December 6th Weekly Update

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Dear Constituents,

It was a pleasure to meet, celebrate, and dance with so many neighbours at the Fairbank BIA’s Festival of Lights last Saturday. The holiday season is a time for us to gather and celebrate our community, and I am deeply grateful for the good work of the Fairbank BIA and especially Enzo Torrone and all the volunteers for making this event so much fun again this year.

This edition of the Weekly Update contains information about our government’s work to support nurses who want to develop their skills, our leadership on Canada’s first small modular reactor, and the commitments made by our government to Ontarians with disabilities.

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Ontario Upskilling More Nurses to Work in Critical Care

The Ontario government is investing over $4.6 million in the Michener Institute to remove financial barriers for nurses wanting to upskill to work in critical care areas of hospitals.

“While there is still more work to do, our plan to expand Ontario’s health workforce is adding thousands of new nurses, with nearly 14,000 new nurses registered to work in the province so far this year,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We’re breaking down barriers for internationally educated nurses to work here in Ontario and are providing more opportunity for all nurses to grow in the job. It’s all hands on deck as we use every tool we have to get more nurses working in Ontario right now.”

The funding provides free tuition for students and all college and hospital costs, including backfilling their current roles to ensure continuity of care, and allows nurses to train to work in critical care areas of hospitals. By spring 2023, close to 600 registered nurses will have completed their upskilling education and will be ready to support critical care in hospitals across Ontario.

“With a record number of new nurses registering in Ontario this year, our plan to bolster our health care work force and ensure high quality health care is there for patients when they need it is working,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “We will continue to invest in programs to recruit, retain, and train more nurses as we build a stronger, more resilient health care system for generations to come.”

In addition to the Michener Institute, the government is also investing more than $9.4 million to support accelerated critical care nursing at Centennial College, Conestoga College, George Brown College, Laurentian University, Mohawk College and St. Lawrence College.

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Ontario Celebrates International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Last Saturday, Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, issued the following statement:

“Each year on December 3, we recognize the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) to bring awareness to the issues that impact people with disabilities and highlight our government’s actions to create a more accessible and inclusive Ontario.

The UN’s theme this year is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.’ Part of this theme focuses on inclusive employment and workplaces.

Our government believes that any Ontarian who wants to work should have the opportunity to do so.

That is why we promote the benefits of hiring people with disabilities throughout the whole year and provide relevant programs and resources to connect employers with this skilled, and mostly untapped, talent pool. We also continue to promote the Discover Ability Network – an online portal that provides employers with practical resources on how to hire, retain and accommodate people with disabilities.

Our government has also expanded the Skills Development Fund by investing an additional $145 million to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities and prepare jobseekers for meaningful careers.

Building on this, we are investing up to $1.5 million in the 2022-23 EnAbling Change Program to fund projects that show people and employers the value and benefits of accessibility.

Working together with our partners and by investing in these important programs, Ontario will continue to create opportunities for people with disabilities and build a province where everyone can participate in the economy and their communities.”

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Ontario Breaks Ground on World-Leading Small Modular Reactor

Site preparation is now underway for Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) at Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington nuclear site. This work marks another milestone in the province’s plan to build the reliable, affordable and clean electricity grid needed to enable electrification and attract more investment in the province’s economy.

“With global businesses looking to expand in jurisdictions with clean and cost-effective electricity, small modular reactors will help compete for and attract more game-changing investments in Ontario’s economy,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Our government is getting it done and building the future of nuclear energy right here in Ontario to support the needs of our growing province.”

In March of 2022, Niagara-based E.S. Fox was awarded the contract to deliver early site preparation work, including water supply, electrical power, information technology and road services, paving the way for the SMR to be constructed by 2028. This work, valued at $32 million, will support over 100 new jobs in the Durham region.

“Ontario is clearly leading the world when it comes to new nuclear technologies,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “The Darlington SMR, part of our larger plan to ensure a reliable, affordable and clean electricity system, will ensure that we have the electricity we need to support our success in driving electrification and attracting new jobs to the province including unprecedented investments, from electric vehicles and battery manufacturing to clean steelmaking.”

The new SMR at Darlington will be Ontario’s first nuclear reactor build in a generation. This project alone will deliver 300 MW of electricity, which is enough to power 300,000 homes.

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My constituency office is open Monday to Friday from 10AM to 4PM. If you have any questions or concerns we’re readily available to assist. You can also reach us by phone at (416) 781-2395 or by email at robin.martin@pc.ola.org.

Warmest Wishes,

Robin Martin, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence

For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information from the Government of Ontario visit ontario.ca/coronavirus

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