By MPP Toby Barrett Family Day will be the first of the free fishing weekends of the year – followed by Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Called Family Fishing Weekend, Canadian residents without a fishing license can fish anywhere in Ontario from Feb. 16 to 18. The fishing weekend is intended to encourage people who … Continue reading “Family Day offers up a weekend of free fishing”
Category: Column Articles
By MPP Toby Barrett As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), the subject of hunting season often comes up. But as an MPP in the Doug Ford government, there’s another hunting season – red tape and high taxes are the quarry. And it’s now an open season. This week in … Continue reading “It’s open season on red tape and high taxes”
By MPP Toby Barrett In Ontario alone, our population of seniors is expected to almost double, from 2.3 million in 2016 to 4.6 million in 2041. These greater numbers of elderly people predicate an ever-increasing need for health and long-term care services. In 2016, Statistics Canada reported for the first time that seniors outnumber children … Continue reading “Working to make them truly the Golden Years”
By MPP Toby Barrett A comprehensive package of reforms has been rolled out by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to encourage employment, restore people’s dignity and empower the province’s most vulnerable to break free from poverty. Last year, more than 450,000 people – recipients and their dependents – received assistance through Ontario … Continue reading “Social assistance reforms to help Ontario’s most vulnerable”
By MPP Toby Barrett Before Christmas, Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, announced over 30 actions to cut red tape in Ontario. This included regulatory changes to cut costs for businesses, decreasing barriers across municipal and provincial jurisdictions, and increasing business access to government investment. As well, Minister Smith announced another … Continue reading “Cutting costs and red tape puts us back in business”
By MPP Toby Barrett Six months ago MPPs returned to Queen’s Park for a rare summer sitting to begin turning our province around. The change in administration set the stage for an accountable government that will work for everyone. The summer sitting of the Ontario Legislature gave me an opportunity to rise and pay tribute … Continue reading “Swinging into summer and the passing of fall”
By MPP Toby Barrett As with the previous year, the winter and spring of 2018 left me little choice but to pressure the government on a series of issues plaguing constituents here in Haldimand-Norfolk. One of the biggest issues early in the year was the potholes on Highway 6. The previous government committed to fixing … Continue reading “Recapping 2018: a look at the first six months”
By MPP Toby Barrett The Christmas season becomes the perfectly imperfect time to reflect on the past year. By taking stock of the challenges we endured, we can take lessons for what may lie ahead. When the Ontario Legislature belatedly rose for the Christmas holiday, it was in effect the last day of the first … Continue reading “Wishing all, peace and happiness this Christmas ”
By MPP Toby Barrett The Ontario government is taking action to address issues of climate change. Once in office, we have been acting as quickly as possible to fulfill our commitment to Ontario families and businesses. For example, we revoked the cap-and-trade carbon tax and ended emissions trading and allowances. In addition, we have now … Continue reading “Winds of change bring a new environmental reality”
By MPP Toby Barrett During parliamentary debate, I had the opportunity to make comment on Bill 48, Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act. I did not come at it from any ideology but rather my perspective as a former high school teacher at Simcoe Composite School. I led off my debate with a question to all … Continue reading “Making our classrooms and schools safer”