10052023 October 5, 2023

ÉcoleSacré-CoeurdisplayssolidarityduringitsTerryFoxWalk

As in past years, the École Sacré-

Coeur (Chapleau) school community has demonstrated its solidarity and generosity! As part of its

annualTerryFoxWalk,ÉcoleSacré-Coeur students,staffandfamiliesraised$1913.70 in donations, which will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation. In keeping with

tradition, students were able to dedicate their run to a loved one or person of their choice.Thisschoolinitiativefostersaspirit ofsharing,hopeandsolidarity!

Encore une fois, la communauté

scolaire de l'école Sacré-Coeur (Chapleau) a fait preuve de solidaritéetdegénérosité!Danslecadre de sa marche annuelle en l'honneur de

Terry Fox, les élèves, membres du personneletfamillesdeSacré-Cœuront amassé 1913,70$ en dons qui seront remisàlaFondationTerryFox.Comme le veut la tradition, les élèves ont pu

dédier leur course à un être cher ou une personne de leur choix. Cette initiative scolaire fait régner l'esprit de partage, l'espoiretlasolidarité!

WeatherSummaryforOntario September 2023: Widespread Warm and Very Dry

Temperatures

In contrast to previous months, the provincewasdominatedbywarmerthannormal temperatures during September. The map of mean monthly temperature anomaly indicates that the far north saw the highest anomalies in temperature and these decreased toward the south.ValueswerelowestfromWindsortonear OttawaandovertheNiagarapeninsula.

The entire province was gripped by a prolonged heat event lasting for about a week near the beginning of the month. Temperatures were well over 30oC at many locations (Moosonee at 35.1oC, Oakville at 34.5oC both on the 5th). Numerous records were broken, especially on the 5th and 6th. Also during this week,humidexvaluesreachedintothelow40sat manylocationssuchasTorontoButtonville(43) andVineland (43). During the second week and third week, cooler than normal temperatures dominated as the anomalies fluctuated provincewide. The southwest saw a significant cool spell toward the end of the second week. Overnight lows fell below zero in the northwest on the 13th. Then into the final week, warmer thannormaltemperaturesreturned.

Precipitation

September was a very dry month provincewide.InthenorthandtheFarNorth,this wasthe5thconsecutivemonthwithlower-thannormalprecipitation. Somelocationshadrecord low amounts such as Trenton, where it was the

REMERCIEMENTS

LafamilledeDorisRiopeltient àremercierlepersonneldesServices de santé Chapleau Health Services pour les soins bienveillants et compatissantsqu'ilsontdémontrésà leur mère pendant la période de sa maladie.

Nous voulons aussi exprimer nos remerciements sincères à tous ceux et celles qui ont exprimé leurs vœuxdecondoléanceslorsdudécès denotremèreetpourlanourriture,les fleurs et offrandes. Merci au Père Hervé Sauvé pour ses mots de réconfort et pour le beau service et ainsiqu'unremerciementàlaMaison FunéraireLessard-Stephenspendant cette période difficile. Votre générosité et bonté ne seront jamais oubliées.

driest September in 108 years. The only region with higher-than-normal precipitation was east ofTimminswhichreceived>150%ofthenormal for the month. A couple of locations in the northwest near the U.S. and Manitoba borders wereslightlyabovenormal.

The main driest axes were found from northofRedLakenortheasttoHudsonBay,from Sault Ste Marie east to Sudbury and from Windsor to Ottawa.Theseregions saw less than 25%oftheirmeanmonthlyrainfall.

SignificantEvents

September 6-7: Rain and Thunderstorm for theNortheast

Asystemwithacoldfrontmovedacross the north and brought rain and thunderstorms. Thesystemdropped49mminEarltonand41mm inTimmins.Slightlywest,Chapleaureceived27 mm and Kapuskasing 22 mm. Flood messages were issued by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to highlight the risk of localizedrunoffsandelevatedwaterlevels.

