Queen’s Park resumed this week after its summer break. While much of the upcoming agenda will hinge on the outcome of two Sept. 6 byelections, which will determine if Dalton McGuinty has been successful in obtaining his much sought-after third majority government, I expect much of the attention will be […]
Sarah Campbell – From Queens Park
Over the past couple of weeks, a great deal has been said about the province potentially introducing back-to-work legislation to force an end to a labour dispute with most of Ontario’s teachers. In the past, back-to-work legislation was a last-ditch effort used by governments to bring an end to a […]
On Sept. 6, residents of two provincial ridings will go to the polls in what will be the most important by-elections in Ontario history. On the line in the ridings of Kitchener-Waterloo and Vaughan is the balance of power at Queen’s Park. Following the Oct. 6 election, Kitchener-Waterloo was held […]
Since being elected last fall, I’ve met with a number of people who are frustrated with the services being delivered by the Ministry of Natural Resources. In our region, hunting and fishing are a way of life, yet many people find the rules and regulations in place inconsistent, frustrating, and […]
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to attend many festivals, tournaments, pow-wows, concerts, trades shows, and special events across the Kenora-Rainy River riding. On any given weekend, our region is home to a number of special celebrations—not only through the summer months, but throughout the whole year. […]
Last week, Elections Ontario announced two USB keys containing personal data for 2.4 million people had been lost due to employee negligence. While it’s good news that data from Kenora-Rainy River was not one of the 20-25 ridings involved, it shows that not enough is being done by the government […]
For months now, “fiscal restraint” and “responsibility” have been buzz words used by the McGuinty government to justify major cuts to important programs across the province. During this time, we have been told that because of the provincial deficit, the government simply cannot afford to provide hard-working families with meaningful […]
With summer now officially here, visitors from the United States and other provinces can be found all across our region enjoying the natural beauty and outdoor activities it provides. From the accounts I’m receiving, tourism activity appears to be up in our region this summer, which is welcome news for […]
Just before Queen’s Park recessed for the summer, Bill 8, popularly known as Ontario One Call, passed third and final reading and received Royal Assent a few days later. Included in the bill was an amendment I successfully put forward that ensures many of the jobs that will come as […]
Last Wednesday Bill 55, better known as the budget bill, successfully passed third- and final- reading in Queen’s Park, preventing an election. Last week’s column outlined a number of improvements the NDP had successfully pushed for in order to help the budget pass. This week I would like to update […]
Last Friday, people across Ontario awoke to unexpected news that we could see a snap election called over the 2012 provincial budget. Many people, myself included, were surprised by this news. As everyone is well aware, our NDP caucus reached a compromise in April that would allow the budget to […]
There’s been a great deal of discussion recently about auto insurance rates in Ontario. A large part of that discussion has been focused on one of two bills that have been brought forward to combat high insurance rates in the Brampton area—that being Bill 45 proposed by my caucus colleague, […]
