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Thursday, July 17, 2025

Ontario Liberals hold maskless rally after calling for schoolkids to stay masked

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Just weeks after calling on the Ford government to force kids to keep wearing masks in schools, Ontario Liberal Party leader Stephen Del Duca has held a large maskless rally with MPPs, candidates and supporters.

Del Duca held the rally on Saturday afternoon in Toronto, where he gave a keynote address ahead of the start of the 2022 Ontario General Election campaign. 

The Liberals also unveiled their new logo and their “Plan for Economic Dignity,” which includes a $16 minimum wage, working towards a four-day work week and banning “underpaid gig and contract work.”

Attendees at the Liberal rally were not socially distanced, and many were not masked. This included the MPPs and candidates standing directly behind Del Duca.

Ontario lifted all capacity limits on Mar. 1, and its indoor mask mandate for most settings on Mar. 21, Face coverings are now only required for public transit, healthcare facilities, long-term care and retirement homes and homeless shelters.

After photos of the rally emerged, many people took to social media to criticize the Liberals for hosting a large indoor maskless rally — especially given that Del Duca had previously called on kids in schools to remain masked.

“I side with Ontario’s top children’s health experts who urged Doug Ford that ‘now is not the time’ to lift the masking requirements in schools…” said Del Duca on Mar. 9.

He added, “I simply do not accept the argument that our kids’ schools are not higher-risk areas and essential, and the experts agree. We must wait a couple more weeks to make sure our kids will be safe.”

The Liberal leader also said that his party “will make the necessary investments to make sure our kids’ classrooms are safe and ready for next September.”

Del Duca’s pro-mask statements were echoed by other Liberals, including Nepean candidate Tyler Watt, who had also criticized Ford for planning to end mask mandates in hospitals and long-term care homes in April.

Watt, who works as an acute care registered nurse, was seen maskless behind Del Duca while the Liberal leader gave his speech. 

London North Centre candidate Kate Graham, who previously said she would continue wearing a mask after the end of the mandate to protect kids and vulnerable people, was also maskless.

Graham directly responded to True North’s Andrew Lawton (who called her out) by saying, “Yep. I screwed up here.”

In another tweet, Graham said, “I wish I wore my mask more consistently yesterday. Learning from this.”  

Other Liberal candidates who apologized for being maskless at Saturday’s rally include Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas candidate Shubha Sandill, Mississauga–Streetsville candidate Jill Promoli and Hamilton Centre candidate Ekaterini Dimakis.

Outrage over a lack of masking is likely not what the Ontario Liberal Party was hoping would come out of their first major in-person event since Mar. 2020. 

It is, however, not the first time that Liberals have been caught flouting their own advice when it comes to public health measures.

Back in June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to Europe for a G7, NATO and Canada-European Union summit despite not being fully vaccinated and the Public Health Agency of Canada advising against all non-essential travel.

While in the United Kingdom, Trudeau could be seen partying with other world leaders despite parts of Canada still being under lockdown.

Trudeau was also photographed maskless in the Netherlands in Oct. 2021 while Canadians were living under mask mandates and other public health restrictions.

In the United States, several Democratic politicians have also been caught flouting COVID rules.

These include House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Gavin Newsom, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

The Ontario election is expected to happen on Jun. 2. According to polls, Premier Doug Ford and his PC Party are expected to win another majority government.

Del Duca, who lost his seat in 2018, will run against Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Micheal Tibolo in Vaughan Woodbridge. According to 338 Canada, the PCs have a slight lead in the riding.

35% of government-sponsored refugees still on welfare after 10 years

By
Noah Jarvis
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Source: Government of Canada

A Statistics Canada study has found that 72% of government-sponsored refugees still rely on welfare programs two years after arrival, and 35% are still dependent after ten years.

As reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, StatsCan associated the increase in dependence on government assistance for refugees with the Chretien government passing Bill C-11, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, in 2001.