September12-13–SystemMovesNortheast

Barelyaweekafterwards,anothersystem broughtraintocentralandnortheasternOntario. NorthBaysaw43mmofranandTimminssaw39 mm.

OutlookforOctober

Temperatures are likely to be above normal in eastern, northeastern, and parts of northwesternOntario;thereisnoclearsignalfor the Golden Horseshoe, southwestern Ontario, and areas around Lake of the Woods. Precipitation is likely to be above normal for areasnorthofLakeoftheWoodstoHudsonBay, and below normal for pockets around northeasternandcentralOntario;thereisnoclear

705-864-4376

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS CHAPLEAU EXPRESS

Chapleau Moments

by MichaelJ. Morris

PioneerscarvedChapleauoutofwilderness as"ribbonsofsteelarrivedin1885

wild surroundings the stranger is agreeably surprised to find a spot so remote from what he calls civilization so completely up-to-date as Chapleau--noshacktown!"

The winters were "long, cold and exhilarating.." according to Vince. Not much changethere!!

In a real sense the pioneers of Chapleau carvedacommunityoutofthewilderness.

PublicSchool

If you had been suspended high above Chapleauin1885,allyouwouldhaveseenatfirst glance would have been a virgin forest, many lakesandriversandtwothinribbonsofsteelthat had been laid in a cleared section and were cutting through this vast uninhabited area of Canada.

Vince Crichton tells us in his book "PioneeringinNorthernOntario"thattheribbons of steel were rails of the Canadian Pacific Railwayleading381mileswesttoFortWilliam and170milessoutheasttoSudbury.

Recently after ten years of writing ChapleauMomentsweeklyIhavebeenspending time with Vince's book, the Richard Brownlee Papers as well as material on the Chapleau Librarysite,compiledprimarilybyHughKuttner andthelateDougGreig.

Vince noted that there were very few signsoflifeexceptalongtherailroad,andatthe trading posts. You may have seen Cree and Ojibway trappers in canoes going to and from theirtrappinggroundswiththeirwinter'scatchof fur.

When it became clear that Chapleau would be a terminal of the railroad some homes were built on the hill in the vicinity of the Lady MintoHospital,openedin1914.Thiswascalled "OldChapleau"andalongboardwalkconnected ittotheCPRstationarea.

Meanwhile, T.A. Austin had opened his storeinatentinthatareaandMr.Brownleewho arrivedinFebruary1886abarbershop.Laterin 1886bothhadmovedtobuildingsonBirchstreet which remains the community's main business district to this day. Several stores had been openedby1887.

Fast forward to 1914 and Chapleau had two schools, three churches, a hospital, two doctors,anOperaHouse,threeconfectioneryand ice cream shops and a variety of commercial enterprisestofilltheneedsoffamilies." Awater works system had been installed and electricity provided. The Town Hall also opened in 1914. TheYMCAwascompletedby1908.

Vince described heating and cooking in homes.

"Allofthehouseswerekeptwarmwitha pot bellied stove with a large gaping mouth through which the fire was banked for the night withacopiousamountofgoodwhitebirch. The kitchen stove on which the lady of the house cooked and was her pride and joy also burned wood"'

In1945whenmymotherMurielE(Hunt) MorrisandmygrandparentsEdytheandGeorge HuntandImovedintoourhouseonGreyStreet,a wood stove primarily heated the house and my grandmotherdidallthecookingonitforseveral years. The house was never warmer, and her mealswereawesometoo!!

Mr.Fortinbroughtusthesupplyofwood eachyear.

BillPellowdeliverycirca1911

I was delighted to read the article in the ChapleauExpressannouncingthecompletionof the first phase of a Downtown Revitalization Project. Myemailismj.morris@live.ca

FirstStationCirca1886

Mr. Brownlee, in his own handwriting refers to an article about Chapleau written to mark the Royal Tour in 1939.. "Considering its

from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

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

Assummercomestoaclose,Parliament hasonceagainconvenedfortheyear.Canadians expect their government to address their concerns and to help alleviate their burdens. From inflationary pressures that have pushed housingandgrocerypricesthroughtheroof,toa record-shattering wildfire season likely made worse by climate change, to challenges in our health care system and beyond, people are looking for some stability and a focus on addressing these pressing issues. So what can Canadiansexpectfromparliamentinthecoming months, and will these measures be enough to alleviatetheirgrowingconcerns?

