February 2026 community update
Here's what you can find in this month's issue:
Warm regards,
Ted
Across Ontario
Inspector General to Inspect all Ontario Police Forces
This month, it was revealed that several active and retired Toronto Police Service officers allegedly assisted a criminal organization. The very serious allegations include accepting bribes, aiding drug trafficking, leaking confidential information, and enabling an attempted murder. Seven Toronto police officers have been arrested in connection with the investigation, which is ongoing.
The Inspector General of Policing has since announced a province-wide inspection into police corruption, which will cover all 45 police forces in Ontario. The review will focus on officer supervision, recruitment and screening practices, access to databases, evidence and property management, and officer substance use and fitness for duty.
Many people are understandably shaken by this news. A thorough investigation of police services across Ontario is critical to identifying vulnerabilities to corruption, strengthening accountability, and, most importantly, restoring public trust in policing. Once the inspection is complete, the Inspector General will release a public report, which I look forward to reviewing.
University and Colleges Funding Announcement
The Ford government announced changes to post-secondary funding, meant to address the financial difficulties institutions have been facing for years. The government will allow tuition revenue to rise with inflation. Premier Ford fixed nominal tuition rates when he took power, which meant that, every year, this piece of funding for universities and colleges decreased after inflation. The province will be investing an additional $6.4 billion into all colleges and universities over four years, boosting per-student base operating funding by about 6%. Still, per-student funding will be the lowest amongst all provinces.
This announcement also included changes to OSAP, where students will be able to have a maximum of 25% of their funding in the form of grants (as opposed to 85% currently), and a minimum of 75% of their funding as loans (currently 15%). Many students have written to me explaining how their own financial situation (remember the cost of housing has gone up a lot!) makes it difficult to take on a much larger amount of debt. The Ontario Liberal caucus will oppose this change.
Last year, I met with many staff, faculty, and students from St. Lawrence College and Queen’s University to talk about the financial challenges the institutions have been facing, and how this has negatively impacted program availability, student resources and opportunities, and local and regional economies. In the Legislature, I presented petitions organized by members of the Queen’s University community asking for base operating funding to be raised.
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Local Stories
Visit to Kingston General Hospital
I was invited to visit Kingston General Hospital alongside my Ontario Liberal colleague, MPP Lee Fairclough, a former hospital CEO. We met with hospital executives to discuss the hospital’s growing needs and its long-term plans for a new facility. Listening to the in-depth conversations between MPP Fairclough and our local CEO, David Pichora, was a very illuminating experience.
The location for the new hospital has been selected. There is a multi-phase plan designed to minimize disruption to patient care and ongoing health services. MPP Fairclough and I will follow this project closely. We offered our services as opposition MPPs to lobby for funding for the new hospital, and we will act to address any provincial-level challenges when called upon.
ALTO Train Routes
The federal crown corporation, Alto, is working on the plan for a high-speed rail service that will travel through Ontario, but presently, there is no stop planned in Kingston. Alto is conducting consultations to decide whether to follow a more northern or southern route, but neither option includes a stop in Kingston. Since this consultation began, I’ve heard from many rural eastern Ontario residents and farmers about the impacts that a new rail line, fenced along its length, will have on their communities.
As the Ontario Liberal agriculture and rural affairs critic, as well as the local MPP, I’m calling on federal Minister of Transportation Steve MacKinnon to conduct a study of an alternate route that follows existing infrastructure along the 401 corridor more closely, so that a fair comparison can be made with current proposals.
SEPHU
Starting in 2025, three local public health units voluntarily merged to become Southeast Public Health Unit, covering Prince Edward, Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville counties. The idea was to find cost savings, but a disagreement or misunderstanding about expected provincial funding resulted in the need to find over a million dollars in further savings.
I’ve been following this issue and receiving briefings, not because I want to intervene in an issue which is properly the jurisdiction of the Board of the public health unit, but because public health funding has been steadily eroded under Doug Ford’s government. Public health focuses on prevention, and it remains one of the most cost-effective ways to use limited healthcare dollars.
In Our Community
It was a busy month in Kingston and the Islands. Here are just some of the events and meetings I attended as your MPP.
Family Day
I hope everyone had a happy Family Day, spent with those you call your family, and enjoyed some quiet time. I joined MP Mark Gerretsen for a public family skate day, and it was great to see everyone who came out with friends and family. Most importantly, I got to ask constituents what was on their minds.
