Ontario Votes 2014 Why we need electoral reform in Ontario.

Your Green MPP’s Plan of Action for 2014

HIGHLIGHTS

 Mike Schreiner and the Green Party of Ontario want to get Ontario back on track.

Click here for the  2014 GPO Platform

We have a realistic, responsible plan for Ontario’s future.

In the next session of the legislature, your Green MPPs will demand that the government:

1. Raise the Employer Healthcare Tax exemption from $450,000 to $900,000 for businesses with payrolls of less than $5 million.

2. Implement dedicated revenue tools to raise $3 billion a year to build and operate the transit we need in Ontario.

3. Put $4 billion over four years into home energy retrofit credits.

4. Save $1.2 to $1.6 billion a year by moving to one public system with French and English public school boards.

5. Double the child tax benefit for half a million children living in families near the poverty line.  

6. Endow a Social Innovation Fund to support social and economic innovation by young adults.

7. Permanently protect Ontario’s Class 1 farmland and source water regions.

8. Increase royalties and levies for mining, aggregates and water-taking. 

9. Close loopholes in legislation that threaten your community and our natural heritage from harmful activities.

Each of the demands is costed, and we show you where the money is coming from.

None of our demands will rely on fairy dust or magic pots of money. None of our commitments will increase the deficit. None of our promises will quietly disappear once they’ve done the work of getting us elected.

All of our commitments will make Ontario a better place in which to live, work, and bring up your family.

Join us and help restore honesty, integrity, and good public policy to Queen’s Park.  

Ontario Education Comparison

Open letter to CTV News RE: Misinformation on Catholic School Funding.

Mr. Paul Rogers

Sr. Vice President, CTV News Toronto

CC: Mr. Paul Bliss

Queens Park Reporter,

CTV News Toronto

CC: Honest Reporting Canada

Dear Mr. Rogers,

While watching the CTV Toronto news this evening, January 16, 2014,  I was pleased to see Paul Bliss' story on the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario new policy in support of One School System in Ontario.

This is an issue that is very important to me as someone who believes strongly in improving our school system and making it the best in the world while saving Ontario taxpayers an estimated 1-2 BILLION dollars every year.

I was however, extremely disappointed to see that yet again, the Green Party of Ontario was not mentioned, even though the GPO is the only major political party in the province with a policy that is almost identical to the new policy of ETFO.  

Mr. Bliss feels that because no Green has yet to be elected to Queen's Park that the policy of this major party is irrelevant. I disagree, and so do thousands of your viewers and Green Party supporters, but that is not why I am writing.

The misleading statement;

"...only twenty-three per cent of people actually fill out the form and choose to send their education taxes to the Catholic school system" made by Mr. Bliss is a disservice to the taxpaying citizens of Ontario.

When you tick the box on your MPAC form to indicate which school system you 'support' you are indicating only which school system trustees you will vote for.  

The MPAC "support" selection is a tool used by the status quo to continue to mislead the public into thinking that only those who choose to, will fund the Catholic schools. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

The proof of this was reported in the Ottawa Citizen in an advertisement place by a Catholic school board;

"“When you designate yourself as a separate school supporter, there is no longer a financial benefit to our Board. Rather, your designation guarantees a strong political voice through your elected representatives (Trustees) in ensuring your rights to Catholic education for the young people in our province.”"

To find out more, I invite you to read this illuminating piece from Humanist Perspectives.

http://www.humanistperspectives.org/issue173/young.html

I look forward to Mr. Bliss' correction on a future show.

Best regards,

Mark Daye

Candidate - Toronto Centre - Green Party of Ontario
Shadow Cabinet Critic - Min. of Community & Social Services

Toronto Region Male Rep. - Provincial Executive, GPO

SIGN OUR PETITION - One Ontario. One School System.

Follow SMARTER SCHOOLS on twitter @OneONOneSchool

markdaye.ca
Twitter:   @thedaye
Youtube: thedayeforchange

Facebook.com/MarkDayeforTorCen

Support a sustainable future!

Reva Landau denied standing by ON Justice

Source: Metronews.ca

A woman who went to court last year seeking to strip Catholic schools of almost all government funding has been denied legal standing, stopping her court challenge before it got started.

