SparkingSecondarySuccessAllowsGrade8StudentstoEarnaHigh SchoolCredit–givingalegupforthestartofsecondaryschool
Inthe21/22schoolyear,AlgomaDistrictSchool Board (ADSB) piloted the Sparking Secondary Success (SSS) initiative at a school site in the district. Proving to be immensely successful, ADSB continued to offer the course at select schools. Now, Sparking Secondary Success is availabletoallGrade8studentsandregistration iscurrentlyopenforthe24/25schoolyear.Since itsinception,over235ADSBstudentshavetaken part in and successfully completed the program, eachstudentearningaGrade9credit.
At the October 29th Regular Board Meeting, Trustees heard from students who completed the Sparking Secondary Success course last year Student feedback was unanimous.AllagreedthattheSSScoursemade their transition to high school smoother Many spoke of how they improved their time management skills and how this is benefiting theminGrade9.Otherssharedthatknowingthe layout of the school and meeting secondary teachersinadvanceofenteringhighschoolwasa
great benefit. Still others spoke about gaining confidence in themselves and their learning which has added to their overall school experience.
While accelerated learning opportunities areprovidedinallADSB 7-12schools,the SSS course is focused on supporting the transition to secondaryschoolbyprovidinganopportunityto earn a credit prior to starting grade 9.The credit earned is the Grade 9 Healthy Living and Individual/Small Group Activities (PAI1O) which counts as a compulsory credit for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Thecoursealsofocusesonsupportingstudentsin understandingthemselvesaslearnersthroughthe four domains of well-being: physical, social, emotional,andcognitive.
Students explore their strengths and interests,utilizinganeducationalonlinetool(My BluePrint) to look at their pathways into secondary school and beyond. Throughout the course,studentsdeveloptheirunderstandingand
skills (i.e. organization, study skills) to support their success in high school. They also plan a leadership event for their elementary or intermediate school and assist in Recess ReThink,wheretheyactasmentorstoGrade5and6 students who are training to become recess coaches. Cont’donP.5
MotorVehicleInDitchResultedInImpairedDrivingCharges
Onepersonwasarrestedandchargedafter police responded to a single motor vehiclecollisionintheditch.
On October 30, 2024, at approximately 2:39 a.m., the Superior East Chapleau detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police (OPP), responded to a single motor vehicle collision on Highway
129,ReaneyTownship,southofHwy667.
OPParrived a short time later and while speakingtothedriverpolicedeterminedalcohol hadbeenconsumedandanarrestwasmade.The driverdidnotrequiremedicalattentionandwas then transported to Chapleau detachment for furthertesting.
As a result of the investigation,Todd WOODS, 46 years-of-age, from Chapleau, was arrested andchargedwith:
· Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration(80plus)
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Chapleau onNovember25,2024.
The driver was issued a 90-day AdministrativeDriver'sLicenceSuspension,and the vehicle was impounded for seven days. The driverdidnotrequiremedicalattention.
TheOPPwouldliketoremindthepublic that if you see a possible impaired driver on our roadways,waterways,ortrails,please"Makethe Call," and dial 9-1-1 as impaired driving never endswell,pleaseplanawaytogethomesafely.
Temperatures
Mean monthly temperature was again abovenormalformostoftheprovincecontinuing themostlywarmtrendforabout11monthsnow From the map below we see that the mean monthlytemperatureanomaliesweregreatestin the north especially toward the southern Manitoba and Minnesota borders (Kenora +2.6oC).
Temperatures were near normal for the first two weeks with slightly warmer days dominating most regions. In the second week, coolerthannormaldaysdominatedsouthernand easternOntario.Warmairmovedovertheentire provinceduringthethirdweek,intensifyinginto thestartofthefourthweek.Manylocationssaw record high maximum temperatures on the 21st with afternoon temperatures in parts of southwestern Ontario reaching 26-27oC. This warmth abated briefly, with cooler than normal conditionsforafewdays,andmanyregionssaw theirlowesttemperaturesforOctoberonthe27or 28th.KirklandLakesawarecordovernightlow of-10.6oConthe28th.Anotherverywarmwave crossedmostregionstowardtheendofthemonth
andseveralrecordshighswereagainset,suchas atWindsorwith25oConthe29th.
