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News Roundup for December 2, 2024
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Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

Jonny5 said:
Ya I think in 2021 it's stupid we box elderly people into the no computer skills category. My father is 82 and retired about 12 years ago, but I remember when his work gave him his first laptop computer to use at home in 1989 (monochrome screen and it weighed something like 15-20 pounds and cost $5,000). He doesn't need help, however many who are younger and did not work in white-collar office jobs through the 90's and early 2000's have had little to zero computer exposure at all, and to this day such an interface is still not intuitive for them.

There's also a new tendency I've seen that is to say those low-income people without computers still have cell phones, so they can get text message reminders, and to some extent that is true; many people without the income to buy a laptop and pay for home internet access have forgone computers and embraced smart phones as a cheaper replacement that requires much less skill to use. However, text messages and emails often get quickly buried, whereas a paper notice you can put on your fridge, or in your wallet, or somewhere you regularly will see it. I can forsee people getting in trouble for forgetting the renewal only to be told "well we sent you a text message 60 days ago," but of course that message wound up buried under the dozens of other notifications that come in every day.
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My dad in his mid 90's was in some ways more computer savvy than I am...
 

Public ignored on MZOs, Ontario’s auditor general says in new report on the environment​

From link.

Minister’s zoning orders should be subject to public scrutiny, Ontario’s auditor general says in a new report on the environment.

Bonnie Lysyk also said in her annual report that “ministries are not notifying and consulting Ontarians about all of the environmentally significant decisions that they should be. Some ministries have deliberately avoided consulting the public about some proposals ... even when this avoidance is legally valid, such actions to prevent the public from participating are inconsistent with the purpose and spirit” of the Environmental Bill of Rights Act.

And even when ministries do hold public consultations under the act, “they are not always providing Ontarians with clear, accurate and complete information about their proposals and decisions, including the environmental implications, and they are not always providing notice in a timely manner. Both are needed for meaningful consultation and transparency,” her report said.

She also noted that Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark “violated the EBR act when he failed to consult on amendments to the planning act that enhanced powers regarding minister’s zoning orders.”

The Star has written extensively on the Ford government’s frequent use of the tool, called MZOs, to expedite developments — orders that cannot be appealed.

In response to the report by Lysyk and Tyler Schulz, commissioner of the environment in the office, the municipal affairs ministry said “the minister has publicly stated that he expects that before a municipality requests an MZO they do their due diligence which includes consultation in their communities, connecting with conservation authorities and engaging with potentially affected Indigenous communities.

“The minister has also publicly stated that he expects that municipal requirements for a zoning order include a supporting council resolution. As council meetings are generally open to the public, this expectation is meant to ensure public awareness of a request being made for the minister to consider making a zoning order.”

But Lysyk said that “proposals for minister’s zoning orders orders under the Planning Act have the potential to have significant effect on the environment. Revoking the exempting for minister’s zoning orders under the (Environmental Bill of Rights Act) would give Ontarians the right to be consulted about environmentally significant proposals.”

The report points to Pickering’s Lower Duffins Creek, a sensitive wetland that the minister later removed from his zoning order, something Lysyk said could have been avoided with proper public consultation.

In 2020, the government issued an MZO for a warehouse and other buildings at the site, which initially included the environmentally sensitive area.
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Eye exams back on Tuesday as Ontario and optometrists agree to talks​

From link.

Eye exams for children, seniors and social assistance recipients are back on starting Tuesday as optometrists and the province agree to begin formal negotiations to settle a long-standing dispute over fees paid under Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

In a “sign of good faith,” the Ontario Association of Optometrists said Monday it is “pausing its job action” that began Sept. 1, resulting in cancelled exams at the rate of 15,000 a day for people entitled to coverage for them under OHIP.

Most optometrists stopped performing the publicly funded exams to back demands for better payment, saying provincial health insurance pays $44 for services that cost almost $80 to perform. Optometrists have been without an agreement since 2011.

The dispute has left hundreds of thousands without the eye care they need, including many with deteriorating vision and nowhere to turn because it’s illegal for optometrists to charge for a service covered under provincial health insurance.

“Swift resolution of this issue is a top priority for both optometrists and their patients,” the association said in a statement, calling for “robust talks to begin immediately” to reach a “sustainable funding model.”

It will take time to clear the backlog of missed appointments and examinations.

The new development in talks comes less than two weeks after optometrist and Progressive Conservative MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill) accused Premier Doug Ford’s government of “heavy-handed tactics” in the standoff.

While she has acknowledged optometrists have been “treated unfairly by previous governments,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said the claim that eye exams cost almost $80 to perform requires verification.

Optometrists say the fee paid for exams has risen just $5 since 1989 and left them on the hook for inflation and rising overhead costs such as rent, equipment and clinic staff.

The province has previously offered an increase of 8.49 per cent to about $48, and provided $39 million to Ontario’s 2,500 optometrists intended to retroactively cover the last decade.

Optometrists say that payment sounds far more generous than it is because the money amounts to just over $1 for each of the 24 million exams performed over the 10-year period.
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We'll see what happens... or not.
 

