Latest news with #GregRickford
CBC
6 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Ontario spends $89M to make long-term care program for seniors permanent
The Ontario provincial government is spending $89 million to make the community paramedicine for long-term care (CPLTC) program permanent. The program first launched provincewide in 2020 and provides 24/7 aid to seniors requiring non-emergency medical support like routine diagnostics, the government said in a news release Tuesday. Community paramedics can ease the burden of long hospital wait times by keeping seniors out of hospital and preventing medical conditions from escalating, the news release said. The government says the additional funds will also help expand the program to First Nations communities, including to a newly certified paramedic service by the Independent First Nations Alliance. "We're ensuring that seniors — including those in northern and remote First Nations — can receive the care they need, right in their own homes," Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said in the news release. The program has served over 81,000 people since its launch, according to the news release. People are eligible for CPLTC if they are:
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario to make Ring of Fire a special economic zone ‘as quickly as possible': Ford
Protesters chant and wave flags during a demonstration outside the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto, Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston TORONTO — Ontario intends to designate the mineral-rich Ring of Fire as a so-called special economic zone 'as quickly as possible,' Premier Doug Ford said Thursday. Ford said he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law that allows the Ontario government to suspend provincial and municipal rules before making the designation. 'We need to start moving on that,' Ford said of the designation for the Ring of Fire. Last week, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce said they would hold off on making the area a special economic zone until they had consulted with all affect First Nations. The law seeks to speed up the building of large projects, particularly mines. Ford's government has committed $1 billion to develop the Ring of Fire. Three First Nations have signed various agreements with the province to help build roads to the region, as well as develop the area where it connects to the provincial highway system. However, First Nations across Ontario have risen up to protest the province's new law, livid about what what they describe as the government's audacity to strip away any law it sees fit for any project at any time. They say it tramples their treaty rights and ignores their concerns. The First Nations want to be part of development, including mines, but want to be equal partners with the province on the legislative side. They have warned Ford repeatedly that they will take the fight to the courts and to the land. Blockades of highways, railways and mines are on the table this summer, numerous First Nations said. 'This is a once in a generation opportunity for our First Nations communities and I understand some may disagree, but I'll tell you, a lot of them agree,' Ford said. Tensions have been high at the provincial legislature over the past few weeks because of the opposition to the bill. Dozens of First Nations members flew from the far north to Queen's Park to watch the province pass Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, on Wednesday. Security booted about a dozen of them from the legislature's chambers for raining jeers down upon the politicians as they passed the bill into law. NDP legislator Sol Mamakwa, the representative for Kiiwetinoong where the Ring of Fire is located, was also kicked out earlier this week for saying Ford was 'telling untruths' to First Nations about his government's plans for the Ring of Fire. There is plenty of opposition to the new law in addition to First Nations' concerns. Critics also say the bill guts protections for endangered and threatened species. The legislature rose for its annual summer break and will not return until Oct. 20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario to make Ring of Fire a special economic zone ‘as quickly as possible': Ford
Protesters chant and wave flags during a demonstration outside the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto, Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston TORONTO — Ontario intends to designate the mineral-rich Ring of Fire as a so-called special economic zone 'as quickly as possible,' Premier Doug Ford said Thursday. Ford said he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law that allows the Ontario government to suspend provincial and municipal rules before making the designation. 'We need to start moving on that,' Ford said of the designation for the Ring of Fire. Last week, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce said they would hold off on making the area a special economic zone until they had consulted with all affect First Nations. The law seeks to speed up the building of large projects, particularly mines. Ford's government has committed $1 billion to develop the Ring of Fire. Three First Nations have signed various agreements with the province to help build roads to the region, as well as develop the area where it connects to the provincial highway system. However, First Nations across Ontario have risen up to protest the province's new law, livid about what what they describe as the government's audacity to strip away any law it sees fit for any project at any time. They say it tramples their treaty rights and ignores their concerns. The First Nations want to be part of development, including mines, but want to be equal partners with the province on the legislative side. They have warned Ford repeatedly that they will take the fight to the courts and to the land. Blockades of highways, railways and mines are on the table this summer, numerous First Nations said. 'This is a once in a generation opportunity for our First Nations communities and I understand some may disagree, but I'll tell you, a lot of them agree,' Ford said. Tensions have been high at the provincial legislature over the past few weeks because of the opposition to the bill. Dozens of First Nations members flew from the far north to Queen's Park to watch the province pass Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, on Wednesday. Security booted about a dozen of them from the legislature's chambers for raining jeers down upon the politicians as they passed the bill into law. NDP legislator Sol Mamakwa, the representative for Kiiwetinoong where the Ring of Fire is located, was also kicked out earlier this week for saying Ford was 'telling untruths' to First Nations about his government's plans for the Ring of Fire. There is plenty of opposition to the new law in addition to First Nations' concerns. Critics also say the bill guts protections for endangered and threatened species. The legislature rose for its annual summer break and will not return until Oct. 20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