Precipitation
October was a drier than normal month for much of the province. In fact, for many locations, the total precipitation relative to the normal monthly amount was one of the lowest (compared back over consecutive months) for several years Generally, it was driest from London to Ottawa, around Georgian Bay and parts of northwestern Ontario. These areas saw onlyabout30-50%oftheirmean monthly total and locally even less (e.g. Kingston with 21%).
Thethirdweekwasgenerallythe driest of the month and the fourth, the wettest. Some of the highest daily precipitation amounts occurred on the 29th as some thunderstorms crossed southwestern Ontario (west of Stratford, ~45 mm from CoCoRaHS), and on the 31st in the northeast from a frontal system (Sudbury Climate, 26.7 mm).
Snowfall amounts were well below normal as expected given the dry, warm conditions. There were some trace daily amountswithfewmonthlytotals to report (less than 2 cm in Sudbury).Lateonthe31st,some of the first noticeable snow fell overthenortheast.
SignificantEvents
Therewerenosignificant impactsfromweathereventsthis month.
OutlookforNovember
Models suggest warmer than normal conditions next month with the Canadian guidancesuggestingthegreatestlikelihoodinthe south. For precipitation, results are mixed with lowconfidence.
WeatherSummaryforOntario October2024:ContinuedWidespreadWarmthandMostlyDry HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND
Chapleau Moments
by MichaelJ. Morris
The old saying that everyone loves a parade sure applied to Chapleau throughout its historyplayingamajorroleincelebrationsfrom its earliest beginnings after the arrival of the CanadianPacificRailwayin1885.
Browsing through old photographs and "Googling" it seems that the first parades were associatedwithDominionDay,nowCanadaDay on July 1, but through the years, there would be other ones hosted by organizations such as the Orange Lodge, Knights of Columbus, and after 1926, Branch No 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion The Legion took over the July 1 celebrations.
By 1937, with D.O. Payette, then the president of Smith and Chapple Ltd. as the "catalyst"accordingtoareportatthetime,with his business partner Arthur Grout as chairman, the Chapleau Winter Carnival was launched. CarnivalswereplannedinMr.Payette'soffice.
ParadesinChapleauplayedmajorroleinsuccess ofwinterandsummercommunitycelebrations
StreetoracrossfromtheoldoldarenaonLorne Street.
AfterB.W 'Bubs'Zufeltbecamereevein 1948,theChapleauRecreationCommissionwas formedandaBeachDaycelebrationonthefirst Monday in August was added, including a parade. The carnival queen was also a feature attractioninparades.
The ChapleauBand, first calledChapleauBrass Band,wouldappeartohavebeenpartofparades fromabout1887onanditeventravelledtoother communitiestoparticipateintheircelebrations.
A bugle band was formed at Chapleau High School after the cadet corps was founded about 1926 and was directed by principal and teacher John 'Mac' McClellan.Aparade around townwasalwayspartoftheannualinspection.
Allan Ritchie, who had moved to Chapleau from Moose Factory with his parents bycanoe,proudlydisplayedhisnativeheritagein Chapleau parades. His grandson Lark Ritchie, writingabouthiminChapleauTrailssaidthathe was"notedforhisproudandconsistentdisplayof hisnativeheritageatmanyChapleaucommunity eventsparticipatinginparades."
Annex Business Media
MygenerationwillwellrememberJ.M. 'Jack' Shoup, the principal of Chapleau Public School and longest serving township councillor organizing us for the parade, and later the children's races. He ran the skating races at the wintercarnivaltoo.
Jimmy Purich became parade marshal andwouldleadtheparadeonawhitehorsefrom theCPRstationfromwhereitformedupoverthe old overhead bridge to an ice palace on Main
Re-enactment
not
Butparadeswere
limitedtothestreets of Chapleau, as there were at least two on the Chapleau River. In May 1934, John Burns, Cont’donP.5
CHS Bandinparadecirca1956
JimmyPurichleadsparade
B.W.ZufeltwithBevMachan1956
JackShoupfarright
Paradecirca1957
AllanRitchie
ofCartierarrival
from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa
by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
CBC's The Fifth Estate recently broke the news that the Canada RevenueAgency had discovered that hackers had managed to obtain confidential data on taxpayers used by private tax firm H&R Block Fraudsters then used the confidential information, including H&R Block's confidential credentials to log into the personal CRA accounts of thousands of individuals What does this mean for most Canadians, why hasn't the CRA made this information public, how much money has been fraudulently paid, and for those who have been hitwithfraud,whatcanbedonetoprotectthem?
