dan kellar
Kitchener, ON – Before shutting down the Ontario legislature on June 9th for a four month summer break, Doug Ford’s conservative party rushed through new legislation that gives the government the power to ignore environmental and labour laws and bypass Indigenous rights through the creation of so-called “special economic zones“. Bill 5, also gives the government the ability to ignore planning regulations and municipal by-laws for new developments which it deems “critical”.
This show features an interview with Kitchener Centre Green Party MPP Aislinn Clancy about the new legislation and the ongoing work the Green Party is doing to bring awareness and support Ontario residents in pushing back against the new legislation. Thousands of Ontarians have taken part in protests against Bill 5, and the Green Party has been touring the province speaking with organizers and holding community meetings.
Also included is a statement CKMS News received from the office of Kitchener Conestoga Conservative MPP Mike Harris Jr, defending the legislation.
dan kellar Kitchener, ON – In late August the provincial government announced new rules around Consumption and Treatment Services sites which will force the closure of ten of these health service programs across the province, including the CTS in Kitchener.
Since the announcement, site advocates, service users, community members, health care workers, and politicians have organised support for the CTS. Meanwhile, the provincial government has opened-up applications for funding for Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs to replace the affected CTS sites. Harm reduction such as supervised drug consumption will not be permitted at the new hubs.
On September 10th the regional government voted overwhelmingly to request that the province reverse its decision and maintain funding for the CTS while also funding a HART hub for the region. In the meeting, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, Waterloo Region’s Medical Officer of Health said that the ideal model for treatment is a HART hub that would also allow harm reduction.
In a council meeting on September 30th, city of Kitchener councillors passed a motion to request that the province continue funding and allow operation of the CTS past the March 2025 deadline.
This show features interviews with Julie Kalbfleisch from Sanguen Health Centre, operator of Kitchener’s CTS, and Dr. Geoff Bardwell, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health Sciences at the UW, and member of the grassroots Waterloo Region Drug Action Team.
A slightly shorter version of this piece is available at: https://www.frequencynews.ca/news/resident-and-local-government-pushback-continues-against-cts-closure-in-kitchener/
Kitchener, ON – The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing recently told CKMS News that their “balanced approach” to the rental market is working, as purpose built-housing rental construction has hit “record-high” numbers. However, renters in Waterloo Region are facing their own record highs. According to rentals.ca, landlords are now charging 1,935$ a month for a 1-bedroom in Kitchener, and more than 2,327$ for a 2-bedroom. Prices are higher in Waterloo.
Organizations advocating for stronger protections for renters have maintained their focus on landlords and the various levels of government. One such organization is the Social Development Council of Waterloo Region, who primarily focus on “Housing & Homelessness, Grassroots Infrastructure, and Lived Expertise.”
This show features an interview with Megan Walker, a tenant organizer in theEviction Prevention program at the Social Development Council. Walker discusses her work and responds to statements the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing made to CKMS News.
Through the afternoon on Saturday September 9th, the Green Party of Ontario will be hosting a “GreenFest” in the Kitchener Centre riding that they say will feature “music, food, a group bike parade, and bouncy castle!”
The event follows a summer of campaigning for local Green Party candidate Aislinn Clancy ahead of a byelection to be held in January of 2024 to fill the seat vacated by NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo. GreenFest is also a direct response to the “FordFest” event PC premier Doug Ford is hosting in the evening on September 8th at Bingemans in Kitchener. Of FordFest, Clancy told CKMS News “there are lots of parts of the campaign that are missing that I don’t think any amount of hot dogs and text messages can offset.”
There is currently no candidate for the Conservative Party in the aforementioned byelection, while the NDP are running Debbie Chapman, and the Liberal Party is represented by Kelly Steiss. All of the parties have been calling for accountability from the Conservative Party over the growing Greenbelt scandal which has now led to the resignation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, along with his assistant.
Candidate Clancy and the Green Party had called for Clark’s resignation in an August 30th statement also saying “The report from Integrity Commissioner David J. Wake confirms that the minister contravened the Members’ Integrity Act when he failed to oversee the process by which Greenbelt lands were selected for development.
Minister Clark was responsible for the corrupt process that allowed a handful of wealthy well-connected insiders to make $8.3 billion on the removal of their lands from Greenbelt.”
CKMS news spoke with Kitchener Centre Green Party candidate, Aislinn Clancy about Greenfest, FordFest, a bit about the GreenBelt fiasco.
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This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, Heritage Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.
