Table of contents in order (more details under each tab)
- Tabled Motions
- Petitions
- Political Conferences/Events/Fairs
- Carbon Tax Issues
- Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Corruption/Hewitt
- Funding for Haldimand-Norfolk strong
- Fighting the MZO
- MAID
- Townsend
- Argyle Street Bridge and Haldibrook Road
- Higher wages for nurses-keeping/creating jobs/Budget Spending/ARIO
- Education
- Tributes to the fallen and locals
- Tabled Motions
Motion 208 : An increase of provincial HST rebate threshold for new homebuilders Motion — That, in the opinion of this House, the Government should increase the Ontario HST Home Rebate to reflect 75% of the HST based on the first one million dollars of a new build, rather than the current $400,000 threshold.
Motion 162: Teachers — In the opinion of the House, being that Ontario is experiencing a shortage of educators to the point where in some cases non-qualified citizens have been asked to oversee classrooms, in order to allay this educator shortage, the government should make teachers college one year instead of two years.
Motion 156: Election fixed dates — In the opinion of the House, any government that breaks the fixed election date legislation by three months or more would be subject to a fine of $2 million.
Motion 137: Crosswalk Remembrance–That, in the opinion of this House, the Government of Ontario should direct municipalities to set aside, and secure in perpetuity, a painted crosswalk in remembrance of Canadian military veterans and soldiers, to honour their service and sacrifice and to show deep appreciation for the priceless gift of freedom.
Motion 116: ePetitions — That, in the opinion of this House, the Government of Ontario should liberalize public engagement and recognize electronic petitions as a valid, efficient, equitable and accessible form of public engagement when requesting action from the provincial Government.
- Petitions
Federal Gun Buyback Petition July 2024
Carbon Tax Relief Petition Jan 2024
Argyle Street Bridge Reconstruction Petition Jul 2024
- Political Conferences/Events/Fairs
July – Acadia – Alex Marland
Dec – New Orleans
ROMA, AMO
County Fairs
Flora’s Walk
Take your MPP to School week
Protests – Autism (Boy named “Tucker’?), Healthcare out front at QP.
Breast cancer screening out front at QP
Remembrance Day Ceremony (ies)
- Carbon Tax Issues
Brady calls on province to drop carbon tax from home heating
Jan. 12, 2024 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady today launched a petition calling on the government to drop carbon tax from natural gas and electricity used for heating. With the federal government dropping the carbon tax from heating oil in November, which is the primary heating source in the Maritimes, several
Ontario needs to take carbon tax idea one step further: Brady
Feb. 29, 2024 Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady is encouraged but cautious of provisions in the Get It Done Act that will require a referendum before a provincial carbon tax can be introduced. Brady, who read in copies of a petition she launched on Jan. 12 calling on Ontario to to drop carbon tax from natural gas and electricity used for heating.
Brady again petitions Ontario to axe carbon tax on home heating
For immediate release:April 12, 2024 QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Bobbi Ann Brady yesterday stood in the Ontario Legislature to read in more petitions that would ensure Ontarians don’t have to choose between heating and eating. “Speaker, I have several names here on a petition that calls on the government to provide relief to families from the federal
Premier Ford explodes when urged to follow Scott Moe’s lead
April 17, 2024 – MPP Bobbi Ann Brady stood in the Ontario Legislature to fight for affordability for Ontario taxpayers. The premier took offense to Brady calling a referendum on a provincial carbon tax a publicity stunt and bellowed back that come next election, Brady would be out of a job.
- Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Corruption/Hewitt
Brady questions Premier: Has OLT been hijacked?
You questioned the government whether the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) has been hijacked by friends of developers.
“I respectfully ask if the premier can articulate what skills and qualifications one must possess to be considered an appointee to the OLT,” Brady said in Question Period.
Brady’s question came in light of the recent appointment of former Haldimand County Mayor Ken Hewitt to the OLT. This coincides with recent questioning in the House concerning the appointments to the judicial system. The Premier dubs these appointments as like-minded.
In 2022, while mayor, Hewitt had called on the Ford government to dissolve the OLT citing it was hindering development.
Brady pointed to the fact the Hamilton Spectator reported in 2022, that the OLT ruled in favour of developers 97 per cent of the time.
- Funding for Haldimand-Norfolk as strong as ever
Haldimand and Norfolk are not being shortchanged
Money is flowing in higher than similar-sized counties: The Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) is the province’s main general assistance grant to municipalities.
In 2025, Haldimand County’s allocation is $4,783,600 compared to $4,090,500 in 2024, a 16.94 per cent increase. And Norfolk County’s 2025 allocation is $7,268,900 compared to $5,984,600 in 2024, a 21.46 per cent increase.
Decreases to similar counties with a PC MPP
Elgin County with a population of 95,000, represented by Hon. Rob Flack, who is Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, is getting $237,000. A decrease of 15 per cent from the 2024 OMPF allocation.