Special Needs Supports in Schools
I spoke with Sarah, the mother of a child with special needs, about the realities her child faces at school. We discussed the challenges of getting timely psycho-educational assessments and how ongoing resource shortages mean many students with special needs are not receiving the support they require.
In response to cases like this, and the overall rise in disruptive behaviour and shortage of educational assistants, the Ontario Liberal caucus has proposed $1 billion a year in extra funding to hire 10,000 support staff across the province. Funding would come from the extra $2 billion contingency funds that the Ford government set aside last November. I will continue pushing the government to invest in our public education system, including special education, to ensure every child has the support they need to succeed.
Ecole Catholique Cathedrale
I visited Ecole’s grade 5/6 class during their social studies class to answer their questions about provincial politics and my job as their MPP.
Pickleball Food Drive
Fairgrounds Pickleball hosted a food drive in support of Partners in Mission Food Bank, offering free play time to those who donated food or funds. I was happy to join Fairgrounds to kick off the fundraising week, to speak about the importance of working together to build a healthy, thriving community and to ask how their new business was doing (very well, it turns out).
AMS Community Development Summit
I attended Queen’s University’s Community Development Summit, which brought together community partners, municipal representatives, and university faculty, students and staff. The summit provided an opportunity to learn more about student housing, affordability, and student health and safety. Thank you to the staff and volunteers who organized this thoughtful discussion!
All Seniors Games
This month, Cataraqui Heights hosted its ‘All Seniors Care’ Senior Games. Staying active and socially connected is essential to seniors’ wellbeing as they age, and these games give some of Kingston’s older adults the opportunity to come together, enjoy some friendly competition, and build new friendships.
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
The Agnes hosted its final exhibition before reopening in its brand new building, “Midheaven”, featuring work by Stacey Sproule in collaboration with Ambivalently Yours, Victoria Cheong, Erika DeFreitas, and Sara Keller. I appreciated the opportunity to view the artists’ work and to speak with Agnes staff about Ontario Arts Council funding and the criteria used to make funding decisions.
Sydenham Road Shelter
I went on a tour of the new shelter that will be opening on Sydenham Road. The shelter was hosting a series of tours for all interested. Many nearby residents and those interested in the city’s shelter spaces were there. It was great to hear about how the shelter is expected to run and the kinds of rules which will be set. I’m hopeful that the operators, who have a good reputation in Durham where they already operate, will bring new insights that our city may be able to learn from.
Chinese Canadian Association of Kingston District
I attended the annual Chinese New Year potluck dinner, a warm, noisy, family-oriented affair. I had to offer good fortune, success, health and happiness to the Chinese community and their friends.
CASA Wood
This month, I attended the opening of CASA Wood Studio, a new business offering handcrafted teak wood products made in India. Opening a new store is always a leap of faith, and I wish these entrepreneurs every success as they begin this exciting new venture.
Prinzen Farms
Kingston does not have a chicken farm, and so I traveled to Prince Edward County to visit Prinzen Poultry Farms, watch Jeremy and Jennifer’s chickens run around, learn about the operations, and talk about the challenges faced by chicken farmers in Ontario.
One thing I learned was that when the Highline mushroom farm in Wellington closed recently, this farm lost a buyer willing to pay a premium for chicken droppings. Like any industry, having a cluster of companies creates synergies and improves opportunities for profits and employment. We were joined by Samantha (dressed up in the suit), who is a Farming Operations Representative for the Chicken Farmers of Ontario.
If you buy Ontario Chicken in this area, Shannon has gone to the farm to conduct tests and audits.
YMCA OTF Grant
The YMCA celebrated an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant that supported the creation of a new low-barrier karate program. I was glad to attend and share a few words about the importance of ensuring all children can play and participate together, minimizing financial or other barriers.
Ontario Trillium Fund Grant Applications Open
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has released the 2026 submission deadlines for their grants. The next upcoming deadline is March 4th. Interested community organizations and partners should visit otf.ca to learn more about available funding opportunities.
Ontario Arts Council Grants Applications Open
Ontario Arts Council has opened applications for their 2026 grants! A full list of grants and deadlines can be found at www.arts.on.ca/grants/media-arts-projects.