted government initiatives, 76 per cent of patients who were waitlisted for required surgery between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021 have received the care they need. Throughout the pandemic, urgent surgical patients were prioritized and 99.3 per cent of the most urgent patient surgeries were completed. As the province continues to safely and gradually lift public health measures, it is anticipated that referrals for surgeries, procedures and diagnostic imaging will increase similar to what has been seen in other provinces and jurisdictions.

To continue the progress made to date and meet future demand, Ontario has developed a

THANK YOU The MacGillivray family would like to thank all those in the medical field in Chapleau who provided care and assistance for Myra Anne.

The staff and pharmacists at Model Drug store, the receptionists, technicians and nurses at the hospital, the Paramedics, Jessica at the Saari Medical Clinic and a special thank you to Doctor Kendra Saari for her dedicated, compassionate care.

Thank you all very much!

comprehensive surgical recovery plan to enable hospitals and community providers to operate at 110 to 115 per cent capacity, bolstering the health system's capacity to ensure patients' surgical and recovery care needs are met at all stages, from primary care referrals, hospital discharge to recovery at home. The plan encompasses the entire continuum of care, including: !· Hospital care: A new investment of $300 million from the 2021 Budget dedicated to help the hospital sector recover and perform thousands more surgeries and diagnostic imaging hours, and help reduce wait times. ! $216 million for hospitals to extend operating room hours into evenings and weekends and perform up to 67,000 additional surgeries on top of the typical volume of 650,000 scheduled surgeries that happen in main operating rooms each year. New surgeries funded may include up to 33,000 new cataracts surgeries, up to 4,300 new orthopedics surgeries and up to 9,000 new paediatrics surgeries. ! $35 million for MRI and CT imaging, enabling over 75,000 additional hours of MRI scanning and over 60,000 additional hours of CT scanning, on top of the 577,000 hours and 550,000 hours that happen each year, respectively. This represents a 12 per cent overall increase in available hours. ! $18 million investment in centralized surgical waitlist management to increase use of electronic referrals and support work to enable efficient tracking of surgical information, making better use of specialist and hospital resources and reducing patient wait times. ! $1 million for surgical smoothing coaching from an expert team of experienced surgeons and administrators to support knowledge sharing and best practices to optimize the use of operating rooms at key high-volume hospitals. ! $30 million for the new Surgical Innovation Fund to help hospitals in each region of the province to address barriers and increase their surgical output. Approval for funding will be released in September 2021 for immediate implementation this year. !

Increase health system capacity through community alternatives to hospital care: A new investment of up to $24 million to increase volumes of low-risk, publicly funded surgical and diagnostic services in independent health facilities and to support the licensing of new independent health facilities for existing services.

This funding builds on investments currently underway that support integrated care across the continuum, including $1.2 million for cancer prevention and screening initiatives and $143 million to support post-hospital care with ongoing programs such as rehab hospitals, use of virtual care, home care and transitional care.

The government and Ontario Health will

work with hospitals to determine which hospitals can increase their surgical activity based on the local situation. Funding allocations for additional surgeries will be communicated to hospitals in early fall as they continue to ramp up to increase their surgical output.

Building on initiatives to increase health human resources capacity in hospitals during the pandemic, Ontario's surgical recovery plan also includes initiatives that support health human resources capacity for increased surgical volumes in hospitals, including expanding existing initiatives and developing additional programs. quality care.

Tuesday, August 10th, 2021

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 3

Chapleau Celebrating 12 years of Chapleau Moments Moments as part of "rough drafts of history"

Boys Go To War" with my cousin Michael McMullen.

It is now in its third edition. by Anyway, it struck me that I have been doing and teaching communications, journalism and related things for at least 64 years now, starting with a Chapleau High School column in the long gone Mid-North News in 1957. Shortly after Joy (Evans) Heft joined me.

