The Backdrop

MPP’s are back in their ridings for a Constituency Week, after a contentious couple of weeks in the Legislature. Thursday’s by-election result in Milton will provide the winning Party with the narrative of continued support for Doug Ford or of momentum for new leader Bonnie Crombie. 

Low turn-out in by-election advanced polls

Last week’s advanced poll turnout in the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and Milton by-elections was significantly lower than the 2022 general election. In LKM, 5.5% of voters cast an early ballot compared to 10.9% in the general election. In Milton, 6.6% of eligible voters went to the advanced polls compared to 12.6% in 2022. It is typical for advanced polls (and overall voter turnout) to be lower in a by-election than a general election.

The significance will be less in LKM, where the PC stronghold is expected to easily remain a blue riding. In Milton, however, every vote cast will seemingly make a difference as the PC’s and Liberals are statistically tied according to current polling numbers. The keffiyeh ban at Queen’s Park is proving an impactful issue, as 23% of the riding’s population is Muslim. The potential development of a contentious quarry in the riding also has some local voters protesting and the PC’s on their heels. Premier Ford has previously said the quarry development will not be approved but has since said it will go through the environmental assessment process before a decision is made. The Milton race is key for both the PC’s who are trying to retain the seat and the Liberals who are looking to demonstrate momentum for their new leader. 

Both by-elections will be decided on Thursday. 

Ontario to crack down on cell phones and vaping use in schools

Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced a collection of measures that will come into effect for the 2024-2025 school year. Students in grades kindergarten to six will be required to keep their phones on silent and out of sight for the entire day, unless permitted by a teacher. Students in grades 7 to 12 will have their cell phones banned during class time, but they can access them between classes and during lunch.

Social media sites will be banned from all school networks and devices, as will sharing and recording videos or photos of individuals without consent. Teachers will be asked to add comments about students’ distraction levels on their report cards.

As of September, students caught with vape or e-cigarette products on school property will have to give them up and their parents will be notified by the school. This comes on the heels of the Spring budget, which allocated $30 million to install vape detectors and other security upgrades in schools.

Speed limits to be raised on some Ontario highways

For some stretches of 400-series highways outside of the GTA, maximum speed limits will increase this summer. Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said that after these changes, approximately one-third of Ontario’s highway network will operate at the higher speed limits.

Ten new sections have been identified based on their ability to safely accommodate higher speeds. Many of the sections include eastern Ontario between Highway 115 and the Quebec border. Anyone who travels this stretch of highway already knows the flow of traffic is among the fastest in the province. Northern Ontario received an increase on Highway 69 between Sudbury and French River, as did Niagara region’s Highway 406 between Thorold and Welland. 

In terms of the government’s rationale, Minister Sarkaria told reporters “what many people don’t realize is that until 1975, highways 400, 401, 417, and the QEW had speed limits over 110 kilometres until they were reduced in response to the energy crisis.”

Class action lawsuit for Basic income pilot

The Ontario government has agreed to pay over $320,000 to cover legal fees incurred by members of a class action lawsuit against the province over the cancellation of the basic income pilot launched in 2017 by Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government. The pilot was cancelled after the Ford government came to power in 2018. The class action suit, which was filed five years ago, was certified by a judge late last month.

The lawsuit alleges a “breach of contract” of the $150-million, three-year pilot. The program was part of the Liberals’ poverty reduction strategy and involved 6,000 Ontarians in Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Lindsay who received a monthly basic income of up to $1,400 for individuals and $2,400 for couples.

At the time of the program’s cancellation, the Ford government claimed the pilot didn’t contribute to the economy and it discouraged participants from getting back on track. The class action lawsuit argues the province was motivated by “unjust enrichment”.

Modular Housing Market Sounding

The Ontario government has launched a market sounding exercise about modular construction to gather insights from industry stakeholders. The province wants to hear from stakeholders who can provide information related to pricing, timing/schedule, economies of scale, and regional considerations for modular housing development. This feedback will inform government decisions on modular housing initiatives.

Questions include:

• what base price range per unit can you manufacture, transport, and assemble homes (i.e., the final unit price from manufacturing to building completion)?
• What is the minimum order volume required to start realizing reduced prices? What would be the estimated prices?
• How many 800+ sq ft units could be delivered (manufactured, transported and installed) within 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months?

The deadline for stakeholders to submit their Market Sounding is June 7th. For more information, visit infrastructureontario.ca.