06062024 June 6, 2024

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Students at École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau)

recentlyhadthechancetodeveloptheircreativityinafunculinary exercise!Theyputtheirpastry-makingskillstothetestbytaking partinafriendlycupcakedecoratingcompetition. Afterpreparingtheircupcakes,thestudentshadtodecoratetheir pastrieswithicingandotheredibleitems.Whatagreatwaytointegrate thesubject,theirculinaryskillsandtheirindividuality!

Des élèves de l'École secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau) onttoutrécemmentpudévelopper leur créativité lors d'un exercice culinaireamusant!Ilsontmisàl'épreuve leurs compétences de pâtissier et de pâtissière en participant à une compétition amicale de décoration de petits gâteaux

Après avoir préparé leurs petits gâteaux, les élèves devaient décorer leurs pâtisseries avec du glaçage et autresalimentscomestibles.Quellebelle façond'intégrerlamatière,leurscompétencesculinairesetleurindividualité!

WeatherSummaryforOntario May 2024:

Temperatures

Widespread Warmth Continues, Drier Northeast

Continuingthetrendformanymonthsnow,Maywaswarmerthannormal for most of the province. From the map below we can see that anomalies in temperatureforthemonthwerehighesttowardtheeastandsouthandlowestin the northwest. In fact, in some of the northwest, the values were slightly below normal.

Onfinertimescales,thefirstthreeweekswerewarmerthannormal.The endofthesecondweekbroughtafewslightlycoolerdaysformanylocations.The strongestwarmthwasobservedduringthethirdandintothefourthweeks,except inthenorthwestandFarNorth.Temperaturesweretrulysummer-likeformany locations,suchasatWindsorRiversideandAmherstburg(33oConthe22ndand 21st,respectively).Duringthelastweek,coolerairbrieflycrossedtheprovince. Inthenorthwest,daytimehighswereinthesingledigitsonthe25th(morethan 10oCbelownormal)suchasatKenora(8oC)andSiouxLookout(9oC).

Precipitation

Precipitation amounts were near normal for most of the province with notable exceptions. The Far North saw monthly amounts considerably higher thannormal(near200%ofthenorm)fromnearLansdowneHouseeasttoHudson Bay. Similarly, parts of the northwest saw slightly above normal amounts providing some relief to drought conditions. Portions of southwest and central Ontario were near normal, edging slightly higher around Barrie and London. Most of northeastern Ontario, however, saw a drier than normal month. Values werebelow50%ofthemonthlynormfromeastofSaultSteMarietoSudbury. Generally, the final week of May was the wettest and parts of the southwest saw roughly a month’s worth of rain or more in thunderstorms. Wheatley received 66 mm on the 28th (CoCoRaHs). The second week was the driestformostregions.PartsoftheGTAreceivedlessthan10mminweeks2and 3combined.

SignificantEvents

May22–Strongthunderstormlightshowswithwindgustsandhail

A group of strong thunderstorms swept across central Ontario into the Upper Ottawa Valley during the afternoon and evening. Frequent lightning amazedonlookers.Strongwindsandhailover7cminsizewasreportedeastof LakeSimcoecausingvehicledamage.Treesweredownedcausingroadclosures and farm property was damaged near Combermere. Hydro One reported over 31000customerswithoutpowerandstill8000intothenextmorning.

OutlookforJune

Long range guidance shows continued warmer than normal conditions. Some models suggest a higher likelihood in the northern central part of the province. Precipitation guidance is very mixed hinting at drier conditions returningtothenorthwest,particularlyneartheMBborder,andlittlerelieffrom thisdryMayinnortheasternandcentralOntario.

Chapleau Moments

by MichaelJ. Morris

Several years ago I wrote a story about "findingagoodstick",andevenspokeaboutitat the 90th anniversary reunion of Chapleau High Schoolin2012.

I hadn't thought about it much recently, untilIreceivedhugeboxfrommylifelongfriend Harry 'Butch' Pellow early in 2016 Upon openingit.Butchhadsentmeawalkingstick.

It was the enclosed letter that made me fully realize the metaphor of the "good stick". Harrywrotethatitwassentwithbestwishes"as youcarryit."

Headded:"Asourfrailtiesbecomemore evident, we need to be mindful of every step going forward -- be reminded of your friend many years ago who explained "good stick theory."