While at Waterloo Lutheran University I have been writing Chapleau Moments for the Chapleau Express every week with a short from 1960 to 1964. I served as editor of the break for each Christmas 12 years now but it student weekly newspaper The Cord for two years. I became a daily newspaper reporter in almost didn't happen at all.

Shortly after Mario Lafreniere asked me 1964 working at several papers across Canada.

And other than covering the 1968 World to write a column, I ended up in East Kootenay Regional Hospital and later Foothills Medical Series between Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Centre with a bleeding ulcer. Thanks to Cardinals , interestingly two of the major stories I outstanding care from medical staff in both covered, occurred in Chapleau.

Robert 'Bob' Fife, now Ottawa Bureau hospitals I recovered and here I am. As an aside Chief for The Globe and Mail, but a "Chapleau Mario even had the RCMP track me down. boy" contacted me to ask if I would cover a test of I had just started writing a weekly column for the Cranbrook Guardian, a blog the nuclear winter theory that would be published by the Citizens for a Livable conducted near Chapleau in the early 1980s for Cranbrook Society. It folded a few years ago now. the United Press news service. The story Along with Chapleau Moments and my appeared on the front page of many newspapers own blog, I also wrote features and edited the in the United States.

The other was an interview with Pierre Uneek Luxury Tours blog which is based in Orlando, Florida, owned by the distinguished Trudeau, when he was prime minister of Canada, photographer Michael Pelzer. Now I just write at the Chapleau CPR station for CBC Television for the Chapleau Express with Chapleau News. Mr. Trudeau was travelling by train across Canada with his sons, one of whom Justin is now Moments Prime Minister of Canada. In Revelstoke, BC, I agreed to write for the Guardian after being asked by so many people why I lived in just down the road from me now, hecklers had Cranbrook and wrote about "some place" in thrown eggs at Mr. Trudeau's railway car.

In Chapleau, Walter Broomhead, in a Ontario all the time. I had agreed to write for the Guardian after living here for 24 years. I had also ceremony on the station on the station platform, been the editor of the Faculty magazine at presented the prime minister with a dozen eggs.

CBC Television News wanted the story. We got College of the Rockies for two years.

In 2015 I had coauthored "The Chapleau it.

Let's go back to Chapleau 1958 for a moment and see some of the happenings at CHS and in the community.

And thanks to the late Doug Greig for sending me some of those columns from the MidNorth News.

The CHS hockey league was underway and the Redmen and Eskimos met in the season opener at the Chapleau Memorial Arena. In an exciting start to the season, the Redmen won 5-3 -- only Prime Minister Trudeau at C.P.R. Station in Chapleau one problem. As yet the

Michael J. Morris

Harry "Boo" Hong, Roger Mizuguchi, Harry "Butch" Pellow of CHS Teem teams did not have sweaters, and it was difficult to distinguish between the teams. Problem was solved when always generous Chapleau merchants and others supplied them.

House parties were the rage in the 1950s,

Chapleau High School circa 1922 to 1966 as well as dances in the CHS gymnasium, the Legion and Town Halls, church basements as well as moccasin dances on the natural ice in the arena. My lifelong friend Ken Schroeder organized many of them year round as well as playing in orchestras of the day.

Speaking of house parties, Jim Ennis threw a big one, which as I recall was open to all CHS students. I don't recall how many showed up but after reading the column Joy and I wrote about it, his house was packed, and to this day I remember it as a great get together.

Jim and friends had decorated and we danced to the music of records on the new hi-fi Jim had built. It was an evening of "fun and frolic".

I saw a letter in the Chapleau Express some years ago from Joanne Moyle in which she Cont’d on P.5

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 4

REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa by/par

Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Anyone paying attention to Canada recently will notice that Indigenous women have been breaking down barriers and setting precedents as they assume high-profile leadership roles. With Rosanne Archibald winning election as Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), she becomes the first woman to hold the position. That will be followed on July 26th, with Mary Simon's historic installation as the first Indigenous person to hold the position of Governor General. While most of the focus will relate to the identity aspect of these women's stories, it is only fair to note that both Archibald and Simon were accomplished to begin with, which helps explain their selection and the hope that are attached to their ascent.

