Oakville North-Burlington News and Events-March 18,2022

View this email in your browser
$673 Million in Funding in Long-Term Care to hire 10,000 more staff Oakville North-Burlington Update – March 18th, 2022

“As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care, I’m proud our government is providing quality care for seniors living in long-term care homes in our community. This investment of $8,791,128 will help six homes in Oakville North-Burlington hire more staff and give residents the care they need and deserve.” – Effie Triantafilopoulos MPP
 
Further Increasing Staffing in Long-Term Care to Provide More Direct Care for Residents
 
The Ontario government will provide $673 million to long-term care homes this year to hire and retain up to 10,000 long-term care staff across the province, leading to more direct care for residents. This includes $8,791,128 this year in Oakville North-Burlington to increase staffing levels and ensure seniors in our community receive quality care.
This is part of the province’s $4.9 billion commitment to hire more than 27,000 long-term care staff over four years and ensure that residents receive on average of four hours of direct care per day by 2024-25.
  Thursday night, I attended an interfaith prayer service for peace in Ukraine at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Oakville North-Burlington. Thank you to the Interfaith Council of Halton and all the faith leaders who brought together our community to pray for the innocent men, women and children of Ukraine. We honour the bravery of those fighting for their homeland and hope that justice will prevail, and that Ukraine and its people are restored to freedom and democracy. It was a pleasure to visit the Shaarei Beth El synagogue in Oakville to present an Oakville North-Burlington Spirit Award to Rabbi Stephen Wise and Cheryl Wise. Thank you for your leadership and service to the Shaarei Beth El congregation and Oakville community during the challenging times faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A special thank you to Judith for your thoughtful nomination. It was a pleasure to congratulate Reverend Garfield Wu at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Palermo on receiving a grant for $13,140 from the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility to support a program for Socializing Seniors Virtually and In-Person. The educational sessions engage 250 isolated seniors, offering workshops utilizing seniors’ skills, experience and interests, and enhancing mental health and quality of life.
At the same time, I was able to meet with volunteers at St. Luke Palermo and thank them for their invaluable contributions to our community. It was a pleasure to meet with Jeffrey Lee from PEO Oakville Chapter to present him with a congratulatory certificate for the 100th Anniversary since the creation of the Professional Engineers Act in 1922. Professional Engineers of Ontario operates under the authority of the Professional Engineers Act to serve and protect the public interest by setting and upholding high academic, experience and professional practice standards for the engineering profession in Ontario. Thank you for providing me with an update on recent developments and congratulations on this significant milestone! In honour of Hellenic Heritage Month I am profiling exceptional Canadians of Hellenic descent who have made a significant contribution to our nation and made us proud. Today we recognize Nikolaos (Nick) Mirkopoulos and Peter Soumalias. Helping More Young People Start Careers in the Skilled Trades
 
The Ontario government is investing more than $13 million to provide free training and paid electricians’ apprenticeships for more than 2,500 people across the province. With over $2 billion in infrastructure projects on the horizon, Ontario faces a shortage of electricians and other skilled trades workers and this investment will help the province deliver on critical hospitals, schools, and roads.
Ontario is also expanding its investment in pre-apprenticeship training to a record $28 million, providing more young people with the training they need to launch rewarding careers in the skilled trades.
 
Largest Expansion of Medical School Education in Over Ten Years
 
The Ontario government is expanding medical school education as it continues to build a stronger, more resilient health care system, especially in growing and underserved communities. Ontario is adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions over the next five years, the largest expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate education in over 10 years.
 
Ontario to table legislation making PSW wage increase permanent
 
The Government of Ontario has announced that it will be making its wage increases for personal support workers permanent. This will be done through legislation that will be introduced later this month. The permanent wage enhancement will help to stabilize, attract, and retain staff to provide a high level of care now and to continue these important supports into the long-term. This will benefit over 158,000 personal support workers and direct support workers.
 
Historic Investment by Honda Canada in Ontario’s Auto Industry
 
The Ontario government is supporting a historic investment by Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM), a division of Honda Canada Inc., to upgrade and retool its plants in Alliston. Honda Canada’s nearly $1.4 billion investment, including $131.6 million in grant support from the province, will ensure next-generation vehicle models are built here in Ontario, by Ontario workers and sold across North America.
 
Ontario Launches Five New ONroute Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Ontario has launched five new fast charging stations at Ingleside, Tilbury North, Tilbury South, Woodstock and Innisfil ONroute stations. This launch brings the total number of ONroute stations with EV fast chargers to eleven.
The new fast charging stations are part of a historic EV charger roll-out announced in December by the Ontario government, along with Ivy Charging Network, ONroute and Canadian Tire that will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations.
 
More than 30,000 Jobs Available in Ontario for Ukrainian Refugees
 
There are more than 30,000 jobs available for Ukrainians refugees when they come to Ontario. Ontario will be setting up a dedicated jobs hotline for employers and unions to list available jobs for Ukrainians and then connect refugees with in-demand positions. Ontario will ensure that Ukrainian people will have translators available, jobs, and places for them to live when they arrive.
 
March 20th is International Francophonie Day
This Sunday, March 20th we celebrate International Francophonie Day, a day to share enthusiasm and pride for Ontario’s Francophone community. French Ontarians play a vital role in our province and have a vibrant, rich culture. Thank you for the social, cultural, and economic contributions you have made to our province. Launches of 2022-23 Edition of Francophone Community Grants Program
 
   
More Important News Stories This week Increasing Support for 2022 Canada Summer Games Expanding Business Opportunities for Entrepreneurs Oakville North-Burlington Spirit Awards
 
In recent months, I have been proud to honour a number of volunteers who have contributed to our community during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you for your community spirit. If you would like to nominate a member of our community who has gone above and beyond to contribute to the community during the pandemic, please contact my office and let me know.