MyfriendofmanyyearsagowhenIstill livedinChapleauandwouldgoforawalktothe Memegos Property was a man I met along the way who told me "I hope you find your good stick."

Alltheseyearslater,IrealizedthatIhad, in great measure my "good stick" in my friend Butch from the time we were about five years playingattheBigRockintheLouisDubePeace Park.

In the past few years I was able to visit with him in 2012 at the 90th anniversary of ChapleauHighSchool,theninTorontoin2014at afantasticpartyinTorontobyButchandhiswife Brigitte. It was attended by over 60 Chapleau friends, some of whom I had not seen in more thanalongtime.

In 2015, Butch and Brigitte travelled to Chapleauforthelaunchof"TheChapleauBoys

HarryAlexander'Butch'Pellowlastingmemories ofthemostspecialofChapleaufriends

nurturedbyitspioneersinsearchofopportunity, unafraid of the unknown and adventuresome in theextreme.Thereisanenormousstorystill to betold.

Brigitte n of his who c

He became one of Canada's most distinguished architects, and Chapleau is included among his projects. He was the architect for the Chapleau General Hospital, Chapleau Civic Centre, ChapleauRecreationCentre,CedarGroveLodge and the golf club house. He also made the plans forTrinityUnitedChurch.

In paying tribute to Butch I decided to sharesomeexcerptsfromarticleshehaswritten inrecentyearsaboutChapleau.

First:"Chapleauwasbornoftherailway" byButch

"Our grandfathers and their children, then their children, their children’s children and now even another generation are still closely alignedwithChapleauandtherailroadanditisso disappointing to read of the demise of industry, connectivity which the railway provided, personal attachment to life in the north and Chapleauinparticular;andalossofidentityand personalitythatthecommunitywasonceknown for It is time for Chapleau as a community to refocusbeforeitistoolate.

"Chapleau was born of the Railway and

"In these early days men and families were focused on a new beginning. They were building their own homes, creating new industries and businesses as exemplified for example by the entrepreneurial drive of Edgar Pellow Hotels for labourers, employees and travellers were constructed and schools were built and churches were constructed for several denominations.

“The railway was the catalyst and it all startedwiththeconstructionoftherailyard,the station building and maintenance and servicing facilities. Circa 1886, the essentials had only begun with broadly spaced trackage,an original stationandawatertower Cont’donP.5

McMullen

ButchandBrigitte2014

MJM with'goodstick’

Toute la gang at Butch and Brigitte's 2014

CHS play1956-57namesbelow

CHS Girls Platoon 1950s with Neil Ritchie, COandButch2014

from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

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

To say that a significant portion of CanadiansaregettingfedupwithLoblaws'chainof grocerystoresis,atthispoint,undersellingcustomers'frustrationswiththegrocerygiant.Accordingto StatisticsCanada,grocerypriceshaverisenby21.4 percentoverthepastthreeyears,apainfulrisethat salaries haven't come close to keeping up with. WhileLoblawsmaintainstheyhadnochoicebutto raise prices to astronomical levels for consumers, another“nochoice”situationissparkingquestions aboutpotentialanti-competitivebehaviour.

Loblawsand theirchainsof grocerystores havebecometheireofenoughpeoplethat,accordingtoarecentLegerpoll,18percentofCanadians areeitherpersonallyparticipatinginaboycottofthe giantorhavesomeoneintheirhouseholddoingso. And while the company continues to maintain raisingfoodpriceswastheonlyoptiontheyhad,the factthatthecompanyhasalmostdoubleditsprofit margininthelastfiveyearsbegstodiffer

So, at that point, it would be pretty brazen for a company that maintains 27 percent of the market share of Canadian grocery sales to further try and limit customers' competitive choice, wouldn't it? That's the accusation thrown at the company by telecom and media firm Québecor's CEOPierre-KarlPéladeauaboutwhat'sonofferat TheMobileShop,Loblaws'in-storemobilephone kiosk.