Reva Landau was to argue the court should reduce Catholic school funding to the formula used in 1867, which she said would eliminate public funding for Catholic high schools and restrict elementary school funding to contributions from the property taxes of Catholic landowners.

She argued that the existence of Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic schools is protected by the Constitution, but that the legislation that funds them today violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.   Read the full story here.   

Pride Message from Green Party of Ontario leader, Mike Schreiner

Green Party of Ontario leader, Mike Schreiner, made the following statement on Toronto Pride Week:

 

“One of my favourite things about Ontario is that our province is teeming with diversity - whether it’s the richness of our landscape or the cultural diversity in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods.

 

This week marks the 33rd anniversary of the 2013 Toronto Pride, one of the largest displays of Pride in the world; an event that encourages tolerance, acceptance, and inclusivity.  

 

In Ontario, and indeed Canada, hard fought battles over the past decades mean that we all generally benefit from legislation that offers protections against discrimination and intolerance. 

 

I congratulate and thank the leaders in the LGBTQ community who fought against the odds to bring political change to Ontario.

 

This fight is not over. We know that discrimination still exists. Sadly, in Ontario this is the case, where our tax dollars fund a school system that uses discriminatory hiring practices. 

 

Our provincial government continues to uphold discrimination against LGBTQ teachers and students, by supporting a separate school system that makes one-third of Ontario’s teaching jobs off limits to these teachers. 

 

It’s time to move to one school system, so that fiscally responsible, efficient, equitable, and effective education is available to all our of children.

 

I am committed to working with Ontarians to ensure our province provides a welcoming, safe and equal place for all people. Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate our diversity by joining in Pride Week festivities." 

The Green Party of Ontario continues to make the issue of discrimination in Ontario's publicly funded schools a priority and asks for you to send a strong message to Queen's Park by signing their petition.

Click here to sign

Commissioner Cavoukian dismayed by the indiscriminate deletion of emails in Ontario cabinet ministers’ offices

TORONTO, ON (June 5, 2013) – Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, has released the findings of her investigation into a complaint by Member of Provincial Parliament Peter Tabuns, who alleged the Chief of Staff to the former Minister of Energy had improperly deleted all emails concerning the cancellation of the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants. Over the course of the investigation, the Commissioner learned that in early 2013, staff in the former Premier’s office had approached the Secretary of Cabinet about how to permanently delete emails and other electronic documents. As a result, the scope of the investigation was expanded.

“I am very disturbed that the former Minister of Energy’s office produced absolutely no records in response to the Speaker’s Ruling on the gas plants issue, and that the former Premier’s office had so few records that were responsive to two freedom of information requests relating to these decisions.”    -Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D.

“Without access to information held by government institutions, citizens cannot participate meaningfully in the democratic process and hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable to the people they serve. I am deeply concerned about the apparent lack of responsibility and accountability over records management within the offices of senior political leaders in Ontario.”  -Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D.

At the root of the problems uncovered over the course of our wide-reaching investigation was the practice of indiscriminate deletion of all emails sent and received by the former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Energy.  

This practice violates the Archives and Recordkeeping Act (ARA) and the records retention schedule developed for ministers’ offices by the Archives of Ontario. This practice also undermines the transparency and accountability purposes of the ARA and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act (FIPPA). 

Although the Commissioner cannot state with certainty that there was inappropriate deletion of emails by the former Premier’s staff as part of the transition to the new Premier in an effort to avoid transparency and accountability, she concluded that the email management practices of the former Premier’s office were in violation of the obligations set out in the ARA.

The Commissioner has recommended that the government take concrete steps in three specific areas to ensure that records that may be subject to an access request under FIPPA and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act (MFIPPA) are retained:

 Office of the Premier and Ministers’ Offices – Require that a directive be issued that a senior official in each minister’s office and the Premier’s office be designated as the person who is accountable for records retention policies and practices, and for ensuring that ministers’ staff receive training on their records management obligations. The Premier should clearly communicate that these obligations must be taken very seriously, along with her expectation that all staff must comply. 