The report comes as the Trudeau government plans to bring in record-setting numbers of immigrants and refugees in the coming years. The federal Liberals have overseen the acceptance of over 25,000 Syrian refugees, primarily government-sponsored, and plans on accepting 40,000 refugees from Afghanistan. 

Overall, the feds are looking to admit over 75,000 refugees in 2022.

With the acceptance of more refugees, questions regarding Canada’s growing backlog of applicants of future citizens, permanent residents, international students and more have reached more than 1.8 million.

The Trudeau government was also one of the few countries to admit refugees during the pandemic, bringing in around 7,000 in 2020. The original plan had been to bring in 30,000.

Previously, the 1976 Immigration Act had made it mandatory for newcomers to demonstrate they had work skills and the ability to be economically independent. The Chretien government disposed of the requirement, so refugees no longer had to prove they were unlikely to rely on social assistance. 

The report showed that compared to the 35% rate for government-sponsored refugees, 23% of privately sponsored refugees relied on welfare ten years after coming to Canada. 

The StatsCan report stated that becoming dependent on government “is less likely for privately sponsored refugees who are more likely to have family or friends in Canada and are better positioned to find employment through sponsors.”

Bill C-11 was supposed to be an “overhaul of the immigration and refugee determination system,” said then-Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan.

Then-leader of the Canadian Alliance Party Stockwell Day had voiced opposition to the bill, saying that refugees could “remain in Canada as long as their claim is working its way through the cumbersome refugee determination process” while they can “claim Canadian social benefits, applying for welfare and health cards.” 

An alternative to the policy was proposed in a 2002 Commons hearing by David Davis, a lawyer for the National Indo-Canadian Council. Davis advocated for allowing any Canadian citizen to sponsor anyone regardless of their relationship with that person. 

“Why not allow a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident to sponsor one individual regardless of their relationship?” said Davis. “As long as that person is willing to financially sponsor that individual and make sure they look after their interests and they don’t go on welfare I wouldn’t think there would be a concern from Immigration Canada.” 

LEVY: Erotic dance headlining 2SLGBTQIAP+ event for 11-year-olds at Toronto school district?

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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Toronto District School Board (TDSB) officials have invited kids as young as 11 to a conference this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss issues facing LGBTQ, pansexual, intersexual and asexual students.

The EnVision virtual conference is described as an annual gathering for “2SLGBTQIAP+ Elementary and Secondary students and their allies and co-conspirators” to discuss homophobia and transphobia in Ontario.

One of the figures behind Envision is TDSB student equity program advisor Javier Davila – the self-described “gay latine transformer” who was investigated for distributing two virulently anti-Israel manuals to board teachers last year.

According to the TDSB program for the event, the focus of this year’s conference is to address Indigenous, black and racialized collective care and activism.

The conference has been held for several years, but this appears to be the first year that the initials “A” and “P” have been added to what were formerly designated “2SLGBTQ” events. “A” stands for asexual, which refers to people who reportedly experience no sexual attraction towards anyone, while “P” is for pansexual, which refers to people attracted to all sexes. Last year, “I” – or “intersex” – was added to signify those born with both female and male parts.

The so-called “free” conference – which gives staff and students an entire day off classroom learning if they attend all the workshops – has been organized by the Equity-Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression team at the TDSB.

The materials say 1,000 students can participate in the launch, which will feature a performance by the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance.

The dance group – which was founded in 2010 by two Torontonians named Twysted Miyake-Mugler and Motha Vixen – is described as a space using Ballroom Arts to “nurture the needs of Black and other radicalized” LGBTQI+ youth.

Both their Facebook and Instagram pages include highly sexualized dances and pictures of masked semi-nude members, all of which is far too sophisticated and inappropriate for middle-school students.

But it gets better. 

The program says both elementary and secondary students who participate in the conference will be invited to use virtual platforms to ask questions and explore how they can celebrate gender and sexual diversity in schools and beyond. 