The scam, for the most part, works like this. Hackers obtained EFile credentials for Canadiantaxpayers,generallythosewhouseda third-partytogaindelegatedaccesscredentials, which means someone other than the taxpayer themselves had filed tax returns on behalf of someone else This is a common practice for a tax filing agency such as H&R Block. Hackers would then use these credentials to log into an individuals CRA account and change account information, predominantly direct deposit information Hackerswouldthenfileafalsetax return CRA would then send funds for the return, which happened before CRA would notice the scam. The hack would affect tens of thousands of Canadians, and CRA paid out millionstothosecommittingfraudbeforeitwas noticed
It's all very frustrating and harms the reputation of a government agency that is supposedtobe,moresothanperhapsanyother government agency, above reproach. In a preparedstatement,H&RBlockstatedthatthere isnoevidencethattheywereresponsibleforthe breach of taxpayer data The CRAhas denied a breach of its own systems and also deny that it wastheworkofaninsider Whilethisparticular data breach and subsequent fraud are troubling ontheirown,theCRArecentlyadmittedtomore than 31,468 "material" privacy breaches betweenMarch2020andDecember2023 CRA wouldlateradmitto$190millionbeingissuedto confirmed cases involving privacy breaches between 2020 and October 20204. Most of that sumwerelostduringthefirstyearoftheCovid19 pandemic, but the breach involving the supposedH&RBlockdatalistaloneresultedin some $6 million in fraudulent payments They didpreventanother$14millionfrombeingpaid out as part of this breach, but the question
CRAHackNeedsaThoroughInvestigation
remainswhythefraudwasn'tcaught sooner. It's also reasonable to ask why CRA staff,leadership,andbyextensiontheMinister, weren'tmoreforthcomingwiththedetailsofthe breach In fact, it should go without saying that CRA needs to ensure that action be taken to combat breaches of Canadians' confidential tax information.ThevastmajorityofCanadianspay their fair share of taxes Taxpayers have a trust relationship with their tax-collection agency, and they need to trust that the CRA takes tax fraud, in all its forms, seriously. We know that scammers,hackers,andfraudstersarebecoming more sophisticated We need CRA to adapt to thatreality
In order to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen again, we need to get to the bottomofhowithappenedinthefirstplace New Democratshavebeencallingforaparliamentary inquiryintotheCRA'smishandlingoftaxfraud and tax cheating It's important to hear from
CRA staff and leadership, experts in tax collection, the privacy commissioner, and expertsincyber-securityanddataleakstoensure thatCanadianscanretaintheirtrustthattheCRA isdoingeverythinginitspowertopreventfraud fromhappening
The government needs to bolster the CRA to ensure they have the resources necessary to go after tax frauds, and to chase after potential breaches. While there is a justifiable focus on those who have been misappropriating money from CRA, we also need the resources to go after people who defraudthegovernmentfromtheotherendsuch as those Canadians who hide their money in offshore accounts, like we've previously found in the Panama and Paradise Papers. Most Canadians understand that we have to pay our fairshareintaxes,butalsoexpectthatremittance aren'tgoingtosomeonewhoobtaineditthrough fraudulentmeans.
Piratagededonnéesàl'AgencedurevenuduCanada–ilfautuneenquêteapprofondie
Comme nous l'a appris récemment l'émission The Fifth Estate, sur les ondes de la CBC,l'AgencedurevenuduCanadaadécouvert que des pirates informatiques ont réussi à voler des données confidentielles utilisées par la société H&R Block pour produire des déclarations fiscales. Les fraudeurs ont ensuite utilisécesrenseignementsconfidentiels,dontles identifiants de H&R Block, pour se connecter aux comptes personnels, tenus par l'ARC, de milliersdecontribuables.Qu'est-cequetoutcela veut dire pour la majorité des Canadiens? Pourquoi l'ARC n'avait-elle rien dit? Combien d'argentaétéverséauxfraudeurs,etquepeut-on fairepourprotégerlesvictimesdecettefuite?
