Best MPP as voted by NOW Magazine
Free Screening of “Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion” at the Revue
On Monday August 18th Cheri sponsored a free screening of “Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion” at the Revue.
Following the screening, the audience participated in a Question & Answer session with panelists from the Tibetan Joint Action Committee. Thanks to all who came as well as those who donated to the cause.
“Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion”
Victory for School Pool Push
Toronto’s school pools will stay open one more year. Originally slated for permanent closure in June, Toronto’s 23 school pools will remain open until Summer of 2009.
Thanks to community activists from across Toronto who joined their voices together and formed groups like savekeelepool.ca and letsmakewaves.ca, rallying at Queen’s Park and at their local pools.
While it very positive that we can go forwarding knowing that our pools will be open for another 12 more months, there has not been any firm guarantee about what will happen beyond 2009.
But for now, enjoy the victory. Go for a swim!
Political Inertia to Blame for Organ Donor Crisis
July 29, 2008
QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPPs Cheri DiNovo and Peter Kormos blame political inertia for Ontario’s growing organ donor crisis.
“Two years ago I tabled a bill calling for the McGuinty government to solve the organ crisis and adopt presumed consent legislation,” said Kormos. “More than 20 European countries already have implemented such a system and the result means reduced waiting times for transplant patients and countless lives saved.”
DiNovo sees the growing number of Ontarians waiting for an organ as an important ethical issue, which will only get worse with our aging population.
“Nearly 1,700 Ontarians are in need of an organ right now. Last year, 100 Ontarians died waiting. This government isn’t doing enough to save these lives. How is it acceptable for an autopsy to be ordered, but organs that could save lives are wasted?” asked DiNovo. “There are too many people in desperate need and too many people of all ages dying in our hospitals for this to continue to happen.”
Andres Cotic, a resident of Parkdale–High Park, joined Kormos and DiNovo at a press conference this morning to raise awareness. Cotic has been on the wait-list for a liver transplant for more than three years.
“I came to Canada 25 years ago because Canada is a good country with good-natured people. A co-worker who barely knew me donated half of his liver to me and is the reason why I am still here today,” said Cotic, who is still in critical need of a full liver transplant.
“Ontario’s opt-in system does not work; people don’t want to think about their death. I hope we can change this system for others who will one day be in same position I am in.”
DiNovo, Kormos and Cotic urged all Ontarians to sign a current Organ and Tissue Donation card and lobby their MPPs for action on organ donation.
ACORN Honours Cheri
On June 5th, Cheri was honoured by ACORN for her efforts to have the Ontario Government implement a hard cap against Payday Lenders.
If you would like to become involved with the anti-poverty movement, then consider contacting ACORN Canada.
Support for Animal Shelters
At a recent press conference Cheri joined her voice to the growing number of animal rights activists, calling for amendments to Bill 50, the Animal Welfare Act (2008). A section of Bill 50 would force organizations like the Toronto Humane Society to be supervised by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA).
More importantly, an organization or shelter that the OSPCA does not approve would not be allowed to call itself “humane”.
This section of the Bill does not do anything to help protect animals, and does not belong in the act. In Ontario there are many institutions like the Toronto Humane Society who have worked to protect animals that, if this bill were to pass, would be stripped of its name.
I am calling for consultation with stakeholders, whose concerns are equally valid to OSPCA’s, and have the government take another look at the fine-tuning of this bill.
Proposed Law a Pay Day Lending Debacle
May 29, 2008
QUEEN’S PARK – The McGuinty government’s watered-down attempt to regulate the payday lending industry through its Bill 48 is nothing more than a payday lending debacle, says NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo.
“Without hard caps, Bill 48 will allow payday lenders to act like loan sharks and charge interest rates above those defined by the Criminal Code as usurious,” says DiNovo, the NDP’s representative on the committee that has heard public deputations on the bill.
Deputants like Charles Foster, principal of Justice Matters, supported the hard caps. Foster has successfully defended victims of payday lenders on the Criminal Code’s usury grounds, which define criminal interest rates at 60 per cent. He warns that if the government passes Bill 48 as is, without such a cap, usury could be effectively decriminalized.
