Provincial investment in Barrie helps promote entrepreneurship and innovation
By City of Barrie, Jan. 7, 2025
Barrie, ON – The City is pleased that the provincial government is investing $1 million for a new Regional Innovation Centre in Barrie. This investment builds on the existing investments that the City has made into the Sandbox Centre to support business and entrepreneurs. It will help increase access for local entrepreneurs to local experts and resources, helping people looking to launch or scale up their business.
“We are so grateful to the province for this very important funding in Barrie,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “I advocated for this provincial funding and met with the province to highlight the need for Barrie to have a Regional Innovation Centre. This government sees the potential in Barrie and surrounding region and is making investments alongside us. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts this new centre will have for our community.”
Regional Innovation Centres help Ontario’s entrepreneurs and innovators succeed in international markets by helping them work through the challenges of developing their ideas to make them marketable and attract talent, capital and customers. The new centre in Barrie is the 17th Regional Innovation Centre in the province.
Programming and services are offered to clients who are typically in early-stage or growing innovation and technology companies with the potential to expand and succeed on a global scale.
A message from Doug Shipley
Dear Neighbour,
As you may be aware, on January 6th, Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign as the Leader of the Liberal Party and as the Prime Minister. Additionally, Trudeau announced that Parliament will be prorogued until March 24th, 2025, in order to avoid a confidence vote and give the Liberal party time to find a new leader.
Many residents in our community may be wondering – what exactly is prorogation and how does it affect my duties as your member of parliament?
Prorogation marks the end of a session of Parliament and an effective ‘pause’ on all parliamentary proceedings, including sittings of the House of Commons.
As such, all government bills that have not received Royal Assent prior to prorogation “die” on the order paper and must be reintroduced as new bills in the next session. Additionally, the activities of parliamentary committees must cease and will not be revived until the end of the prorogation period.
In essence, while I will not be sitting in the House of Commons or participating in committee meetings, my ability to assist residents with casework, answer emails and calls, and meet with residents remains unchanged.
Conservatives oppose Trudeau’s selfish decision to shut down Parliament while Canada faces an out-of-control deficit, a housing and cost-of-living crisis, and looming tariff threats from the United States.
Conservatives believe that we need an election, not a Liberal leadership race, so that Canadians can take back control of their lives and their country.
While Liberals are focused on in-fighting and saving their jobs, Conservatives are focused on restoring Canada’s promise that every hardworking Canadian gets a powerful paycheque and pension that buys affordable food and homes on safe streets.
As always, my constituency office is available to assist you with any matters related to the federal government. Please contact my office at Doug.Shipley@parl.gc.ca or 705-728-2596 for assistance.
Sincerely,
Doug Shipley
Member of Parliament
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte
Ontario Approves Transition of Nine Drug Injection Sites into Treatment Hubs.
Province supporting community safety while investing in lasting recovery from addiction
By Ministry of Health, Jan. 02, 2025
TORONTO — The Ontario government is protecting the safety of children and families while improving access to recovery and treatment services by approving the transition of nine drug injection sites that are located within 200 metres of schools and licensed child-care centres into Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treat-ment (HART) Hubs. These HART Hubs, located in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph and Thunder Bay, are part of the province’s $378 million investment to support the creation of a total of 19 new HART Hubs across the province.
“We have heard loud and clear from families across Ontario that drug injection sites near schools and child-care centres are making our communities less safe,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through these nine new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs, part of our government’s $378 million investment to create a total of 19 hubs across the province, we are taking the next step in our plan to keep communities safe while improving access to mental health and addictions services.”
In response to serious safety concerns raised by communities, families and parents, Ontario is taking the next step to create a system of care that prioritizes community safety, treatment and recovery. To support these goals, the province passed the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act and the Community Care and Recovery Act to prohibit the operation of drug injection sites within 200 metres of a school or child-care centre. Each provincially funded site was given the opportunity to submit a proposal to transition to a HART Hub and all nine applications have now been approved.
“We are investing more than any government in Ontario’s history to create a nation-leading system of mental health and addictions care,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “The new HART Hubs will give people struggling with addiction the support and treatment services they need to achieve lasting recovery.”
By March 31, 2025, the nine approved drug injection sites will be transitioned to HART Hubs. These hubs will be eligible, on average, to receive up to four times more funding to support treatment and recovery under the model than they receive from the province as a consumption site. To assist with transitioning, the sites will also receive one time funding for start up costs.
HART Hubs, similar to existing hub models in Ontario that have successfully provided people with care, will reflect regional priorities by connecting people with complex needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services. These include a range of services to meet local needs such as primary care, mental health services including addiction care and support, social services and employment support. HART Hubs will also add an estimated 375 highly supportive housing units, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, that will help thousands of people each year transition to more stable long-term housing.
Applications for the remaining HART Hubs are under review and will be announced in the coming weeks. All HART Hubs will have the goal of being operational by April 1, 2025.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and building on the Roadmap to Wellness, the province is taking action to connect individuals to integrated mental health and addictions services, where and when it is needed.
Quick Facts
- The creation of HART Hubs is being done in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
- With a focus on treatment and recovery, HART Hubs will not offer so-called safer supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange programs.
- As part of the Community Care and Recovery Act, 2024 and the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, the province has prohibited municipalities and/or local boards from participating in any so-called safer supply program or applying for an exemption for the decriminalization of illegal drugs.
- Through the Roadmap to Wellness, Ontario is investing $3.8 billion over 10 years to fill gaps in mental health and addictions care, create new services and expand programs.
