From the Provincial Office of OSSTF
NEW BILLS INTRODUCED
BILL 157, DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s (Hamilton Centre) Bill 157, Domestic and Sexual Violence Protection Act would amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to provide that an employee who has been employed by an employer for at least 13 consecutive weeks, and who has experienced domestic or sexual violence or the threat of domestic or sexual violence, is entitled to up to 10 days of paid leave and up to 15 weeks of unpaid leave. In proposing her bill, Horwath said, “Here’s what this bill will mean in the lives of survivors if we can actually get it passed into law. It means that women can take time off work to seek medical attention, including mental health supports and counselling, without the fear of losing their paycheque or losing their job. It means survivors can take the time to find a safe place to live for themselves and for their kids at a very stressful and difficult time, without losing their income and their ability to actually pay the rent once they find a place…”
Horwath’s bill would also amend The Occupational Health and Safety Act to require employers to ensure that every supervisor and worker receives information and instruction about domestic violence in the workplace and sexual violence in the workplace.
Horwath’s bill quickly passed 1st and 2nd Reading and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy.
BILL 158, PROTECTING VULNERABLE ROAD USERS ACT
NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo’s (Parkdale—High Park) bill amends the Highway Traffic Act by increasing the legal consequences for a collision that seriously injures or kills a pedestrian, a cyclist, a mobility device user, a roadway worker, or an emergency responder.
BILL 159, SIMCOE DAY ACT
PC MPP Toby Barrett’s (Haldimand—Norfolk) bill proclaims the first Monday in August in each year as Simcoe Day, unless a by-law of a municipality specifies otherwise for the municipality. Unlike Barrett’s earlier Bill 150, Simcoe Day Act, his new Bill 159, allows municipalities to maintain the name of the August holiday that they may have already proclaimed. Barrett’s new bill quickly passed 1st and 2nd Reading and was referred to the Standing Committee on General Government.
BILL 160, STRENGTHENING QUALITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PATIENTS ACT
Health and Long-Term Care Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins (St. Paul’s) introduced Bill 160, Strengthening Quality and Accountability for Patients Act. The legislation would make it mandatory for the medical industry, including pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, to disclose payments made to health care professionals and organizations, as well as other recipients. Payments would include meals and hospitality, travel associated expenses, and financial grants, and the public would be able to search this information in an online database. The bill would also allow for the transport of emergency patients to a non-hospital setting, such as a mental health facility. Additionally, the bill would permit the regulation of recreational water facilities, like splash pads and wading pools, and personal service settings, including barber shops and nail salons.
BILLS REFERRED TO COMMITTEE
BILL 139, BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES AND CONSERVING WATERSHEDS ACT
Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro’s (Thunder Bay—Atikokan) bill passed 2nd Reading with all-party support and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. Despite the all-party support, the bill did not pass unanimously as former PC MPP Jack MacLaren (Carleton—Mississippi Mills) voted against it. Mauro’s bill sets up a Local Planning Appeal Tribunal to replace the Ontario Municipal Board. The bill would also modernize the provincial government’s conservation of watersheds.
BILL 157, DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT
Please see above.
BILL 159, SIMCOE DAY ACT
Please see above.
BILLS PASSED
None.
IN OTHER NEWS
SCHOOL TEMPERATURES HEAT UP LEGISLATURE
The hot temperatures of the past week resulted in heated exchanges in Question Period with PC leader Patrick Brown (Simcoe North) calling on the government to declare a maximum temperature for schools to close. Brown asked the Premier, “Here are the stats: There are 584 schools in the Toronto District School Board, and only 125 of those schools have air conditioning. That’s 584 schools, and 125 with air conditioning. Others have partial air conditioning or none at all. Krista Wylie, from the parent group Fix Our Schools, said that if the Premier, ‘who I bet is sitting in an air-conditioned office right now, prioritizes our children as the future, then her government will prioritize our kids and start to look at our schools as the important infrastructure they really are.’ In the meantime, how can the Premier expect students to learn while they’re sitting in unbearable classrooms? Mr. Speaker, again, rather than attacking others, rather than saying everything is fine, I ask the Premier: Will she mandate maximum temperatures for Ontario schools in the event of extreme heat? Yes or no?”
In response, Wynne said, “I recognize that it is very hot in schools that were built in a time when there weren’t the kinds of heat events that we have now, when there wasn’t the peak heat that we have now. That is exactly why we have put billions of dollars in the hands of school boards: to make changes, to make sure that they do the retrofits which are happening across the province. I’m not in any way saying that that work is completely done. But, again, I have a lot of faith in the educators in our schools to make sure that children and teachers are kept safe.” Despite cooler weather returning by the end of the week, the Tories kept up the attack on the Liberals.
NDP MPP JAGMEET SINGH WINS NDP FEDERAL LEADERSHIP
With a resounding 54% of the votes cast, Bramalea—Gore—Malton MPP Jagmeet Singh made the successful leap to federal politics by winning his Federal Party’s leadership. Singh won easily over three long-serving Federal NDP MPPs. His closest competitor, Charlie Angus, garnered only 19% of the vote. Despite outgoing Federal NDP Leader, Thomas Mulcair saying that the leader of the party should have a seat in the House of Commons, Singh has said he will not seek a Federal seat until the 2019 general election.
In the meantime, Singh is expected to quickly announce his resignation from the Ontario Legislature. Premier Kathleen Wynne is not expected to call a by-election to fill Singh’s seat as she has already set a precedent by not calling a by-election in the recently vacated riding of Toronto Centre. Wynne had said that it was too close to the June 2018 provincial general election to justify the by-election cost.