September/August 2026 community update
Here's what you can find in this month's issue:
Warm regards,
Ted
Across Ontario
Doug Ford Shuffles Cabinet
The Ford government has shuffled the cabinet following resignations from Stan Cho, Neil Lumsden, and Caroline Mulroney. As part of my critic roles within the Ontario Liberal caucus, it's important for me to have a relationship with the relevant ministers. I have two new ministers to follow: Matt Rae in Energy-Intensive Industries and Sam Oosterhoff in Agriculture (previously in Energy-Intensive Industries).
Other notable changes include Trevor Jones (formerly with Agriculture) taking over Labour from David Piccini, who is now at Infrastructure, while former Infrastructure minister Kinga Surma is now the President of the Treasury Board (taking over for Caroline Mulroney). It'll be interesting to see how these new assignments influence ministry priorities, and how it'll impact my own critic work.
Canada - U.S. Trade War
Last month, trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. fell through after the U.S. introduced new terms that were not in the best interest of Canadians. As a result, the U.S. has imposed tariffs against Canada and the Canadian government has retaliated with counter-tariffs which came into effect September 8th.
I stand by the Carney government’s decision to suspend negotiations after unfair terms were presented. For example, there were limits on trade agreements Canada could make with other countries. It is essential that Canada maintain sovereignty. The new U.S. tariffs will have devastating impacts on Ontario workers and businesses; many businesses may close, and workers across the province will lose their jobs. It has never been more important for Doug Ford to step up and provide support for businesses and families.
To do that, he may need to pass laws or spend money. So, Ontario Liberal MPPs have called on Premier Ford to recall the Legislature. I for one have lots to say about the impact of tariffs on Kingston and the Islands, and I condemn the Premier for saying that he didn’t need the “gutter politics” of the Legislature at this critical time.
Contract Negotiations with Teachers
Since the beginning of August, contract negotiation between the province and the teachers' unions has been stalled. The Ford government is attempting to move issues such as layoffs, transfers, recall rights, leave of absence and local union leave to the provincial bargaining table; while in the past these issues were negotiated locally. This month, three of the five education unions announced that they will hold strike votes in November.
Centralizing these negotiations takes decision-making away from the people closest to the classrooms and replaces it with a one-size-fits-all approach that may not meet the needs of teachers, students, and parents. As a result, the unions referred the dispute to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and a decision could be weeks or even months away.
I believe that families are eager to see the dispute settled, and a fair agreement reached as kids go back to school. If the government is serious about improving student achievement, collaboration with teachers is essential. Changing the rules about which issues are negotiated at each bargaining table is counterproductive and only delays the work of reaching a fair agreement.
If you want more frequent updates about provincial news, subscribe to my Weekly Wrap where I cover five top news stories of the week.
Local Stories
Wolfe Island Ferry
On August 31, the Wolfe Islander IV returned after a long time out of service. I know some of the things they were working on, but the ministry officials have not offered me a briefing all summer, so I could not get more information. I plan to bring this up with Minister Sarkaria when Premier Ford finally allows MPPs to return on October 27th(!)
When I learned the IV would be back at the end of August, I was hopeful, particularly knowing its battery charger in Marysville and auto-mooring systems would be in use. However, on its first day back, there were delays due to a brief mechanical issue and fog. I’ll be watching closely to see how it performs in the longer term. The viability of the Island community requires reliable service, and I’ll continue to raise reliability issues with MTO.
Recent Job Layoffs
In August, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) announced layoffs of remote workers across Ontario. In Kingston, about 27 jobs are affected. I met with the President of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), which represents members employed at WSIB, to learn how the Ford government’s back-to-office mandate and pressure to rein in the headcount at WSIB have led to this move. WSIB will be losing many experienced workers while those same workers are reporting serious workload problems.
