Dear neighbour,
Last week, Ontario’s Auditor General Shelley Spence released four major reports — on Skills Development, Climate, Childcare, and Housing. I attended the media briefing and was struck by what I heard. These aren’t just policy papers. These are issues that affect millions of Ontarians. Let’s dive in:
The Skills Development Fund gives employers, unions, municipalities, non-profits and colleges funding to train people looking for work.
The Auditor found that this $2.5B program was being mismanaged — with political staff awarding large grants to companies with close Conservative ties while rejecting more qualified applicants. A hospital run by Conservative donors received $1.3M. A nightclub owner with Ford family ties got $6M. Even the wife of a former cabinet minister was granted $2M. You can bet that reporters, the NDP, and the Auditor General are going to be digging deep into this program.
The Ford government has abandoned its responsibility to fight climate change. The province is not on track to meet its 2030 targets and has no plan beyond that. They’ve stopped publishing updates on emissions reductions entirely. In fact, that’s why the Auditor General wrote this report.
Ontario’s affordable childcare program is at risk. The Ford government has failed to create enough spaces or hire enough workers. The program needs nearly $2B in new funding — and so far, 98% has come from the federal government. Low-income families are now less likely to find an affordable childcare spot because they cannot compete with the increased demand for the limited number of affordable childcare spots available. Ontario needs to bring in policy fixes so families most in need of affordable childcare can get that childcare spot.
Purchasing a home is likely to be the biggest financial decision you’ll ever make. It’s the job of the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) to make sure buyers of new homes aren’t ripped off by developers. But too often, we hear stories from people who have to spend thousands fixing up poorly built homes, or who lose their deposit when a developer goes bankrupt.
The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) is failing to protect homebuyers. The AG found the agency is greenlighting developers with active complaints and financial red flags. It’s failing to investigate complaints and letting bad actors continue building homes. Buyers deserve better oversight and accountability.
What happens next?
After the reports are released, my job begins. That’s because I’m on the public accounts committee. I work with my NDP, Liberal and Conservative MPP colleagues at Queen's Park and the Auditor General to improve the performance of the departments investigated in each report. We question heads of departments. We question ministers. We write reports ourselves. We raise these issues in the legislature.
On average, just 43 percent of the Auditor General’s recommendations are implemented. I want to get that number to 80 percent.
I think we can do it, and I'm ready to get to work.
Sincerely,
Jessica Bell
MPP, University-Rosedale
In this newsletter:
- Rally tonight for Kensington Tenants
- Rally to ban Above Guideline Increses
- Upcoming Townhall: the Future of Public Education
- FOI reveals Ford’s plans to remove bike lanes
- 106 species at risk to be stripped of all provincial recognition
- Home care patients deserve better
- Community Consultation Meeting for 38-50 Park Road
Rally tonight for Kensington Tenants
Tenants at 38 Kensington Place have endured weeks of harassment and intimidation from their landlord — including illegal lockouts, removal of furniture, and stolen belongings. These actions are unacceptable. Everyone deserves a safe, secure home free from harassment and fear.
Join me, neighbours, and community members tonight at 5:30 PM at Kensington Ave & St. Andrew St. to stand with tenants and defend their right to a safe home. Hope to see you there. More information here.
Rally to ban Above Guideline Rent Increases
On Thursday October 16 at 12 PM, join me, MPP Catherine McKenney, Alex Venuto from Ontario Renters for Fair Housing, and tenant advocates at 20 Prince Arthur Ave to demand a ban on Above Guideline Rent Increases (AGI).
My office constantly hears from tenants who are being hit with back-to-back AGIs. This is driving rents to unaffordable levels and forcing people out of the neighbourhoods they’ve long called home. AGIs let big landlords offload basic repair and maintenance costs onto tenants, while raking in profit.
The Ford government has had seven years to make housing more affordable. Instead, they’ve opened loopholes that let corporate landlords hike rents through AGIs, worsening Ontario’s housing crisis. It’s time to close those loopholes and protect tenants.
Bring your neighbours, your signs, and your voice. RSVP here.
Upcoming Townhall: the Future of Public Education
Join parents, students, educators, and community members on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:30 PM at 16 Spadina Road for a town hall hosted by elected trustees to discuss what’s happening in our schools.
One key issue on the table here is Bill 33, a sweeping piece of legislation that gives the Education Minister alarming new powers, including the ability to take over school boards, impose police in schools, and sell off publicly owned school land without public input.
Learn what’s at stake, share your concerns, and stand together for democratic, accountable schools. Child minding provided. RSVP here.
FOI reveals Ford’s plans to remove bike lanes
New documents obtained through a freedom of information request by the Toronto Star reveal that Ford’s government is targeting less than a kilometre of bike lanes on Bloor and Yonge for removal, even after the courts ruled the province’s attempt to rip them out was unconstitutional.
Experts say removing these lanes won’t ease traffic — Ford’s stated justification — but will undermine safety, cost millions, and potentially reinstate on-street parking.
Regardless of how this unfolds, we’ll keep fighting for safe streets in the legislature, through the courts, and alongside our communities, every step of the way.
106 species at risk to be stripped of all provincial recognition
The Ford government is pressing ahead with its biggest rollback of environmental protections in 20 years. The Ford government has confirmed that once their new law the Species Conservation Act comes into force it will strip 106 species — including the redside dace, eastern musk turtle, and red-headed woodpecker — of all provincial recognition.
And that’s not all. Under the Species Conservation Act, species recovery plans will no longer be mandatory, and habitat protections will be narrowed to just the nest or den, ignoring the broader ecosystems that at-risk species rely on to survive. It will also give politicians, not scientists, the power to decide which species deserve protection.
This is a full-scale assault on Ontario’s wildlife and ecosystems. Once we lose these species and the habitats they depend on, we don’t get them back.
I want to hear your thoughts on this. Reach out to my office at [email protected] or 416 535 7206.
Home care patients deserve better
The recent report from Ontario’s Patient Ombudsman confirms what families and health care workers have been telling us for months. Our home care system is failing the people who rely on it most. Last fall, patients Stage 4 cancer patients were left waiting for pain medication and essential supplies. Home care nurses were forced to work without the tools they needed. People died in pain when they could have had comfort and dignity at home.
When families choose to care for loved ones at home, they should be supported, not left to fend for themselves.
We need urgent investment and accountability in Ontario Health atHome. The home care system must be fixed so patients get the care they deserve, and frontline workers are never again put in an impossible position.
Community Consultation Meeting for 38-50 Park Road
Helberg Properties Limited has submitted an application to demolish 40 Park Road and replace it with a new 31-storey purpose-built rental building. The City of Toronto is holding a Community Consultation Meeting to hear your feedback.
Meeting Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025
Time: 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Location: Online via Webex or join by phone (Dial 647-749-7152)
Click here to RSVP.
To learn more about the application, visit www.toronto.ca/40parkrd.