For Mary Simon, the importance of the moment is clear. Our next Governor General sees her appointment as an historic step that can help facilitate healing and also provide inspiration for reconciliation. Her selection also shows how accomplished she is, and the skills she has developed throughout her career should help her

With historic steps, change is in the wind weather any unforeseen difficulties – something her predecessor struggled with.

The public facing nature of Ms. Simon's previous work all but ensures she can handle the elbows-up element of politics which sometimes creeps into the work of the Governor General. She has served as Canada's first Inuk ambassador to the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. She has also served as Canada's ambassador to Denmark, and for two terms as the President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami - a non-profit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit. Given the nature of these positions, we can see Ms. Simon isn't one to shy away from a challenge or to blaze trails.

Rosanne Archibald's victory in the recent AFN election is no less historic. Although she is the first woman to assume the position of Grand Chief, her leadership experience is vast, including a three year stint as Ontario Regional Chief. Archibald was first elected as the chief of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation in 1990. At that time, she was the first woman and the youngest Chief ever elected and hasn't stopped breaking down barriers since. The theme of first and youngest repeated when Archibald became the first woman and youngest Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief in 1991, and again as the first woman and youngest Grand Chief of the Mushkegowuk Council in 1994.

Even in her recent term as Ontario's Grand Chief,

she was the first woman to serve in that position.

Although Ms Archibald is the first woman to win election as Grand Chief of the AFN, Delia Opekokew, a Cree lawyer and writer from the Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, was the first woman to run for the position in 1994. Strong second place finishes by Wendy Grant-John in 1997, Roberta Jamieson in 2003, Pam Palmater in 2012, and Sheila North in 2018 showed that the AFN has been working its way to this moment in the decades since Delia Opekokew's inclusion on the Assembly's ballot.

There is no such line to consider for Governor's General with only insiders knowing who was considered and how far along that process anyone made it. What is certain is that Ms. Simon is the first Indigenous person to fill the position.

What is unknown is how that position may change because of her appointment. There will be some who find it uncomforting to have her fill the role of the Queen's representative in Canada given the colonial implications that cannot be separated from the position. Some may see that as a conflict and others as an opportunity to expand the notion of that representation. Given her accomplishments, it would be foolish to bet against her changing the role in a positive manner. The same can be said for Ms. Archibald who clearly isn't done setting precedents or leading by example.

Des changements historiques qui démontrent que le vent tourne Quiconque suit l'actualité au Canada ces derniers temps constatera que les femmes autochtones font tomber les barrières et créent des précédents en assumant des rôles de premier plan.

RoseAnne Archibald a été élue au poste de Cheffe nationale de l'Assemblée des Premières Nations (APN), ce qui fait d'elle la première femme à occuper ce poste. Le 26 juillet, Mary Simon deviendra officiellement la première personne autochtone à occuper le poste de gouverneur général. Bien que l'accent soit surtout mis sur l'aspect identitaire de l'histoire de ces femmes, il convient de noter que Mme Archibald et Mme Simon étaient deux femmes accomplies au départ, ce qui contribue à expliquer leur sélection et l'espoir qui accompagne leur ascension.

Pour Mary Simon, l'importance du moment est claire. La future gouverneure générale considère sa nomination comme une étape historique qui peut contribuer à faciliter la guérison et aussi servir d'inspiration à la réconciliation. Sa sélection montre également à quel point elle est accomplie, et les compétences qu'elle a développées tout au long de sa carrière devraient l'aider à surmonter toute difficulté imprévue, ce qui était plus difficile pour son prédécesseur.