In September, global aluminum company Novelis announced another round of layoffs, including 10 salaried employees and 70 hourly workers at its Kingston plant. US tariffs have reduced production in Kingston, and the plant's long-term future remains uncertain. When Novelis laid off workers last year, I asked the Ford government to help build more Ontario and Canadian demand for Kingston-rolled aluminum through government procurement and a buy local policy. I am also looking for opportunities to connect Novelis with Canadian manufacturers so it can ramp up production again. I will continue to raise these issues and urge Premier Ford to show the same urgency and enhanced support for aluminum as he has for steel.
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.
Meeting with Kingston Police Chief
Thank you to Police Chief Adam MacIntosh for taking some of his valuable time to meet with me. We spoke about a wide range of issues such as limits on the time it takes to try an accused (Jordan's Law), the cost of providing court security, digital data collection (body and dashboard cameras), cybersecurity, and Mobile Crisis Response Teams.
Labour Day in Kingston and the Islands
It was a great turnout at the annual Labour Day Community Picnic hosted by my office and MP Mark Gerretsen's office. My staff and I had the opportunity to talk to many community members and to hear their comments and concerns. I find it’s a great way to talk to constituents who would otherwise be busy with kids. Food, music and conversation brought us together as a community. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this day a success!
Also on Labour Day, I attended Kingston District Labour Council’s event. My message that day was that, at a time when workers are already losing their jobs from tariffs, we need to show solidarity, protect those workers, and share the burden, so we can all last through this tariff war.
Meeting with KHSC
I met with the CEO and COO of Kingston Health Science Centre to strategize ways of securing provincial funding for the much-needed new Kingston hospital. KHSC is a tertiary hospital and it is bursting at the seams. While there are community hospitals from Peterborough to Smiths Falls to Brockville, life threatening and complicated cases in the whole region are sent to Kingston. That’s what “tertiary” means, and that is why the whole region needs a new Kingston hospital.
Queen Mary Road Transitional Housing + New KCHC Clinic
I attended the opening of the City of Kingston's new transitional housing for seniors on Queen Mary Road. As the Financial Accountability Office projects a decline in Ontario’s inflation-adjusted base funding for homelessness services over the next three years, we need to keep investing in housing solutions. Transitional housing provides people with a safe place to live, starts them on the path off the streets to towards independence. It’s an opportunity to rebuild lives. I appreciate everyone's hard work to make this development possible.
Kingston Community Health Centre celebrated the opening of a new clinic in the old Extendicare building on Queen Mary Road. It’s great to see this space be re-purposed to support the needs of our riding and expand access to family medicine throughout the community.
Pakistan Independence Day
This month, I joined the Pakistan Canada Association of Kingston for their annual Pakistan Independence Day celebration. It was a wonderful celebration of Pakistani-Canadian pride and community. That pride translates into community service here in Kingston and the Islands. I also had the pleasure of speaking with the first secretary to the High Commissioner, who was kind enough to answer my many questions about Pakistan.
Inclusive Play Project Playground
I visited the Inclusive Play Project as the team officially opened the Jumpstart Inclusive Playground at Shannon Park! Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and everyone who has donated or raised funds for this project over the years.
United Way Kickoff Breakfast
This month, I joined United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington for the launch of their 2026 fundraising campaign. United Way is aiming to raise $4.25M this year to fund programs addressing homelessness, mental health, and food insecurity across our community.
Thank you to the Campaign Chair, staff, volunteers, and board members for all you do to serve our community.
Journée des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes
La Journée des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes a été une belle occasion de rencontrer des membres de notre communauté francophone locale et de célébrer les contributions des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes à Kingston et les Îles, ainsi qu’ailleurs en Ontario. J’ai commencé en rencontrant des élèves de Mille-Îles et de Madeleine-de-Roybon. Plus tard, je me suis rendu au parc de la Confédération pour participer à l’événement organisé par l’ACFOMI.
Malayali Association Golden Jubilee
Recently, the Kingston Malayali Association celebrated Onam and fifty years of service to our community! I had the honour of congratulating all the volunteers and community members who have put in the work over the years to make the Association a vibrant part of Kingston. My best wishes to the KMA for the next 50 years!
Support Small Business!
Want to show your support for local businesses? Pick up a lawn or window sign from my office. Request yours by phone at 613-547-2385, or email at thsu.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org.