SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Jessica Bell

  • MPP
  • Member of Provincial Parliament
  • University—Rosedale
  • New Democratic Party of Ontario
  • Ontario
  • Unit 103 719 Bloor St. W Toronto, ON M6G 1L5 JBell-CO@ndp.on.ca
  • tel: 416-535-7206
  • fax: t 103 719 Bl
  • JBell-QP@ndp.on.ca

  • Government Page

Thank you so much for that question. Removing tolls on roads that don’t have tolls is not going to result in people having more money to pay the bills, to buy food at the supermarket and to pay their rent at the start of the month. It’s just not going to.

We’ve got a provincial budget coming up shortly. My hope is that in this provincial budget we see some real investments in public services, we see some real measures to address the affordability crisis, because what I’m seeing in the Get It Done bill is not going to cut it, is not going to make things more affordable.

There are better things that we can do. There are better things we can invest in to help people get from A to B at an affordable price and spend time with their families or doing what they want to do in their spare time, in their free time—investing in transit, doing smart urban planning so people live near where they work and play so that they don’t have to spend an hour and a half in a car in the first place, really thinking about where we’re going to put our employment hubs so that we’re thinking it through and people don’t just have to come to downtown Toronto for that job. There’s a lot we can do. I don’t think Highway 413 is the answer.

247 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Nov/30/22 11:30:00 a.m.

My question is to the Minister of Health.

I was contacted by my constituent Elliot, whose doctor has announced new fees for previously insured OHIP services. Elliot is now being asked to pay for basic services like getting prescriptions, referrals, and transferring medical records.

Forcing people to pay for basic services like getting a prescription refill is not just a hurdle; it’s a threat to people’s health and well-being.

Why are patients like Elliot being charged these surreptitious fees?

82 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Nov/21/22 10:40:00 a.m.

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I was shocked to learn, Minister, that nine of the developers that own land being removed from the greenbelt donated more than $572,000 to the Conservative Party. These developers bought the protected land at a very cheap price, and now, with a stroke of your pen, they can develop that land for incredible profit.

Minister, how did you decide which land owned by which donor should be removed from the greenbelt?

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is not happy with Bill 23. Since this government refused to extend the hearings and let them speak, I’ll read from their written submission: “The bill transfers up to $1 billion a year in costs from private sector developers to property taxpayers without any likelihood of improving affordability.” In other words, “Developers stand to gain. We all stand to lose. Housing will remain unaffordable.”

Minister, why proceed with the developer fee cuts if experts are telling you it won’t make housing affordable?

173 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Aug/18/22 10:50:00 a.m.

My question is to the Premier.

Premier, I want to tell you about Jennifer LeFeuvre. In 2019, Jennifer signed a contract and put down a deposit for a new home to be built in Stayner, Ontario, by Briarwood Development Group—whose CEO happens to be a big donor of the Premier and the PC Party.

Three years later, Jennifer is still waiting for her home to be built, and now the developer has told Jennifer that she needs to pay an additional $175,000 for the home or the contract is broken and she won’t be getting her home at all.

Jennifer is devastated. As she describes it, “These people are getting away with murder and there’s nothing that I can do.”

Premier, can you step in and ensure this developer honours the deal they made to build Jennifer a home at the original price?

This is my question to the Premier: Can you properly strengthen Ontario’s laws so homebuyers are protected from developers who price-gouge?

170 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border