Huron County with a population of nearly 61,500, territory of Minster of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson, will be receiving $554,400. A decrease of 15 per cent from the 2024 OMPF allocation.
Perth County, with a population of around 38,000, and PC Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, will be getting $532,800. A decrease of 15 per cent from the 2024 OMPF allocation.
Hastings County, population approximately 146,000, the base of Ric Bresee, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation will be handed $33,900. A decrease of 15 per cent from the 2024 OMPF allocation.
One PC increase
Brant County, population just under 40,000, responsibility of Will Bouma, Parliamentary Assistant to three ministers, has $1,496,700 coming. An increase of 18 per cent above the 2024 OMPF allocation.
Provincial money flowing to assist with hazards from old, inactive gas wells
June 12, 2024– Provincial funding to assist with managing the hazards posed by old, inactive gas wells is flowing to Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. Announced earlier this year as part of a $2.5 million investment to help nine municipalities in Southwestern Ontario with emergency preparedness, Norfolk County will receive $280,000 Haldimand County will receive $260,000.
More support info for funding equality
I wrote about my work in Ottawa at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and in that column, I told you I made it my mission to find out whether other municipalities were receiving additional funds beyond regular allocations.
It was the following answer that appeared in my column that got me an online tongue lashing by a local municipal official: That question was met with laughter because no municipality is getting money above and beyond what is typically sent from Queen’s Park, despite which stripe their MPP represents.
- Fighting the MZO
Auditor General red flags on MZOs
Ontario’s Auditor General recently released her annual report, which contained some red flags that hit close to home regarding Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs)—specifically, the Nanticoke Industrial Park.
From 2019 to 2023, the Ford government implemented MZOs 114 times, 17-fold more in comparison to the previous 20 years. The report also found that while the government was busy blasting out this extraordinary volume of municipality-overriding zoning orders, the PC Government often ignored critical information and ranked requests “with no protocol and no apparent rationale.”
Back to Haldimand-Norfolk where an application for a MZO for Empire Homes is imminent. Empire Homes will be asking for an MZO to green light the development of a city of 15,000 homes and 40,000 people on the Nanticoke Industrial Lands. These lands are a source of needed employment now and for the future, not for homes. An industrial park is for industry. As I’ve said many times, the jobs at Stelco and Imperial Oil must be protected.
And then there’s the infrastructure issue. Infrastructure goes far beyond water and wastewater.
Brady encourages citizens to put pen to paper on MZO
November 21, 2024 Now is the time to convey concerns to multiple Ontario government ministries with respect to an imminent request for a Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) from Empire Homes. The request/application, if granted, will give the green light for the development of a city of 15,000 homes, 40,000 people
Energy project impact on Nanticoke
It seems the Government of Ontario is now taking steps to develop options for new energy generation to meet rising energy demand. On November 27th, Energy and Electrification Minister Stephen Lecce announced he has asked Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to begin discussions with Indigenous, community, and municipal leaders on three of its existing sites.
OPG is Ontario’s largest energy generator, and owns properties at Wesleyville in Port Hope, Lambton in St. Clair, and Nanticoke in Haldimand County. These three sites are already zoned for electricity generation, have proximity to transmission, and are all in Southern Ontario, within the areas experiencing significant population growth.
The Minister’s announcement did not specify the type of energy generation for each site, he did say that all types are being examined, including nuclear. I’ve maintained that the industrial park should be reserved for industry and to provide good paying jobs to people in our community.
I was extremely candid with Minister Lecce regarding the development. He understood my concerns with the idea of having a city surrounded by heavy industry, and now the idea of nuclear is in that mix.
I think the government now has a decision to make. Do they issue an MZO for housing they can build in many other areas of Ontario, or do they move forward with an energy project that will provide more good paying jobs, long-term economic spinoffs, and the certainty Ontario can meet energy demands?
Oxford County It is possible to push back at province
At both AMO and the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) I repeatedly hear municipalities are drowning, they cannot keep up with the growth. Then there are those municipal leaders who have guzzled the juice and believe adding more people is the path to prosperity.
Oxford County Council last week tabled a resolution that said Oxford County residents are already experiencing consequences from the high rate of growth, which includes homelessness, mental health supports, addiction supports, encampment response, housing availability and attainability, lack of primary medical care, lack of adequate school spaces. Council also conveyed concern with growth pressure on green space and agricultural land. Warden Marcus Ryan will write to the Doug Ford government, indicating Oxford County cannot continue to accommodate the rate and level of growth directed by the province.
By way of background, Oxford County is an upper-tier municipality made up of elected officials from eight area municipalities: Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Ingersoll, Norwich, South-West Oxford, Tillsonburg, Woodstock, and Zorra.
- MAID
What safeguards are in place?
December 11: You asked Premier Ford to ensure that vulnerable Ontarians experiencing non-terminal physical illness, mental health issues, economic challenges, or homelessness are offered solutions or management of their problems instead of death using Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).