En gros, la fraude s'est déroulée comme suit. Les pirates ont obtenu les identifiants de dossier électronique de contribuables canadiens ayant,pourlaplupart,faitappelàuneentreprise qui,pourfairelesdéclarationsderevenusaunom de leurs clients, avaient obtenu un code d'accès délégué – ce qui est une pratique courante chez les entreprises, comme H&R Block, qui offrent desservicesdedéclarationderevenus.Munisde ces identifiants, les fraudeurs se sont connectés aux comptes de ces contribuables, tenus par l'ARC, et y ont changé des renseignements, principalementsurlecomptebancaireoùfaireles virements automatiques. Les pirates ont ensuite faitdefaussesdéclarationsderevenus,etl'ARC leur a envoyé des millions de dollars en remboursements d'impôt, avant qu'elle n'évente le stratagème. Les données de dizaines de milliersdeCanadiensontainsiétépiratées.
C'est inacceptable, d'autant que cet acte depiratageinformatiqueentachelaréputationde l'organisme gouvernemental qui, plus peut-être
que tous les autres, doit être au-dessus de tout reproche.Dansunedéclaration,H&RBlockadit que rien n'indique que le piratage lui soit imputable, tandis que l'ARC soutient qu'il n'y a pas eu intrusion dans ses systèmes et qu'il n'y avait aucun lien à une implication interne. Cette atteinteauxdonnéesetlafraudequienarésulté sont inquiétantes en soi, mais l'ARC a récemmentadmisqueplusde31468atteintesàla vieprivée«substantielles»avaienteulieuentre mars2020etdécembre2023,etqu'elleavaitfait de 2020 à octobre 2024 des paiements de 190 millions de dollars qui se sont avérés la conséquence de violations de données La majeure partie de ces versements ont été faits pendant la première année de la pandémie de Covid-19, mais à lui seul, le vol des données de H&R Block a donné lieu à des paiements frauduleux de 6 millions de dollars Heureusement, une somme additionnelle de 14 millionsdedollarsaétébloquéeavantqu'ellene soitversée,maislaquestiondemeure:pourquoi cettefrauden'a-t-ellepasétédétectéeplustôt? Autre question raisonnable : pourquoi le personnel et les dirigeants de l'ARC, et par extensionlaministre,n'ont-ilspasprisl'initiative d'expliquercequis'étaitpassé?Ilvasansdireque l'ARC doit s'assurer que des mesures soient prises pour prévenir l'atteinte aux données fiscales confidentielles des citoyens. La vaste majorité des Canadiens paient leur juste part et ontconfiancedansl'agencechargéedepercevoir l'impôt.Ilsontdoncbesoindesavoirquel'ARC prendausérieuxlafraudefiscalesoustoutesses formes. Nous savons que les escrocs, les pirates et les fraudeurs peaufinent sans cesse leurs méthodes,etl'ARCdoits'adapterSuiteP.7
ChapleauMoments
Cont’dfromP.3
Edward Levesque, Hill Gagnon, Gerard Tremblay, and Joe Fortier marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of French explorer Jacques Cartier at Newfoundland by sailing on theriverinareplicaofCartier'sship.
In 1976, as part of the celebration of Chapleau's75thanniversaryofincorporationasa municipality, a canoe flotilla travelled from the Ministry of Natural Resources "Point" to the beacharea.
There may also have been sailboat paradesatonetimeasraceswereheldontheriver inthecommunity'searlyyears.
SparkingSecondarySuccessAllowsGrade8StudentstoEarnaHigh SchoolCredit–givinga
Cont’dfromP.1
legupforthestartofsecondaryschool
Most of the course work is completed asynchronously through EDSBY. The course is designed to be flexible, and, with a few exceptions, students are not required to "attend" onspecificdays.TheymaysignintoEDSBYon evenings or weekends to complete their course work which typically takes about 2 hours each week.Studentsparticipateinonevirtualandfour inpersonexperientiallearningdays.Thesedays willincludespecialguests,teambuilding,mental health exercises, physical health exercises and willtakeplaceonPDDaysthroughouttheschool year.