To help them do so, Dr Andrew B. Campbell (Dr. ABC and a he/him) has been invited to present. He is described as a motivational speaker who has a PhD in educational leadership, policy and diversity who has taught in Jamaica, The Bahamas and Canada.

One of his books, The Invisible Student in the Jamaican Classroom (2018), is described on Amazon as sharing the experiences of gay Jamaican males with formal schooling.

Campbell indicates that when he was young, he did not see “any gay role models” except for on TV, or any successful black gay men that would have given him “courage and hope to know he could become more than what the school and neighbourhood bully said he would become.”

Another speaker scheduled for the virtual conference is Tru Wilson (she/they) who earned notoriety at age 10 in Vancouver when she filed a human rights complaint against her Catholic school for not supporting her transition from male to female.

According to the TDSB program, Wilson – now 18 – has become a “proud and voracious speaker” for trans rights.

“In 2015, (Tru) was recognized by Vancouver magazine as one of the city’s 50 most powerful and influential people,” the program says, noting she now shares her story to educate and inspire others.

The program claims that EnVision is best for students who want to start a Gender and Sexuality Alliance, a Queer-Straight Alliance, Gender Justice Group or Equity Club in their school. It is also reportedly for students who have an interest in advocating for anti-oppression, anti-hate and affirming “healthy relationships” in schools.

Anything but actually studying, it seems.

Just when I thought school boards had gone too far ramming gender equity, pronouns and sexual proclivities down the throats of kids who just want to play baseball, soccer, video games and the like, they double down and come up with something even more explicit.

We shouldn’t be surprised that this conference is a creation of the activist and non-classroom teachers at the TDSB. At the same time, parents with kids in middle school should be absolutely outraged that these radicals are still pushing their sexualized agenda on students, even after that agenda has been so continuously exposed.

As loud as they’ve been, it seems they’ll have to speak up louder.

Liberals mum on whether natural gas and nuclear power are “clean energy”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal government officials with the Department of Natural Resources wouldn’t reveal whether they considered nuclear power or natural gas to be a form of clean energy. 

During a Mar. 21 Commons international trade committee meeting, top officials with the department were unable to answer questions from parliamentarians on whether nuclear energy was included in its clean electricity strategy. 

“You talked about green energy and the fact that you don’t know where nuclear lies, so how can you explain how nuclear energy was excluded from the green bond framework by this government? If it was excluded from that framework, obviously this government isn’t thinking that nuclear energy is green. Can you add to those comments, please?” asked Conservative MP Warren Steinley. 

“The Department of Finance is ultimately responsible for the green bond frameworks, so I would defer to them on (that),” replied the department’s Director General of Energy Amanda Wilson. 

“I understand that,” said Steinley. “Are you saying that the Department of Finance didn’t ask the natural resource department at all what should be in and what should be out of the green bond framework?”

“NRCan obviously contributed to that framework, because a number of departments did, but we have not made the final decisions with respect to that framework,” responded Wilson. 

“So is NRCan’s recommendation to have nuclear in the green bond framework?” said Steinley.

“No, that is not what I said, sir. I said that the Department of Finance is best placed to answer the question with respect to the green bond framework.” said Wilson. 

The Department of Finance published its Green Bond Framework guidance earlier this month. The program will allow investors to purchase bonds to finance government environmental projects. A total of $5 billion in government-issued bonds will be available for purchase under the program. 

Earlier during the committee meeting, Wilson was also unable to answer questions put to her by Liberal MP Chandra Arya on whether the federal government had declared nuclear power or natural gas as green and sustainable. 

“On a related question, the European Union has declared nuclear and natural gas as green and sustainable. What are your thoughts on Canada’s position on this?” asked Arya. 

“I don’t know that Canada has put labels per se on natural gas and nuclear. I think we look more specifically towards energy intensity, understanding that it will be important to find the right mix of energy sources and technologies as we move ahead to net zero,” said Wilson.