Le fait que Mme Simon a dû composer avec l'opinion publique dans le cadre de son travail antérieur démontre qu'elle peut faire face à la dimension politique qui intervient parfois dans le

travail de la gouverneure générale. Elle a été la première ambassadrice inuite du Canada au Conseil circumpolaire inuit. Elle a également été ambassadrice du Canada au Danemark et, pendant deux mandats, présidente de l'Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, une organisation sans but lucratif qui représente plus de 65 000 Inuits au Canada. Compte tenu de la nature de ces postes, il est clair que Mme Simon n'est pas du genre à reculer devant un défi ou devant la possibilité d'ouvrir la voie à d'autres.

La victoire de RoseAnne Archibald aux récentes élections de l'APN est tout aussi historique. Bien qu'elle soit la première femme à occuper le poste de cheffe nationale, elle possède une vaste expérience du leadership, notamment en tant que cheffe régionale de l'Ontario pendant trois ans. Mme Archibald a été élue pour la première fois au poste de chef de la Nation Taykwa Tagamou en 1990. Elle était aussi la première femme et la personne la plus jeune jamais élue au poste de chef de la nation Taykwa Tagamou en 1990, et elle a continué de franchir des obstacles depuis. Elle était aussi la première femme et la plus jeune des grands chefs adjoints de la nation Nishnawbe Aski en 1991, puis la première femme et la plus jeune des grands chefs du conseil Mushkegowuk en 1994.

Même lors de son récent mandat de cheffe nationale de l'Ontario, elle était encore une fois la première femme à occuper ce poste.

Bien que Mme Archibald soit la première

femme à être élue au poste de Cheffe nationale de l'APN, Delia Opekokew, avocate et écrivaine crie de la Première Nation de Canoe Lake en Saskatchewan, a été la première femme à se présenter à ce poste en 1994. Les excellentes deuxièmes places obtenues par Wendy Grant-John en 1997, Roberta Jamieson en 2003, Pam Palmater en 2012 et Sheila North en 2018 montrent que l'APN s'est préparée à ce moment au cours des décennies qui ont suivi l'inscription de Delia Opekokew sur le bulletin de vote de l'Assemblée.

Il n'y a pas de ligne de conduite à suivre pour le poste de gouverneur général, et seuls les initiés savent qui a été pris en considération et à quel stade du processus quelqu'un est arrivé. Ce qui est certain, c'est que Mme Simon est la première personne autochtone à occuper ce poste. Ce que l'on ne sait pas, en revanche, c'est dans quelle mesure ce poste pourrait changer du fait de sa nomination.

Certains trouveront inconfortable de la voir occuper le rôle de représentante de la reine au Canada, étant donné les implications coloniales qui ne peuvent être dissociées de ce poste. Certains peuvent y voir un conflit et d'autres une occasion d'élargir la notion de cette représentation. Compte tenu de ses réalisations, il serait insensé de croire qu'elle ne changera pas le rôle de manière positive.

On peut en dire autant de Mme Archibald, qui n'a manifestement pas fini de créer des précédents ou de montrer l'exemple.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 5 sword fights and all, with costumes made by Mrs Marianne Demers.

Thanks to my mother, Muriel E (Hunt) Morris, who instilled a love of reading in me before I could hardly walk, and gave me the American writer, with the" sound of story" as freedom to explore all the great children's the dominant sound in my life. literature of my time, story has been the place Story has been central to me whether I where I have lived. was playing in the living room with my Little did I realize that my experience as grandfather George Hunt bringing the history the Chapleau High School reporter for the long of England alive, or listening to other gone Mid North News, and a television grandfather Harry Morris share stories of program on CHAP TV would lead to a lifetime hunting and fishing and portaging. or creating spent telling stories,talking about the stories of my own plays for the Junior Red Cross Society others and helping students write their own performances in Grade 4 at Chapleau Public stories, in classrooms in Ontario and British School. Brian and Teddy Demers, Alison Columbia. And people even hired me to write McMillan and I created a real swashbuckler, stories about people and events for daily newspapers, television, magazines and the internet. I have been most privileged to have worked with great storytellers in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the United States and now British Columbia.

