February E Newsletter

Message From Your MPP

I hope everyone has smoothly transitioned into the New Year and is making progress with keeping your resolution on track.

I can’t count how many times, and how many people have said “We Love February!”, as it is the month of love celebrating St. Valentine’s birthday. February also marks the start of Black History Month, a time to celebrate the incredible contributions of Black Canadians to the beautiful mosaic of Canada. I am proud to share that Mississauga-Malton is the proud home to Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, named after Canada’s first Black Member of Parliament and Ontario’s first Black Lieutenant Governor.

Celebrating the spirit of multiculturalism, January was a month of festivity welcoming in Orthodox and Lunar New Year. It was heartwarming to join Thai Pongal, Lohri and Makar Sankranti gatherings marking the onset of the first harvest of the year.

Carrying the spirit of togetherness, the Ontario government remains committed to connecting every Ontarian to the care they need. We are finding ways to attract and train more frontline healthcare workers and have added more than 17,000 registered nurses to our healthcare system last year alone. In Ontario’s largest investment ever, our government is committing $50 billion to at 50 hospital projects across the province to provide state-of-the-art healthcare treatments.

I am excited to invite everyone to a colorful afternoon filled with fun at this year’s Family Paint Night, on February 11! As always, my office is here to serve. Your input is invaluable, and together we can continue to make our community an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

Deepak Anand

Family Paint Night 2024

Join me on Sunday, February 11 at Iceland Arena for a a day of family fun while painting, laughing and getting to know the Mississauga-Malton community.

Remarkable Citizen Awards

“There are three types of people in this world. Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

Mississauga-Malton is privileged to have dedicated volunteers and local heroes who make our community a better place to live, work, and thrive. In recognition of these phenomenal contributors, MPP Anand created the “Remarkable Citizen” Awards in 2019.

If you know someone who is making a difference in the community or if your life has been touched by a volunteer, help us recognize them by nominating that selfless individual for this year.

Nominate Someone Here!

Investments In Ontario

$72.3 Million is being invested in a new long-term care home investigations unit to strengthen oversight and improve safety.

This new unit is now active and investigating allegations such as failing to protect a resident from abuse or neglect, repeated/ongoing non-compliance, failing to comply with the ministry inspector’s orders, suppressing/falsifying reports, and negligence of corporate directors.

$33.6 Million investment by pasta manufacturer Andriani Ltd. has been secured with $1.5 million in provincial funding.

This will be the Italian-based company’s first production facility in North America and will spur growth in our province’s agri-food industry and increase demand for Ontario-made wheat.

$25 Million investment by local medical technology company FluidAI Medical supported by $1.4 million in provincial funding.

FluidAI manufactures innovative monitors powered by AI technologies for early detection of post-operative complications. This investment will help expand production to meet increasing international demand, helping save lives more in Ontario and abroad.

$16 Million in joint provincial and federal funding is being invested to help Ontario food producers lower costs.

This initiative will use cost-sharing models to help 30 food processors across the province increase energy efficiency and lower utility costs through new technologies or building modifications

$14.9 Million is being invested to support Quantum Valley Ideas Lab (QVIL) drive breakthroughs in quantum technology.

The QVIL research laboratory will use this funding accelerate the development and adoption of quantum science technologies by Ontario companies. These technologies have the potential to transform the communications, automotive, defence and aviation industries and more.

$10.4 Million is being invested by silicone molder Starlim North America Corp. supported by $1.3 Million in provincial funding.

Starlim is a global leader in liquid silicone injection molding, and will use this investment to expand their facility which makes 60 unique silicone components for the health care, mobility, automotive and consumer goods industries.

$8 Million in joint provincial and federal funding is being invested in Ontario’s dairy processing sector.

This funding will help Ontario farmers modernize their equipment to increase efficiency and food safety. A cost-share model can help cover the purchase and installation of of new equipment and it’s associated costs like training.

$7.5 Million is being invested to help municipalities better manage risks posed by oil and gas wells.

Funding will be used by nine different municipalities to enhance emergency prevention and preparedness within their communities, with training and equipment.

