Category: Column Articles

By MPP Toby Barrett  Standing at the Joe Csubak Lookout on Front Road overlooking the Turkey Point Marsh, one can see a vibrant wetland that was a few years ago a sea of phragmites.  For those not familiar with this invasive species, Phragmites australis is an invasive non-native plant that grows densely, can reach nearly 19 feet … Continue reading “Battling phragmites is daunting but can be successful”

By MPP Toby Barrett  In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, details of steps to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures were announced recently. These changes take effect starting on January 31, 2022. This announcement was made as key public health and health care indicators are starting to show signs of improvement … Continue reading “Targeted relief for businesses and people impacted by COVID”

By MPP Toby Barrett Small town and rural communities are the backbone of Ontario and are key to our social and economic life. Last week, my caucus colleagues and I held virtual meetings with hundreds of municipal officials over several days at this year’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference. We discussed key priorities for … Continue reading “Working hand in hand with our municipal partners”

By MPP Toby Barrett  As we come out of the first few weeks of 2022, we enter a New Year that will be dominated by the need to adjust to new realities . . . one being the alarming increase in hospitalizations attributed to the highly contagious Omicron variant.  Unlike other variants throughout the pandemic, … Continue reading “We must slow the spread of the Omicron variant”

By MPP Toby Barrett  Over the past year, Ontario’s response to COVID-19 has been to support frontline workers, build healthcare capacity and invest in our hospitals. In response to the Omicron variant, the Ontario Government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is applying additional public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity … Continue reading “A year of unprecedented support for HN health care”

By MPP Toby Barrett It is heartening to see the remarkable resilience the economy is showing both locally and provincially. The job market has rebounded much more quickly than most forecasters had predicted. Last Spring, Ontario lost one million jobs. Over the past 10 months, our province has achieved a net employment gain of just … Continue reading “A year of boosting our economic well-being”

By MPP Toby Barrett Our area is well known for a robust ethnic and multi-cultural presence. We think of the German, Hungarian and Polish Halls, as well as our strong Belgian community, although the hall closed.  Each of these nationalities has some unique traditions, for example, many have a separate St. Nicholas Day in early … Continue reading “While visions of sugar-plums and turkey and mincemeat and . . .”

our regulatory systems By MPP Toby Barrett In 2018, one of the most important promises our government made to the people of Ontario was to work hard every day to cut red tape, and that’s what we have been doing. When we took office, it cost Ontario companies an average of $33,000 a year to … Continue reading “Upping our game by modernizing our regulatory system”

By MPP Toby Barrett   Ontarians want to get going and not waste time completing unnecessary and outdated compliance measures. It is hard to manage a business, advance your work or simply get through the day when spending hours filling out forms and wading through redundant requirements.   That is why we have introduced yet … Continue reading “Here is yet another bill to fight red tape”

By Toby Barrett MPP After decades of neglect, our government continues to take the action necessary to fix long-term care. For decades, not enough beds or staff were available, and not enough attention was being paid to the concerns of the people who live and work in long-term care homes.  On October 28th, as part … Continue reading “New legislation to fix our long-term care homes”