Inflation and the cost of housing have clearlyrisentothetopofCanadians'concerns.A recent poll by Leger has 47 percent of respondents saying they are currently living paycheque to paycheque. Soaring inflation has eroded people's purchasing power. The costs of foodandhousingremainpersistently,stubbornly high.Whatcanweexpectfromthisgovernment's approach to deal with these issues, and is it the rightapproach?

On food, the Industry and Finance Ministers recently met with the heads of Canada's five largest grocery chains, asking them to stabilize foodpricesbyThanksgiving.Iftheyfailtodoso, thePrimeMinisterhassaid"iftheirplandoesn't provide real relief ... then we will take further action and we are not ruling anything out, including tax measures." It's curious that the PrimeMinisterwouldcomeforwarddemanding action from grocers at this point because food prices have outpaced inflation for the past 20 months. He seems to be proposing windfall tax measurestohelpreelinthecostofgroceriesifthe large grocers are unwilling to do it themselves, but the Liberals joined with Conservatives to voteagainstamotiondemandingexactlythatin March2022,nearthestartoffoodinflationwoes. Clearly there's a need to address food inflation butworktoreducefoodcostsneededtostartover ayear-and-a-halfago.

The government also seems keen to expand the tools provided to the Competition Bureau to increase competitiveness in the grocery market to bring down prices. New Democrats have introduced a Private Members Billtodojustthat,andiftheLiberalsarekeento address grocery prices, the bill is ready-made to address the lack of competition in the market. It

ParliamentNeedstoPlaceCanadians'NeedsattheForefront

will increase penalties for price fixing, protect smaller grocery stores from anti-competitive tacticsfrombiggerplayers,givetheCompetition Bureau more powers to crack down on abuses like price-gouging, and stop mergers that decreasecompetition.

On housing, the government has proposedeliminatingGSTontheconstructionof new rental housing units.That seems to be their entire plan in a nutshell. It's not a bad idea in itself, one New Democrats have previously proposed, but this can't be their sole solution to affordable housing. If we are to achieve the CHMC'stargetof3.5millionnewhomesneeded in the next decade, we must look at other measures, such as re-establishing the co-op housing program axed by the previous Conservative government, which eliminated 800,000 affordable homes and helped create the crisiswearecurrentlyin.

On climate action, following the worst wildfireseasononrecord,thegovernmenthasn't

L'été touche à sa fin, et le Parlement a reprissestravaux.LesCanadienss'attendentàce que leur gouvernement s'attaque aux enjeux qui lespréoccupentetàcequ'ilsoulageleurfardeau. Qu'il s'agisse de l'inflation qui a fait monter en flèche le prix des maisons et de l'épicerie, d'une saison des feux de forêt sans précédent (sans douteaggravéeparleschangementsclimatiques) et des problèmes qui minent notre système de santé, les gens désirent une certaine stabilité et veulent voir des efforts axés sur ces enjeux pressants. À quoi les Canadiens peuvent-ils s'attendre de la part du gouvernement dans les moisàvenir?Est-cequelesmesuresprisesseront suffisantes pour dissiper leurs inquiétudes grandissantes?

L'inflationetlecoûtdulogementsesont hissés au premier rang des préoccupations des Canadiens. D'après un récent sondage Léger, 47 % des personnes interrogées disent vivre d'une paieàl'autre.L'inflationgalopanteaentraînéune diminutiondupouvoird'achatdesgens.Lecoût du logement et des aliments demeure obstinément élevé. À quoi peut-on s'attendre de la stratégie mise en œuvre par le gouvernement pour s'attaquer à ces problèmes? S'agit-il de la bonnefaçondeprocéder?

