Dear Neighbours,
As spring unfolds its renewed vigor around us, I extend my heartfelt wishes for a season of growth, rejuvenation, and happiness. May this season of new beginnings bring forth an air of hope and possibility for all.
I’m excited to share the momentous events and milestones of March in our province. The release of Budget2023 Building a Stronger and inclusive Ontario exemplifies a proactive approach to the uncertain global economy, laying a strong fiscal foundation for investment in our economy, infrastructure, worker training, providing women equal opportunities to grow, supporting our youth to become job ready and cost relief for those most in need. These measures are critical for ensuring a prosperous future for our communities.
Moreover, March provided a remarkable opportunity to honour and celebrate the remarkable women of Mississauga-Malton on International Women's Day, showcasing their resilience, passion, and inspiring stories. Furthermore, Persian Heritage Month and the Hindu festival of Holi provided opportunities for us to appreciate the rich cultural diversity of our province and recognize the invaluable contributions of various communities.
As we commence the month of Ramadan, I extend my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, contemplation, and charity, representing a critical opportunity for us to acknowledge the importance of compassion, self-control, and gratitude.
It is an honour to collaborate with you in building a stronger and more prosperous Mississauga-Malton, and I remain dedicated to serving you to the best of my abilities. Please do not hesitate to contact my office for any question/concern or suggestion to make Mississauga-Malton better place to work, raise family, have thriving career.
Sincerely,
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Celebrating International Women's Day |
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It was an honour to a celebrate International Women’s Day with residents of Mississauga-Malton at Frank McKechnie Community Centre. I was excited to meet these inspiring women from different facets of life.
In the first portion of the event, it was truly inspiring to listen to their personal stories of overcoming the adversities and expectations of being a woman, achieving their vision of success in what matters to them, while taking care of family and putting effort to bring positive change to their communities.
It was loud and clear that while we are blessed to live in a country like Canada, there is still much work to be done ensuring equal opportunities for everyone with out gender bias.
In the second half of the event, several ideas were suggested to increase women’s engagement including adopting a project-based approach for breaking barriers to connect more women, engaging men as allies and creating a local forum to explore women’s issues.
Women can empower one another and inspire future generations by sharing their stories. I am really thrilled to have hosted such an event. In the coming months, we hope to create a platform to continue this important conversation and build a more inclusive, equitable world for all.
Our government is actively working hard to break barriers and make Ontario inclusive for everyone.
Investing In Women's Futures
Our government is investing $6.9 million over 3 years in expanding the Investing in Women’s Futures program, adding 10 new locations across the province.
The Investing in Women’s Futures program provides a range of flexible services and employment readiness supports for women facing social and economic barriers, including those experiencing gender-based violence and social isolation. These services and supports help women to overcome any barriers, increase well-being, build skills and gain employment. The addition of 10 new sites brings the total number of service delivery locations to 33, providing greater access for more women across the province.
The 10 new Investing in Women’s Futures program locations are:
- Huronia Transition Homes in Midland
- Community Resource Center (Killaloe) Inc. in Killaloe
- Keepers of the Circle in Kirkland Lake
- Achēv in Mississauga
- Resolve Counselling Services Canada in Kingston
- Women’s Centre of York Region in Newmarket
- Roots Community Services Inc. in Brampton and Mississauga
- Up with Women in Toronto
- Women’s Multicultural Resource & Counselling Centre of Durham in Pickering
- Counselling Centre of East Algoma in Elliot Lake.
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Making Work Sites More Inclusive
There are nearly 600,000 construction workers in Ontario, but only 1-in-10 are women, which can sometimes lead to being overlooked or feeling unwelcome on job sites.
Expanding on the Working for Workers Acts, 2021 and 2022, our government has introduced new legislation creating new standards for construction sites to ensure the workplace comfort, safety and privacy that everyone deserves.
Changes Include:
- Requiring employers to have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is made to fit female employees.
- Requiring portable washrooms to be private and completely enclosed, have adequate lighting and hand sanitizer (where water is not available).
- Requiring employers to have women's only washroom facilities, unless the facilities are intended to be used by only one person at a time.
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Updates from Queen's Park |
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Ontario's 2023 budget has been purposed on March 23, 2023. If passed: |
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Ontario Releases This Year's Job Numbers |
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Last month we added 15,600 full-time jobs, marking the lowest unemployment in our province since 1989.
