Elections, housing, and schools are the hot topics

By Jessica Bell

Is it election time? 

The Conservatives closed the legislature a week early and extended our return date to Oct. 21.   Read more

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Underfunding schools, justice system, and interference at colleges & universities

By Jessica Bell

It’s been a very busy period at Queen’s Park. Here are the highlights. 

Parents stand up to pending school budget cuts

On May 8, I joined parents, students, teachers, and residents outside Kensington School for a rally to demand better funding for our public schools.  Read more

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New housing bills encourage sprawl and thwart democracy

By Jessica Bell

The Conservatives have introduced another housing bill and revamped the Provincial Policy Statement which sets planning rules for the province.  Here’s what you should know about the Conservatives’ latest moves.   Read more

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Ford adds increased natural gas costs, and heath-care failures to the mix of misdeeds

By Jessica Bell

Premier Ford loves to say he’s getting stuff done. But who is Ford getting stuff done for, and how does it affect the rest of us? Here’s the latest roundup from Queen’s Park.  Read more

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Independent auditor general annual report paints troubling picture

By Jessica Bell

The auditor general’s office authors an annual report that does a deep dive into a select list of government agencies, departments and government-funded or -regulated institutions to see if they are working as they should. Here’s the lowdown on the office’s latest report.   Read more

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Students are particularly vulnerable to weak rental laws

By Jessica Bell

Justin is a graduate student studying pancreatic cancer at the University of Toronto. He’s one of thousands of students who live in our downtown neighbourhoods. When his building was bought by corporate landlord, Harrington Housing, he became a victim of neglect and harassment designed to drive him out of his rent-controlled home.  Read more

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A Greenbelt victory

By Jessica Bell

Ontarians were outraged when the Conservatives reversed their election promise and approved development on 15 parcels of Greenbelt land owned by developers with ties to the government.  Read more

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READ MORE:   Read more

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Crisis underscores a larger housing crisis that Ford refuses to help fix

By Jessica Bell

Refugees and asylum seekers who arrive in Canada have been forced to flee their homes for many reasons, including war, violence, and natural disasters made worse by the climate crises.  Read more

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Province allowing density but forgetting about education

By Jessica Bell

As an MPP and parent of two children who attend TDSB schools, I am personally and politically concerned about the quality of education University-Rosedale’s 33 schools provide to our children.    Read more

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Annex area renters face a very specific risk

By Jessica Bell

The Conservatives have just introduced some good, bad and ugly legislative changes that impact renters and how we plan and build for our future.  Here’s the lowdown.   Read more

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Ford’s budget leaves us hanging

By Jessica Bell

The Conservative’s budget was released on March 23. Overall, the budget increases spending by one per cent, far below the 6.8 per cent rate of inflation. We will be seeing cuts. Here’s the lowdown.

Health care  Read more

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Where is Ford in Toronto’s time of need?

By Jessica Bell

The first official Toronto budget under the new strong mayor reign has revealed an unpleasant truth. This is a fantasy budget built on a house of cards. Even with a seven per cent planned property tax hike, the federal and provincial governments need to hand over $1.4 billion to the city for the budget to balance in 2023. And even if they say yes to Toronto’s official funding request, the city will still cut services.  Read more

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