Updates from Queen’s Park

Save ON Energy Small Business Program

The Save on Energy Small Business program is designed to help small businesses across Ontario install low-energy lighting systems and other energy-efficient equipment.

For no cost to businesses, these upgrades can significantly increase customer and staff experiences, while lowering operational expenses and our province’s carbon footprint.

Eligibility:

Businesses with an operating capacity of 50 or fewer employees.
Participants in the former Save on Energy Small Business Lighting program, Refrigeration Efficiency program, Business Refrigeration Incentive program, and RTUsaver program may be eligible for certain upgrades.
Businesses that have previously participated and received funding may qualify to receive additional upgrades at no-cost. Learn more in the eligibility section of the FAQs.
Businesses that participated in a Save on Energy program before April 1, 2019 are eligible to reapply.

How it Works:

Step 1: Schedule On-Site Assessment
Assessments are free of cost and will help determine opportunities for eligible upgrades.
Scheduling can be done over the phone at 1-833-825-7283 or online by clicking here.
Step 2: Select and Approve Upgrades
Once the assessment is complete, you will be present with eligible upgrade options for your selection and approval.
Step 3: Installation
Qualified Save on Energy delivery partners will handle the entire installation including finding contractors, obtaining quotes and ensuring the job gets done right.

Click Here for Details

Back-To-Basics Education

Updating Kindergarten Curriculums

Our government is helping Ontario students build the early foundations required for lifelong learning. We are investing $65 Million in new, specialized literacy educators, as well as updating curriculums as early as kindergarten, to focus on fundamental phonics/numeracy skills.

Under our new plan, we are ensuring:

All students will also get explicit instruction in literacy for the first time to build their vocabulary and instil a passion for reading and writing
New and mandatory learning will include the understanding of sound-letter relationships, developing phonics knowledge, and using specific vocabulary
Basic financial literacy and numeracy skills development

Click Here for Details

Modernizing Healthcare

Taking Next steps to further reduce wait times for Surgeries & Diagnostic Procedures

Our government is taking steps to expand Ontario’s network of more than 900 community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province, while ensuring Ontarian’s receive quality healthcare services.

We are working with Accred Canada to enhance and implement new oversight measures and quality-assurance procedures, to help lower surgical wait times and ensure all Ontarians can access the care they need.

This year, our government’s Your Health: plan for connected and convenient care has:

Achieved the shortest surgical wait times of any province in Canada.
Reduced the surgical waitlist since its peak in March 2022, resulting in 16,000 fewer people waiting for the surgeries they need.
Eliminated the backlog of cervical cancer screening tests.
Raised completion rates of pediatric surgeries to 112% of pre-pandemic levels, as of December 2023.
Increasing diagnostic imaging capacity by an additional 97,767 MRI and 116,443 CT operating hours.

Click Here for Details

Training More Log-Term Care Staff

As our province’s population ages, we are facing a higher demand then ever for qualified long-term care staff able to provide residents the care they need, when they need it, saving lives and reducing strains on local hospitals and emergency rooms.

To attract and train more students for these well-paying, highly rewarding and in-demand careers, our government is investing over $100 million in additional funding to extend the Preceptor Resource and Education Program for Long-Term Care (PREP LTC) initiative. This will help educate a new generation of more than 32,000 nurses and personal support workers. Since 2021, PREP LTC has helped 500 long-term care homes across the province provide clinical placements for over 17,000 students in nursing and personal support workers entering new careers.

Click Here for Details

Keeping Ontario Safe

Cracking Down on Crime

Our government is working with law enforcement agencies to develop localized solutions to tackle local crimes.

We are investing over $6 million dollars in 23 police forces across the province through the Proceeds of Crime Front-Line Poling Grant, which uses assets seized by the provincial and federal governments during criminal prosecutions to help the police carry out specific crime prevention projects in the community.

Peel Regional Police will recieve $300,000 for their Addressing Hate through Collaboration and Partnerships initiative to develop a community-based approach to countering hate and violent extremism with three main goals: