This week, Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that he would be implementing a cap on international students in Canada.
This move scapegoats international students and immigrants as a major driver of the housing crisis in Canada when it is clear that every level of government should be much more active in building public housing and that housing investors and developers are driving the crisis.
These regulations should not be made purely for press releases and sound bites. They should come from consultations with cities, provinces, and the people helping newcomers start their lives in Canada. These regulations should not be made for press releases. I absolutely hear that constituents are concerned that more people are arriving in Canada than we have homes being constructed. By implementing arbitrarily determined caps, the federal government is avoiding their duty to invest in building new homes for all Canadians.
International students at our public post-secondary institutions deserve quality education - they're some of our province's future nurses, construction workers, and teachers.
Post-secondary institutions in Ontario have been dramatically underfunded for years, especially by Ford’s PCs, who froze tuition and cut funding to public colleges and universities in 2019. Tuition must be affordable, but this government cut grants and free tuition for low-income students at the same time that they implemented the freeze. Per-student funding to institutions in 2021 was $8,647, compared to the national average of $12,215.
This dramatic underfunding has made our public colleges and universities over-reliant on unregulated and sky-high international fees to stay afloat and avoid bankruptcy. In 2022, Laurentian University declared insolvency, and Queen’s University recently began cuts to avoid the same. This is an unfair burden to place on international students and puts our educational institutions in precarious financial situations. A federal policy change around visas should not push our public colleges and universities close to bankruptcy.
The lack of regulation around international tuition fees has paved the way for private 'strip mall' career colleges, some of which exploit international students. Many private colleges rake in high profits while providing education of dubious quality, often virtually, as they don’t have classroom space to accommodate their thousands of students, sent to them by profit-driven recruiters around the world.
Our province must invest in our public colleges and universities and ensure these new visa measures focus on cutting visas granted to students entering private, for-profit colleges, not our public institutions.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
In this newsletter |
- Toronto Council: Fund What Matters Most
- Greenbelt Corruption Runs Deep
- PCs Point Fingers at Ottawa Pre-Budget Consultations
- OPSEU Workers Win Against Bill 124!
- IMIRT App
- Save the Date for Trans Health Care: February 29, 2024
- Local Community Events
Toronto Council: Fund What Matters Most |
On Friday, there will be a key vote about the City of Toronto's budget. So much is at stake.
You have seen me work tirelessly to get the funding for the services we need. I care so much about seeing this moment — a progressive Mayor's first budget — realized to its fullest potential.
This is that moment - join the call for City Hall to invest in what matters most.
We have a script that you can use to call our City Councillor and the Mayor's Office. You can see it here:
Greenbelt Corruption Runs Deep |
The Ontario NDP has revealed new evidence showing further involvement from the Premier’s Office in the Greenbelt scandal.
Emails obtained in response to a Freedom of Information request suggest a timeline that is ten days earlier than indicated in testimonies provided by Ryan Amato (former chief of staff to the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing) and Patrick Sackville (former principal secretary and current chief of staff to the Premier) under oath, and that the Premier’s office knew about the land swaps much earlier than they claimed. This new evidence shows that the two staffers exchanged emails detaining a “list of criteria for removals” of 7,400 acres of the Greenbelt and that they used their personal instead of government email addresses to communicate.
We are calling for the Premier to start being transparent with Ontarians about what really happened. This e-mail shows that the Premier’s office was far more involved in the Greenbelt land removals than Ford claimed. The Conservatives are trying desperately to make this scandal go away, but it is becoming increasingly clear that they cannot hide from their corruption.
With each new piece of evidence, we are seeing more cracks in the narrative that the Premier and his insiders have been trying to spin. But the truth is becoming clearer every day – Ford was not in the dark about his government’s corrupt Greenbelt decisions.
It’s time for the Conservatives to come clean about how they deceived Ontarians with this Greenbelt fiasco. If they don’t, I’m confident the RCMP will.
PCs Point Fingers during Pre-Budget Consultations |
Yesterday, the PC government held their Ottawa Pre-Budget consultation. My colleagues MPP Joel Harden and MPP Chandra Pasma attended and were saddened but not shocked by the stories they heard from people on ODSP and local community organizations. Years of government underfunding has left them depleted. They are running out of resources to support themselves and their communities with the most essential of services. People and organizations running on fumes and struggling to meet basic needs should not be where we are in Ontario. We are a prosperous province and should invest so that our communities can thrive and live full lives beyond basic survival.
I want to share the words of my colleague MPP Chandra Pasma:
“Throughout the last two days of consultations, every sector we heard from told us how people are struggling because of this government's choices. From families grappling with homelessness due to a lack of real rent control to the heart-wrenching stories of those on ODSP, the undeniable truth is that people simply cannot afford to live in this province. Instead of offering solutions, Conservative members today pointed fingers and blamed the city of Ottawa for provincial issues. These consultations are designed for solutions, not deflection. Ford could save the day today, but a lack of accountability and real investment has set this province decades behind."
But there is good news - solutions to these problems exist! We heard them in these very consultations. With the proper investments, we can end waitlists for mental health services, seniors support, disability programs, and affordable housing, as well as help our beleaguered hospitals and schools.
I am proud to be part of an Official Opposition team that continues to call for an immediate doubling of ODSP & OW – as a start – and for the Conservatives to prioritize public services instead of their pet projects. I will never stop pushing for these priorities at Queen’s Park.
OPSEU Workers win against Bill 124! |
Bill 124, the horrendous wage-limiting legislation introduced in 2019 by Ford’s PCs, was declared unconstitutional in 2022 by an Ontario court. The government is now appealing that decision. However, in the meantime, unions that included “reopener” clauses in collective agreements signed between 2019 and 2022 are renegotiating their compensation to receive the pay that they deserve, even if it comes years late.
This week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) won a major retroactive wage increase of 6.5% over two years, for their workers, whose wages have been unconstitutionally capped at 1% since the passing of Bill 124.
I am so proud of OPSEU members, union staff, and those at the bargaining table for securing this deal for workers. OPSEU president J.P. Hornick said it best: "This government may think that their majority means they hold all the power, but this win is proof that when we build worker power and solidarity, workers have the power to fight for what they deserve."
IMIRT App - report Islamophobia |
A new app, the Islamophobia-Motivated Incident Reporting Tool (IMIRT), has just been launched! We have seen a concerning rise in Islamophobia over the past year, and we know that folks who are victims of this hate often have understandable concerns about reporting hate-motivated crimes to police or other government institutions.
For this reason, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, and the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in Mississauga came together to create IMIRT. In this app, users can report incidents of hate. This data will be invaluable in determining trends and making safety plans within the community and in collaboration with government.
Thank you to everyone working to make our communities safer in the face of hate.
Save the Date for Trans Health Care: February 29, 2024 |
I recently submitted notice to the Clerk at Queen’s Park that I will call up the Gender Affirming Health Care Act for my first ballot date at Queen’s Park. This will be the Gender Affirming Health Care Act’s second reading. I will have more details for you soon — if you are interested in helping lobby the government and advocate for this bill, you can sign up here.
Community Events & Info |
Community Rally for the Ontario Science Centre |
Save Ontario's Science Centre, along with MPP Peter Tabuns, is holding a rally on Saturday, January 27, starting at 12 at Riverdale Park East!
Save OSC has been successful in bringing much needed attention to the ill-advised Ford plan to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place, but we can't let the message disappear while the govt is in recess!
The move to a half-size 'OSC LITE' would not only cost Ontario taxpayers $300-$400 million over the cost of refurbishment and well-paying jobs but also deprive a vulnerable neighbourhood of an important element of their community fabric.
Save OSC’s goal is to maintain a full-size, fully funded, interactive and immersive science experience for Ontarians at the iconic Raymond Moriyama-designed facility in Flemingdon Park.
Victim Service Award of Distinction |
The Victim Services Awards of Distinction deadline has been extended to January 29, 2024, at 11:59 pm!
Click here to nominate a local leader!
This awards program recognizes the leadership, expertise, and commitment of local volunteers, professionals, and organizations who dedicate their time to ensuring those who have experienced victimization can access critical support and services. It also honours those that have been personally impacted by crime and are now working to bring awareness to victims’ issues in Ontario.
City of Toronto Community Champion Awards |
The City of Toronto, in collaboration with United Way Greater Toronto, is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the Toronto Community Champion Award 2024 program.
In March 2023, the City recognized 25 organizations from across Toronto at the inaugural award ceremony. Due to the resounding success of this program, Toronto City Council agreed to continue this exciting program as an annual initiative.
The Toronto Community Champion Award recognizes and acknowledges the extraordinary contributions that community organizations make to support the health and solidarity of the residents of the City of Toronto, particularly those from Black, Indigenous, and other equity-deserving communities.
We encourage you to share the Toronto Community Champion Award nomination form with your constituents and community partners. The website is now open for Toronto residents to nominate organizations known for their “community collaboration.” The deadline to nominate is Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 11:55 p.m. Recipients will be announced in May 2024 and honoured at an award ceremony.
For more information on the Toronto Community Champion Award, including criteria and eligibility, and to access the nomination form, please visit the program’s webpage.
If you have any questions, please let us know. In the meantime, we are grateful for your support in getting the word out to encourage nominations in your riding.
Jagmeet Singh at TMU |
Bring your questions for New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh, who returns to the Democracy Forum at TMU to discuss how his party applies pressure to the Liberal government through its supply and confidence agreement in a minority Parliament. From domestic to foreign issues, Singh’s left-leaning NDP has been at the centre of a political balancing act.
Sponsored by the Dais, this free event is open to all students and the general public, with advance registration required.
When: Friday, Feb 2, 1 PM - 2 PM
When: Toronto Metropolitan University Student Learning Centre, 341 Yonge St
