It is hard to believe that we are already in December, and with the Holiday season approaching I just want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! I hope to see many of you at some of the local events we have each and every year in this community to celebrate together.
Putting More Money Back in Your Pocket
I was delighted to welcome Premier Ford back to Scarborough to announce that in the new year, every Ontario taxpayer and eligible child will receive a $200 rebate.
This builds on a number of initiatives we have spearheaded to tackle the affordability crisis including:
- Ontario’s One Fare Program which I launched earlier this year, allows riders to pay only once as they transfer for free between the TTC, GO Transit and participating transit agencies in the GTA. For an adult who commutes five days a week, this could save you an average of $1,600 a year.
- Cutting the gas tax by 10 cents per litre, saving you $380 since this was first introduced.
- Scrapping the license plate renewal fee, saving you $120 per year for each car.
- Removing tolls on Highway 412 and 418.
Making Progress on the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health
We are making fast progress on the first ever medical school in Scarborough at UTSC – the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health. If you’ve been by Morningside Ave. and Military Trail recently, you will see the building finally going up. We are expected to welcome the first class in 2026!
I am especially delighted that our government announced new changes that, if passed, will require all medical schools in the province to allocate at least 95% of all undergraduate medical school seats to residents of Ontario with the remaining 5% reserved for students from across Canada. These actions are designed to ensure we are training and graduating doctors, including family doctors, who are significantly more likely to practice in our community.
We are also further breaking down barriers for students to become family doctors through an estimated $88 million investment over three years, expanding Learn and Stay grants for 1,360 eligible undergraduate students that commit to practice family medicine with a full roster of patients once they graduate.
We are putting Ontario students first!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our office at 8130 Sheppard Ave. East Unit 105, by email at vijay.thanigasalam@pc.ola.org, or give us a call at 416-283-8448.
Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam,
MPP Scarborough-Rouge Park