I know affordability is a top concern right now. While inflation and interest rates are coming down, many of us are not yet feeling that relief.

The GST/HST tax break is a temporary relief measure to help Canadians through the holiday season. The break will apply to prepared food, beer and wine, kid's toys, clothes and shoes, books and dining out, to help you save a little bit of money during this season.  It also helps give a boost as you shop at our local stores or eat at the restaurants across our community.

I know there is much more work to do to address affordability long term. I will continue to work on tackling affordability through actions to bring us more affordable housing, income support programs, healthcare expansion, and investment in job creation and regional development.

Our government respects and has faith in the collective bargaining process. I believe that the best deals are the ones reached by the parties at the bargaining table. There is a cost to workers and to our local businesses while this dispute continues. My hope is that they will act quickly to reach a negotiated agreement.

Despite the postal disruption, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and Canada Child Benefit cheques will continue to be delivered based on an agreed upon date by Canada Post and its bargaining agents. Arrangements will also be made for the collection of Employment Insurance cheques at local Service Canada Centres for clients in immediate need. Service Canada staff are ready at in-person locations and specialized call centres to support clients facing service interruptions due to the postal strike. 

Like many of you, I use Line 2 of our subway system to get around our city. It is hard not to notice that the cars on this line are old and in need of an upgrade. I had the chance to meet the workers at the Greenwood TTC Yards who keep the old line 2 cars rolling, and to join them in announcing that our federal government is stepping up to support our city buying new subway cars.

This is big news for our city, and big news for all of us who use the TTC subway system. The investment is another example of how our federal government is partnering with Toronto to build strong public transit.

Learn more here: Deputy Prime Minister announces $1.2 billion for Toronto, enabling purchase of new Line 2 subway cars

Don River North Plug Removal

Our federal government partnered with the province and the city to start an exciting new chapter for Toronto. On November 8th, we opened the full connection between the new mouth of the Don River and Lake Ontario.

This is one of the most significant milestones to flood protect the southeastern part of our community, including Leslieville and South Riverdale. The flood protection also means that we can build housing, including affordable housing, in the Port Lands. When it is done, it could be home to 100,000 people.

The project will also build new parks, some of which will be open to visit next summer. It will also create wetlands that will protect Lake Ontario and bring back more biodiversity to our city, including important fish species that have already started returning to the area.

Learn more here: Flood Protection Milestone Puts New Waterfront City Within Reach

Recently, I helped to announce federal funding for 1,600 new EV Chargers across Canada, including 77 Level 3 fast chargers.  I was joined at the announcement with a home-grown EV charging company, Jule. Jule started as a 15-person company in 2017 and with federal support they now staff 100 people in Scarborough to build ultra-fast chargers that are being used across North America - including at U of T.

Learn more here: Accelerating Canada's EV Future: $18.6-Million Investment in Over 1,600 New Chargers

Our government has announced a new climate initiative to cap oil and gas sector emissions, marking a significant step in our efforts to combat climate change and push for greater innovation. Under this plan, emissions from the sector will be capped at current levels and will decrease over time, aligning with Canada's broader goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

The cap is designed to push companies to adopt cleaner technologies and reduce their carbon footprint, while ensuring that the transition to a low-carbon economy does not undermine energy security or economic growth. The initiative will be supported by a range of policies and incentives aimed at accelerating innovation and investment in cleaner energy solutions, including carbon capture and storage technologies.

Learn more here: Oil and gas sector greenhouse gas pollution cap

I have been working with Mattie’s Place Toronto to introduce the ‘Pet-ition’; a first-of-its-kind petition signed by people and pets to help all animals become recognized as sentient beings instead of as property. I tabled the petition in the House of Commons on October 29th, 2024. This petition acknowledges that animals feel pain, fear, and joy. Many of us see this firsthand in our companion animals each day. I tabled a petition to recognize animal sentience and create stronger animal welfare protections. Thank you to Mattie's Place for all their hard work on this pet-ition.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgMNzNl08Is

Canada Summer Jobs Employers Call for Applications have launched on November 19, 2024, and will close on December 19, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Apply here: Canada Summer Jobs wage subsidy.    

Nominations for the Agnes Macphail Award are open until January 1st 2025!

Yours,

Julie

Julie Dabrusin

Member of Parliament for Toronto--Danforth