Environmental activists have attempted to paint nuclear energy and natural gas as a form of dirty energy in order to further cripple development in those areas. In February, the European Commission announced that both forms of energy were to be considered “sustainable investments” and a part of the continent’s effort to become carbon neutral by 2050. 

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nuclear power use has reduced CO2 emissions by over 60 gigatonnes – or two years worth of global emissions – in the last 50 years. In its report titled Canada 2022 Energy Policy Review, the organization noted that nuclear power played an important role in Canada’s clean energy industry. 

“Achieving ambitious climate targets, and potentially net zero emissions by 2050, will require both long-term operation of the existing nuclear fleet and the development of nuclear new builds,” wrote the IEA. 

With regard to natural gas, the IEA also observed that Canadian product could help displace the use of coal globally, becoming the second-largest energy source after hydro by 2040. 

“The LNG Canada plant is designed to be one of the lowest CO2 intensity LNG facilities currently operating in the world, with a 60% lower emissions rate than the global average. Other LNG projects in Canada plan to use clean, renewable hydroelectricity to power operations, with emissions profiles up to 90% lower than global competitors,” researchers noted. 

On Tuesday, the Liberal government released its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan which included nuclear power and cleaner forms of natural gas as part of Canada’s pollution reduction strategy.

Bitcoin lets Canadians “opt out of inflation”: Pierre Poilievre

By
Andrew Lawton
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Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre wants Canada to be the “blockchain capital of the world.”

At a campaign stop in London, Ont. on Monday, Poilievre said Canadians need more financial freedom, which cryptocurrencies including bitcoin can offer.

“Government is ruining the Canadian dollar, so Canadians should have the freedom to use other money, such as bitcoin,” Poilievre said. “Canada needs less financial control for politicians and bankers and more financial freedom for the people.”

Poilievre said if elected he would keep crypto legal and work with provinces to ensure there are clear rules across jurisdictions for blockchain companies and those using cryptocurrencies.

Poilievre also said bitcoin offers Canadians a reprieve from inflation, which is higher than it has been in decades.

“After creating $400 billion in cash out of thin air since 2020, Canada’s inflation rate has hit a 30-year high, and housing inflation is hitting all-time records,” Poilievre said. “Choice and competition can give Canadians better money and financial products. Not only that, but it can also let Canadians opt out of inflation, with the ability to opt in to cryptocurrencies.”

China and numerous Middle Eastern countries have banned cryptocurrency, with others placing heavy restrictions on exchanges that effectively prohibit blockchain transactions.

Poilievre has pledged that no such ban would occur in Canada if he is elected prime minister.

At an afternoon photo op, Poilievre bought shawarma from Tahini’s, a London-based company that has poured its profits into bitcoin to fund aggressive growth.

Last month, the Canadian government placed sanctions on 34 cryptocurrency wallets it said were connected to the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.

Convoy organizers actively solicited bitcoin donations after the government froze hundreds of convoy-affiliated bank accounts and sought a court order prohibiting the use of money donated to the convoy’s crowdfunding campaigns.

Poilievre didn’t mention the convoy or the Emergencies Act in his statement but did speak about the importance of a “decentralized, bottom-up economy.”

Eleven candidates have declared their candidacy for the Conservative leadership, including Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis, Saskatchewan businessman Joseph Bourgault, Brampton mayor Patrick Brown, and former Quebec premier Jean Charest.

Conservatives will elect their new leader in September.

Introducing a new True North Contributor: Samuel Sey

By
Candice Malcolm
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True North is pleased to welcome our newest journalist and contributor Sam Sey! 

Today on the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice welcomes Samuel to the podcast and to True North. Samuel is a scholar and writer living in the GTA who focuses on critiquing and exposing Critical Race Theory and so-called anti-racism. 

Anti-racism sounds innocuous, but, as Sam explains, it is a racist and pernicious force that insists that race and group identity matter more than a person’s character or abilities. It seeks to divide our society and promotes hate and resentment rather than cohesion and pluralism. 

