Legion banner program inspires us to take a moment to remember our heroes

By Goldie Ghamari, MPP for Carleton

Today more than ever, it is important for Canadians to know who we are, why we live in the wonderful country that we do today, and who the men and women are that made sacrifices to make Canada the best country in the world.

The Royal Canadian Legion has a national banner program that the Legions in Manotick and in Stittsville are participating in. The Memorial Banner Program recognizes and pays tribute to veterans from the area who have served in the Canadian military.

This program brings the past to life, and it has made the descendants of each individual in the community very proud. While we all learn about Canada’s role in various wars and military missions, sometimes the facts and the focus on dates leaves out the personal impact that these events have had on local communities and families.

If you see these banners, please take a look at them. They should not be treated by optical white noise. Take a moment. See who these people are. Ask questions. They are people who were in our communities many years ago and went to war to make our lives better. Some made it home alive, but many did not.

Regardless, these heroes should hold a special place in our hearts, even if they served generations ago.

Ontario Expanding Seniors Active Living Centres

The Ontario government is expanding access to services and activities for seniors through a call for proposals for new Seniors Active Living Centres (SALC) programs. These programs provide social, cultural, learning, and recreational opportunities for seniors to stay fit, healthy and connected in their communities.

Due to the overwhelming success of the more than 300 Seniors Active Living Centres being delivered by municipalities, new changes to the Seniors Active Living Centres Act, 2017 came into effect June 1, 2024 that enable more types of organizations to deliver Seniors Active Living Centre programs.

The call for proposals is now open to eligible organizations until September 12, 2024, at 5 p.m. In addition to municipalities, other local and community-based organizations such as Legions, Lions Clubs, and recreational clubs, are now welcome to apply.

This expansion is in addition to the more than $15 million announced last month to support all current SALC programs across the province, an increase of approximately $1 million from last year. This will result in a majority of SALC programs getting a maintenance and operating funding increase from $42,700 to up to $50,000. Organizations that deliver SALC programming contribute 20 per cent of the cost of delivering the program, with the province providing the remaining 80 per cent.

Quick Facts

• The number of seniors aged 65 and over is projected to increase significantly, from 2.8 million or 18.4 per cent of population in 2022, to 4.4 million, or 20.3 per cent by 2046.
• While more seniors live in large urban centres, smaller or rural regions tend to have a higher proportion of seniors in their communities.
• There are now 316 Seniors Active Living Centre programs across Ontario.
• Seniors can use the online search tool to find a program near them. Visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-seniors-active-living-centre-program-near-you

Ontario Bolstering Nursing Workforce in Emergency Departments

The Ontario government is continuing to build a stronger, more resilient health care workforce by investing $10 million to help more than 1,000 nurses upskill their training to provide emergency department care. This will help bolster, stabilize and maintain the nursing workforce in emergency departments across the province, especially in rural and remote hospitals, to connect more people to critical care close to home.

Since its launch last year, over 400 nurses from 72 rural and remote hospitals received this upskill training. Today’s investment enhances the program this year to allow more than 1,000 nurses working in small, rural and remote emergency departments across the province to access four crucial training and education programs:

Virtual Training Modules to deliver high-quality, interactive sessions for general ED orientation, core competency skills and more. Over the last year, 847 sessions were attended by nurses from 72 small, rural, and remote hospitals.

Immersion Programs that provide multi-day, in-person, skills training to educate new emergency department nurses in small, rural, and remote hospitals. Over the last year, 53 nurses from 26 small, rural, and remote hospitals attended three Immersion Programs and were able to get hands-on upskilling.

Specialty Training Fund to provide training education grants to support nurses to complete training courses for core ED nursing skills. Last year over 2,600 courses were funded to break financial barriers for nurses to upskill.

Establishment of Regional Educator Program that will increase access to important continuing education and training resources for ED nurses in their region.

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to support the province’s highly-skilled workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care where and when they need it, closer to home.

The Emergency Department Nursing Education, Retention and Workforce Program is furthering nursing skills in the emergency department to better meet the needs of communities. The program enables access to education, particularly for nurses in small hospitals that do not have ready access to emergency department nurse education and those in remote areas who would otherwise have to travel long distances. Access to the program supports the retention and recruitment of emergency department nurses.

Quick Facts

• Since 2018, Ontario has seen a record-breaking number of new health care professionals join the workforce, adding 80,000 new nurses with another 30,000 nurses currently studying at Ontario colleges and universities, and adding over 24,000 new PSWs since 2020.
• Since expanding the role of registered nurses to prescribe medications, 122 registered nurses have been authorized to prescribe, after meeting specific requirements, with close to 900 more prepared to take the required education.
• The province continues to work with the College of Nurses of Ontario to break down barriers for internationally educated nurses. The Supervised Practice Experience Partnership provides internationally educated nurses the opportunity to demonstrate their current nursing knowledge, skill and language proficiency while working to meet the requirements to enter practice as a nurse. This program has funded more than 3,400 internationally educated nurses since it launched in January 2022.
• Last year, over 17,000 new nurses registered to work in the province, a record number of new nurses registered to work in the province, with another 30,000 nursing students currently studying at one of Ontario’s colleges and universities.
• Ontario is investing $743 million over three years to continue to address immediate health care staffing needs, as well as to grow the workforce for years to come.

Ontario Investing More Than $200 Million in Postsecondary Infrastructure

The Ontario government is ensuring publicly assisted colleges and universities have modern facilities, learning tools and equipment so students develop the skills to succeed in the workforce through an investment of $201 million in 2023-24. Part of this investment requires postsecondary institutions to receive matching contributions from a private sector partner to help deliver the high-quality education and training to meet needs of employers.

This investment includes:

• $171 million through the Facilities Renewal Program (FRP) to help publicly assisted colleges and universities with the critical maintenance, repairs, upgrades and renewal of existing facilities.
• $20 million through the College Equipment and Renewal Fund (CERF) to help colleges buy and renew instructional equipment and learning resources.
• $10 million through the Training Equipment and Renewal Fund to help universities renew and buy modern, state-of-the-art equipment and learning resources.

Colleges and universities can use the funding for projects that support the renewal and modernization of campuses including major building systems upgrades, heating and ventilating system upgrades, and mechanical and electrical system upgrades. The funds can also be used to buy instructional equipment and materials, such as new computers and software for teaching purposes, specialized equipment, or machinery for use in labs and classrooms, and tools for shops. For example, Brock University has used the funding to create a design studio and collaborative space to support expanded engineering programs and Mohawk College established an electric vehicle and automotive innovation lab.

This investment ensures students, including those in micro-credential programs, have access to the latest instructional equipment to meet business and industry standards, while supporting Ontario’s economy.

Inspiration for the week

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.”

• Walt Whitman

Office Notice:

My office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. If you require assistance on any matter, please contact me at any time. My staff and I will be happy to assist. Even if it’s not a provincial issue, I’ll make sure to connect you with the proper office.

Goldie

Your voice at Queen’s Park