CTV News
02-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Hundreds of First Nations members protest Ontario mining bill at Queen's Park
Controversy continues to grow over the Ford government's Bill 5 as opposition leaders and First Nations groups raise their concerns. Siobhan Morris reports. TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is pushing through a controversial mining bill despite the protests of several hundred First Nations members who came from the far north to the front lawn of Queen's Park on Monday. The province has moved to shut down debate on a mining law known as Bill 5 that would give the government power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas they deem to have economic importance – and remove some endangered species protections. The proposed legislation has sparked an angry backlash from First Nations who say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. The government is speeding up the passage of a plethora of bills before the legislature rises later this week for a summer break. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford says the province will pass the bill into law this week, which is when he and the government will begin consultations with First Nations in earnest. First Nation leaders say the fight will come to the land if Ontario does not alter course. 'Our rights are not for sale,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse. The crowd chanted 'kill Bill 5, kill Bill 5' while politicians inside the legislature debated a motion to speed up the bill. A legislative committee heard from First Nations leaders and environmental groups, as well as mining groups, over two days and as the committee was considering amendments last week the NDP and Liberals used procedural tools to grind the process to a halt, in protest. Government house leader Steve Clark is now stepping in to limit further committee time and require the bill to go back to the house for third reading, with just one hour of debate, and a final vote that same day. While Bill 5 got two days of committee hearings, the six other pieces of legislation the government is speeding up have had no hearings, and will have as little as half an hour of third-reading debate, with just nine minutes each allotted to the two recognized opposition parties. New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, the legislature's lone First Nations member, said Ford was 'telling untruths' about his people's approval of the mining bill. Speaker Donna Skelly asked him to withdraw the comment, which Mamakwa refused to do so she booted him from question period. The opposition parties say pushing bills through without much public consultation or debate is undemocratic. The NDP's Opposition house leader, John Vanthof, spoke in a debate last week over the government limiting debate and bypassing committee for four bills – including the budget bill – in what's called a time allocation motion. 'What's happening now with the time allocation, specifically on four bills, is removing the right of the people to speak, and in many ways, the opposition to speak,' Vanthof said. 'You actually don't need a parliament. We're actually almost going back to where you have, like, a king. That's truly scary. I'm not opposed to the monarchy as a figurehead, but we came very far in our democracies to actually have parliaments. What the government is doing is basically making the premier the king.' Vanthof stressed the seriousness of the matter, though he had the opposition benches laughing while he was reading out quotes from government house leader Steve Clark, upset about time allocation motions when he was in opposition. 'My party loves to hear from people,' Clark said in the waning days of the former Liberal government. 'If this government doesn't want to listen to people, I'll give them a guarantee. I'll give them, actually, the people's guarantee, because we will listen to them, and we will ensure that those Ontarians are being listened to.' Clark, who during that 2017 debate called such motions 'anti-democratic,' said last week that the younger Steve Clark was 'maybe more brash and abrupt,' defending the current moves. 'The government has decided that these four bills are very important for us,' he said. 'There needs to be certainty from the government's government decides that they're going to prioritize certain things, the government is going to move forward with those legislations. That's my message.' However much the former Liberal government shut down debate, the Progressive Conservative government is a worse offender, Vanthof said. 'Two time allocation votes in a day was probably the previous record for the travesty to democracy, probably the previous record, and that was held by the Liberals,' he said. 'But this government is so efficient, including destroying the democratic process, that they put four bills, including a budget, in one time allocation motion.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Sudbury BEV conference highlights mining, trade tensions
The fourth annual Battery Electric Vehicle conference got underway with a dinner at Science North on Wednesday evening. Hundreds from Canada's mining and automotive sectors gathered in Greater Sudbury this week for the fourth annual Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) In Depth: Mines to Mobility conference, where geopolitical tensions and workforce challenges dominated discussions. The event opened with remarks from Priya Tandon, president of the Ontario Mining Association, who emphasized the need to attract younger workers to an aging industry. START OF BEV Annual Battery Electric Vehicle Depth: Mines to Mobility conference kicked off with remarks from Priya Tandon. (Amanada Hicks/CTV News) 'We have a lot of folks retiring. We have a workforce that's aging,' Tandon said. 'We want to ensure that the 22,000 people working in mining right now continues and grows, and we attract youth to the sector as well.' Trade relations between Canada and the U.S. were a key focus, with industry leaders urging diversification. Tandon stressed mining's economic importance amid ongoing federal-provincial trade talks, while Daniel Breton, president of Electric Mobility Canada, called for expanded global partnerships. 'We've been so focused on sending natural resources south of the border,' Breton said. 'Now we have to refine them, transport them locally, and look to Europe and other markets.' Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford also spoke, highlighting the need for consultation with First Nations as the province moves forward with Bill 5. 'The debate is healthy, and hopefully it stays that way,' Rickford said. 'Once consultations are done, we think we have the building blocks for solid, substantive participation with First Nations.' Cambrian College, a conference organizer, estimated 300 attendees, consistent with past years. Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) In Depth: Mines to Mobility Hundreds descended on Timmins, Ont. as the fourth annual Battery Electric Vehicle In Depth: Mines to Mobility conference, where geopolitical tensions and workfo. The event concluded Thursday.
