Sarah Campbell - From Queens Park

Last week, Cliffs Natural Resources announced its plans to locate a chromite smelter, which will be used to process raw ore from the so-called “Ring of Fire,” in Sudbury.

Sometimes legislation, no matter how well-intentioned, falls short of its goals.
A good example of this is the Healthy Foods For Healthy Schools Act, which is intended to help promote healthy eating habits in students by banning trans-fats and other food choices that are deemed unhealthy by the government.

Last week, I joined my caucus colleagues in making the decision not to defeat the Liberal government over the 2012 budget.
It was a difficult decision to make, but I firmly believe we made the right decision.

Local business is the backbone of our community yet sometimes we forget the significant impact our purchasing decisions can have.
By purchasing goods at local shops, farmers’ markets, and craft shows, or other items that have been produced in our region, we help keep jobs in our communities.

I would like to start off by thanking the hundreds—if not thousands—of people who submitted feedback on the provincial budget, whether by returning my “Riding Report” survey, sending letters and e-mails, or taking part in the Ontario NDP caucus’ survey.

Last week, our region’s tourism industry was blindsided by news that the three provincially-funded tourist information centres in our region would close permanently this spring.
This decision is unacceptable, misguided, and needs to be reversed immediately—and I am fully committed to fighting this decision using all means necessary.

The Far North Act is a poor piece of legislation. It was done without consultation with northerners and when we voiced our concerns, the Liberals rammed it through anyway.

In the past, one of the greatest challenges facing elected officials was keeping their constituents up-to-date.
Constituents have the right to know how they are being represented and what initiatives their MPP is spearheading.
Fortunately, with the rise of technology in recent years, we no longer are limited in the ways we can communicate and keep our constituents up to date.

In recent months and years, a great deal of attention has been paid to the impacts of bullying in our schools.
A lot of this attention has been focused on high-profile suicides that have been caused by bullying.
As a result, the government introduced Bill 13, better known as anti-bullying legislation, which is intended to promote a healthier environment for our schools.

Last week I gave an overview of the Drummond Report. This week, I would like to take the opportunity to look more closely at a few of his recommendations.