Ontario government Archives

Sustainability April 9, 2018

Ontario government announces upcoming fare reductions on public transit

Getting around Toronto with ease is often an impossibility. I’ve used both public transit and driven for over a decade I’ve lived in Toronto. I prefer transit because I feel I’m doing my part to conserve energy.

his past week, Kathleen Wynne has announced the province is lowering the cost of transit in the province and moving towards regional fare integrations that will link all systems, and make them easier and more convenient to use.

In 2019, the province is slated to reduce the cost of the GO Transit trips to only $3, when a commuter uses a PRESTO card and travels less than 10 kilometres, meaning that all GO Transit trips and those on Union-Pearson Express, within the City of Toronto, will be reduced to $3.

This past week,however, Kathleen Wynne has given me new hope, by announcing the ways that Ontario is seeking to lower the cost of transit in the province and moving towards regional fare integrations to make the linked systems, easier and more convenient to use.

In 2019, the province is slated to reduce the cost of the GO Transit trips to only $3, when a commuter uses a PRESTO card and travels less than 10 kilometres, meaning that all GO Transit trips and those on Union-Pearson Express, within the City of Toronto, will be reduced to $3.

Proceeds gained from Ontario’s cap on pollution will allow fare integration discounts of up to $1.50, for those who travel beyond the city of Toronto, to regions such as York, Durham, Bramptom and Mississauga.

In addition, adult fares for GO Transit trips that are between 10 km and 20 km, will be reduced to between $3 and $6.

Ontario is reportedly investing $21.3 billion to overhaul GO Transit from a commuter system servicing the GTA to a regional rapid transit system.

The decision by the province to make transit more affordable is directly linked to the government’s Climate Change Action Plan, which caps pollution and reinvests the proceeds into those programs that fight climate change.

Previous proceeds from the initiative have gone towards the Line 1 Extension/Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE). The TYSSE is the largest expansion of Toronto’s subway system in nearly 40 years, and will add an estimated 36 million transit trips, as well as eliminate 30 million car trips per year, helping to ease traffic congestion, improve air quality and fight climate change.

Thanks to lower fares, and potentially increased rapid transit in the near future, the hope is that more drivers will opt to cut down on driving time and pollution by jumping on the GO.

Women of the Week April 4, 2018

Woman of the Week: Ashlee Froese

I had a meeting with a woman who I would call a true trailblazer, founding partner of Froese Law, Ashlee Froese. She is confident, and tenacious, after having worked for the past 3 years to have the fashion industry recognized as a cultural industry. Ashlee is also a published author on branding and fashion laws and a frequent guest speaker at law schools, universities and cultural institutions. She speaks publicly on current leading brands and matters within fashion law, and recently had a chat with CBC about the push for fashion industry funding.

Ashlee told me that she wanted to be a lawyer from a very young age. She focused on it during high school and her undergraduate years.

The word ‘trailblazer’ first came to me when she told me about her focus on fashion law:

“There was no concept of ‘fashion law’ as a practice area in Canada. Given that I already had many years’ practical experience at the boutique law firm, coupled with years of official legal training, I felt that I was in a position to educate the fashion industry on legal issues that impact it.”

Ashlee admitted that, despite her determination and drive, she has met ongoing challenges while practicing law. The industry is very male-dominated with countless “Legally Blond” jokes directed her way. She views these as less of a challenge, but rather “irrelevant background noise.”

When Froese was first starting out, an older woman partner told her to cut her hair, dye it brown and avoid wearing heels – to make herself as male as possible. She told me this perplexed her, because, as she put it “being the most authentic form of yourself, is what frees you to succeed.”

Now that Ashlee owns her own firm, she is keen to “flip the script” and insists that “You can be feminine. You can wear what you want. You can be your own authentic self- not a role-playing version of yourself.” She now mentors young lawyers at her firm every Friday afternoon and frequently speaks at law school association panels.

I asked Ashlee if there was a woman leader she admired. and she named Margaret Thatcher saying, “I grew up knowing that an iron fist and a velvet glove is necessary to get the job done… and it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female…it just matters that you are a leader.”

Ashlee Froese, like many other women around the globe, understands that change is happening in the workplace, and when it comes to gender discrimination. The #MeToo campaign is a movement and a revolution that has unified women worldwide.

Speaking openly on the matter, she said ”I would be shocked if a woman doesn’t have a #MeToo story to share. The severity of the instances may not all be devastating or shocking…but I can’t imagine that a woman has led a life where they haven’t at least once been intimidated, discounted, underestimated or sexualized because they are a woman.”

I asked Ashlee to share her #Metoo moment, and here is what she said:

“I was working at a Bay Street firm,” Ashlee begins, then explaining that it was a casual Friday in the office and she was wearing skinny jeans and a blazer. “The managing partner entered into my office and pushed all my papers off my desk onto the floor. He then proceeded to say that he bet I wouldn’t be able to pick the paper off the floor because my jeans were too tight.”

He was obviously trying to establish his dominance and diminish her while doing it. Ashlee felt bothered because she knew that he wouldn’t have done it to a male employee. While it demeaned her to pick the papers up off the floor, she also realized that it made her strong. Pride wouldn’t limit her.

Ashlee even mentioned that a super power she wants most is to be sure that everyone makes “reasonable well thought out decisions that weigh both sides of the argument,” showing that her values rest most on truth, fairness and equality.

Not afraid to tell it like it is, to be herself, work hard and stick to her vision, Ashlee both encourages and inspires others to do the same through mentoring and guest speaking at various events and continuing to work hard as a founder of her own firm.

The one line that stayed most with me after my conversation with Ashlee was ” …if you do fail, fail fast, learn from it and recover.” She is the type of woman who isn’t afraid to fail and learn from that failure. A True Trailblazer.

To connect with Ashlee Froese and her firm, visit www.froeselaw.com

Politics June 16, 2017

Ontario tries to empower women, but ends up with stale report

Engaging empowered women in Ontario is getting more political airtime, with more focus on the “status of women” in legislature. But will it have the desired impact of actually helping women in Ontario?

The province released an engagement paper on June 9 that describes the ways in which the government wants to increase women empowerment and close the wage gap. The paper includes a survey with questions about youth, economic opportunities, social attitudes, and leadership. These are significant issues for women and addressing them is important — as long as it is for and about the women in Ontario, instead of an election issue to win votes with no real purpose.

The survey asks Canadian citizens what they believe is the most important component to women’s empowerment via a series of detailed questions. The issue with the survey is that it offers several reasons why women don’t have complete equality in Ontario and doesn’t mandate the survey-taker to choose which issue is the most important on every question. This allows the people taking the survey to choose every issue and not specify what subject matters should be tackled first. It is fairly obvious that each of the four goals specified in the report is important, but asking if all of them are important is redundant. This is often seen in government surveys and makes a democratic and potentially helpful questionnaire essentially pointless.

Though Ontario is making strides with women, the efforts thus far is limited. For example, the province has committed to help 100,000 children obtain licensed child care over the next five years, but the subsidy waiting list in Toronto alone is 18 months long. There are also efforts to help 1700 low-income women gain financial literacy training, but there are thousands of women who still need help to gain education and training to move up in the world. Needless to say, more is needed and it shouldn’t be based on fulfilling commitments five years down the road, but should be fulfilled now.

The report is well-minded, but still lends itself to words such as “encouraging women to explore different careers”, and “supporting continued career progression”, but lacks specific goals with targeted language. Though it is important to “encourage” and “support”, women need action and specific goals with a ready-made budget instead of a tentative report and survey. Often, talking about women empowerment is seen as enough action when credible and supported goals need to be met to actually close the wage gap and promote women equality.

Women’s economic empowerment is a primary concern in Ontario and needs to be addressed with affirmative action as soon as possible. Between reports, surveys, and loosely mandated changes, there remains a gap on giving childcare to all women who need it so they can work. Pay wage gaps must also be addressed immediately, and board positions should be mandated to have 50/50 representation. The engagement paper is yet another shining example of the government using ‘status of women’ to appease female voters — what will it take to get the real support and action women need?

Sustainability January 16, 2017

Self-automated vehicles: progressive or downright creepy?

Self-automated cars are one of the most exciting developments in the automotive industry, perhaps since the invention of the car itself. Imagine a vehicle that drives itself, and the once autonomous driver becomes simply the passenger?

The positive and negative aspects of self-driving cars are being hotly debated, but car manufacturers are plowing ahead fearlessly despite any criticism. The idea of a car driving itself is just too tempting for inventive and forward thinking companies such as Tesla, a company that has arguably made some of the best electric cars on the market. All of the vehicles sold from Tesla since October 2016 are already equipped with self-automation, though it is running in shadow mode until further notice.

The self-driving cars from Google are a huge competitor for Tesla. They have been testing their vehicles for over a year now and is hoping to release the vehicle in 2018. The best part? The Google Car looks like an adorable marshmallow bot (see image above). It has a maximum speed of 50 km per hour and is made for moderate distant driving rather than large roadways. This vehicle has been a favourite in the auto-world so far and is set to become the most popular self-automated driving option once it hits market.

Self-automated cars will become widespread in the next few years, but is the world necessarily ready for such a change? Most countries haven’t even started the process of changing legislation to include self-automated cars. On the other hand, the government of the United States has a different agenda. The U.S. Federal Department of Transportation has embraced the future of self-automated cars and has started taking steps to create a series of regulations surrounding the new technology. They recently released the “The Federal Automated Vehicles Policy”, which listed rules such as securing the vehicles from cyber-attacks and that the cars must adapt to local laws.

The Ontario government recently approved the testing of three self-automated vehicles in November 2016, which is exciting. The University of Waterloo is testing on the aptly named ‘the Autonomoose’; the Erwin Hymer Group, an international automaker, is testing a Mercedez-Benz Sprinter Van; and, Blackberry will test a 2017 Lincoln. It’s great to see the Ontario government taking such a keen interest in self-automated cars.

One of the more high-tech and outlandish versions of the self-driving car is the Volkswagen Bus, proving that these cars can be made for multiple demographics. Volkswagen is coming out with a self-automated hippie van, which is due to be released in 2025. The vehicle will include a self-automation option and includes swivel front seats that allow the driver and passenger seat to turn around while driving so that they can hang out with their friends. The VW Bus also includes a touchscreen instead of a steering wheel and will control a number of functions, including ambient lighting and sound for ultimate enjoyment. Is this a good idea or a creepy futuristic play on the classic hippie van of the 1960’s?

The self-automated element of the car evolution goes even further with the Honda NeuV, a self-driving car that will use an AI system called Yui to control the vehicle and feel the driver’s mood and preferences. It includes mood lighting, massage beads in the seats and with eye-tracking sensors, would be able to adjust music depending on the person’s perceived mood. It appears the future of the robot takeover is imminent ladies and gentlemen.

On one hand, self-automated cars would lower the rate of accidents caused by human error. They would also allow for greater efficiency of travel of roads. Alternatively, there are many kinks in this type of technology, including the threat of cyber-hacking, the risk of technological malfunctions, and the question of ethics. It is has been suggested that self-automated cars wouldn’t react in an ethical manner if a child were crossing the road for example, and without being able to swerve may hit the small human. The vehicle may be able to stop more quickly if it is programmed for the child, but it is probable that the vehicle wouldn’t swerve out of the way to avoid the accident. Tesla also reported a fatality that occurred in early 2016 when a self-automated car crashed into a white lorry crossing the street, failing to differentiate its white colour from the bright sky above.

The self-automated car is a fascinating example of the future of the vehicle. It would allow for more shared use of vehicles (the vehicle could act as an Uber or taxi while you work) and it eradicates the rate of human error on the road. There still remains something uncomfortable about these vehicles though. It seems the future is drawing closer to technological dependence when considering self-driving vehicles and smartphones. There is also something beautiful about driving standard, hand on the stick with complete control over a roaring machine (electric though of course is preferred, environmental concerns must be considered a first priority!). What happens next with automated cars remains to be seen, but it appears we have entered into the futuristic world. What does that mean for us measly humans? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Sustainability September 15, 2016

My apartment was infested with cockroaches. The housing crisis is real.