Studentsareencouragedtomaintaina well-beingjournalandwillcompletelogsaround particular aspects of well-being including their physical and mental health, nutrition and sleep andthenreflectonhowtheseconnecttothefour domainsofwell-being.
Researchtellsusthatcreditaccumulation at the end of grade 9 is a key predictor for graduation, and provincial statistics have shown
thatifastudentgetsbehindbyonecreditingrade 9,onlytwothirdsofthesestudentswillgraduate in 5 years and the impact of additional missed creditsfurtherdecreasesgraduationrates. Algoma District School Board is very pleasedtosharethatourdatashowsthatSparking Secondary Success is helping our students stay on track for graduation. Based on our 23/24 student data, 94.5% of Sparking Secondary Successstudentsearned8ormorecreditsbythe end of their Grade 9 year Additionally, on average, students who completed the Sparking Secondary Success course have 3.1% fewer absences per year than ADSB students as a whole.
Registration for the 24/25 Sparking Secondary Success has been extended to Monday, November 4, 2024 Parents and/or guardiansareencouragedtoregisterbyaccessing this link. For questions or further information please visit www.adsb.on.ca or email ADSB at sparkingsecondarysuccess@adsb.on.ca.
OntarioIncreasingFinancialandCommunitySupportsfor
Veterans
Province making GO Transit free for veterans and increasing financial support to up to $3,000 each year
The Ontario governmentisincreasingthefinancial assistance available to veterans and their family through the ' The SoldiersAidCommission. government is making new regulatory amendments alongsidethechangesproposedinthe Honouring VeteransAct, 2024, which will allow eligible veterans and their family members to receive up to $3,000 each year, up from $2,000,tohelppayforessential servicesandsupports.
“Veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to make our country and province what itistodayandtheydeserveour unwavering commitment to their well-being,” said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “That's why we are working across government to make it easier for eligible veterans and their families across Ontario to access additional financial supports. Our
government will continue to stand behind every man and woman who has served in our armed forces and honour their service–lestweforget.”
Eligible veterans can find out how to apply to the Soldiers' A i d C o m m i s s i o n a t Ontario.ca/SoldiersAid to help cover health-related expenses such as hearing aids and eye glasses, specialized equipment like wheelchairs, home repairs and moving costs, as well as personalitemssuchasclothing. To make it faster and easier for veterans to access support, the government is also removing the requirement for veterans to apply to non-federal funding sources before becoming eligibletoapplytotheSoldiers' AidCommission.
Ontarioisalsostrengthening community services and supports for veterans to help keep costs down and improve their health and well-being, including:
· Introducing a transit relief program that removes fares for Canadian Armed Forces veterans and active RegularForcemembersonGO Transit starting March 1, 2025, with future plans to extend this benefittoUPExpress—putting more money back in their pockets.
· Expanding Health811 to connect veterans to specialized services that meet their unique health care needs, includingthoseinruralareasor who may require support in otherlanguages.
· Exploringopportunities to partner with municipalities and organizations that support veterans in need of housing to improve access to housing, housingsupportsandservices. The proposed changes are part oftheongoingworktheOntario government is doing to continue to recognize and honour veteransfortheirpivotalrolein thenation'spastandfuture,and
ErnieGilbert, MJ,MarcelBourgeault1976
WinterCarnival1938
Paradesstartedfrom CPR station.
MOMENTS IN TIME
On Nov 26, 1864, Oxford mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known to us today by his pen name, Lewis Carroll, sent a handwritten manuscript called "Alice's Adventures Under Ground" to 12-year-old Alice Liddell. One of the earliest stories written solely to amuse rather than teach children, it became a beloved and much-adapted classic and is still the author's bestknownwork. Lastweekssolutions
SuitedelaP.4 àcetteréalité.