 Legislative Changes – Amend both FIPPA and MFIPPA to address institutions’ responsibilities to ensure that all key decisions are documented and records securely retained – making it a serious offence to wilfully or inappropriately destroy records.

Records Retention Policies – Conduct a review of the Archives of Ontario records retention policies and practices that apply to the records management processes in ministers’ offices and the Premier’s office, ensuring that responsibility for retaining official or business records is clearly set out.

The full report is available at: http://bit.ly/18LYRiU.

Update from The Star: "despite breaking the Archives and Record keeping Act and “undermining” freedom-of-information legislation, the scofflaws will not face penalties because there are none, said Cavoukian." 

“That’s the problem,” she said, noting the inadequate legislation was passed by the McGuinty Liberals. “It’s untenable. It has to have teeth so people just don’t engage in indiscriminate practices.”

• Attorney General John Gerretsen said the government would consider changes.

Exemptions from RC religion classes

If, for any reason, a student who is not a member of the Roman Catholic church wishes to attend a Roman Catholic separate high school, that student is required by the school to take courses in religion and to participate in religious services such as Mass.

            However, under the Ontario Education Act, section 42, articles 11 to 13, copied below, allow a student to be exempt “…from programs and courses of study in religious education…”

Exemption from religious studies

(11)  On written application, a Roman Catholic board shall exempt a person who is qualified to be a resident pupil in respect of a secondary school operated by a public board from programs and courses of study in religious education if,

Majority of Ontarians support an end to Catholic School funding.

From the Toronto Sun:

More Ontarians support the end of public funding to Catholic schools than favour preserving it, a new poll shows.

Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research Inc., said the three main political parties in the province are at odds with average citizens on this major and controversial issue.

“We have an area where public policy is out of step with public opinion,” Bozinoff said Friday. “The public - they’re marching to their own drummer; they’re just reacting to what they agree or disagree with and they’ve not been persuaded that this long-standing current policy is the right one. And they’re telling us that.”

Forum Research polled 1,102 Ontarians over Oct 30-31, and found that 50% disagreed when asked if Catholic schools should continue to receive public funding, compared to 44% who agreed.

The rejection of public funding for separate schools was consistent across age and gender groups.

New Democrat Party and Green Party backers were strongly opposed with about two-thirds nixing the idea.

Only the Green Party has proposed a single publicly-funded education system.

  

Full Story

Expectations. Ontario's Social Assistance Review.

The Ontario Social Assistance Review must present a clear vision, put a focus on health promotion and illness prevention and do so with dignity, equity and opportunity. 
I believe that all Ontarians can offer a meaningful contribution to society and our social assistance programs should help them to do so. 

The current system penalizes those who, for a variety of reasons, may be unable to work a traditional 40 hour week but still have plenty to offer society. It's time to stop clawing back dollars whenever a social assistance recipient makes efforts towards an independent life.

Assistance levels need to be adequate, so that people receiving assistance can maintain a healthy standard of living. People receiving assistance should have access to public transportation, healthy local food and decent affordable housing, all of which can lead to a more fulfilling, productive and healthy life. I believe that this approach can lead to reduced overall costs for healthcare, by resulting in reduced rates of crime, addiction and incarceration.

It is very important to try to reduce the stigma associated with social assistance and change the current climate that may lead some to work 'under the table', which puts our most vulnerable citizens into potentially dangerous situations.  

Providing opportunities for those on social assistance to transition into training and employment must be a pillar of our social assistance program. Our system needs to focus on helping people find work, paid or otherwise, that values their capabilities and assists them in their quest for long-term financial security.

It's time for Ontario to implement a system that put a positive focus on the individual by providing the necessary tools for success. This could be job training for one individual, life-skills for another, or ESL for a newcomer.

The point is that these service(s) should be tailored to meet the requirements of the individual which would lead to a more positive and rewarding experience for the recipient and a reduction in the numbers of those re-applying for social assistance. This would result in savings for all Ontario taxpayers.

Poverty costs us all and the cost should not be measured by tangibles alone. In a province like Ontario where we have a standard of living that is among the highest in the world, is it not our duty to provide decent opportunities for our most vulnerable citizens?