“Bizarrely, Bill 48 and subsequent regulations will likely lead to an interest rate cap that is higher than the current 60 per cent limit,” said DiNovo. “That doesn’t sound like a crackdown, it sounds like the deal of a century for these payday lenders. If the province simply enforced the Criminal Code, Ontarians trapped in the cycle of poverty would be better off.”
The McGuinty government previously rejected DiNovo’s bill that included a hard cap of 35 per cent, which would have ended the industry’s usurious practices. It would have lowered the Criminal Code’s 60 per cent threshold, bringing the cost of credit down for those who need it the most.
Small Victory for School Pool Push
Toronto’s pools will stay open, but only for a little while longer. Originally slated for permanent closure in June, Toronto’s 23 school pools will remain open until August of 2008.
This is good news as it shows that demonstrations, like the one on May 1st, and online petitions like www.savekeelepool.ca and www.letsmakewaves.ca are working.
If you have not added your name to the list, please do so now!
Sorauren Park Fieldhouse
May 5th was the official opening of the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse. After 15 years of waiting, the vision for a Wabash community centre is on the way. The fieldhouse is a significant first step and an important addition for Parkdale – High Park.
I joined Councillor Gord Perks, Mayor David Miller, and Member of Parliament Peggy Nash at the event’s ribbon cutting.
Families should look forward to a better experience at Sorauren Park with the addition of a gathering space and clean public washrooms.
Polish Constitution Day
On May 3rd, I joined the Polish Community in commemorating the 217th anniversary of Polish Constitution Day. Signed in 1791, it was the first Constitution in Europe and continues to serve as a landmark in both nation-building and government.
This year is also the 150th anniversary of Polish immigration to Canada, and we are very lucky to a Polish community in Parkdale – High Park.
Na Zdrowie!
Jane’s Walk
Named after celebrated urbanist Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walk is an annual series of community tours and exploration of various neighbourhoods in Toronto. Last Sunday, Peggy Nash and I hosted a Jane’s Walk through Parkdale – High Park’s Queen West.
Together, with about 40 participants from the community, we walked from Roncesvalles to Dufferin, sharing stories about different areas, facades, and architecture left over from what was once The Village of Parkdale.
I would like to thank all who came with Peggy and I on the Parkdale Walk, organizers from across Toronto, volunteers, and a special thanks to Jane Walk’s Executive Director, Jane Farrow.
Support for Human Rights
A few weeks ago, several hundred Tibetan Canadians and their supporters marched from the Chinese Consulate to Queen’s Park to demonstrate their strong dismay at the McGuinty government’s decision to go ahead with a trade mission to China led by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello.
On behalf of the activists involved, I confronted Minister Pupatello in chambers and demanded that human rights be on the agenda with her meeting with Chinese officials.
We received no response from Minister Pupatello.
Following this, Peggy Nash and I met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Ann Arbour, Michigan, supporting the Dalai Lama’s efforts to achieve a peaceful and just resolution to the issue of Tibet.
In our meeting with His Holiness we covered strategies for helping to mobilize people and governments as well as current developments that the free-Tibet movement faces.
It was an honour to again meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I would also like to thank The Parliamentary Friends of Tibet for helping to organize the meeting.
U.S. PAYDAY LOAN SHARKS SET TO PREY ON ONTARIANS
April 11, 2008
QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo says that the McGuinty government’s failure to regulate interest rates on payday loans in
“We are now seen as the best haven for usury because we don’t have payday lending regulation in Ontario. American payday loan sharks will look north of the border to prey on some of our province’s most economically vulnerable,” says DiNovo, pointing to American states such as Oregon, New Hampshire, and now Colorado which have set Annual Percentage Rate caps on payday loans at 36 per cent.
Earlier this month the McGuinty government tabled a bill on payday lenders that did not regulate interest rates. DiNovo then re-tabled her private members bill modeled after legislation in Quebec that sets a 35 per cent cap in the industry.
“I re-tabled my bill last week in response to the government’s do-nothing legislation,” said DiNovo.
Bob Whitelaw, founding President of the Canadian Payday Loan Association (CPLA) and now working as a consultant with credit unions agrees.
“Ontario is last when it comes to regulation in the payday lending industry, positioning it as an attractive place for payday lenders to do business. Unfortunately, the Ontario Government’s proposed legislation will not stop the proliferation of payday lenders setting up in this province,” said Whitelaw.
“Instead of setting a cap on interest rates, this government prefers to consult on what is already considered criminal – exorbitant interest rates that are unethical and simply wrong,” said DiNovo.“We need to prevent American payday loan sharks from coming to Ontario by setting an interest cap of 35 per cent immediately.”
Free Community Screening a Success!
On Monday, April 8th Cheri presented a free community screening of the documentary Wal-Mart Nation.
It’s a good thing folks came early, as the Revue packed a full house minutes before the show started.
Guest speakers were also on deck to add local context, as well as provide more information.
The panellists were Andrew Munger (Writer/Director/Co-Producer), John Cartwright (President, Toronto and York Region Labour Council), and Kelly Carmichael (Chair, East Toronto Community Coalition).
This was the first film in what will hopefully become a series presented by Cheri as a way to engage members of the community in issues that interest and affect them.
MP Peggy Nash initiated this wonderful idea last year by presenting Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” and will also be presenting a new screening in June.
“$11 in ’11”: DiNovo Bill Raises Min Wage to Poverty Line
April 1, 2008
QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo today introduced a bill that would bring minimum wage earners to the poverty line.
The bill, entitled Raising the Minimum Wage, 2008, would immediately increase the minimum wage to $10.25 per hour with 25 cent increases over the next three years to reach $11 in 2011. The minimum wage would then be indexed to the Consumer Price Index every year thereafter.
“Although the minimum wage increased 75 cents yesterday, the reality is that you still can’t survive on $8.75 an hour,” DiNovo said at a press conference today.
“All hard working Ontarians deserve a minimum living wage that lifts them out poverty, not one that keeps them there.” DiNovo’s bill is being tabled on the same day that MPPs receive yet another pay increase of more than $3,000. In the past 16 months alone, MPPs have received three separate raises representing a total increase of more than 35 per cent.
“Last year, the McGuinty government gave themselves a hefty pay increase but refused to pass my bill to raise the minimum wage to the poverty line. Today, they maintain their track record by increasing their own wages yet again while looking the other way when it comes to the working poor,” said DiNovo.
“Is this the poverty plan that the McGuinty government calls ‘revolutionary’? What is so revolutionary about keeping hard-working minimum wage earners living in poverty? That’s not revolutionary, it’s shameful,” said DiNovo. “We need to stop paying minimum wage earners poverty wages and give them $10.25 per hour starting today.”
DiNovo to McGuinty: How many more homeless deaths?
March 3, 2008
Queen’s Park – NDP Housing critic Cheri DiNovo says it’s appalling the McGuinty Liberals refuse to take concrete action on providing shelter to the most vulnerable after a 50-year-old homeless
Toronto man was found dead last week during an extreme cold alert of -27 Celsius. “How many more unnecessary deaths need to happen before the McGuinty Liberals takes shelter in this province seriously?
Cold alerts don’t help when emergency shelters are overcrowded, leaving many with no where to go when temperatures hit record breaking lows,” said DiNovo. Last week, DiNovo introduced a Private Members Bill that would amend the Ontario Human Rights Code to enshrine shelter as a right for all Ontarians. In the winter of 1995-96 three homeless men, Eugene Upper, Irwin Anderson, and Mirsalah-Aldin Kompani, froze to death on Toronto’s streets.
“The situation for our homeless is worse now, but their deaths are going unnoticed,” said DiNovo. According to the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) an average of four to six homeless people die each month, but this does not include those who are unidentified or unreported.
“The homeless in Ontario are dying on our streets and the McGuinty Liberals continue to fail the most vulnerable. This is the why I am introducing a bill to enshrine shelter as a right in Ontario. These deaths could be prevented and access to adequate shelter is a necessary first step.
Did you know?
If you are into online social networking, there’s a Facebook group for Parkdale-High Park. Visit: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2256292107 for current news and information about what’s happening in our neighbourhood.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Sincerely,