Pourquecegenredechoseneseproduise plusjamais,nousdevonsfairetoutelalumièresur cequis'estpassé.Lesnéo-démocratesréclamentla tenued'uneenquêteparlementairesurlamauvaise gestion, par l'ARC, des risques de fraude fiscale. Nousdevonssavoircequ'ontàdire le personnel et les dirigeants de l'Agence, les spécialistes du recouvrement de l'impôt, le commissaire à la protection de la vie privée et les experts de la cybersécurité et de la prévention desfuitesdedonnées,afinqueles Canadiens sachent que l'ARC fait toutensonpouvoirpourempêcher lafraude.
Le gouvernement doit renforcer l'ARC afin qu'elle disposedesressourcesnécessaires pour lutter contre la fraude fiscale et détecter les violations potentielles des données. Si nous avons raison de nous en prendre à ceux qui détroussent l'ARC, nous devons prévoir des ressources
suffisantespourdémasqueraussilespersonnesqui refusent de payer leur part, comme les Canadiens qui–lesPanama/ParadisePapersl'ontbienmontré –cachentleurargentdansdescomptesàl'étranger La plupart des Canadiens comprennent que nous devonstouspayernotrejustepartdufardeaufiscal, mais ils s'attendent aussi à ce que les fraudeurs n'empochentpasunsoumalhonnêtement.
AnnualGeneralMembers Meeting
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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
For several years, Ontarians have been experiencing turmoil and pain on several fronts: accesstoaffordablehousing,accesstohealthcare, shortageofphysicians,inflationandcostofliving, impossibly low social assistance support, and timely access to programming for children with Autism, to name but a few of the burdensome issues Most of the way through his second term, DougFordseesanelectionloomingonthehorizon Ontarians don't hesitate to say his government has donelittletoalleviatepainsincetheConservatives tookoffice,andfewseemuchhopeinsight
Itwaswiththeabovesituationinmindthat, in my column two weeks ago, I called on the Premiertogethisprioritiesstraight Hecansayall he wants that he is there for the little guy, but that doesn'tmakeittrue ThetruthisthatDougFordand his Conservative government desperately need a realitychecktofindoutwhatreallyisimportantto the people of Ontario instead of the whispers of behind-the-scenesinfluencersandlobbyists
But this week, there is one matter of the highest priority for the people of AlgomaManitoulinandallofNorthernOntariothattheFord government either doesn't see, doesn't understand or, worse, doesn't care about Recently, Algoma Public Health (APH) and Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) have been doubling to raise awarenessofahorrifictragedybeforeoureyes.Itis common knowledge that the Opioid Crisis is a problem across all of Ontario and, in fact, across Canada The situation in Northern Ontario is decidedlyworsethanthatofSouthernOntario:the dataandareportfromAPHsupportthisstatement Just days ago, Dr. John Tuinema, APH's acting medical officer of health and CEO of theAlgoma Board of Health, reported the dire nature of the situationinthisdistrict,demonstratingthattherate ofopioid-relateddeathsisthreetimeshigherthanin therestofOntario
Letthatsinkinamoment
We are not talking about the rate of opioid use or the prorated number of EMT calls for assistance.Wearetalkingaboutactualdeaths.The October 24, 2024, edition of the Sudbury Star reportedthatinthecityofSaultSte.Marieandarea, "thecityjumpedtothetopoftheprovince'slistfor therateofopioid-relateddeathsreportedduringthe first three months of 2024," a significant rise from thepreviousthreemonths TheNovember5thissue updated this, pointing out that "Sault Ste Marie's rateof642deathsper100,000people(annualized) inbothQ1andQ2thisyeartranslatesto24deaths, thedatashows BlindRiverandGardenRiveralso experiencedonedeatheachduringQ1andQ2"
Bear in mind that the deceased are not
AlgomaManitoulin'sOpioidCrisis: LipService,PolitispeakandCynicism
facelesspeopleorcoldstatistics Tous,thesefigures represent our friends, neighbours, co-workers, classmates,andfamilymembers
This news is even more troubling because theinformationisnotnewtoanyone.Lettherebeno misunderstanding; the government has been told aboutthistimeandtimeagain.IknowforsurethatI have raised this issue on multiple occasions in the Legislature. Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker summed it up nicely, saying, "It's frustrating, disappointing and makes you angry. Without something changing, we know that the stats are goingtocontinuelookinglikethat."
