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Municipal Update: The Towers of Power
Thursday marked the first solid day of Toronto City Council, where the pomp and circumstance was over and it was down to business. As highlighted in our update last week, Council Committees look a little different from the last term, with 4 interim Committees and 25 Members of Council, 26 when you include the Mayor. The Councillors who form the Committees have the ability to significantly move the dial on any particular issue.
Municipal Update: Back In The Tower Again
Toronto City Council was sworn in on December 4, 2018 to a Council Chamber full of family, friends and staff. The new Council is comprised of 25 Members including the Mayor, making it 26 (remember this now means to have an item passed at Council a majority +1 is needed, i.e. 14 votes). Read our report on Toronto's New City Council.
Analysis: A Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan
Today, the Ontario Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks – the Hon. Rod Phillips - released Preserving and Protecting our Environment for Future Generations – A Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan (‘Plan’). The 53-page document is the government’s overarching blueprint for environmental policy. Below, Sussex has summarized the key points of the Plan with additional context for specific elements that may be of interest. The Plan is now posted to the Environmental Registry (EBR) website here, for a 60-day public consultation period. The government will continue to announce policies, actions, and initiatives associated with the Plan including additional opportunities for online and in-person consultation in the months ahead. Sussex will continue to monitor these developments.
Federal Government Fall Economic Statement Analysis
Finance Minister Bill Morneau today released the federal government’s Fall Economic Statement (FES) in the House of Commons. Titled Investing in Middle Class Jobs, the plan is designed to shore up Canadian economic confidence in the face of a strained trade relationship with the United States and a gradual shift from a resource-based economy to one based on the Liberal government’s clean-growth model of innovation, technology and services. It also continues the Government’s focus on growing the middle class.
Ontario Government Fall Economic Statement 2018
Today, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli rose in the Legislature to deliver the Ontario PC government’s first Fall Economic Statement (FES). This highly anticipated event is second only to the provincial budget in terms of the attention paid to the Minister and the Ministry of Finance every year. The budget and the FES, as insiders like to call it, are the two focal points for decision making for Finance too, so in addition to providing a window into the province’s finances, many stakeholders hold their breath on this day, when funding decisions are often made.
Prime Minister Trudeau Unveils Carbon Pricing and Rebate System Details
This morning Prime Minister Trudeau held a news conference to announce details of the planned federal carbon pricing system roll-out. He was joined by Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Science Minister Kirsty Duncan. The announcement was held at Humber College, which sits at the centre of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s electoral riding of Etobicoke North. It also sits in the federal riding of Minister Duncan.
One Year Out - Federal Election 2019
One year out, the Liberals seem to have a thin edge in terms of voter intention. However, many polls had the Liberals and the Conservatives neck-and-neck from March to late-July or early- August, and just this week they look to have swung back to near parity. The Prime Minister’s approval rating has steadily declined since this summer, and now sits at 48%, according to Ipsos.
Cannabis in the City: To Opt-In or Not Opt-In that is the Question
The day is finally here for cannabis legalization – October 17, 2018. Some have referenced similarities to the end of prohibition years ago. A historic day, no doubt. So, what’s next? We’ve heard from the Federal government as well as Provincial governments, but there are still several uncertainties and questions surrounding cannabis and its place within municipalities across Canada. The Municipal Team at Sussex Strategy Group hopes to shed some light those uncertainties through a brief overview of what’s to be expected as part of this legalization rollout.
How Recreational Cannabis Will Impact Medical Programs
With the legalization of recreational cannabis coming into effect on October 17, 2018, many are asking, what is the point of maintaining a separate medicinal cannabis model? After all, provincially licensed retail stores in theory will be permitted to sell a breadth of cannabis product strains and compounds for recreational use, some of which may have medicinal benefits. We would argue that a separate system for medicinal cannabis should exist, but just not in its current form. Instead, a system should exist that allows the provinces to enable community pharmacists to dispense cannabis for medical purposes to their patients to ensure safety, access and a high quality of care.
What you need to know about the new NAFTA Agreement (USMCA)
Mere hours before a US-Mexico imposed deadline for ratification and after 13 months of intense, exhaustive and at times combative negotiations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced shortly before midnight last evening the completion of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now titled the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which covers $1.2 Trillion in annual trade.