Some may remember Mr. Péladeau's brief stint as the Leader of the Parti Québécois in 2015/16. He's the son of Québecor's founder and wasthepreviousownerofSunMediaCorporation. He has levied an accusation of anti-competitive behaviouragainstLoblawsforprematurelyending itscontractwithQuébecorinfavorofofferingonly Glentelproducts.Glentel,forthoseunfamiliar,isa company jointly owned by Rogers and BCE Inc. (BellCanada),twocompanieswhoarenostrangers to accusations of anti-competitive behaviour themselves. Glentel operates mobile phone stores suchasWirelessWave.

While The Mobile Shop currently offers products and services from seven providers in its 180 locations, Québecor's accusation paints a picture of a company working towards gouging Canadians even further while lining their own pocketswithanexclusivitydealforajointventure ownedbyCanada'slargesttelecomcompanies.The CompetitionBureaushouldconductacomprehensiveinvestigationintotheseallegations,especially if it's designed to help the market dominance of

Loblaws, Bell, and Rogers and further restrict competition, not for the benefit of the Pierre-Karl Péladeau's of the world, but for the benefit of consumers.

It wouldn't even be the only investigation the Competition Bureau is conducting currently intoLoblaws.Justthisweek,theyannouncedthey are conducting an investigation into Loblaws and Sobeys for allegedly using property controls in leaseagreementstolimitwhocanuselands.Thisis allegedly done through restrictive covenants in contracts and exclusivity clauses in lease agreements designed to restrict or exclude competitors, whichmaygivethem,accordingtotheCompetition Bureau “the ability to exclude actual or potential competitors from selling food products within certaingeographicareasortodictatethetermsupon whichtheycarryonbusiness.”Wewitnessedthisin Elliot Lake when No Frills (owned by Loblaws) relocated,preventingcompetitorsfrommovinginto theirpreviouslocation.

While it is not clear whether the CompetitionBureauwilltakeupthiscalltoinvestigate Loblaws and Glentel for potential anticompetitive behaviour, what is clear is that the governmentdoeshavethepowertofurtherregulate the grocery industry if they won't conduct themselves in a manner that benefits consumers. Time andtimeagainthough,thisgovernment,aswellas governments before it, have rubber stamped mergers and acquisitions that allow these companiestogrowintoanti-consumerbehemoths.Thisis exactlywhathappenedwiththeRogers-Shawdeal lastyear,whichcausedpricestorisebyanaverage of $5 for wireless customers since the deal was finalized.A small amount, to be sure, but Rogers promisedtoremaincompetitive,andthenimmediatelydecidedtheydidn'tneedtooncethedealwas approved.

Atacertainpoint,itstartstofeellikeajoke when multiple companies accused of anticompetitivebehaviourstartjoiningforces.

Loblawsestencoreunefoisaucœurd'unprésumécomportementanticoncurrentiel

Àcestade-ci,direqu'unepartimportante de la population canadienne en a assez de la chaîne d'épiceries Loblaws ne suffit pas à bien rendrecomptedel'irritationdesclientsàl'égard du géant de l'alimentation Selon Statistique Canada,leprixdesalimentsaaugmentéde21,4 %aucoursdestroisdernièresannées,unehausse pénible que les salaires sont loin de suivre. Loblaws affirme n'avoir eu d'autre choix que d'augmenter les prix qui sont devenus astronomiques, mais une autre situation « sans autrechoix»suscitedesquestionssurunpossible comportementanticoncurrentiel.

Loblaws et sa chaîne d'épiceries se sont attiré la colère d'un grand nombre de gens. En effet,d'aprèsunrécentsondageLeger,18%des Canadiens ou un membre de leur ménage boycottent le géant Même si l'entreprise continuedesoutenirqu'ellen'avaitd'autrechoix que d'augmenter le prix des aliments, le fait que samargebénéficiaireaitpresquedoubléaucours descinqdernièresannéesprouvelecontraire. Ilseraitdonctrèseffrontédelapartd'une entreprise qui détient 27 % des parts du marché de l'alimentation au Canada d'essayer de limiter encorepluslechoixdesconsommateurs,n'est-ce pas? Voilà pourtant l'accusation que Pierre-Karl Péladeau, président et chef de direction de l'entreprise médiatique et de télécommunication Québecor, a lancée au sujet de la Boutique Mobile, le kiosque de téléphonie cellulaire dans lesmagasinsLoblaws.