I'll close with a quote by Hubert H. Humphrey; 

 "...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "

Explaining Ontario's Condominium Act Review, Stage 1.

 

Explaining Ontario's Condominium Act Review, Stage 1. 

The infographic starts by demonstrating that there are over one million condominium residents in Ontario. It states that 50% of new homes built are condos, that Toronto alone is the fastest-growing condo market in North America and that there are 525,000 condo units in Ontario. 
 
The infographic then show that condo residents can take part in a series of public information sessions taking place in Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Sudbury, Toronto, Mississauga, and London. It also explains how a residents' panel will be recruited to work together with a stakeholders' panel to share ideas and propose changes to the Condominium Act.

Their proposals will be combined with input shared at the public info sessions and sent to oncondo@ontario.ca in a findings report targeted for release in early 2013. 
 
The public can get involved on Twitter by following @ontarioconsumer and using the hashtag #oncondo or emailing oncondo@ontario.ca. More info can also be found at ontario.ca/condos. 

 Stage two of the review is targeted for 2013.  

Let's have a conversation about a fair school system

 

Green Party of Ontario

Do all Ontarians pay for Catholic Education?

Yes. Every Ontario tax payer pays for education. That money is allocated per student to both boards.

Why do I have to declare which board I support municipally?
That declaration allows you to vote on your board specific trustees but does not effect your taxes.

Schreiner achieves 92% approval rating from GPO membership

GPO Leader Mike Schreiner achieved a 92% approval rating this weekend at the party’s convention held in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“I am honoured to have the overwhelming support of the membership,” said Schreiner. “We are a unified team with the same goal: to give Ontarians an alternative to the stale politics-as-usual at Queen’s Park that is failing to tackle the big challenges facing our province.”

Schreiner’s approval rating of 92% is impressive compared to that of other party Leaders. Tim Hudak achieved 78.7% approval rating from Progressive Conservatives in February and Andrea Horwath achieved 76.4% approval from the Ontario NDP in April.

In his address to delegates on Saturday, Schreiner rallied members in anticipation of the call for a by-election to replace Elizabeth Witmer (PC) in Kitchener--Waterloo.

“On May 2, 2011, voters elected the first Green MP in Canadian history. Elizabeth May has shown how powerful one voice can be in the House of Commons,” said Schreiner. “In Ontario, the balance of power hangs on one seat. By voting Green in Kitchener—Waterloo, voters have the opportunity to put the community’s needs ahead of party interests and send a strong message to Queen’s Park that we can get politics back on the rails in Ontario.”

Schreiner will be visiting the riding to speak to members in Kitchener--Waterloo on Thursday to begin preparations for the by-election that is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Foodstock: Support Your Local Farmer

 

Sunday, October 16, 2011 - 11:00 - 18:00

 

JOIN 20,000 PEOPLE & 70 CANADIAN CHEFS to taste the bounty of land threatened by the mega-Quarry in Melancthon Township, Ontario.

Honeywood, Ontario Highway 124 and on 4 farms that refused to sell out!

Admission: Pay what you can to support the cost of fighting the Quarry!

Read more at Canadian Chefs' Congress

Stop the Mega Quarry

Please take a few seconds to add your name to the I-petition to Stop the Mega Quarry that is proposed by a USA Hedge Fund for Central Ontario.

The mere size is boggling; a parcel of land covering 2,300 acres and dug 50 feet deeper than Niagara Falls will make this the second largest quarry in North America.

With 300 trucks hourly plus 20 tons of explosives daily, the potential for disaster on transportation corridors, water and the environment is enormous.

This destruction of our prime agricultural land and natural resources for foreign profit must be stopped.

We need your help - please sign the petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/megaquarry/

Old Parties Present False Choices on Green Energy

Tory Leader Tim Hudak’s pledge to scrap the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program is a slap in the face to businesses, individuals, First Nations and community groups investing in safe, renewable energy projects. His pledge to cancel energy contracts already in place irresponsibly damages Ontario’s ability to attract investors and new businesses.

