Glen Murray, MPP - News from Queen's Park

News from Queen's Park

Supporting Children

A recent study on the effects of Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK) program show that children have a better start in school, which prepares them for success in Grade 1. The study measured the progress and development of students who were enrolled in FDK compared to those who participated in half-day programs. In every area, students improved their readiness for Grade 1 and accelerated their development.

The Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools Grant Program will provide $2.2 million for secondary schools and school boards to support innovative projects which encourage students to eat healthier. Ontario is helping high school students in Toronto Centre eat more nutritious meals so they can be healthier and learn more effectively. Projects will begin rolling out this September and can include partnerships with chef schools or farmers, healthy eating club for students and urban gardens.
 

Supporting Youth

Glen Murray announced a partnership between the major retailer Target and Pathways to Education - a charity that helps youth in low-income communities graduate from high school by providing them with tutoring, mentoring and financial assistance. The event featured Pathways students teaming up with chefs at cooking stations to create nutritious foods for attendees, which include Pathways graduates and community leaders. For the past 13 years, Pathways has given youth the necessary academic, emotional and financial support that they need and it was only fitting that the announcement take place in the Regent Park Community where Pathways first began. Since then, the program has installed sites in 13 communities across Canada. As Pathways President and CEO Vivian Prokop announced in her opening remarks, the results from the Pathways program have been outstanding.

The Youth Employment Program is helping youth succeed in a 21st-century economy as part of the new Ontario government’s plan to build a prosperous and fair province. Despite Progress, youth unemployment remains too high in this province, but that’s why this government made a strong commitment to assist youth through the Youth Jobs Strategy. The government will invest $295 million over two years to create 30,000 jobs for youth including industry specific job placements, mentor support for entrepreneurs and the expansion of skills training programs.

Supporting Families

Cracking down on unsafe childcare providers: the Child Care Modernization Act is taking steps to strengthen oversight of the province’s unlicensed child care sector while increasing access to licensed child care options for families. The proposed legislation builds on steps the province has taken to improve oversight of child care, including the creation of a dedicated enforcement team to investigate complaints against unlicensed providers and the development of an online searchable database of validated complaints. This legislation will help to ensure families have access to safe, modern child care is part of the Ontario government’s plan to invest in people and give children the best possible start.

The Poverty Reduction Strategy has made significant progress since the strategy was launched in 2008 and the results of recent consultations with Ontarians that will help shape a new, broader five-year strategy, to be released in early 2014. Over the past five years, the government has worked with community partners and made strategic investments in young people, families and the economy to help break the cycle of poverty in Ontario. In the last five years, 47,000 Children and their families were lifted out of poverty and an estimated 61,000 children were prevented from falling into poverty.
 

Upcoming Events

Event: Idea Distillery #1: Paul Bedford
Date: Februray 6th - This Thursday at 6:30pm
Location: The Foxes Den Bar and Grill located at 1075 Bay Street, between Bloor & Wellesley
Details: Join MPP Glen Murray and friends for an evening with Toronto's former Chief Planner and more recently, Vice-Chair of Ontario's Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel, Paul Bedford. With an extensive background in urban planning and community development, Paul will speak about his experience on the panel and the actions needed to unlock gridlock in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Idea Distillery is a new monthly speaker series in downtown Toronto, lead by Toronto Centre MPP Glen Murray, which will bring together thought leaders from all sectors for an informal discussion on the biggest issues facing Torontonians and Ontarians, and how we can fix them. All are welcome as we put the 'pub' into public policy. Light refreshments will be served and the cash bar will be open all evening.

Community Meeting: Reviewing the Land Use and Planning Appeals Process
Date: To be determined (February/March)
Details: After a series of community meetings in Toronto Centre soliciting your opinions on the land use appeals process, Glen Murray has submitted his report of findings to the reviewing committee. This committee will devise a plan to re-conceptualize the current appeals process and table legislation soon thereafter. When this legislation is devised, Glen Murray will be holding a meeting to review the community consultations and present the new direction for appeals in Toronto.

Event: Free Family Skating organized by Glen Murray
Date: Every Tuesday from now until March 18, 2014, 4-5 pm. (March 18th is 3-5 pm with a pizza party)
Location: Moss Park Arena, 140 Sherbourne St
Details: Enjoy a free public skate at Moss Park Arena for all your friends and family. Some skates will be available to rent for free on the day. Skates are rented on a first come first serve basis.
 

Your Government - Moving Forward on Education

Since 2002 the Ontario Government delivered:

30% Off Post-Secondary Tuition for University and College Students

$61.5 Million to build the George Brown Health Sciences Campus

$45 Million to build the Ryerson Student Learning Centre

$141.8 Million to expand the George Brown College Apprenticeship Program

$1,210 for each low income child through the Ontario Child Benefit

100,000 new spaces for licensed child care and a 90% increase to childcare funding, bringing the total to over $1 billion

75% access to Full Day Kindergarten across Ontario with 100% access in 2014/2015