Certains se souviendront peut-être du bref passage de M. Péladeau à la tête du Parti Québécois en 2015-2016 Il est le fils du fondateur de Québecor et ancien propriétaire de laSunMediaCorporation.IlaaccuséLoblawsde comportement anticoncurrentiel pour avoir mis

fin prématurément à son contrat avec Québecor afin d'offrir uniquement les produits Glentel. Pourceuxquinelesaventpas,Glentelappartient à Rogers et à BCE Inc. (Bell Canada), deux sociétés qui ont elles-mêmes l'habitude des accusations de comportement anticoncurrentiel. Glentel gère des magasins de téléphonie cellulairecommeWirelessWave. À l'heure actuelle, la Boutique Mobile offre les produits et les services de sept fournisseurs dans ses 180 kiosques. Toutefois, dans ses accusations, Québecor décrit une entreprisequichercheàescroquerencoreplusles Canadiens, tout en se remplissant les poches au moyen d'une entente d'exclusivité avec une coentreprisedétenueparlesplusgrandessociétés de télécommunication du Canada. Pour le bien des consommateurs, et non dans l'intérêt des Pierre-KarlPéladeaudecemonde,leBureaude la concurrence devrait mener une enquête approfondie sur ces allégations, en particulier si l'objectif de Loblaws, de Bell et de Rogers est d'étendreleurdominationdumarchéetdelimiter encorepluslaconcurrence.

Il ne s'agirait même pas de la seule enquête du Bureau de la concurrence sur Loblaws. Pas plus tard que cette semaine, le Bureau a annoncéqu'il enquêtaitsur Loblaws et Sobeys, qui aurait eu recours aux contrôles de propriété dans les contrats de location pour restreindrel'utilisationdesterrains.Pourcefaire, ces deux sociétés utiliseraient les clauses restrictives dans les contrats et les clauses d'exclusivité dans les contrats de location qui visentàrestreindreouàexcluredesconcurrents, ce qui leur donnerait, selon le Bureau de la concurrence, « la possibilité d'empêcher leurs SuiteP.7

ChapleauMoments

Cont’dfromP.3

"By 1910 things were in full swing and by 1911therewasaformalstationbuildingintheCPR style.Chapleauwasadivisionalpoint,housedtrain crews,providedhousekeepingandmaintenancefor trains,marshalledtrainsandwasastoppingpointfor passengers moving back and forth across the country.”

"Playingroadandpondhockey"byButch

"I only recall the famous strip between Birch and Cedar but I did play on the pond on the backriveronceortwice BothtimesIfrozemytoes andfingersanddecidedthatitwastoocoldforme

"ButonAberdeenStreetitwaswarmerand much closer to home to play road hockey. Frequently, snow piles were pretty high; often stainedwithdogurineandrarelywithoutmanydeep holesinthemwherethepuckshadbeenlostandhad been recovered either by probing sticks or urgent kicksfromvariousteamplayers

“Players were randomly gathered either by purposeful visits to the destination or picked up on thewayby Theskilllevelwasindeterminatebutthe

enthusiasmwasalwaysatacriticalpitch.

"Frequently the more proficient and sometimes the more senior amongst us effected a team selection process which created lop-sided weighting of skill and ability resulting in long periods when goals were only scored from one direction By the way, I was not one of the more senioramongstusifyouknowwhatImean

"Buttherewasanothervenuetooanditwas onthefrontriverjustwestoftheconcreteswimming pierwheresomanygatheredthispastJuly(in2012) duringtheChapleauHighSchool90thAnniversary Reuniontocelebratethehomecomingandwatchthe fireworks

"Like the pond, it arrived when the ice did butitwasfarmoreaccessible,andcollectingagroup required far less planning and organization to pull togetherenoughplayersforshinny Itwasoftenafter schoolandonweekendsandasyourecallsurfaced one Christmas holiday and maybe George 'Ice' Sanders was unable to make a rink on the ‘clinker’ surfaceofthepublicschoolgrounds.