30 Ontario inspectors laid off despite Doug Ford promise no one will lose jobs​


From link.

More than 30 inspectors who enforce credentials in the skilled trades have received layoff notices as a result of a decision by Premier Doug Ford's government, CBC News has learned.

The layoff notices went out last week to inspectors in the compliance and enforcement section of the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), the agency that licenses tradespeople such as electricians, plumbers, auto mechanics and hairstylists.

The Ford government is dissolving the agency, but all its duties continue. Its inspection role is being shifted to the Ministry of Labour and its work related to apprenticeships goes to a new body called Skilled Trades Ontario.

Despite the continuation of their duties — and even though most OCOT managers and staff get to stay on the provincial payroll with Skilled Trades Ontario — the 30-plus inspectors face being out of work come February.
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"Doug Ford said no one would lose their jobs," said Terry Dorgan, an inspector who has been in the job since 2013. "We trusted him."

Ford stated frequently during the 2018 election campaign, including during one of televised leaders debates, that no public sector workers would be laid off under his government.

Then in 2019, Ford and his ministers started shifting their tune, instead saying that no "front-line workers" would lose their jobs.

Dorgan said he feels "gutted, betrayed and lied to" as a result of the layoff notice.

"We were promised we wouldn't lose our jobs in 2018, when [Ford] said he was winding down the college and replacing it with something better," Dorgan said in an interview from his home near Peterborough, Ont.

He doesn't understand why he and the other inspectors weren't simply transferred to become employees in the Ministry of Labour, since the ministry is taking over the enforcement of credentials in Ontario's 23 licensed trades.

Instead, the ministry recently went on a hiring spree of new inspectors that excluded "the people that have the knowledge and skills that have been doing this function for 10 years," said Dorgan.

"We believe 100 per cent that this is an unfair labour practice. You can't take people's jobs and sell them to someone else," he said.
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A spokesperson for Monte McNaughton, the minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, said ministry inspectors must have the skills and knowledge to enforce a wider range of workplace legislation than the OCOT inspectors handled, such as employment standards and occupational health and safety.

"Our ministry hires the best candidates for the positions we have available," said McNaughton's press secretary Harry Godfrey in a statement that also described the College of Trades as a failure.

"Instead of being a fair and balanced regulator, they used their power to cater to special interests, which is why our government stepped in to improve the system for everyone," said Godfrey.

Dorgan said he never heard any complaints about the quality of the inspectors' work during his time at OCOT.

At age 61, he is close to retirement but says other colleagues facing layoff have young families and are in what he called "gut-wrenching" situations.

Another inspector provided CBC News with a copy of his layoff notice but asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions. That inspector is also calling on Ford to keep his promise that no one would lose their jobs.

"Why would he go back on his word? Is that what he wants to be remembered for, as a liar?" said the inspector. "I can't have faith in this government."

McNaughton told CBC News last summer that enforcement of certification in the skilled trades would continue once OCOT was dissolved. The government's Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, passed in June, sets in motion the transfer of the inspectors' duties to the Ministry of Labour.

In a memo obtained by CBC News, McNaughton's deputy minister makes it clear the inspectors are not getting jobs at the Ministry of Labour.

"The ministry has determined that it has the capacity to conduct the compliance and enforcement functions ... from within its current staff complement of 507 inspectors," says the memo dated Aug. 31, addressed to the chief executive and board chairman of OCOT.

"I trust this update will allow your organization to make critical organizational decisions."

OCOT's layoff notices to the inspectors went out on Nov. 17 and the agency explicitly linked the layoffs to government policy.

"We regret to inform you that you will be laid off from your employment effective close of business on Feb. 17, 2022," says the letter to the inspector who asked not to be identified.

"We anticipate that this layoff will be permanent as a result of government decisions related to the Compliance and Enforcement function."

"It just feels like we're being robbed," said the inspector.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) represents the workers being laid off.

The inspectors who spoke to CBC News believe they ought to have successor rights to jobs at the Ministry of Labour since their duties are not being transferred there. They allege this is a violation of labour law and want their union to challenge the layoffs.

"There have been no forced job losses so far, so I am quite confident that we can work with the government to find them jobs," OPSEU president Smokey Thomas said in a phone interview.

The Ford government has merged or dissolved other provincial agencies since taking power, most notably in the health sector, where agencies such as Cancer Care Ontario were absorbed into the new Ontario Health.
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Walkerton Version 3.0? (Version 2.0 was Long Term Care.)
 
Videodrome said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1462841999367811074

So I can finally get glasses???
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Mr. Magoo would like that...
mr_magoo-595x446.jpg
From link.

(and Mr. Ford)
 
Its seems that among the Ford gov'ts foibles is a tendency to approve projects which put endangered species at risk...........

www.theglobeandmail.com

Ontario ‘automatically’ okays permits that harm at-risk species

New report also concludes government broke its own laws by failing to consult on environmental changes
www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com

From the above:

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.......
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Additionally:

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Additional reports look at the abysmal record on 'spills' and recovering costs from polluters (spoiler alert: not happening)

Along with the province's terrible record on recycling and the fact we may run out of landfill space in a little over a decade.
 