The problem: People with socioeconomic and psychological suffering are literally being driven to appointments with death providers instead of getting the counselling and necessary supports they need.
Jones’ response: Stated that MAID is federally controlled and that there are Ontario-based controls to ensure that individuals who request MAID are vetted and it is the appropriate way for them to end their lives.
You countered that it was interesting that the minister mentioned that MAID is a federal issue, but the concerns Brady raised came straight from a report from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario.
Your response to Jones: Last year, a quarter of all MAID providers heard from the Coroner’s Office about possible violations of criminal law yet not a single instance was referred to police, only one was sent to the regulatory college. Government should not be normalizing homicide as a medical treatment or allowing it to become an industry.
- Townsend
Brady asks tough questions on Townsend
November 6, 2024 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady today stood in the Ontario Legislature to ask Premier Ford point blank about his plans for the 567 hectares of land the Ontario government transferred to and holds under the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and Economic Reconciliation at Townsend.
- Argyle Street Bridge and Haldibrook Road
Ministry of Transportation continues to dither and delay
Another Question asking about Argyle street reconstruction: October 23, 2024 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady once again stood in the Ontario Legislature to ask the Minister of Transportation to provide a start date for long-overdue Argyle Street Bridge reconstruction in Caledonia. Brady also asked when traffic lights will be installed at the dangerous Highway 6 and Haldibrook Road
- Higher wages for nurses-keeping/creating jobs/Budget Spending/ARIO
Ontario’s Appeal Court rules Bill 124 unconstitutional
Feb 13, 2023 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady is pleased Ontario’s Appeal Court has ruled Bill 124, Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 to be unconstitutional. The legislation capped public sector wages at one per cent per year for three years. Bill 124 angered labour groups. Bill 124 angered labour groups and it seemed to target healthcare with critics, including Brady, complaining it was a factor in driving nurses out of the profession or into private nursing agencies.
Brady breaks down budget in House
April—You debated and voted against Bill 180, Building a Better Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2024. While there are components of the bill that will pass and will be beneficial to Ontarians, Brady could not, on principal, support a budget that triples the deficit to $9.8 billion dollars.
Brady pointed out the finance minister’s pledge that government is ready to build infrastructure such as roads and bridges while no work has actually started. One of the most glaring examples being the reconstruction of Caledonia’s Argyle Street Bridge as well as long-term care beds locally.
April 11, 2024 Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady today voted in favour of Bill 155, which will see the modernization of The Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO). ARIO was created in 1962 and the ARIO Act last had major amendments in the 1990s. In the Legislature on April 10, Brady announced her support of Bill 155
Brady and CFIB team up for lower small business taxes
June 5, 2024 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady encourages the public to support lower taxes for small business by signing her petition asking the Ontario government to cut the Small Business Tax Rate (SBTR). Brady and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) have teamed up to distribute the petition,
Brady disappointed government won’t give small business a break
November 18, 2024 You were disappointed the PC government voted against one of her opposition colleagues’ Bill 195, Cutting Taxes on Small Businesses Act, 2024. Bill 195 would provide tax relief for Ontario’s small businesses by cutting the effective small business tax rate in half, from 3.2 per cent to 1.6 per cent, and by increasing the income threshold for this deduction from $500,000 to $600,000. It would have come into effect on January 1, 2024, and saved small businesses up to $17,900 annually.
- Education
Brady disappointed PC government voted against parents
May 28, 2024 MPP Bobbi Ann Brady found herself disappointed in the Ontario PC government’s choice to unanimously vote against MPP Stephen Blais’ Private Members Bill 178, An Act to amend the Taxation Act, 2007 to provide for a non-refundable tax credit to encourage children’s extra-curricular activities.
Brady asks if government will dismiss trustees
November 27, 2024 Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady today stood to ask Premier Ford how he will be dealing with trustees from the Brant Haldimand-Norfolk Catholic District School Board who travelled to Italy in July to purchase $100,000 in artwork and also spent $50,000 in travel and hotels and enjoyed a $1,600 meal at a gourmet hotel and spa according to a FOI.
- Tributes to the fallen and locals
Brady fondly remembers Councillor Marie Trainer
MPP Bobbi Ann Brady rose in the Ontario Legislature to honour the memory of Haldimand County councillor and former mayor Marie Trainer. Ms. Trainer passed away October 31st from complications sustained nearly two months after being involved in a serious motor vehicle collision.
Bobbi Ann Brady, MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk, today stood during Remembrance tributes in the Ontario Legislature and spoke in honour of our brave Canadian veterans past and present, those who fell, survivors, regiments, squadrons, and military service organizations.
MPP Brady stands to honour fellow Delhi resident Rick Boon
Feb 23, 2023 QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Bobbi Ann Brady yesterday stood in the Ontario Legislature to honour the brave and honourable service of Rick Boon. Until his recent retirement, Rick served nearly 32 years with the Legislative Security Service as a Constable, Sergeant, and Inspector/Operations Manager.