Hello Friend,
Protecting access to justice means fixing the delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Delays have gotten so bad that even Ford has recognized this is a problem and asked the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate delays and report back.
The Ombudsman's forthcoming report will be a watermark moment for pandemic-era tenant rights in our province. I hope that it will recommend necessary reforms such as the bold non-partisan vision for increasing professionalism across the board that Tribunal Watch Ontario has laid out. But it could also be used as political cover for the Ford government to make evicting vulnerable tenants worse.
I met with the Ombudsman's Office today to share the concerns that my constituents and people across Ontario are raising. Too many Ontarians have waited far too long for their LTB hearing date. I shared my concerns that these delays were manufactured by Ford refusing to appoint adjudicators since assuming office in 2018 — as well as the disturbing news that came out this week through a leaked memo that the LTB is prioritizing corporate landlord's above-guideline rent increases for hearings over everybody else.
The Ombudsman's team asked me to connect anyone with stories of delays to them — which I am more than happy to do. I made this form that I hope you can fill out if you have a horror story — or share with anyone you know who has a story of unacceptable LTB delays.
Education Workers > Ford
As you have likely heard, this Monday Ford, Lecce and the Conservative government faced the thousands of voices that stood against them in their unconstitutional ways – and have now finally agreed to repeal Bill 28 ‘in its entirety'.
This is a welcome reversal, but we cannot let our guard down. Education workers have not negotiated a fair collective agreement yet. And Ford has betrayed voters countless times before – remember his promise to not pave over the Greenbelt? Remember his promise to put an ‘iron ring’ around long-term care homes? My New Democrat colleagues and I are calling on Ford to recall the Legislature today and repeal Bill 28 today.
Let’s also be very clear about why Ford is making this humiliating about-face: labour movement allies including students and parents across the country united to support CUPE workers — and Ontario labour allies credibility threatened Ford with a general strike. Ford might have the power to write the Ontario budget, but workers including the large number of low-wage earners retain the power to make the gears of industry stand still.
I want to congratulate all CUPE workers as well as fellow parents, children and allies alike who stood together to fight for workers’ rights and dignity. We together have shown this government that they cannot overthrow human rights and jeopardize one of society’s most important systems, all simply for their privatizing ways and surpluses. And when they attempt to, it won’t go down without a fight.
Health Care: Not For Sale Townhall with MPP Chris Glover
We stopped Ford’s attempt to take away Charter rights — and we can stop his plans to privatize our health care system. Join Ontario NDP's Health Critic France Gelinas and neighbouring MPP Chris Glover and I next Wednesday November 16.
Register here and join us in discussing how US-style privatization will hurt health care and how we can organize to defend public health care for everyone. Sign our petition to stop Ford from making a health crisis even worse.
Ford Tries to Sneak in an Attack on the Greenbelt
Last Friday, Doug Ford announced a plan to paved over 7400 acres of protected land including ecologically signifcant wetlands in the Greenbelt. He cynically counted on the chaos in our schools he unleashed to eat up all the air in the room so he could sell important farmland to his developer buddies while doing away with environmental protections. Adding insult to injury, he tried blaming immigration when we know that cracking down on illegal Airbnb units would have easily put more homes onto the rental market overnight in Toronto alone.
My NDP colleagues and I will be vigorously opposing Ford at every opportunity to protect the natural environment and Greenbelt. You can sign a petition here calling on Ford to back off the Greenbelt. With enough public outcry, Ford backed off this past week from using the ‘notwithstanding’ clause to upend Charter and human rights against education workers and unions and we need to make him back off again.
I look forward you to seeing you next week at my Townhall on Health Care Privatization,
It is an honour to serve you, I remain yours in community service.
Kristyn
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP Toronto Centre
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Kristyn's For You Page
We all need to laugh to get through these times. This section will feature something that made me laugh this week. Feel free to share your own at [email protected] — and enjoy this great sign I spotted at the recent CUPE protests.
