Oakville North-Burlington Newsletter August 2, 2024

“Auto theft is a growing concern in our communities, and our government is taking decisive action to combat it. By investing $134 million in five new state-of-the-art police helicopters for the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa, we are equipping our law enforcement with the latest technology to fight car thieves and organized crime. These helicopters will play a crucial role in preventing violent carjackings, auto theft, street racing, and impaired driving, ensuring the safety of Ontarians across our highways and neighbourhoods.” – MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos


Ontario Fighting Auto Theft and Organized Crime With Expanded New Joint Air Support Unit

To fight against car thieves and organized crime, the Ontario government is investing $134 million to purchase five new police helicopters for use in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa. Equipped with the latest technology, the helicopters will help keep highways and roadways safe from violent carjackings, auto theft, street racing and impaired driving.

As part of a new Joint Air Support Unit, the Ontario Provincial Police will acquire two new H135 helicopters to provide support to Ottawa and Toronto Police Services. In addition, three helicopters will be procured, owned and operated by Durham, Halton and Peel Regional Police Services to support current patrols and improve response times.

The investment in new helicopters was announced in the 2024 Ontario Budget and builds on the province’s $51 million investment to support the OPP’s Provincial Auto Theft and Towing Team and Ontario’s Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team.

Learn more: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004871/ontario-fighting-auto-theft-and-organized-crime-with-expanded-new-joint-air-support-unit






Celebrating African, Caribbean, and Black Canadian Appreciation Month

Congratulations to everyone involved in the African, Caribbean, and Black Canadian Appreciation Month flag-raising at Oakville Town Hall this week. Celebrating the rich cultural heritage and contributions of African, Caribbean, and Black Canadians that strengthen our community.



Marking the Start of the Halton Black History Awareness Emancipation Celebration

Congratulations to all who participated in the Halton Black History Awareness Emancipation Celebration Festival flag-raising in Burlington this week. This event honours the rich heritage and significant contributions of Black Canadians in our community. Proud to support such meaningful celebrations that highlight our shared history and diversity.



Going for Gold!

Special shoutout to Oakville and Burlington’s very own athletes competing in the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games!

Ella Jansen (Swimming)
Shady Elnahas (Judo)
Simon McTavish (Canoe/Kayak Sprint)
Will Jones (Sailing)
Simon McTavish – (Kayaking)
Taylor Perry – (Women’s Rugby) (Alternate)
Melanie Hawtin – (Wheelchair Basketball).

Our community of Oakville North-Burlington, and our entire country are behind you as you go for gold!





Ontario Investing Up to $260 Million in New Funding to Train Workers

The Ontario government is investing up to an additional $260 million through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Training Stream to tackle the province’s labour shortage and connect Ontario workers with high-paying jobs in their communities. This will be the largest round of funding since the SDF Training Stream was launched in 2021 and brings Ontario’s total investment through the Fund to up to $1.4 billion. The government is also investing over $7.2 million through a previous round of SDF to train nearly 3,300 workers in the Kitchener area and across Ontario.

Building on the success of the previous four rounds, Ontario will open the fifth round of SDF Training Stream on July 29, 2024, to address challenges for recruiting, training and upskilling workers for in-demand sectors such as manufacturing, construction and technology. Organizations eligible for funding include employers, employment service, training providers, labour unions, community organizations, business and industry organizations, municipalities, hospitals, Indigenous Band offices, Indigenous skills and employment training agreement holders and service system managers.

Learn more: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004851/ontario-investing-up-to-260-million-in-new-funding-to-train-workers



Ontario Accelerating Construction on the Gardiner Expressway by at Least One Year

 The Ontario government is helping to accelerate construction on the Gardiner Expressway by at least one year by providing up to $73 million to the City of Toronto on the condition that work may be allowed to proceed up to a 24/7 basis. This accelerated timeline moves the construction completion date from April 2027 to at least April 2026, which will benefit Ontario’s economy by an estimated $273 million by getting drivers and goods out of gridlock a year faster than planned.

Ontario’s investment will support contractors working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with multiple shifts per day. Additional measures also being supported through this funding agreement to improve traffic flow include modification of the Jameson to West Bound Gardiner on-ramp, opening a left-turn lane at Spadina Avenue from Lake Shore East Boulevard and relaxing noise restrictions and overnight lane closures.

The current phase of work on the Gardiner Expressway involves the full demolition and rebuilding of 700 metres of elevated roadway from Dufferin Street to Strachan Avenue, rehabilitating the supporting structures and adding a new traffic management system and streetlights.

Learn More: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004859/ontario-accelerating-construction-on-the-gardiner-expressway-by-at-least-one-year



Ontario Exploring More Ways to Expand Role of Pharmacists

The Ontario government is looking at additional innovative and creative ways to make pharmacies a one-stop-shop for people to conveniently connect to care, close to home by further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care. Starting today, the government is consulting with its partners on further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care by treating additional common ailments, administering more vaccines, and performing more point-of-care testing.

Since January 2023, Ontario’s pharmacies have provided more than 1 million assessments to treat and prescribe for 19 common ailments such as cold sores, pink eye, insect bites and urinary tract infections. Over 4,600 pharmacies, or 99 per cent of all Ontario pharmacies, are now participating in the program, connecting people to care in every corner of the province.
Building on this success, Ontario is consulting on more ways to leverage the skills and expertise of pharmacists to continue making pharmacies a one-stop-shop for more convenient care closer to home, including:

• treating and prescribing for 14 additional common ailments, such as sore throat, calluses and corns, mild headaches, shingles, and minor sleep disorders including insomnia
• ordering specific laboratory tests and performing additional point-of-care tests such as strep throat testing, to make it faster and easier to assess and treat common ailments
• administering additional publicly funded vaccines at pharmacies, including Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pneumococcal, and Shingles to increase access to care and save people a visit to the doctor’s office
• allowing pharmacy technicians to administer additional vaccines, such as Hepatitis A and B, Rabies, Meningococcal, and Human Papillomavirus
• identifying barriers in hospital settings that limit pharmacists from ordering certain laboratory and point-of-care tests, to make it easier for people to connect to care and reduce burden on nurses and doctors
• improving the MedsCheck program to support health outcomes and reduce unnecessary service duplication and administrative red tape, while continuing to protect patient choice.

Learn more: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004860/ontario-exploring-more-ways-to-expand-role-of-pharmacists

Oakville North-Burlington Spirit Awards

It’s truly an honour to shine a light on the dedicated volunteers who have contributed to making our community better. 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 our community, please contact my office and let me know at Effie.triantafilopoulos@pc.ola.org

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Our mailing address is:
2525 Old Bronte Rd.
Oakville, ON L6M 4J2