"Pickup included anyone who could get

enough equipment together to make it worthwhile and at the same time wear warm clothes. Warm clothes because the west wind, however mildly blowing,wascoldonthatopenriverfrontandbythe end of a school day or an early winter weekend evening the sky was grey, sunless and foreboding; and,haditnotbeenforwildenthusiasmwhywould anyonechoosetheriveroverTheBostonCafé

"Thewonderfulthingaboutriverhockeyin ChapleauthatIthinkweallneedtothinkaboutalot aswegetintotheseasonofjoyandremembrancesis that it had no religious, racial, language or nationalistic perimeters; there were no upper town

or lower town distinctions and I don’t recall there beinggoodplayersorbadplayers;albeittherewere littleonesandbigonestoo

We were all players and it was a game, a spontaneous moment, a gleeful opportunity to engage in role playing and in doing what northern boysandgirlsandtheirparentshaddonefordecades before us. It was about entertaining ourselves, laughter,beingoutofdoors,pushingthelimitsand buildingrelationships.”

"TheBigRockwasjustthat"byButch

"Emerging from the coarse grass and somewhere from the centre of the universe this seeminglygiantgranitebouldersatwaitingforusto creepuponitasthesunroseonanyweekendona spring, summer or fall morning Beside it, the ground was exposed by the regular weekend scrapingofheels,therock’smovementduetofrost heaveinthewinteranderosionalongtheedgeofthe hillock.

"In the early mornings as the sun rose low from the east with dew on the grass it had a crystalline appearance that quickly faded as the shadowsshortened,andbyeveningitwasdarkand foreboding We hid from passersby and calls to dinnerfromwhateveroriginintheeastofdowntown andfromtherivertolowertown

"It was our place, and we shared it only infrequently with new friends or others who we would invite in because we needed reinforcements

forthecavalryorourposse.

There were the usuals including Morris, Evans, Schroeder, Bolduc, Stein, Hong, Fink, Pellow, Cachagee and other guys too; and even on occasion a few girls who for now will remain nameless, but they would saunter in to see what goingonandwantingtobepartoftheintrigueand neverattheearlyhourwewerethere

"Itwasourtime,anditremainsamysteryto me today that I would even be able to have this incrediblyvividvisualandolfactoryrecollectionof the cool, fresh morning air being carried on the breeze over the windy, weedy, Nebskwashi River withitssparklingwatercreatingaglareovertherock thatwasblinding.

"There were other rocks too, other players, and other intrigue, but it was always the cowboys andtheotherguys;thegoodguysandthebadguys; and until I saw “Shane” I don’t recall anything meaningfulbuttheoutofdoorsinthemoviesofthe day,andneverreallyseeingthekitchenorparlourof a good guy’s family home For sure they lived somewhere besides behind a big rock, but in those daysatthebigrockwereallydidn’tcare"

Ian Macdonald, retired head of the departmentofarchitectureandprofessoremeritusat the University of Manitoba: "I knew Harry since 1947whenmyfamilymovedtoChapleau.Wewent throughPublicandHighSchooltogether,sharedan apartment in academic session 1962-63 when we were both attending Ryerson University, were classmatesforayearattheUniversityofManitoba and interned as professional architects at the same officeinToronto

"Despitetakingdifferentpathsupongaining professional registration, we stayed constantly in touch in subsequent years. The professional work that he provided oversight for is well documented, impressive and will remain his permanent professional legacy. Harry’s engaging personality andboundlessenergywasalsohisprofessionalstyle andthestyleofhisdistinctivearchitecturalpractice

"It should also be a matter of record that Harry, in his professional activity, always publicly acknowledged the consultants and team members that contributed to the success of his large project work

"My enduring memory of Harry, however, willremainhisbasicdecencyasahumanbeing. He was continually generous with his timeand always madehimselfavailableforahostofreasons.Hewas supportiveofmeprofessionallyonmanyoccasions whenever needed From my position as an architecturaleducator,Iwasparticularly,sensitiveto theimportanceheassignedtoqualitymentoringand the opportunities he provided in his office for the personalgrowthanddevelopmentofagenerationof young architects.While some might argue that this maynothavebeenacosteffectiveuseofemployee time, he accepted that this was an important and fundamentalpartofhisprofessionalresponsibility Harrywasandwillalwaysremainthemostspecial offriends."

ThanksButch.Mayyourestinpeace.

CHS and other team players from 1950s and beyondin2014

Jean,Butch,Yen

Lastweekssolutions

MOMENTS IN TIME

On June 18, 1979, President Jimmy Carter and SovietleaderLeonidBrezhnevsignedtheSalt II agreementdealingwithlimitationsandguidelines fornuclearweapons.However,duetotheSoviet invasion of Afghanistan the following year, it never went into effect and Carter withdrew the U.S.fromtheagreement.

