April Newsletter
Dear Constituent,
March was a very busy month in the riding, with some huge issues on the table.
Premier Doug Ford visited our riding, we discussed healthcare and the need for a new hospital. Premier Ford and I had a chance to visit the hardworking staff at the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.
The global pandemic changed the game for those working in the healthcare sector. What changes were necessary then are now must-haves as our riding’s population continues to grow. The current hospital is stretched to its limit. There is a pressing need for a state of the art hospital on the Poplar Sideroad site. We look forward to making that a reality in order to serve Collingwood and the surrounding area.
Also, our government is investing more than $9.8 million to connect up to 34,000 people to primary care teams in Simcoe, Bruce and York Regions. This is part of Ontario’s $110 million investment to connect up to 328,000 people across the province to primary care teams.
News From Queen’s Park – The Budget was delivered in March
March 26 was Budget Day in Ontario. Like the rest of the world, Ontario continues to face economic uncertainty due to high interest rates and global instability. These challenges are putting pressure on Ontario families and their finances, as well as on the province’s finances.
Highlights of the Province’s actions include:
- $1 billion in the new Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program and quadrupling the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund to a total of $825 million to help municipalities repair and expand the critical infrastructure needed to reach their housing targets.
- Connecting approximately 600,000 people to primary health care with a total additional investment of $546 million over three years.
- Launching a new $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund to strengthen communities across Ontario by investing in new and upgraded sport, recreation and community facilities.
- Investing $46 million over three years, including for the purchase of four police helicopters, to improve community safety in the Greater Toronto Area by supporting increased patrols and faster response times to major incidents and serious crimes.
- Keeping costs down for people and businesses by proposing to extend the temporary cuts to the gasoline tax rate by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel (diesel) tax rate by 5.3 cents per litre until December 31, 2024.
- Helping workers and job seekers, including apprentices, get the skills they need to advance their careers with an additional $100 million investment in 2024–25 through the Skills Development Fund Training Stream.
- Supporting individuals facing unstable housing conditions and dealing with mental health and addictions challenges by investing an additional $152 million over three years towards various supportive housing initiatives designed to support vulnerable people.
Three Things You Need to Know
April 14- National Volunteer Week begins
April 15 – LAO Page Applications open
April 20 – Tottenham Home Show
ALSO……
Last month we celebrated with representatives from the South Simcoe Arts Council in Alliston to congratulate them on the work that’s happened since receiving a$196,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation. The art work on display was simply outstanding!
Also I couldn’t be more proud of Ontario’s Special Olympics Alpine Team who won 26 medals! 12 Gold, 5 Silver and 9 Bronze at the National competition in Calgary. Several members of the team are from our riding. Congratulations!
Finally, Happy 101rst Birthday to Bill Bennett!!! I had the good fortune to offer Mr. Bennett best wishes at his home at Pine Villa Retirement in Collingwood. Thank you to the terrific staff for the warm welcome and for taking such good care of its special resident!
Don’t forget to download our podcast!
See you next month !!