It has been a great privilege to have worked with some of the great editors and reporters of our time on the first rough drafts of history --- a phrase attributed to Philip Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post.My email is mikejmorris41@outlook.com

Chapleau Moments Cont’d from P.3 wrote that "Mike Morris was the best dancer in town." Thanks Joanne , it was good for my ego, but I think many could challenge me for the title.

But, just in case, some do challenge, I warn them that I have just started a cardio aquafit program at the local swimming pool.

I wrote in my first column for the Cranbrook Guardian that I am one of those most blessed people who have never really worked one day because I have been able to spend it living, in the words of Reynolds Price, the

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 6

Last weeks solutions MOMENTS IN TIME

On Aug. 12, 1964, Charlie Wilson, part of the gang who pulled off the 1963 Great Train Robbery, one of the biggest heists of its kind, escapes from the maximum-security Winson Green Prison in Birmingham, England. Wilson remained on the loose until 1968.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 7 R.T.

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CHAPLEAU MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Annual General Meeting Monday August 16th at 7:00pm Conference Call Positions up for election this year include: !

First Vice President !

Secretary !

Equipment Convener !

Referee Assignor !

Public Relations !

Fundraising Coordinator !

U7 Director Please email cmhahuskies@outlook.com if you would like to attend the AGM conference call.

Applications for coaches can be submitted prior to the AGM to the CMHA President or email cmhahuskies@outlook.com All parent(s) / guardian(s) of registered CMHA players are welcome to attend virtually.

Registration will be available on or about Wednesday August 18th online. Please watch our CMHA Facebook group for updates or email cmhahuskies@outlook.com https://www.facebook.com/ChapleauMinorHockey Association

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND

FOR QUALITY SERVICES AT

INEXPENSIVE PRICES GIVE US A CALL AT 1-705-264-4334 1-705-363-7804

Local MARKETPLACE ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (A.A).Open discussion meeting every Monday evening. Brunswick House First Nation Band office lounge 7pm. Narcotics Anonymous(N.A) every Tuesday same place same time.

NNADAP Worker @ 864-0174 info.

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.

DEADLINES ON WEDNESDAYS AT 3:00 P.M. New at the Library Free Digital E-Resources for your online reading enjoyment.

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, July 29, 2021- Page 8

A couple of years ago, clearly before the pandemic hit, I was on one of my regular constituency clinic tours and found myself looking for something better to do than sit and watch television after a rather long drive and jam packed day of meeting constituents. One of the constituents I met invited me to her church that evening for a fun travel themed social event. So, always up for some fun and meeting new people, I joined in.

The evening included a thirty minute slide show of one of the member's trips to Australia. Her photos were surprisingly professional as was her talk. About 7 or 8 minutes into the presentation, there suddenly appeared a slide of two toddlers sliding down a steep pile of snow on a crazy-carpet.

Clearly out of place for an Australian trip, the audience giggled and the presenter said, “Oh dear, that's my granddaughters playing in the snow after a big dump we had a few weeks ago. She talked on about it up for a short time telling us about the wonderful visit she had that day with her granddaughters.

A bit later, the same thing happened with a photo of a young boy proudly displaying a Valentines Day picture he painted for his Grandma.

Again, a feigned embarrassed comment from the presenter, commenting that her husband was really slipping up in setting up the slide show. I think Dana's husband 'slipped up' four times in that short slide presentation.

The lady sitting next to me leaned over and said, “Don't believe a word Dana says about her husband messing up. She slips those slides in herself every time she does a travel show. She has a thick photo album in her purse that has let me tell you about my grandchildren embossed on it. She is so proud that it's kind of cute.”

I have to admit, I share a similar sentiment as Dana with my pride of Algoma-Manitoulin.