Anti-racists advocate in favour of racist discrimination, and go so far as to accuse Civil Rights champions like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of being “white supremacists.”

Canadians need to learn the facts about Critical Race Theory so we can stop it from seeping into our education system and prevent awful bills, like Bill 67 in Ontario, from being passed into law. 

True North has brought on Samuel to do just that – expose this racist ideology and give parents the tools they need to stop it. 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Effect of pandemic on Kindergarten kids concerns Toronto school board chair

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The chair of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has publicly shared his concerns about the “extraordinary developmental needs” of incoming Kindergarten students caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – although he didn’t mention masks.

TDSB Chair Alexander Brown wrote a letter to the Ontario government on Thursday asking that early childhood educators be placed in all Kindergarten classrooms. 

Currently, only Kindergarten classrooms with 15 students or more are required to have both a teacher and an early childhood educator. Brown said he would like to see that change so that all classrooms receive both.

Brown stated that junior Kindergarten students in the upcoming 2022-2023 school year “will have spent the vast majority of their existence living through the COVID-19 pandemic.”

He also said that “early childhood development depends on experience, and particularly social experience, which stimulates, tunes and hones the brain’s unfolding architecture.”

According to Brown, the pandemic has caused limited social experience opportunities “due to closed childcare services, community centres, playgrounds, social distancing and other factors.”

Brown said there is “limited existing data” on how infants and young children have been impacted by the pandemic. He did, however, cite an American study that suggested “slight neurodevelopmental delays” may be experienced by young children born during the pandemic.

The study funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) saw that infants born during the pandemic had “slightly lower scores on measures of gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and social skills.”

However, it should be noted that Brown fails to mention masks in his letter even though experts have shown that mask-wearing also interferes with young children’s brain development. 

According to NPR, multiple scientific papers have shown that wearing masks makes hearing and understanding speech more difficult. The same is true for identifying facial expressions and emotions.

German psychiatrist and a cognitive neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer, who reviewed evidence on how the development of children could be impacted by wearing masks, says the negatives are clear when it comes to masking young children.

Spitzer also said that people taking care of young children should not be wearing masks. He told NPR that “(k)ids need to train up their face recognition.” 

“Babies were never designed just to see the upper half of the face and to infer the lower half; even adults have a hard time doing this,” he added.

It should be noted that the TDSB previously mandated that Kindergarten students wear masks despite the Ontario government not requiring it. The TDSB was also concerned about Ontario ending its mask mandate on Mar. 21 and asked for “additional time” to remove the measures at their own pace.

According to Brown, removing “measures like masking, distancing, cohorting and daily screening protections at the same time would go against our multiple layer approach to protecting our school communities from the spread of COVID-19.”

The Ontario government denied TDSB’s request, however, with Premier Doug Ford stating that school boards “aren’t medical experts.” Ford added that “the chief medical officer (Dr. Kieran Moore) is the expert and he’s done his due diligence.”

Ontario also recently marked two years of government COVID-19 restrictions, which have included long and controversial school closures. The 2021-2022 school year is the third to be disrupted by the pandemic.

“Next generation convoy” from Quebec winds through Ottawa

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

A second freedom convoy of trucks and cars from Quebec made its way through Ottawa on Saturday, cheered by flag-waving onlookers and escorted by Ottawa police. 

The fleet left the Quebec City area Saturday morning en route to Vankleek Hill, a town in eastern Ontario with a major truck stop. According to organizers, they will head back towards Quebec City on Sunday.

The leaders of the Quebec convoy said they were fighting for the freedom of future generations and for the end of COVID-19 restrictions. Quebec remains one of the only Canadian provinces that still requires people to wear masks in indoor public settings. The provincial government has set Apr. 15 as the end date for the measure, but concerns of a sixth wave may change that.

Throughout the pandemic, the Quebec government also imposed some of the harshest restrictions in the Western world, including curfews, lockdowns and vaccine passports that limited access to groceries. Quebec also considered taxing the unvaccinated, but ended up backing down after heavy criticism and lightening hospitalization numbers. 