- Through the Roadmap to Wellness, the Addictions Recovery Fund and other initiatives, the government recently made the following investments:
o $124 million over the next three years as part of Budget 2024 to sustain more than 380 addiction recovery beds and models of treatment like mobile mental health clinics.
o $152 million over three years for supportive housing to assist individuals facing unstable housing conditions and experiencing mental health and addictions challenges.
o More than $22 million over four years to create 10 new Youth Well-ness Hubs that the government is adding to the network of 22 hubs already opened since 2020, bringing the total number of Youth Well-ness Hubs to 32 across the province.
o More than $650 million in annual funding for the Homelessness Prevention Program and $41.5 million for the Indigenous Supportive House Program, which the government increased by $202 million annually in the 2023 provincial budget.
o Up to $16 million to support Police-Partnered Mobile Crisis Response Teams in over 50 communities across the province so that health care professionals can attend crisis situations.
MPP Dunlop Announces New Energy Efficiency Programs Coming to Simcoe North Ontario
Submitted by Office of Jill Dunlop, MPP, January 9, 2025
SIMCOE NORTH – The Ontario government is launching new energy efficiency programs, including the Home Renovation Savings Program, to help families and businesses in Simcoe North save money. The programs are part of a new $10.9 billion, 12-year investment in energy efficiency, the largest in Canada’s history.
“These new Energy Efficiency Programs that all Simcoe North residents have access to will lower energy bills, put more megawatts into Ontario’s energy grid, and ultimately put more money back into your pockets,” said Jill Dunlop, Member of Provincial Parliament for Simcoe North. “While the previous Liberal government skyrocketed energy prices, our government is taking a different approach that puts affordability at the forefront.”
The new Home Renovation Savings Program will launch on January 28, 2025, and offer rebates of up to 30 per cent for home energy efficiency renovations and improvements, including new windows, doors, insulation, air sealing, smart thermostats, and heat pumps, as well as rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems for people who want to generate and store energy at home. Later in 2025, the program will expand to include rebates for energy efficient appliances, including refrigerators and freezers.
“As the demand for electricity continues to rise, we’re giving families and small businesses more ways to save money and energy as we launch the largest energy efficiency program in Canadian history,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Electrification. “Ontario’s new Home Renovation Savings Program will put more money back into the residents of Simcoe North, covering up to 30 per cent of the costs on energy efficiency products. We will expand this program again in 2025, including rebates for energy efficient appliances, to further reduce energy bills and demand on the grid.”
The government’s Affordable Energy Act, which came into force on December 4, 2024, ensures the new Home Renovation Savings Program, and other program offerings, will be expanded to homeowners who heat their homes by propane and oil, instead of being restricted to those who heat with electricity, as it was under previous governments.
The province is also expanding the popular Peak Perks program with a new program specifically targeted to small businesses, including convenience stores and restaurants. Businesses will receive a financial incentive of $75 upon initial enrollment in the program and $20 per year for each eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioning system or heat pump unit.
In addition to the two new energy efficiency programs, the province will continue to support 12 Save on Energy programs, including the highly popular Retrofit Program for business, as well as other programs geared to low-income households, businesses, municipalities, institutions, the agricultural sector, industry and on-reserve First Nation communities.
By 2036, it is forecasted that this expansion of energy efficiency programs will reduce the province’s peak demand by 3,000 MW – the equivalent of taking three million homes off the grid. The province’s $10.9 billion investment is also estimated to result in $23.1 billion in electricity system benefits, thereby saving ratepayers $12.2 billion in electricity system costs by avoiding the build out of new generation. Expanding energy efficiency programs to save families money is just one way the government is meeting the province’s rapidly growing demand for electricity. Ontario’s Affordable Energy Future: The Pressing Case for More Power outlines the challenges facing the province as demand for electricity continues to rapidly grow, as well as the government’s all-of-the-above approach to meet this demand, including:
Energy Planning – Developing the province’s first integrated energy plan, including all energy resources, including electricity, natural gas, and other fuels to ensure the province’s energy needs are met in a coordinated and long-term manner.
Nuclear Energy – Advancing clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear power through pre-development work at Bruce Power on the province’s first large-scale nuclear build in 30 years, four small modular reactors at Darlington and supporting OPG’s plan for refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generation Station.
New Transmission Infrastructure – Designating and prioritizing transmission lines in Southwestern, Northeastern and Eastern Ontario that will power job creators, including EV and EV battery manufacturing and clean steel production.
Additional Competitive Procurements – Launching the largest competitive procurement of clean energy resources in the province’s history in addition to successfully re-contracting existing capacity resources at about a 30 per cent discount.
QUICK FACTS
The Home Renovation Savings Program will launch on January 28, 2025, and interested homeowners can sign up in advance today. All other programs are available now.
The new Home Renovation Savings Program will provide ‘one-window’ access for all home energy efficiency upgrades through Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas conservation programs.
The Independent Electricity System Operator has forecasted that electricity demand will increase by 75 per cent by 2050 – the equivalent of four and a half cities the size of Toronto.
The increased demand stems primarily from Ontario’s rapid increase in population, new manufacturing facilities, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, the electrification of industry, and the charging energy required for electric vehicles.
Ontario’s new and enhanced energy efficiency programs for electricity customers will be an increase from the government’s previous expansion of energy efficiency programs to over $1 billion over four years.
Visit: https://www.saveonenergy.ca/homerenovationsavings