Message from Tony
Grocery Rebate
Last week, Bill C-46, the Cost-of-Living Act, No. 3, received Royal Assent following a thorough study in the Senate and unanimous approval by the House of Commons.
This legislation delivers new, targeted inflation relief to the Canadians who need it most through the new Grocery Rebate and strengthens public health care with a $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up. This funding will help reduce backlogs and wait times and support pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms.
Introduced in Budget 2023, the new one-time Grocery Rebate will deliver targeted inflation relief for 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families who need it most and will be delivered to eligible Canadians starting July 5, 2023.
Bill C-46 also delivers the previously announced $2 billion CHT top-up, to help provinces and territories deliver the high-quality and timely health care Canadians expect and deserve.
York Regional Police
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the annual Police Appreciation Night, now in its 28th year. The event brings community and businesses together to celebrate the achievements of York Regional Police members – both sworn and civilian members. And although this was an evening to celebrate it was also an evening to mourn and remember. The morning of the event we heard the tragic news of the killing of OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller. Two other officers were injured. Too often we hear of senseless gun crime, the loss of life and the tragedy of families destroyed by these violent acts. Our thoughts are with all who are impacted by this loss of life.
To members of York Regional Police, thank you. Thank you for all that you do to ensure the safety of our community. To the officers and civilians honoured at the event – congratulations. Each of you make our community a safer, better place to live and for that we are grateful.
National Police Week
This week, we celebrate National Police Week in Canada, highlighting the importance of respecting and showing gratitude to our police officers.
Every day, members of the RCMP and local police organizations put their lives and safety on the line to keep us protected.
The RCMP acts as our national police force and provides a crucial role to all of us. They help keep us, our communities, and Canada safe every day.
Here in York Region, our York Regional Police (YRP) ensure the safety of our community. They deserve our respect and thanks for the work that they do every day. The YRP is and will always be a valuable part of our community.
I encourage you to reflect on the importance of the RCMP and the YRP today and express your gratitude towards police officers.
To the YRP, the RCMP, and all police officers in Canada, thank you.
Local Food Infrastructure Fund
Food insecurity is a pressing issue in Canada and our government is dedicated to ensuring that all Canadians are food secure.
The Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) is a 5-year,$70-million initiative that serves as a roadmap for healthier and more sustainable food systems in Canada.
We’re investing $10 million for a new phase of the LFIF which will provide rapid-response funding in the range of $15,000 to $120,000 per project to help improve food security in communities through investments in equipment and infrastructure needs.
To apply for this phase, project impacts must be targeted and immediate, and directly related to addressing food security. Organizations who have received LFIF funding previously will be eligible to apply for this opportunity.
Learn how to apply here.
The deadline for applicants is May 31, 2023.
Combatting Gun Violence
All Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities, which is why we’re cracking down on gun violence and organized crime.
We’re doing this by investing in multiple programs and initiatives to keep Canadians safe, like:
- Our recent $390 million investment through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund (GGVAF) to support a variety of initiatives to combat gun and gang violence, including support for law enforcement and prevention programs;
- Bill C-21, which freezes the sale of handguns and bans new assault-style firearms and tackles untraceable “ghost guns”;
- Investing nearly half a billion dollars and deepening our cooperation with the United States to conduct join investigations; and,
- The $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund that provides funding directly to communities to support local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence among at-risk youth.
These are all part of our broader plan to make our neighbourhoods safe for all Canadians.
CRTC Public Consultations
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) is planning on modernizing the broadcasting system.
This plan follows the adoption of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and will help Canadians have greater opportunities to create and access a variety and diversity of content.
To do this, they shared their plan for upcoming public consultations to ensure that online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.
The CRTC’s plan includes three phases that will run from Spring 2023 to late 2024. These involve multiple consultations that span a variety of topics from defining Canadian and Indigenous content to protecting Canadian consumers. With this plan, the CRTC aims to implement policy decisions by late 2024.
The first phase has begun, allowing Canadians to participate in three different consultations to provide feedback on the broadcasting system and online services.
You can read more about the CRTC’s three phases here.
Canada Summer Jobs
Canada’s youth play a major part in our labour force, and ourjob numbers for youth aged 15 to 24 are back to pre-pandemic levels.
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) allows young people aged 15 to 30 toapply for summer job placements through the CSJ job bank.
Jobs will be posted throughout the summer until July 24.
To apply for a placement, visit this website.
Labour Force Survey
Canada’s April Labour Force Survey was released, showing that employment rose by 41,000, driven by part-time work, and the unemployment rate remaining steady at 5.0% since December 2022.
Our government is focused on building an economy that works for all Canadians.