When I tell people my home was infested by cockroaches, I get a variety of reactions. Some people shrug their shoulders and tell me that is a common problem in Toronto and other people shiver in disgust. Anyone who understands the difference between one or two cockroaches and a full-blown infestation immediately gives me a hug and asks what I need. Just in case you don’t know, let me explain.

The word “infest” means “to invade in large number, causing damage or hardship.” To me, it means seeing over one hundred cockroaches climb into every one of my things while I try to get what remains out of the house. It means losing a substantial portion of the things I worked hard for and loved. It means war between man and beast — and let me tell you the cockroach always survives.

The apartment in question is in Parkdale on Spencer Avenue. Parkdale is a complicated neighbourhood, with a population ranging from wealthy families in turn-of-the-century homes to low-income people surviving in dilapidated apartment buildings. It is known as a low-income neighbourhood with a plethora of problems. One of the main issues is affordable housing.

The affordable housing waitlist in Toronto stands at 90,000 households, despite the failed attempt at building 10,000 affordable homes per year, originally introduced in the Housing Opportunities Toronto Action Plan 2010-2020. As for affordable housing that does exist, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation has a $2.6 billion backlog in repairs. A lot of other housing is rent-controlled, which this leaves tenants in a vulnerable position if they have a bullish landlord who wants them out to raise the rent.

The housing situation in Toronto is in crisis and what is the result? Children, adults and seniors living in pest-infested housing, myself included.

City Councillor Gord Perks of Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park sees the struggles within his ward.“Every tenant is being ignored. Their voices have not been heard at Queen’s Park,” Perks says. “Oftentimes, people with rental control are being muscled out of their units. The landlords aren’t happy about people who are rent controlled of course. They are trying to get above guidelines by allowing cockroaches to persist, and not doing repairs properly so people leave. Then they can put a fresh coat of paint on and jack up the rent.”

Large apartment building companies own many of the buildings in the area and it is well-known that landlords hold much power in Toronto. This leaves tenants in a vulnerable and disempowered position to demand better living conditions in these buildings. Children live in poverty-stricken housing barely five kilometers from Queen’s Park and City Hall.

Why is it that the affordable housing crisis hasn’t been solved in Toronto?

“None of the levels of government have fixed that problem. The prime minister, premier, and mayor think they can solve the problem without collecting more taxes from the population,” Cheri Dinovo, MPP for Parkdale-High Park says. “For example, we have a significant stock of Toronto community housing units in Parkdale. The CEO of community housing has said that he does not have enough money to maintain standards.”

The problem comes down to a lack of funding. It also is the result of the three levels of government passing the affordable housing agenda in Toronto back and forth like a hot potato nobody wants. Many solutions have been presented including Section 37, the Open Door program, Inclusionary zoning (IZ), Landlord Licensing, and rent control. None of these have yet solved the housing crisis.

Part of the reason for the lack of success of any affordable housing program is due to squabbling between different levels of government. The provincial government reintroduced their affordable housing bill Wednesday, including inclusionary zoning that would mandate a percentage of affordable housing in all new condo developments. The City of Toronto adamantly rejects inclusionary zoning in place of Section 37, mandating developers provide mandatory funding for community projects. But, a provincial law states it cannot be used in conjunction with IZ.

In truth, all of these options should be adopted to help obtain affordable housing as quickly as possible. “There is a whole host of tools we should be dealing with to help the housing crisis-because that is what it is- and we are not,” Perks says. “There is a middle line that has to be met. Inclusionary zoning is absolutely essential. It is the only tool that is working in municipalities, but they need to be able to invoke section 37 to build infrastructure. Otherwise, there is a danger that the section 37 will creep into funding for new affordable housing.” The provincial government and Toronto city council need to come to an agreement and find middle ground for both laws. Otherwise, people will continue to live in unacceptable conditions.