SuitedelaP.4 concurrents réels ou potentiels de vendre des produits alimentaires dans certaines zones géographiques ou de dicter les conditions dans lesquelles elles exercent leurs activités ». Nous avons été témoin de ce procédé à Elliot Lake, lorsque No Frills (qui appartient à Loblaws) a déménagé et empêché ses concurrents de s'installerdanssonancienemplacement. IlestdifficilededéterminersileBureau de la concurrence enquêtera sur ce présumé comportement anticoncurrentiel de Loblaws et de Glentel, mais il est évident que le gouvernement a le pouvoir de réglementer l'industriedel'alimentationsisesintervenantsne secomportentpasd'unemanièrequiavantageles consommateurs. Toutefois, ce gouvernement et ses prédécesseurs ont à maintes reprises approuvé des fusions et des acquisitions qui ont permisàcesentreprisesdedevenirdesmonstres opposés aux intérêts des consommateurs. C'est d'ailleurs ce qui s'est produit l'année dernière lorsqueRogersetShawontconcluuneentente: les prix des services sans fil ont par la suite augmentéde5$enmoyenne.Ils'agitd'unepetite somme, mais la société Rogers avait promis de demeurer concurrentielle, pour ensuite

immédiatementchangerd'idéeunefoisl'entente approuvée.

À un certain moment, on a l'impression que la situation tourne à la farce lorsque de multiplesentreprisesaccuséesdecomportement anticoncurrentiel commencent à unir leurs forces.

Pimii Kamik Gas Bar & Gift Shop

Located on the Chapleau Cree First Nation

SUMMER HOURS will be from 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., 7 days a week

Drop by and check out our line of Authentic Native Crafts, Unique Gift Ideas, Jewellery, and Gift Certificates TOO!

We also carry road trip snacks, which includes Subs, Chips, Pop, plus a whole lot more.

Your Propane Refilling Station

Highway 17 North P.O. Box 1033 Wawa, ON. P0S 1K0 Business 705-856-2775 Fax 705-856-4862 tgendron@northernlightsford.ca sales@northernlightsford.ca

Monday to Friday: 1 lb. to 10,000 lbs

Monday to Friday

TIMMINS - CHAPLEAU - TIMMINS FORQUALITYSERVICESAT INEXPENSIVEPRICES GIVE USACALLAT 1-705-264-4334 BERRY’S

Local MARKETPLACE MARKETPLACE

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (A.A).Open discussion meeting every Monday evening. Brunswick House First Nation Band office lounge 7pm.NarcoticsAnonymous(N.A)everyTuesdaysameplacesametime. NNADAPWorker@864-0174info.

CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE Offers shelter, emotionalsupport,andinformationforwomenandtheirchildrenwhoarein crisissituations WehaveaTollFreeCrisisLinewhichisstaffed24hoursa day WecanarrangeforfreetransportationtotheCentreforwomenwho liveintheAlgoma/Chapleauarea Wealsooffersupporttowomenwholive in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and HornepaynethroughourOutreachProgram OurOutreachWorkertravels tothosecommunitiestomeetwithwomenwhoneedemotionalsupportas wellasinformationabouttheirrightsandoptions Ifyouneedtospeakwith the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment You do not need to be a residentoftheCentreinordertouseourservices Ifyouneedsomeoneto talktoorifyoujustneedsomeonetolisten,callourTollFreeCrisislineat1800-461-2242oryoucandropinattheCentre Wearehereforyou

The prevailing narrative in our province, ourcountryandindeedgloballyrightnowisthatwe are facing lean economic times. I imagine most readers will agree with this and have their own personal anecdotes concerning rising costs, reduced purchasing power, and difficult decisions they've had to make while budgeting. We're inundated daily with articles and news segments abouttheuncertainfinancialheadwindswefaceas Canadians.

