To My Disappointed Progressive Friends in Ontario

It's not over. 

I know many of us saw what the Ontario Progressive Conservatives were advocating - cuts to services that make life for everyone better, higher deficits than any other party, a plan that really didn't look out for the little people, certainly not students, the elderly, or the disabled, while looking out for the rich and we hoped for better. (Read more here )

But here's the thing. We live in a democracy, we do not have to sit and let our politicians make laws that are not for all of us.

Additionally, there are a few points of hope that I want to highlight

Environmental Points of Hope: 

Mike Schreiner, the first Provincial Green Party MPP was elected 

Kathleen Wynne, who helped lead Ontario to become one of the world's leading climate change actors, has kept her seat. 

Jessica Bell, Nathalie Des Rosiers, Sylvia Jones, and Peter Tabuns candidates endorsed by GreenPAC, a non-partsan organization that identifies and endorses environmental political leaders, have all won seats in Queen's Park. 

Social Points of Hope: 

Andrea Horwath is the elected MPP of Hamilton Center, and you bet she will be fighting for the social issues in the NDP platform.

40 NDP MPPs have been elected, and will be fighting for the healthcare, student support and social support we wanted. 

Bhutila Karpoche, has won a seat, becoming the first ever Tibetan elected to North American public office

What you need to do now:

So you voted, and things didn't turn out how you wanted. So rally your politicians and rally head office. 

The easiest way to get your politicians to listen to you is to either meet with them and/or call their office (Personal impact is really important). They do not have the capacity to personally respond to all letters, but either of these two methods forces them to talk to you. It's even better if you tell everyone you know to call as well, inundate the office with your concerns and you better bet the bosses will hear about it. (When the provincial government starts up again, you can find info on how to contact your MPP here)

You can also attend town hall meetings or simply volunteer and/or donate to a cause important to you (environmentalism really needs your dollars right now!) 

Issues that need your attention right now:

Cap and Trade (and the environment in general) - Ford wants to lower gas prices and get rid of Cap and Trade. The truth is, there is already four times more fossil fuels extracted in stores than we can safely burn (See the Do the Math Documentary, explanation starts at about 9:22) to stay below the 2 degrees of warming that the world agreed to in 2015 for the Paris Agreement. 

Electoral reform - People's votes shouldn't be rendered null because they don't align with the majority, options are well explained here

Minimum Wage - Ford wants to scrap the planned minimum wage hike. (Why $15 minimum wage is good for business ; Ford's tax credits not help to the working poor )  

Healthcare and Mental Healthcare - We need Pharmacare, Dental care, the disabled need help now, and we cannot wait 10 years for major investments in mental healthcare

Students - Ford isn't planning to do anything to make tuition costs more affordable 

The Sex Ed Curriculum - The last time it was updated was in 1997, consent has been added, as well as dealing with cyberbullying. The curriculum was established with parental consultation and Ford didn't give specifics on his problem with the curriculum, indicating that he doesn't even know what's in it (more on what is in and isn't in the curriculum here). 

Equality and Equity - Populist platforms often end up leading to a lot of division, tensions along identity lines, xenophobia, and a dissolution of community. Just look at what's happening in the States. The opposition to the sex ed curriculum itself is a signal of homophobia. Fight that. Go out and support education and the community, learn about local groups and support them. Start a political literacy community group because clearly too many people saw lower taxes and didn't realize the implications would be detrimental cuts. 

Together, we can do this Ontario. 

* Updated June 8, 2018 with some more points of hope