Among my colleagues, I am renowned for using every opportunity in the legislature to share with my members what an outstanding region our riding is. For a few years I even delivered an auctioneer style Member's statement just before summer recess in which I invited people to come enjoy spending time at the long list of events and attractions available summer long. AlgomaManitoulin is overflowing with pristine lakes and forests, high lookout vistas, spectacularly thunderous waves crashing on our shorelines and abundant opportunities to enjoy the magnificence of our wildlife. And don't get me started on the treasure-trove of outstanding citizens who make

the help they need to take a much-needed vacation. this land what it is.

Tourism is one of the biggest contributors And just imagine the jobs we can save, the jobs we to Ontario's economy — even more so for our can create and the economic stability we can give to Northern economy. All year round, visitors flock to our communities with this plan.

It is painfully obvious to the people of every corner of this riding to enjoy the bounty that we have all around us every day. The pandemic has Ontario that this long, painful lockdown is the hit most every business sector hard, but it has hit the result of Doug Ford's poor pandemic choices — not tourism sector especially hard. And tourism the choices of business owners and working folks. includes an incredibly wide spectrum of But even at this point, it is not too late to take steps businesses. Doug Ford has had months to step up to that will at least help bring us up out of this terrible the plate to find ways to help our business pit. I am confident that the TOTC will help undo community to get back on their feet and spur on some of the damage that Ford heaped upon all of us. economic recovery. Just staving off bankruptcy as There is no better place in the world to long as possible is not good enough. We need to travel than Ontario. The beauty, diverse cultural grow. experiences, world-class outdoor recreation and So many streets in this province are dotted incredibly special hospitality industry make this with For Lease signs and papered-up windows. province the perfect place to safely enjoy a break Our Re-opening days are still in their infancy and this summer. The TOTC would keep the dream noticeable improvement is still weeks away for alive for the small businesses in the sector, create thousands of Ontario-owned businesses. Many of jobs we desperately need right now, and give Ontario's local businesses — and jobs — are at risk families a break. Let's re-open our doors by of not being able to hang on until the upturn actually offering an enticing incentive for people to explore begins. Entrepreneurs in Ontario are watching Ontario and all that we have to offer, thus creating their dreams crumble and so many families jobs, economic stimulus, and hope. continue to struggle to put food on the table and pay So, in the same proud spirit as Dana at her off their burgeoning debts. church travel presentation, Let me tell you about But New Democrats understand there is a Ontario and what a treasure Algoma-Manitoulin is. better way. Tourism businesses — restaurants, As always, please feel free to contact my office campgrounds, museums, attractions and more — about these issues, or any other provincial matters. have been devastated by the pandemic. People's You can reach my constituency office by email at jobs and livelihoods are still at risk. That is why we mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at 705-461have proposed creating the Travel Ontario Tax 9710 or Toll free 1-800-831-1899.

Credit (TOTC). It is a way to kickstart meeting the needs of our business community right now.

Working families in Ontario would tr u ly b en ef it p h y s ically an d emotionally from a much-needed v a c a t i o n t h i s s u m m e r. B y encouraging people to seek such respite, it would get the hospitality, arts and culture sectors back on “Sit” track. A TOTC would mean that for “Sit” every dollar a person spends, they'll “Sit” get a dollar back up to $1,000.

The TOTC is a bill proposed by my colleague MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls).

Wayne pointed out that in 2020, the Ford government promised to adopt the bill. But then Ford watered it “Sit” down so families would only get a meagre $200 back when they spend “Sit” $1,000. Now, Ford and his government have walked away from the idea until at least 2022-23.

“Good dog!”

Even at that, Ford's version will come a day late and a dollar short by The more often a consumer sees your advertising message, that late date. the better your chances are that they will remember you when they’re ready to buy!

When you look at this bill in terms of where our business sector and economy is right now, it is truly a win-win. The T O T C will supercharge our tourism industry from the ground up by giving people chaexpress@sympatico.ca

Certain messages need to be repeated several times

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS

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