The new convoy passed through several Quebec towns and cities on its way to Ottawa, including Drummondville, Montreal and Gatineau. Social media posts by organizer Patrick Tremblay show supporters cheering from overpasses.

Unlike the original cross-Canada Freedom Convoy, whose participants stayed in Ottawa for three weeks, the Quebec convoy drove straight through the city – as police required them to do. Participants crossed the Ottawa River from Gatineau into the nation’s capital and made their way down Laurier Avenue, home to Ottawa City Hall and Confederation Park.  

Hundreds of supporters lined the sidewalks along Confederation Park to cheer the convoy on. True North was on the scene to capture some of the sights and sounds.

The convoy then headed down O’Connor Street to Highway 417, which took the demonstration to its final destination of Vankleek Hill. 

The fleet of vehicles was initially supposed to reach the capital at 2:30pm but ended up arriving around 4:15pm. It was escorted by what appeared to be an unmarked police van.

Convoy organizers had shared their itinerary with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and reminded participants that it is prohibited to honk in the city’s downtown core.

Police also issued a letter in French to convoy participants stating that it was “forbidden at all times” to stop on the road, unless requested to do so by an officer.

OPS also told the participants they would take “a strong police enforcement stance to ensure respectful use of our streets for the exercise of constitutional rights and the maintenance of public safety.”

Police added that the Criminal Code, the Provincial Offenses Act and municipal by-laws would be enforced “in order that residents, visitors and businesses in downtown Ottawa avoid new disruptions by large convoys of vehicles.”

Police made good on the warning and maintained a strong presence in the downtown. A heavy wrecker tow truck was also spotted parked nearby.

Radio Canada reported that City of Ottawa trucks were also used to ensure convoy participants followed their planned itinerary.

Despite these measures, authorities say there were no reported incidents as the convoy made its way through the capital.

The Quebec convoy is the first major freedom event to take place in Ottawa since the Freedom Convoy, which received international attention and attracted thousands to protest on Parliament Hill and across Canada. 

The historic demonstrations opposing the erosion of freedoms under COVID-19 were brought to an end shortly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14. The never-before-used legislation allowed the government additional powers of enforcement, including the freezing of bank accounts of convoy participants and supporters.

Trudeau received major backlash for invoking the act, including from members of the European Parliament last week. Ottawa police also received heavy criticism for their conduct, especially during the last weekend of the Freedom Convoy.

Despite all ten provinces having committed to lifting COVID restrictions including vaccine passports and mask mandates, federal measures surrounding travel remain in place. Federal  health minister Jean-Yves Duclos recently told the House of Commons health committee that there is not an end in sight for these measures.

“The truth is that COVID-19 is still here in Canada and certainly outside of Canada. And that’s what I think we should be mindful of,” said Duclos.
The Liberals and the NDP also voted down a Conservative motion last week that urged the government to end federal mandates and restrictions.

$364 million in zero- and low-interest loans given to China since 1980

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Documents tabled in the House of Commons reveal that the federal government has given 168 mostly interest-free export loans to China since the 1980s, with final payments not due until 2045. 

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, an Inquiry Of Ministry requested by Conservative MP Kelly McCauley and tabled in the House of Commons revealed the nature of the loans. 

The inquiry showed that of a total 168 loans given to China to buy Canadian goods, 147 were interest-free for 40 or 50 years. The 21 others had interest rates from 1% to 9%.

“Loans were provided in the past to help ensure Canadian exporters could compete on equal footing with foreign competitors that may offer better financing,” the federal government claimed. 

The loans totalled $364,714,786, with final payments not due until Feb. 15, 2045. The money was distributed through the “Canada Account” by way of the Export Development Act. 