Les ministres de l'Industrie et des Financesontrécemmentrencontrélesdirigeants des cinq grandes chaînes d'épicerie au Canada pour leur demander de stabiliser le prix des aliments d'ici à l'Action de grâces.Aux dires du premierministre:«sileurplanneprocurepasde véritable répit […] nous poserons des gestes. Nous n'excluons rien, y compris des mesures fiscales. » Il est étrange que le premier ministre

signaledmuchonthisfront.C-50,theCanadian Sustainable JobsAct, was introduced at the tail end of June, and has received no debate. It's difficult to grasp whether climate change adaptation is really being prioritized, but the comingmonthswillhelptellthatstory.

On health care, we are anticipating the tabling of a framework for a national universal pharmacareprogram,whichisapreconditionof the Supply and Confidence Agreement. The government's own advisory council, chaired by formerOntarioHealthMinisterDr.EricHoskins, recommended such a program in 2019, and we have still yet to see a bill tabled on the matter. They have only a few short months to uphold their own commitment to universal, accessible pharmacare.

There'sfranklyahugeamountofworkto do this fall. It's imperative that we focus on the key issues of affordability, climate change, and healthcarenow.

demande maintenant aux épiciers d'agir, étant donné que le prix des aliments augmente plus rapidementquel'inflationdepuisles20derniers mois.Ilsembleproposerl'instaurationd'unimpôt sur les bénéfices exceptionnels pour réduire le coût des aliments si les grands épiciers ne sont pas disposés à agir. Pourtant, en mars 2022, au début de l'inflation du prix des aliments, les libérauxetlesconservateursontvotécontreune motion en ce sens. Il faut manifestement s'attaquer à ce problème, mais il aurait fallu commenceràprendredesmesurespourréduirele coûtdesalimentsilyaplusd'unanetdemi. Le gouvernement semble aussi désireux de renforcer les outils dont le Bureau de la concurrence dispose en vue d'accroître la concurrence entre les épiciers et de faire ainsi diminuer les prix. Les néo-démocrates ont déposéunprojetdeloid'initiativeparlementaire danscebutprécis.Parconséquent,sileslibéraux veulents'attaquerauproblème,ilyaunprojetde loitoutprêtquiviseàaccroîtrelespeinesencas de fixation des prix, à protéger les petites épiceries contre les stratégies anticoncurrentielles des grandes chaînes, à donner davantage de pouvoirs au Bureau de la concurrence pour lutter contre les abus (p. ex. prix abusifs) et à empêcher les fusions qui réduisentlaconcurrence.

Dans le dossier du logement, le plan du gouvernement semble se résumer à éliminer la TPS sur la construction de nouveaux logements locatifs. En soi, l'idée n'est pas mauvaise – les néo-démocrates l'ont d'ailleurs déjà proposée –, mais il ne peut s'agir de la seule solution pour SuiteP.7

LeParlementdoitmettrelesbesoinsdelapopulationcanadienneaupremierrang

OntarioProtectingDeerfromUnlawfulHunting

TheOntariogovernmentissafeguarding Ontario’sdeerpopulationbyensuringhuntersare harvesting deer lawfully with a licence and within the correct Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).

SylvainBernardofDubreuilvillepleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing illegally killed wildlifeandwasfined$1,300.

ChantalBernardofDubreuilvillepleaded guiltytohuntingbiggamewithoutalicenceand wasfined$1,800.

Felix Bernard of Dubreuilville pleaded guilty to unlawfully invalidating a tag to an animalkilledthatwasnotthesamespeciestype specifiedonthetagandwasfined$1,500.

Sebastien Bernard of Dubreuilville

pleaded guilty to failing to immediately invalidate a tag with respect to a deer killed by anotherpersonandwasfined$800.