Bywayofanexample,backonNovember 18,2021,IaskedPremierFordtostopignoringthe opioid crisis in Northern Ontario and declare a public health emergency I informed him that the previous week, seven white crosses had been erected in M'Chigeeng First Nation, each one representing a community member whose death was confirmed to be opioid-related The transcript from Hansard states, "Enough is enough.We need to act now and prevent more injury and death Communityadvocateshavebeenclearonwhatthey need, but this government has not done what is necessary. Will the Premier and this government recognize the severity of the opioid epidemic and declareapublichealthemergencyintheprovince?"
I have repeatedly pleaded that people in Algoma-Manitoulin are dying because the governmentisnottakingactiononopioidaddiction and mental health Backing this fact up, the November 5th, 2024 edition of The Sudbury Star reportedthatmorethan260CrossesforChangeare ondisplayatthecornerofBradyandParisStreets Eachcrossrepresentsalovedonelosttooverdose Instead of taking meaningful action, the government responds with typical lip service and answersincoded'politispeak.'
Shortlybeforerisingforthesummerrecess, on May 28, 2024, I again appealed directly to Premier Ford during Question Period, asking the governmenttotakemeaningfulstepstoaddressthe opioid crisis in Algoma-Manitoulin and Northern Ontario:"MyquestionistothePremier Lastweek, thePremierannouncedthatthegovernmentwillbe spending $225 million to introduce and expedite alcohol sales into convenience stores and gas stations Meanwhile, in northern Ontario, we continue to see opioid-related deaths rise. In fact, the North has three times the mortality rate from overdosecomparedwiththerestoftheprovince.
"The priorities in Timmins, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste Marie, North Bay, Sioux Lookout, Elliot Lake and every community across northernOntarioisnotaquickeraccesstoalcohol They would rather see these millions go towards supervisedconsumptionsitesandaddictioncentres
that have been working on shoestring budgets to savepeople'slivesinnorthernOntario.
"Why is the Premier prioritizing alcohol salesoverdyingpeoplefromopioidoverdoses?"
Instead of answering my question, the Premier called upon Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, to respond InsteadofsayingwhattheMinistrywould dotoaddressthecrisishittingtheNorthsohardor even promising to look further into the matter, MinisterTibollorespondedinthebroadestofterms, explaining that the Province has made 'significant investments'Hestated,"Outoftheinvestmentsthat we'vemade,54%havegonetobuild400bedsinthe province,7,000treatmentspots,with54%ofthem innorthernOntario"
Forgive me, but how is adding more beds spread across the entire province going to help prevent addiction where the situation is dire in the North? Through prevention, fewer beds would be needed in the first place There was no mention of any actual plans to implement programs to help prevent people from becoming addicted Just a statementthatthegovernmentisthrowingmoneyat theproblem,hopingitsticks
Toaddinsulttoinjury,tomysupplementary question,againtothePremier,Ipointedoutthatthe peopleofAlgoma-Manitoulintellmetheyarevery unhappy that he wasted $225 million to expand alcohol sales when that money could have been used to improve healthcare, reduce ED wait times and eliminate hospital shutdowns due to doctor shortages. That money could have been used to reduceopioid-relateddeathsintheNorth
This time, the Premier chose to respond personallytomyquestion,albeitflippantly,saying, "With all due respect to the member, he's worried about an early election. He should be worrying about who you're running for:As an independent? … That's what you have to determine, my friend, becauseyouprobablywon'tbeherenextround"
Youdon'thavetohaveadegreeinpolitical science to ask yourself if the above responses are those of a responsible, engaged and concerned Minister and Premier The cynicism and heartless natureofthePremier'sresponsemorethanexplain why matters have reached such catastrophic levels intheAlgoma-ManitoulinandSudburydistricts.
The opioid crisis is very real. It is not somethingtojokeaboutormakepartisan Addicts' livesareatrisk,andtheirsupportivefamily,friends andothersdeserveseriousconsiderationandaction, notcallouspartisancommentaries.
Asalways,Iinviteyoutocontactmyoffice about these issues or any other provincial matters You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@olaorg or call Toll-free 1-800-8311899.