All in the family...

Doug Ford's daughter goes on sweaty anti-vax rant after Toronto cop hubby suspended​


From link.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's eldest daughter Krista has a bit of a history with anti-vax rants, voicing her vaccine skepticism, love of poppies over masks, dislike of vaccine passports, and steadfast support for fringe conspiracy theories.

The former football-playing 30-year-old — whose private Instagram profile refers to her as a 'police wife' — got heated on social media in both the figurative and literal sense this week, going on a sweaty cardio rant after her Toronto cop/bodybuilder husband was sent home on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the police service's vaccination mandate.

Sergeant Dave 'Juggernaut' Haynes (really, that's his actual nickname) of 31 Division has served on the force for 20 years, and wife Krista is furious about his suspension, a move which applies to all Toronto Police Service employees who refuse to get vaccinated or disclose their status.
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The uncomfortably sweaty-looking IG story rant is long and full of repetition, but some prime highlights summarize the general unhinged tone Krista Haynes (née Ford) has grown renowned for.

In her trademark dogmatic fashion, Haynes frames this as a battle between good and evil. And yet, somehow, workers sent home for putting vulnerable people at risk over their adherence to categorically disproven internet conspiracy theories are being painted as the victims in this equation.
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It's all pretty on-brand for Haynes, who states on IG that she loves "Jesus + Freedom" and regularly spouts off quotes that would seem right at home on a pickup truck bumper sticker in the deep south. Her husband hasn't been as vocal on these issues, but his suspension and Krista's response may offer hints into the cop's personal views.
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Haynes complains that employers' vaccine policies are draining the workforce of talent, but many commenters aren't convinced of her argument.
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"We know that services and resources are extremely limited, and it would just be so silly to send a very well-trained offer home on unpaid leave in a time like this," said Haynes. "But unfortunately, they made a very silly decision."

"We still hope and pray they will overturn their silly decision and that these amazing officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, everyone that has been sent home on unpaid leave, get to go back to doing what they love," doubling down on not just her beliefs but her love of the adjective 'silly.'
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Haynes goes on to claim that "these careers are being taken from people," but it could just as easily be argued that these people are throwing their own careers down the toilet.
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Many seem to side against Haynes on the matter, and the numbers back it up, a recent poll finding that 70 per cent of Canadians support the firing of employees who refuse to get vaccinated.
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But even if his job on the police force doesn't wait around for him, some think Sgt. Haynes has some strong options for future business ventures.
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Even with so much of her schedule committed to her ranting and spreading dangerous misinformation, it's great to know the eldest Ford daughter still has time to work some cardio into her day.
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Ontario votes against 10 permanent paid sick days​

From link.

The Ontario Progressive Conservative government voted against making 10 paid sick days permanent in the province on Wednesday.

The news comes just over a month before Ontario’s current paid sick day program ends. The program forced employers to provide up to $200 per day for up to three days if an employee became sick during the pandemic.

Bill 8, or The Stay Home If You’re Sick Act, would have introduced 10 permanent paid sick days and 14 additional paid sick days during public health crises.
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Ontario NDPs put forward the bill on October 6. Earlier this week, essential workers rallied at Queen’s Park to call on Premier Doug Ford to pass the legislation.

“This government’s three temporary paid sick days are completely inadequate and are set to end in the dead of winter when diseases can spread more quickly,” said Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and member of the Decent Work and Health Network in a statement made on Monday.

“We need to learn the lessons of the first waves of the pandemic. It’s past time for permanent legislation that protects our patients with at least 10 paid sick days,” he said in the statement.
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The NDP members who put forward the bill emphasized the importance of paid sick days to help prevent workplace outbreaks. NDP MPP Jill Andrew said in a statement that it would disproportionately impact already marginalized groups.

“Workers deserve so much better than a premier whose big cuts and bad choices include ripping up Ontarians’ paid sick days for a second time – a move that will disproportionately impact many women and members of BIPOC communities who have already carried the brunt of this pandemic as essential workers here in Ontario,” the statement reads.
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According to Public Health Ontario data, between October 24 and November 23, there were 97 workplace outbreaks reported in the province.
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The Ontario government has voted against making sick days permanent nearly 30 times since the start of the pandemic. Ontario’s vote against sick days came on the same day that BC’s government voted to mandate five paid sick days in the province. The new permanent sick days will go into effect in 2022.

The Ontario Federation of Labour called the Ontario government’s vote against sick days “shameful” in a statement.

“This government has repeatedly proven that they do not care about the health and safety of workers in Ontario,” said Patty Coates, Ontario Federation of Labour President, in the statement. “Health care providers and workers’ advocates have pointed to permanent paid sick days as a common-sense measure since before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated our workplaces and communities over the past two years. Yet Ford’s Conservatives have ignored experts over and over again.”

Throughout the pandemic, doctors across the province have shared stories of their patients who caught COVID-19 at work and fell seriously ill or spread it to their families.
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