The court heard that on November 20, 2022, Sylvain Bernard, Chantal Bernard, and Sebastien Bernard were party hunting in WMU 10 in Nestor Falls. During the investigation, conservation officers determined that Sylvain Bernard and Chantal Bernard were hunting together when they shot and killed two deer whichtheydidnothaveadequatetagsfor.

The deer were brought to a separate location where they were field dressed, and one deerwastagged.SylvainBernard,inaneffortto concealtheextradeer,placedthewholedeerina garbagebagandputitinthebackofanenclosed

trailer. He then placed the internal organs of the same deer in a garbage bag which was later disposed at the Nestor Falls landfill. Upon returningtotheiraccommodationsFelixBernard validatedhisantlerlessWMU9Atagforthedeer shotinWMU10.

Justice of the Peace Daphne Armstrong heardthiscaseremotelyonJuly19,2023,inthe OntarioCourtofJusticeintheDistrictofKenora.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, membersofthepubliccancalltheministryTIPS linetollfreeat1-877-847-7667.Youcanalsocall Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases,pleasevisitontario.ca/mnrftips.

ADSB SchoolsHostHonourWalkstoAcknowledge NationalDayForTruth&Reconciliation

Action in Canada through an experiential learning opportunity, while promoting allyship withinourschools.

ADSB staff, students and community members were encouraged to wear orange (shirtsorribbons,etc)onSeptember28thaswell as on the 30th. Wearing orange is a simple yet impactful way to honour the children who survivedtheresidentialschoolsandtoremember those who did not. This tradition of wearing orange began several years ago in Williams Lake,BritishColumbia,andwasinspiredbythe experience of survivor Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, whose new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at St. Joseph's Mission Residential School.Herstoryhasbeensharedanddescribed inherbook"Phyllis'sOrangeShirt"andcanalso be found on the ADSB website (www.adsb.on.ca)alongwithotherresources.

our partnerships with Indigenous communities and organizations, to building and strengthening thesepartnershipsacrossourschoolcommunities and to ensuring that all students learn about Indigenous perspectives within the curriculum, including the history and impact of residential schools.

OnSaturday,September30th,Canadians will recognize the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. Algoma District School Board (ADSB) students and staff acknowledged this special date on September 28th (as September 29thisaProfessionalDevelopmentday).Schools hostedHonourWalksonSeptember28thattheir schools as did staff at the Education Centre.An HonourWalk is a public and visible way for our school communities to show their support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to

Wearing orange and promoting the slogan, Every Child Matters, recognizes the harm the residential school system had on children's sense of self-esteem and well-being andisalsoanaffirmationofourcommitmentto reconciliation and raising awareness of the residential school experience, to ensure that we focus on our hope for a better future in which childrenareempoweredtohelpeachother.

Algoma District School Board acknowledges that while recognition on September 30th is important, the conversation aboutresidentialschoolsshouldnotbelimitedto a single day or week.ADSB once again affirms our commitment to Indigenous partners and reconciliation.Wecontinuetocommittovaluing

ADSB continuestoengagethevoicesof First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth through the ADSB Northern Indigenous Youth Council (NIYC) to further understand and enhance their livedexperienceswithinourschools.Thisyear's NIYC Chair Desirae Schell-Migwans spoke to andsupportedherschoolcommunityofSuperior HeightsastheyengagedintheirHonourWalk. Please see the attached photo gallery whichhighlightsthemanyschoolsthroughoutthe district who took time to honour the day, recognizing that this is an opportunity to create meaningful and ongoing discussions about the effects of residential schools, the impacts they haveleftinourcommunitiesandtoparticipatein building bridges with each other for reconciliation.

Lastweekssolutions

MOMENTS IN TIME

On Oct. 17, 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the UnitedStatesasarefugeefromNaziGermanyafter renouncing his German citizenship. He had been barred from working at any universities in his homeland but would become a professor of theoreticalphysicsatPrincetonUniversity.

NorthernLightsFordSales

Andrew G. McKenzie Travis Gendron

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

ALLEMANO, FITZGERALD PASCUZZI & BERLINGIERI Barristers and Solicitors

MICHAEL C. ALLEMANO, B.A., L.L.B.

Certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Real Estate Law P.O. Box 10, 369 Queen St. E. Suite 103 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 1Z4

Phone (705) 942-0142

Fax (705) 942-7188

BERRY’S FREIGHT SERVICES

TIMMINS - CHAPLEAU - TIMMINS

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

Monday to Friday

P.O. Box 1700, 37 Broadway Avenue, Wawa, Ontario P0S 1K0

Phone (705) 856-4970

Fax (705) 856-2713

LeParlementdoitmettrelesbesoinsdelapopulationcanadienneaupremierrang

SuitedelaP.4

régler la question de l'accès à un logement abordable. Pour atteindre la cible fixée par la Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement, c'est-à-dire 3,5 millions de nouveaux logements au cours de la prochaine décennie, nousdevonsenvisagerd'autresmesures,comme rétablir le programme de logements coopératifs supprimé par l'ancien gouvernement conservateur, ce qui a mené à la disparition de 800 000 logements abordables et contribué à créerlacriseactuelle.

À la suite de la pire saison des feux de forêt jamais enregistrée, le gouvernement a annoncépeudechosesdansledossierdelalutte contreleschangementsclimatiques.Leprojetde

loi C-50, Loi canadienne sur les emplois durables, a été déposé à la fin de juin et n'a fait l'objet d'aucun débat. Il est difficile de savoir si l'adaptation aux changements climatiques constitue vraiment une priorité, mais les mois à venirpermettrontdesefaireunemeilleureidée.

Surleplandessoinsdesanté,nousnous attendons à ce qu'un cadre soit présenté pour établir un régime d'assurance-médicaments universel national, soit une condition préalable del'ententedesoutienetdeconfiance.Lepropre conseilconsultatifdugouvernement,présidépar leDrEricHoskins,ancienministredelaSantéde l'Ontario, a recommandé un régime de ce genre en 2019, mais aucun projet de loi n'a encore été déposé. Le gouvernement ne dispose que de quelques mois pour respecter son propre engagement d'établir un régime d'assurancemédicamentsuniversel.

Àvraidire,ilyaénormémentdetravailà faire cet automne. Il est essentiel de concentrer maintenantnoseffortssurlesgrandsdossiersque sont l'abordabilité, les changements climatiques etlessoinsdesanté.

FORQUALITYSERVICESAT INEXPENSIVEPRICES

GIVE USACALLAT 1-705-264-4334

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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.

705-864-4376

Monday

Tuesday

8mm & Super 8 mm

Everywhere I go, it is clear that autumn has come to Algoma-Manitoulin. Harvest festivalsarehappeningincommunities,students havereturnedtotheirstudies,andtheleavesare starting to change, creating a wonderful kaleidoscopeforalltoenjoy.

Autumnisbittersweetformanyreasons. We say goodbye to warm summer days and prepare for winter to set in (often sooner than we'd prefer). I know that for me, one of the hardest parts of this seasonal transition is curtailing opportunities to travel across our riding to meet with people in communities, replacingitwithroutinesittingsatQueen'sPark.

Don't get me wrong, bringing the voices andconcernsofpeopleinAlgoma-Manitoulinto the Ontario Legislative Assembly is an honour for me. I still approach it with the same enthusiasmandprideIdidwhenIwaselected12 years ago. However, I have often pointed out in this column the stark difference I face as a politicianbetweenmyworkintheridingandmy workatQueen'sPark.

Thissummer,Iwasabletotraveltoevery corner of Algoma-Manitoulin and meet with people where they live and work. I had the pleasure of engaging with hundreds of constituents about the issues they're facing, something that is vital to inform my work at the legislature. And, as I've always said, while the people I speak with may not always agree with me,theyarealwayswillingtolistenandengage respectfully. Unfortunately, the same is not alwaystruewhenIgettoToronto.

