By Toby Barrett, MPP What you are presently reading is my premier communications platform—a column I’ve had the good fortune to pen on a weekly basis as an elected representative since 1995. You can’t beat a column for being able to express in detail your thoughts, the thoughts of those you represent, and the government’s … Continue reading “The importance of communicating ideas, information”
Category: Column Articles
By MPP Toby Barrett This winter, the Ontario government introduced Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act. It sets a vision for patient-centred community health care through fostering the establishment of local Ontario Health Teams. Our Ontario Health Teams will consist of local health care providers organized in a way that will enable them to … Continue reading “Healing our wounded health care system”
By MPP Toby Barrett For way too long, Ontario patients and families have been getting lost in our health care system, falling through the cracks, and waiting too long for care. This obviously can have a negative impact on the wellbeing of those involved, as well as their loved ones. The health care system is … Continue reading “Patients are lost in our health care system”
By MPP Toby Barrett Every day our police do incredible work to keep our families safe. Often, this work is silent, preventative and unseen. Sometimes it requires police to put themselves in harm’s way and make difficult life-or-death decisions in the blink of an eye. But no matter what, we can count on our police … Continue reading “New police law to restore trust and respect”
By MPP Toby Barrett One of the goals of the upcoming budget is to create prosperity and better services. As an elected representative, one of my primary goals working with government and the private sector is to help create jobs for those who want to work. That’s what ‘open for business’ and ‘open for jobs’ … Continue reading “Fixing Ontario’s finances and restoring accountability”
By MPP Toby Barrett Canadians recently had an opportunity to celebrate farming during Canada’s Agriculture Day. We appreciate the partnerships that work together to celebrate agriculture annually, but understand the value in promoting farming year-round. January and February in particular offer up meetings for commodity groups to discuss policy and relationships with government. The Province … Continue reading “As they say, if you ate today, thank a farmer”
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”
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”