May 2nd Weekly Update

Update on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT

We are all frustrated with delays on completing the Eglinton Crosstown project. The good news is that recent reports confirm that Crosstown Transit Solutions (CTS) is now working its way through a list of deficiencies required to ensure that the LRT is finally delivered in a manner which is safe and of high quality and that will serve Ontarians well for generations. While Metrolinx takes the brunt of public frustration, Phil Verster, its CEO, pointed out at a recent press conference that it is CTS that is responsible to construct, complete, and deliver the project. 

Verster noted that, while about 80%-90% of mega-projects world-wide experience delays due to their complex nature, Metrolinx is using every remedy in its contract, including withholding substantial payments until the project is completed. He also noted that technical quality issues and overall project delay are at the expense of CTS. 

Importantly, Metrolinx and MTO are learning from this experience and ensuring that future projects go much more smoothly. 

Specifics of the investment include:

• The creation of a new Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension Grant
  • $24 million will be made available over three years to help the OPP and municipal and First Nations police services establish dedicated bail compliance teams. Teams will also assist prosecutors with gathering evidence and assessing public safety risk during the bail hearing stage.
  • Grant funding may also be used to acquire bail compliance technology or support a network that police services could use to share bail offender information.
• Expansion of the OPP Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad
  • $48 million to create a dedicated Bail Compliance Unit within the OPP’s Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad. This new dedicated, province-wide, Bail Compliance Unit will apprehend high-risk provincial offenders who have broken their bail conditions or are unlawfully at large.
• Establishment of Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Teams
  • $26 million to create Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Teams within the courts system to ensure that there are dedicated prosecutors and subject matter experts to prepare for and properly conduct the often lengthy and complex bail hearings.
• Rollout of the Bail Compliance Dashboard
  • A new province-wide bail monitoring system to allow police services to monitor high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible.

“When it comes to keeping people safe and addressing crime in our communities, we’ll stop at nothing,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “This funding will help police and justice sector partners address issues of bail compliance by expanding the resources needed to monitor and apprehend high-risk repeat offenders violating bail conditions. It will also help to ensure that both sentencing and bail processes work to reduce violent acts and keep our communities safe.”

Following a motion in the legislature by Natalie Pierre, Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington, to strengthen mental health learning and supports in the classroom, the Ontario government is updating the Grade 10 Career Studies curriculum and is introducing mandatory resources for teachers and students on mental health literacy in Grades 7 and 8. These resources, developed in consultation with experts, would support students as they achieve and prepare for the next steps in their future.

Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and MPP Pierre also announced an additional $12 million this year and $14 million next year to provide mental health services over the summer months. This funding will further students’ access to school-based mental health professionals and services year-round, with the aim of providing students consistent and reliable support, responding to a key recommendation of families and student trustees.

Announced at the start of National Mental Health Week and proposed for introduction in schools in the next school year, the new mandatory mental health literacy resources will include:

• New learning materials for Grade 7 and 8 students that are aligned with the Health and Physical Education curriculum. This includes important tools like student activities, videos and interactive programming and information that will help students learn how to manage stress, understand the relationship between mental health and mental illness, recognize the signs and symptoms of a mental health concern, counteract mental health stigma and know when and how to get help.
• Mandatory learning on mental health literacy for Grade 10 students will start in fall 2024 and will include how to recognize signs of being overwhelmed or struggling, as well as where to find help locally when needed. This will be included in the Career Studies course.

“Improving mental health literacy in schools is a critical part of building the resiliency skills that our children and youth need to grow up to be happy and healthy adults,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “There is no health without mental health. By providing schools these resources, we can lower stigma and improve connections to the community sector where students and their families can access Ontario’s continuum of care.”

The Ontario government is also announcing an increase in mental health funding in schools to a historic $114 million in 2023-24, representing an over 500 per cent increase since 2018.

Click this link to visit the Ontario News website for more information on these investments and how our government continues to support the mental health of Ontario students.