Ontario’s job market is changing rapidly, and our government is taking steps to ensure Ontarians have the skills & training required for better jobs, brighter futures and a stronger Ontario.
Quick Facts
- In February, employment in Ontario edged up by 15,600 (+0.2%), after a net gain of 62,800 (+0.8%) in January.
- The unemployment rate in February fell to 5.1%, the lowest rate since October 1989 (4.7%)
- In February, average hourly wages in Ontario were $34.00, up 4.8% (+$1.57) compared to a year ago.
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Protecting Ontarians by Enhancing Gas Station Safety to Prevent Gas and Dash Act 2023 |
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On March 29th I was proud to introduce The Protecting Ontarians by Enhancing Gas Station Safety to Prevent Gas and Dash Act 2023 which if passed, will amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act to add a new section to require customers to prepay for gasoline before pumping it from a gasoline pump that has prepayment technology.
The section applies to gas stations in the GTA and any other municipality that passes a resolution requesting the application of the section.
Hopefully we can prevent more crime that puts employees, innocent bystanders and even the criminals at risk while costing Ontario businesses millions of dollars a year.
Gas & Dash impact in Ontario
- Drive-offs : 150/day (avg.)
- Cost to businesses: $3.75 million in 2022
- Cost in tax revenue: $197,270 in 2022
- Burden on police: York police spent 1,896 hrs on gas theft calls at a cost of $112,988 in 2022
- Caused preventable deaths of gas station workers, bystanders, even those stealing gas
The scale of gas and dash problem in the GTA
- York: 66.3% rise in gas thefts (2021-22)
- Peel: 43.7% rise in gas thefts (2021-22)
- Halton: 1,000 average cases per year
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Ontario Working for Workers Act |
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The Ontario government is introducing changes to continue leading the country in providing ground-breaking protections for workers. These proposed changes expand on the ground-breaking actions in the Working for Workers Acts, 2021 and 2022, which are already helping millions of people in Ontario.
Main highlights include:
- Expanding work protections for military reservists to ensure they keep their jobs when deployed or are injured in the line of duty.
- Protecting all Ontarians by increasing fines for companies who violate the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Giving more certainty to to employees starting new jobs by requiring employers to provide information before start dates.
- Ensuring remote workers are given the same rights as office workers during mass lay-offs.
- Recognizing more international credentials and removing barriers which prevent trained professionals from entering the workforce in their field.
- Expanding presumptive cancer coverage under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for Ontarios firefighters.
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Ontario Connecting Long-Term Care Residents in Mississauga to Specialized Care & Supports |
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Our government is investing $871,565 in 7 projects with long-term care homes in Mississauga to help connect seniors with complex medical issues to the care they need.
This investment comes as part of the $20 Million Local Priorities Fund which provides funding regional projects across the province.
The projects in Mississauga that are receiving funding are:
- $250,000 to Partners Community Health for enhanced wrap around supports for residents placed in interim beds at Camilla Care long-term care home, to address more complex clinical and social needs;
- $224,549 to The Village of Erin Meadows long-term care home for bariatric and diagnostic equipment;
- $121,808, to Erin Mills Lodge long-term care home for bariatric and diagnostic equipment;
- $110,685 to Sheridan Villa long-term care home for bariatric, diagnostic and a variety of medical equipment;
- $94,784 to Malton Village long-term care home for bariatric, diagnostic and a variety of medical equipment;
- $39,167 to Trillium Health Partners and long-term care homes in the community for the expansion of nurse-led outreach teams, to provide more specialized nursing care in homes and build the capacity of home staff; and
- $30,572 to Cooksville Care Centre long-term care home for equipment to prevent and minimize falls and injuries related to them.
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Minimum Wage Increasing to $16.55 Hour |
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As of October 1st 2023, the government will be raising the minimum wage from $15.50 to $16.55 per hour to help families offset the cost of living. This will make Ontario the highest minimum wage in the country.
There were more than 940,000 workers earning $16.55 per hour or less in 2022, the majority of whom are women.
This 6.8% rase will mean an increase of nearly $2,200 annually for minimum wage workers working 40 hours per week.
Special minimum wage rates will also increase:
- Students under the age of 18, who work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session or work during a school break or summer holidays, from $14.60 to $15.60 an hour.
- Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers), from $17.05 to $18.20 an hour.
- Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides, from $77.60 to $82.85 per day when working less than five consecutive hours in day, and $155.25 to $165.75 per day when working five or more hours in a day.
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Grade 11 Students Can Now Apply for
Full-Time Trades Apprenticeships
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Ontario is preparing young people for in-demand, well-paying careers by allowing students in grade 11 to transition to a full-time, skilled trades apprenticeship program.
It’s projected that by 2026, approximately one in five job openings in Ontario will be in skilled trades-related fields.
In the construction sector alone, 72,000 new workers are needed by 2027 to fill open positions because of retirements and expected job growth.
There are over 25,500 Approved Dual Credits, of which 10,900 are related to the skilled trades and technology.
Upon receiving their Certificate of Apprenticeship, these young workers can apply for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma as mature students.
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Ontario Connecting Children and Youth with Specialized Care |
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Our government is investing $97 Million over 3 years in a pilot program at major hospitals throughout the province to connect youth with complex special needs to the individually specialized care they need.
The Integrated Pathway for Children and Youth with Extensive Needs pilot program will connect families with teams of physicians, social workers and behavioural consultants to develop tailored support programs addressing intellectual disabilities, mental health concerns, chronic medical conditions and physical disabilities.
Services can include:
- Adjusting medications
- Personalized behavioural support plans
- Mental health assessments and treatments
- Counselling for parents and caregivers
- Specialized interventions to help build communication and self regulation skills
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Ontario Approves First Nations-led Plan for the Road to the Ring of Fire |
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Ontario is investing in building roads to "The Ring of Fire"
Ontario's mining sector produces over 75,000 jobs and $11 Billion in minerals per year. These new roads will play a vital role in accessing the critical minerals required for modern technologies, ensuring Ontario's competitiveness moving forward.
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Ontario Expanding Cancer Coverage for Firefighters |
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Our government is taking steps to protect those who protect us by expanding cancer coverage for firefighters.
30,000 Ontario firefighters including 19,000 volunteers, put their lives at risk to keep Ontarians safe. On average 50-60 firefighters die every year in Canada as a result of cancer.
New changes in legislation will soon expand WSIB coverage for fighters to include thyroid and pancreatic cancers retroactively to January 1, 1960.
These regulatory amendments are part of a larger package that expands on the ground-breaking actions in the Working for Workers Acts, 2021 and 2022, which are already helping millions of people by introducing additional supports that embrace the future of work.
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Many of these major projects will be built using Infrastructure Ontario's (IO)public-private delivery method and include transit systems, highways, schools, hospitals, and long-term care projects. The IO's latest market update released March 1, lists 38 projects with an estimated value of $35 Billion.
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This is part of the government’s historic four-year, $4.9 billion commitment to hire and retain more than 27,000 registered nurses, registered practical nurses and personal support workers over four years and ensure residents receive, on average, four hours of direct care per day by March 31, 2025.
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These investments come through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance collaboration between the province, the University of Guelph and the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario.
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Our government is partnering with public and union run trade schools to ensure they can give the quality of training required to help tackle the province’s labour shortage and get more people into rewarding careers in the skilled trades.
An additional $75 Million is being invested to support operations and programming over the next 3 years.
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This investment will expand the company’s operations by boosting manufacturing capacity and accelerating micro LED fabrication processes. Ontario is supporting this investment with through Invest Ontario, the province’s investment attraction agency.
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The Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative is a new, cost-share initiative to help Ontario food processors lower their costs and increase energy efficiency to be more competitive and sustainable.
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This province wide resource is available 24/7 to help seniors who are experiencing or at risk of elder abuse, by connecting them with trained counsellors who can support and assist them.
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Out and About in the Community |
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Medical Innovation Xchange at Intellijoint Surgical Inc. |
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St. Francis Xavier Model Parliament at Queen's Park |
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Fuelling Healthy Minds
Breakfast Program for Kids
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Queens Park Advocacy Day With Ontario Chamber of Commerce |
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Celebration Women's Day Hosted by Canada India Foundation |
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Rama Navami
With Sewak Dal
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Farewell Gathering of Consulate General Orontes V. Castro |
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Deaf Literacy Initiative: Skills for Success Conference |
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Little Native Hockey
League Tournament
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Announcing Legislation To Protect Reservists |
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