ThereturntoQueen'sParkthisyearwas certainly a raucous one. Many people will be familiarwiththedetailsoftheGreenbeltscandal that took up the government's attention all summer.Lastweek,anotherministerwasforced tostep-downaftergivinguntruetestimonytothe IntegrityCommissionerunderoath.

On this issue, I still want to see the governmentshowthatittakesthefindingsofthe Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner seriously by reversing the changes to the Greenbeltonceandforall.Also,thegovernment mustagreetocomplyandcommittoconductinga public inquiry into what happened. This is the surestwayforOntarianstoregainsomelevelof trustintheirgovernment.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

What is sometimes forgotten while focusing on the politicsofthisscandalisthatthe government has spent months defending, explaining, and undoing their Greenbelt policy while ignoring the (supposed) factor for introducing it – the housing crisis. We have now spent countless hours of the legislature's time on this policy that has not tackled Ontario's lack of housing supply. It's my intentionthissessiontopressthe government on what it is planning to do to support more housing in Algoma-Manitoulin to ensure our communities continue to have affordable and appropriate housing for everyone.

While the Greenbelt may have dominated the headlines sinceAugust,therearestillmany bread-and-butter issues that I want to see addressed by the legislature. One of the most importantofthoseistheongoing crisisinourhealthcaresystem.

The Ontario Healthcare Coalition hosted a rally in front of the legislative building on its firstdayback.Icanhonestlysay itwasoneofthelargestprotestsI have ever seen take place there

and confirmed what I had heard from constituentsallsummerlong…peoplearefedup with underfunding and privatization in our healthcaresystem.

That'swhyIusedmyfirstquestionofthe sessiontopressHealthMinisterSylviaJoneson the potential emergency room closures facing rural and Northern hospitals. ER closures are a symptomofthisgovernmentpuntingtheissueof doctorrecruitmentdowntheroadfortoolong.I haveoftenhighlightedtheburnoutaffectingour healthcare providers in the North with the government.

During Question Period, I told Health Minister Jones how unacceptable people in Algoma-Manitoulin find it that not only is it impossibleformanytofindafamilydoctor,but nowthereisariskthatevenemergencymedicine maynotbereadilyavailablewhenitisneeded. I believe that, in many ways, the Ford government's lack of willingness to seek meaningful collaboration has led this government down a path that has left Ontarians feeling disheartened and angry with their government.Oneofthemostegregiousexamples isthegovernment'slackofmeaningfuldialogue and respect for First Nations governments in consultationandcollaboration.

ChiefsofTreaty9FirstNationsmadean offer to the Premier this week to meet with him publiclytodiscusstheiroppositiontominingand logging claims being made on their territory withouttheirconsent.Theysetupatableinfront ofthelegislatureandmadethemselvesavailable toMr.Fordforadialogue.

Unfortunately, elected First Nations leaders were rebuffed by the Premier and were notofferedanythingbywayofacknowledgment oftheirlegitimateandimportantconcerns.Inthe past, I have written about the wrongheadedness oftheOntariogovernment'sdivide-and-conquer approach to development on First Nation's territory.Istillbelievethatthisgovernmentneeds totakestepstoensurethatnoresourceprojectsgo ahead without the open, informed prior consent ofeveryFirstNationaffected.

All in all, it is clear that summer is over, and the fall sitting of the legislature will again generate many challenges to ensure we are addressing the issues that are top of mind with Ontarians.Atthesametime,Ifirmlybelievethat italsooffersanopportunitytoputasidepartisan divisions and work together across party lines andlevelsofgovernment.

Forthissession,myfocus,andIhopethat ofmycolleagues,willbetobringaboutimproved cooperation,collaboration,andrespect.

Asalways,pleasefeelfreetocontactmy office about these issues or any other provincial matters.Youcanreachmyconstituencyofficeby email at my new address, mmantha-co@ola.org orbyphoneToll-freeat1-800-831-1899.

Ontariansexpecttheirgovernmentleadersto demonstratecooperation,collaborationandrespect