Loans to China under the act were the largest when compared to loans to other countries. The federal government also gave out 96.2 million to Iraq, $86.4 million to Turkey, $67.5 million to Morocco, $42.6 million to India, $36 million to Argentina, $18 million to Pakistan, $7.1 million to Gabon, $6.4 million to Egypt, $5.4 million to Sudan, $4.8 million to Jamaica and $2.8 million to Venezuela.

Ultimately, control of who gets the loans lies with the minister in charge at the time.

“The Canada Account is essentially a fund the staff recommends against but the minister can do an override and make an investment for reasons best known to the minister,” Liberal MP John McKay said during a 2010 Commons finance committee meeting. 

According to the organization Environmental Defence, loans sent out from the Canada Account may never be repaid if the country that received the money refuses to pay it back.

“Loans issued through the Canada Account can easily become grants,” the group wrote in a report. “Any loss incurred is directly borne by Canadian taxpayers.”

The Liberals continued to carry the loans to the communist Chinese government despite a vote in 2021 condemning authoritarian human rights abuses involving forced internment, slave labour and genocide against the country’s Uyghur minority. 

Sudbury chief medical officer made $800k last year, including $482k overtime

By
Harley Sims
-

The Ontario sunshine list for 2021 has revealed that Sudbury’s chief medical officer of health made $800,726 last year – the ninth-highest public-sector salary in the province, and more than twice as much as any other city’s top doctor.

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe also collected $7,629 in taxable benefits, as shown by the annual list of all provincial employees earning more than $100k.

The 244,000 employees on the sunshine list represent nearly a 20% spike from the approximately 205,000 in 2020. According to the province, 95% of that growth is in the education sector, with teachers’ salaries accounting for almost all of it (92%).

Despite Sudbury being only the sixteenth-largest city in Ontario by population, Sutcliffe’s taxpayer-funded income dramatically outshone those of Ontario’s other top doctors, including provincial chief medical health officer, Dr. Kieran Moore.

Moore appeared twice on the list, making $235,314 for his work as Ontario’s top doctor as well as another $225,709 for serving Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington before June 2021. Combined, Moore’s take of $461,023 represented less than 60% of Sutcliffe’s $0.8 million.

Among some of the province’s other government doctors, Toronto’s chief medical officer Dr. Eileen de Villa made $319,762, Ottawa’s Dr. Vera Etches took home $326,603 and Hamilton’s Dr. Elizabeth Richardson made $373,600.

Ontario Health CEO Matthew Anderson made only slightly more than Sutcliffe, with $826,000, while Kevin Smith, CEO of Toronto’s University Health Network, took in $845,092.

Four employees of Ontario Power Generation took in more than $1 million apiece, with CEO Kenneth Hartwick at the top ($1,628,246) and chief strategy officer Dominique Miniere in second place ($1,523,518).  

Other notable figures and salaries included Premier Doug Ford ($208,974), former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly ($341,827), Toronto’s police chief James Ramer ($332,024) and Ottawa mayor Jim Watson ($188,996).

Because the federal government does not release a sunshine list, the salary of Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam remains undisclosed.

The salary of British Columbia’s Dr. Bonnie Henry is reportedly capped at $384,316.

Responding to the revelation of Sutcliffe’s enormous earnings on Friday, Public Health Sudbury put out a statement.

“Dr. Sutcliffe’s salary… includes additional hours from 2020 that were not paid out until 2021. Of Dr. Sutcliffe’s disclosure, $219,000 is related to overtime worked in 2020, but not paid until 2021 and a further $263,000 is related to overtime worked and paid in 2021.”

Last week, and one day after Ontario’s Dr. Kieran Moore had announced the province would be dropping its mask mandate on Mar. 21, Sutcliffe put out a statement urging Ontarians to continue wearing them.

“The pandemic is not over, and our area continues to have higher COVID rates compared with the province,” Sutcliffe advised. 

“With the provincial direction for the March 21 removal of masking mandates for most settings, along with the removal of screening and safety plan requirements for businesses, I am reminding people in our area that masking remains a simple and effective tool to protect yourself and those around you.”

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