Also flawed is Premier Dalton McGuinty’s approach to energy - backroom corporate deals and disrespect for the decision-making authority of municipalities, informed by local citizens. Sensible energy policy should benefit local communities first and ensure an investment climate that is fair, open and transparent.

The Green Party of Ontario puts people and communities first, offering a sensible choice for voters who support a safe, affordable energy future. McGuinty’s special deal for Samsung has meant that local businesses, individuals and community groups cannot access the grid, and Hudak’s short-sighted pledge risks a growing Ontario industry, turning back the clock on energy policy.  Businesses require stability in order to succeed, something the old parties at Queen’s Park seem intent on ignoring.

Mike Schreiner, Leader GPO

Greens will not irresponsibly cancel contracts without a clear understanding of the costs and the effects on business investment and jobs. Green MPPs elected on October 6th will stand up for a sensible energy plan that puts communities first by restoring local decision making, requiring local ownership and ensuring local benefits for energy projects.

A sensible energy plan invests in energy efficiency and conservation as the most cost effective way to provide Ontarians long-term relief from rising energy prices. Conservation programs not only save Ontarians money today, but tomorrow and ten years from now. It’s time to elect Green MPPs who will fight for simple, transparent and fair rules that put communities first.

Mark Daye Nomination Acceptance Speech

Mark Daye thanks the Toronto Centre membership of the Green Party of Ontario for the nomination to run in the October 6, 2011 provincial election.

Happy Holidays

I'm off to enjoy some beautiful Ontario rural landscapes and will be back in a few days. From my home to yours, all the best during this holiday season. I hope you will get some time to relax, recharge and spend some time with loved ones.

Cheers, Mark Daye

10-10-10 Our Wedding Day! (and the wedding day of many others too)

I've been wondering how to tell you the story of our upcoming wedding on 10-10-10 here at the Daye. Well, this morning I woke up today and found out that apparently the 10.10.10 wedding is not exactly an original idea so I decided to start our story today.

The wedding chambers at Toronto City Hall is so booked for weddings on October 10, 2010 that they have moved their weddings to a nearby hotel. According to the Star it is "Wedding Perfection". The perfection part comes from the number 10 supposedly being perfect in the Chinese calendar.  I don't know anything about that but I do know that 101010 is the perfect binary number and computer language for the number 42 which we all know is (according to Douglas Adams) the answer to life, the universe and everything!

Our story really has nothing to do with 42 or 10-10-10. It all started on 10-10-04 when we happened to meet. Conveniently we just happened to be on the Eiffel tower in Paris on our fourth anniversary of meeting and David asked me to marry him. I said yes and we set the date: 10-10-09!

YES, 10-10-09. Shortly thereafter we realized good friends of ours were getting married on 10-09-09 and that most of our friends would therefore probably be hungover and tired for our wedding.  It was the right decision. I think we finally went to bed at 6 am following that wedding!

The solution; wait a year. The result of this decision is well; 42. 

So, there you have the back story. This is the first official post about our wedding on Sunday which has a Moulin Rouge theme, which is my favorite movie and a great tie-in to getting engaged in Paris.

We will be leaving on Tuesday the 12th for a trip around Europe and I will be posting about our wedding and our trip over the next few weeks. I hope you will enjoy the story.  The picture to the left is David and I in Prague in 2008, it was on this trip that we became engaged (on 10-10-08).

Don’t Nuke Green Energy: Stop Darlington | Greenpeace Canada

Don’t Nuke Green Energy: Stop Darlington | Greenpeace Canada

The Ontario government is planning to spend $36 billion repairing reactors and building risky new reactors at the Darlington site east of Toronto, in part to replace the aging reactors at the Pickering station, which will close by 2020. This plan will divert billions of dollars that should be invested in cheaper and cleaner green energy sources and will drive up electricity prices.

A new report by Greenpeace and the Pembina Institute shows that replacing the Pickering reactors with green energy would be cheaper and would protect Ontarians from the high-cost and risks of new reactors.

Please tell Ontario’s Energy Minister Brad Duguid not to nuke green energy! Tell him you want affordable green energy instead of expensive and risky new reactors.

Click Here to send your letter to Energy Min. Duguid