Today's letters: Ontario is being simplistic about hospital parking fees
Article content
Article content
The reasons Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth have given for her resignation as a trustee from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board reinforce the growing knowledge that board employees will not be protected from extremist intimidation and threats (depending on who is making the threat and who the target of the threat is), nor from years of administrative abuse of power.
Article content
Kaplan-Myrth's story is another example of a public school system that has run amok due to years of not having to be accountable to its taxpayers. Its financial mismanagement is just the tip of the iceberg.
Article content
We truly need the Ontario government to ensure our children and youth are being properly educated for the 21st century and to demand that the school boards committed and hard-working employees get the support and protection they need in the face of administrative indifference and the multifaceted extremist ideologies that infuse our culture and threaten our children's future.
Article content
Article content
I was struck by news coverage of homes destroyed by wildfires and tornadoes and by how vulnerable wooden homes are. That, plus the rise of homelessness and the recent tariffs on Canadian steel, makes me think that now is the time for Canada to develop its own modular, pre-fabricated steel homes.
Article content
This would create a local demand for Canadian steel and aluminum products, while providing easily deployable, strong, durable structures resistant to the natural disasters. They could be transported by truck or rail, then dropped on site as needed to address emergency/temporary and long-term housing needs. The walls themselves could then be reinforced and insulated locally with poured concrete.
Article content
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
14 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canadians want politicians to skip summer break, but optimistic about results from Carney's Liberals: Nanos
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes his way through the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The majority of Canadians think the country's politicians should work through the summer to deliver the 'concrete results' they expect this year, according to a Nanos survey. Results of a survey commissioned by CTV News during the first week of June suggest most polled expect to see some type of progress by the end of the year on major initiatives undertaken by the new Carney government. Nearly four-in-10 (38 per cent) surveyed said they expect results, while another 12 per cent said they believe they'll be waiting until 2026 or 2017 to see progress. Respondents were not asked about specific initiatives, but the recently elected Liberals campaigned on a platform that included tax cuts for the middle class, protections against the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, diversified trade and 'Canada's most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War.' Asked when they expect to see the results of initiatives implemented under Prime Minister Mark Carney's leadership, an optimistic three per cent thought they'd see changes by the end of the month. Seventeen per cent said they don't expect to see results from the major Liberal initiatives at all, according to Nanos data. Men were more likely than women to say they didn't expect much from the current government, at 23 per cent compared to 12 per cent. People aged 18 to 34 were more pessimistic about their expectations than those 55 and older, with 25 per cent of the younger group expecting no concrete results, compared to 10 per cent of the older demographic. Sitting through the summer As for what respondents said they'd like to see from federal politicians, about two-thirds said they think it's important or somewhat important that the new government work through the summer, rather than take the usual break. Respondents in Ontario and the Prairies felt most strongly about a summer sitting, while those in Quebec were less concerned. Still, a majority in those regions felt it was important to some extent that leaders forgo the break. The Liberals said previously they planned to delay the budget release until the fall, after the House of Commons returns in mid-September. Opposition parties have been critical of this decision, as well as of the new government's throne speech, which has been described as vague and lacking in detail on economic policies. Canadians appear to be split on whether the Liberal government should table a budget before the fall, with 53 per cent surveyed saying it was important or somewhat important. Men, residents of the Prairies and respondents under the age of 55 were more likely to say they wanted a budget sooner than the fall sitting. Methodology from Nanos This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research. Nanos conducted a random-digit-dialed dual-frame hybrid telephone and online survey of 1,120 randomly selected Canadians aged 18 or older, between June 1 and 3. The results were weighted by age and gender using the latest census information (2021) and geographically stratified to represent the Canadian population, Nanos says. The margin of error is ±2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Carney set to make defence announcement in Toronto as NATO eyes spending boost
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says he will be in Toronto today to make an announcement related to 'defence and security priorities.' The announcement is slated for 10 a.m., after which he is set to tour a local military facility before holding a news conference at 1 p.m. Defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels last week to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP. Canada has never met NATO's existing spending target of two per cent since it was established in 2006, and the topic will loom large when NATO leaders meet later this month in the Netherlands. Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the two per cent threshold from 2032 to 2030 or sooner, but hasn't yet revealed a plan for meeting that figure. The NATO secretary-general's annual report released this past April says Canada's defence spending likely hit 1.45 per cent in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Canadian Press staff, The Canadian Press
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Carney set to make defence announcement in Toronto as NATO eyes spending boost
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says he will be in Toronto today to make an announcement related to 'defence and security priorities.' The announcement is slated for 10 a.m., after which he is set to tour a local military facility before holding a news conference at 1 p.m. Defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels last week to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP. Canada has never met NATO's existing spending target of two per cent since it was established in 2006, and the topic will loom large when NATO leaders meet later this month in the Netherlands. Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the two per cent threshold from 2032 to 2030 or sooner, but hasn't yet revealed a plan for meeting that figure. The NATO secretary-general's annual report released this past April says Canada's defence spending likely hit 1.45 per cent in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Canadian Press staff, The Canadian Press