This narrative is one that I often have presentedtomewhenIriseinthelegislaturetoask this Progressive Conservative government about cuts to services, underfunding of public resources or potential programs that are being shelved or punteddowntheline.Invariably,theansweralways boils down to “while we'd love to help, money is tight,andwecannotpossiblydothatrightnow.”It

PremierFord'snarrativeofacash-strappedOntarioringshollow

doesn't matter if it's hospitals in small and rural communities that are taking cash advances from banks to make up funding shortfalls, developmental services being forced to operate with decades-long budget freezes or schools that are being understaffed and overcrowded. For this government, there is never enough money to addresstheseissuesinasubstantialmanner

That'swhyIwaslividtoseelastweekthat the Premier proposed spending $225 million to expedite the sale of beer, wine, and canned cocktailsincornerstoresandgasstations.

If anyone was unaware, Premier Ford promisedlongagotoendthedealthattheprevious government signed withThe Beer Store (which is called the “Master Framework Agreement” or MFA)andallowforcertainalcoholicbeveragesto be sold in more than 8,500 new locations across Ontario.

The Premier originally tried to end this agreementunilaterallyduringhisfirstterminoffice buthadtobackdownwhenitwasclearthatdoing sowouldcostthegovernmenttoomuchfinancially and reputationally However, last week, he announced that his government was indeed going to end the MFA a whole 15 months ahead of schedule, and it would cost the province a whopping quarterofabilliondollars.

To me, this is a slap in the face to every single Ontarian, especially those of us in Northern Ontario, whom this government hasfedlinesabouthowthereisnot enough money in the provincial treasury to go around I have written in the past about this 'governments largess when it comes to corporate handouts and howIdonotbelievethattheyarea wise investment of public money Butthissurelytakesthecake.

Here are a couple of examples to give you an idea of whatthismoneymeansintermsof provincial budget items. This initiative's $225 million price tag is $97 million more than whatwasannouncedaspartofthe government's nursing enrollment program. It is two-thirds of what the government has allocated for homelessness prevention and supportive housing over the next threeyears.Itis$180millionmore than the planned increase to the Northern Health Travel Grant program announced early this month.

Perhaps the most galling comparison for me is that if the Premier had applied this $225 milliontothe25hospitalswehave

inNorthernOntario,hecouldhavewipedouttheir collectivemargindeficitsfor2024threetimesover. Icouldgoon,butsufficeittosaythatthisis not a small chunk of change when it comes to provincialspending.

To top off, the insult of this expense to people struggling to get by in our province is that thismoney,arguably,didnotneedtobespentatall toachievethesameoutcome.TheMFAwassetto expire in December of 2025, and The Beer Store would have been required to negotiate a new deal with the province or risk being shut out of the market. Instead, the Premier felt this was such a highprioritythatheneededtofreeuphundredsof millions of dollars to get beer into corner stores ASAP

When I put this to the Premier during Question Period last week, his defence was that increasedalcoholsaleswouldprovideOntariowith an additional $895 million to $1 1 billion in revenueayear Inhisview,thiswillmakeupforthe moneyspent.Eventhislogicstrainscredulitywhen youlookatanystudywhichexaminesthecostthat increased alcohol consumption has on our social system.

The Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (CAMH) released a report in 2022 which estimated that, as of 2017, the costs to our healthcare, justice and social services systems related to alcohol consumption were at least $6.2 billion annually. CAMH also found that the number of adults who reported harmful drinking behaviourshasincreasedconsistentlyoverthelast 7yearsinOntarioandthattheyaregenerallyhigher injurisdictionswithgreateravailabilityofalcohol forsaleinprivateretailers.WithOntarioexpecting morealcoholtobesoldandconsumed,itstandsto reasonthatthecostassociatedwillclimbandwipe out any planned revenue increases almost immediately

At the end of the day, this decision is a colossal waste of money, plain and simple. If the Premier had waited until the end of the MFA in 2025,hewouldhavehadaneasiertimedefending this decision. However, telling Ontarians that the province's resources are tapped out one day and then come up with $225 million the next is unacceptable.

Afterthisshamefuldisplayofextravagance from the Premier and his government, I hope that Ontarianswillneveragainacceptthenarrativethat heisdoingallhecantofixtheissueswe'refacing but simply doesn't have the means to do so. If the Premierwantstoseesomethingdone,hewillmove heaven and earth to do it. When he refuses to increase hospital budgets or repair our crumbling infrastructure,itisbecausehesimplydoesn'twant to.

Asalways,Iinviteyoutocontactmyoffice about these issues or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or call Toll-free 1-800-8311899.