When I walk down the street in Parkdale, I don’t see people that deserve to live in cockroach-infested homes. I see a diverse and thriving population of families, and a community from far and wide who have come together to live in a neighbourhood overflowing with culture. I see children who deserve to have a clean home where they don’t get respiratory illness in the winter or feel like they can’t have friends over because their apartment building is in such a state of disrepair.

When landlords try to take advantage of people who can’t afford high-end housing, I wish they could see these are real people, not so different from their own mother or brother. I wish the City Council and the provincial government could stop fighting and see that these are the lives of families that are being played with. We need change now. I can only hope that the housing waitlist will disappear and poverty-stricken living conditions will become a thing of the past.

Politics September 12, 2016

Ontario Throne Speech promises childcare and electricity rebates

The vacation is over and it’s back to the daily grind for provincial government officials. Parliament officially kicked off Thursday, with a throne speech given by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor.

The throne speech was meant to help reset the Liberal government agenda and help ministers focus on new legislation. Premier Kathleen Wynne surprised Ontarians last week when she decided to prorogue the government so that the ceremony could take place. The speech outlined a lot of the Liberal government’s successes and achievements, and presented some of the new legislation that will be introduced later this year. However, it also means that all government legislation that was on the order paper prior to the prorogation will have to be reintroduced. Our Members of Provincial Parliament are in for a busy session, that’s for sure.

The liberal government has promised to re-introduce all pieces of legislation as they were, with amendments attached only to election finance reform. This week, the government will move to prohibit MPPs from all parties to attend fundraising events.

Here are a few highlights from the throne speech:

Over the next five years, the Ontario government wants to create another 100,000 childcare spaces for kids up to the age of four.
As of Jan. 1, 2017, residential homeowners will see an eight per cent rebate on their electricity bills, equalling the provincial HST. This equals about $130 in savings for a typical Ontario household. Small businesses may be eligible for the benefit.
The Cap and Trade and Climate Change legislation will be introduced to the House in January.
Ontario will continue to invest in road infrastructure and transit via the $160 billion commitment over the next 12 years.
The next provincial budget will be balanced.

The rest of the 30-minute speech reinforced the Liberal’s commitment to growing the economy, reducing the province’s carbon footprint, and investing in healthcare.

With an election set for Spring 2018, this is the perfect opportunity to the Liberals to remind the public of what the government has been up to these last three years. Public support for a politician can waver after a few years — when people realize that their promises are taking longer to fulfill than originally expected. A throne speech and a new session of Parliament may be exactly what this government needs to refocus and get on track.

Either way, everyone is watching now. Premier Wynne made the bold choice to make this new vision known to the scrutinizing eye of both the public and the media. It’s a brave and democratic choice — let’s just hope they are able to hold on to that vision without faltering.

Living February 24, 2016

What is cap and trade?

Climate change is on everybody’s mind. The Ontario government has been slowly releasing a stream of green initiative announcements about green cars and environmentally sustainable housing retrofits, but one of the most important initiatives is still to come. Investing in a cap and trade program is one of the best options for the province, with the potential of making a vast impact on the amount of carbon Ontario produces.

Cap and trade agreements place limits on the amount of carbon companies can produce without being financially penalized for it. The “cap” puts a limit on the specific amount of emissions that can be produced annually. In Quebec and California, which currently have active cap and trade programs, the cap declines annually by three to four per cent to allow companies to slowly adjust to increasing carbon reduction targets.

The “trade” allows companies to participate in a market where companies can buy or sell carbon credits. The carbon credits are linked to every tonne of greenhouse gas that is emitted. The “trade” portion of the incentive creates an opportunity for companies make financial gains through the use of environmentally sustainable initiatives — if a company lessens their rate of emissions, they can sell their unused carbon credits to other companies.

The cap and trade program simultaneously rewards companies that have lowered emissions, while penalizing companies that use high levels of greenhouse gases. The incentive also pushes companies to invest in green technologies.
When the cap and trade programs were put in place in Quebec and California, free permits were accessible initially to companies that were particularly vulnerable to the cap and trade program, and Ontario is due to follow suit. Companies that are emissions intensive and trade exposed (EITE) will receive free permits until they can gradually meet targets and reduce greenhouse gases.

