Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy writes a regular column for NewmarketToday about provincial initiatives and issues impacting our community.
As fall approaches, I am so grateful for the amazing summer we shared as a community. In the coming weeks and months as our children return to school and the weather cools, I look forward to the events and experiences to come.
On Aug. 3, it was an honour to share in the accomplishments of Clean Air Partnership, Markham Cycles, and Newmarket Cycles, who for more than 20 years, have worked to enable communities to improve air quality, advance active transportation, and take bold climate action through research and knowledge transfer, convening networks, and catalyzing action.
To support these goals, our government is investing $703,300 through the Ontario Trillium Foundation to Clean Air Partnership. The 36-month grant will see an expansion of the cycling programs at Markham Cycles Community Bike Hub and establish a new cycling hub in Newmarket. It makes me happy to see our government supporting an organization that seeks to make our community more sustainable, resilient and vibrant.
For more than a decade, the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex has stood as a pillar of our community’s joint efforts to foster an environment for residents of all ages in which to play, grow and, of course, swim. This is why I was happy to see our government acknowledging the importance of the SARC to our community and in 2021, investing a $236,400 Community Building Fund grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation over 12 months, for much deserved repairs to the pool facilities.
This month also saw the passing of an important day in our calendars, as well as a monumental moment in Canadian history. In December 2021, our government passed the Emancipation Month Act proclaiming Aug. 1 Emancipation Day in commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Canada 189 years ago on the same day.
This Aug. 1, I was honoured to join the Aurora Black Caucus and Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association in their respective events to commemorate the occasion. Together, we reflected on the past while also recognizing the importance of supporting the future of Black communities by ensuring the next generation is set up for success, a feat achievable through the collaborative effort of municipal, provincial and federal governments.
The Ontario government is investing an additional $330 million each year in pediatric health services to connect children and youth to more convenient and high-quality care close to home at hospitals, clinics, and community-based health care facilities across Ontario. With this new investment, more than 100 high-priority initiatives will be quickly implemented to ensure children and youth in every corner of the province can connect to emergency care, surgeries, ambulatory services, diagnostic imaging, and mental health services.
This consistent and stable funding increase will also allow pediatric hospitals to make significant increases to staffing to ensure they have the people and resources needed to prevent backlogs and improve access to care.
Through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), the governments of Canada and Ontario are committing more than $68 million in the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Initiative (OASI) to fund three programs designed to support farmers in making their agricultural lands more productive and resilient. This initiative includes the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP) a $56.7 million, five-year program that will make funds available to eligible farmers to complete projects such as reducing tillage, creating water retention ponds and other projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon.
The Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (ASI) will complement the RALP program by providing a supplemental $5 million, this year, for farmers to modify and adapt their equipment and operating practices. In addition, the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program will be expanded and enhanced by an additional $7 million over five years. This program is a continuation from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and will help farmers understand and communicate best on-farm practices to address and improve their soil health and water quality.