Ontario’s cap and trade program will partner with the existing system in Quebec and California. The partnership will allow access to a bigger pool of low-cost emission reductions, a larger market for trade, and help to set a common price for carbon across several jurisdictions.

It is expected that the cap and trade program will make $1.4 billion for the Ontario government annually through penalties, permits, and the auctioning off of carbon credits. Ontario has promised this profit will be invested back into environmental initiatives. “The proceeds generated through cap and trade in Ontario will be reinvested in a transparent way. They will be used for initiatives that further reduce greenhouse gas pollution, support innovation and help households and businesses reduce fuel needs,” said the Cap and Trade Program Design Options report, released by the Ontario government.

Cap and trade essentially holds high carbon-emitting companies accountable and allows environmental sustainable companies the opportunity to make financial gains while supporting the green energy industry and boosting government dollars. More importantly though, it makes strides towards a world where human beings co-exist with the planet rather than continue to destroy it— that is, as long as the government doesn’t auction off too many credits, allowing emission-intensive companies to continue producing greenhouse gasses by simply paying for it.

The Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne, is positive that this new cap and trade program will make a substantial difference in the province’s emission levels.

“To fight climate change — one of the greatest challenges mankind has faced — Ontario is putting a limit on the main sources of greenhouse gas pollution through a cap and trade system to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the health of our children and grandchildren,” she said in a statement back in April.

The Ontario government will be revisiting the cap and trade program in Thursday’s budget meeting, in preparation for its estimated launch in January 2017.

Featured October 29, 2015

It’s not all about the wages for Ontario teachers

Let us tell you about a friend of ours named Matt.

Matt is a local teacher who, before and after school, voluntarily coaches volleyball, soccer, and football. He doesn’t mind. In fact, he loves it!

Unfortunately for Matt, as of today, Ontario elementary teachers won’t be supervising any extra-curricular activities at schools. This means that school programs like musical activities, student council, and sports teams will be put on hold until further notice. This decision was made by Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) as an escalation to their negotiations with the province. The job action also means that teachers won’t be able to produce report cards for kids in Kindergarten to Grade 8.

“The Liberal government and OPSBA have ignored all attempts by ETFO to get them to return to the central bargaining table, including an offer to refer one issue to binding arbitration. If OPSBA and the government want a deal, why are they not responding to our efforts to resume bargaining? Why are they not back at the bargaining table with us?” said ETFO President Sam Hammond in a statement.

“Our members do not undertake this escalation of strike action lightly, but they understand that reaching a fair and reasonable agreement will not happen unless OPSBA and the government are present at the bargaining table.”

So, why are these teachers still on work-to-rule after roughly 14 months of negotiations?

For a lot of teachers, including Matt, the issues isn’t about wages. It’s about class sizes and control of their own programming. Under the current negotiations, the school board has the final say on classroom size and how schools deal with special-needs students. With budget cuts, special-needs students aren’t receiving the resources and the help they require, which makes it even more difficult for teachers to aide them in their studies. Classrooms right now consist of about 30 kids. To supervise and teach this many children at a time is challenging, and it makes it difficult for teachers to give students individual attention.

Meanwhile, Premier Kathleen Wynne has said she may order the school board to dock teacher’s pay starting in November in light of the job action escalation—which doesn’t make sense considering extracurricular supervision is voluntary. The message the Premier is sending teachers is that they should be paid less for not doing something they actually aren’t paid to do in the first place. I doubt this will go over well with the ETFO.

After saying this, it is a shame that children won’t be receiving report cards in November. They deserve to see their academic progress. But, the Ontario government needs to take teachers’ claims seriously and bring the ETFO back to the negotiations table. And they have to realize it isn’t all about the money, despite the fact it’s a message that the media and the government seems to be pushing. People like Matt just wants to be able to do his job to the fullest of his ability, and that includes smaller class sizes and more resources for his students.

So Ontario, think about this: If “Phase 3” of the job action is to cut extra-curricular activities, what’s next? Probably another strike. Let’s try to avoid that if possible.