Newsletter | June 19th, 2023

A Message from Ali Ehsassi

Your Member of Parliament for Willowdale

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

We have all undoubtedly been concerned with the many wildfires raging throughout the country and grateful for all the heroic efforts of firefighters and first responders to assist Canadians.

Climate changes has meant more unpredictable weather. While some summers have proven unusually wet, this one has been unusually dry and windy — the perfect recipe for wildfires. We are one of the most forested countries in the world, and the past few weeks have represented the worst Canadian wildfire season of the century. Yet the heroism and efforts of countless Canadians from coast to coast has ensured the worst is now behind us. We should remain vigilant for the remainder of the summer.

Given that the wildfires throughout the country tested all of us, I thought I would solely focus on uplifting news in the remainder of this introductory section.

We marked a particularly special milestone over the weekend. According to Statistics Canada, our population now exceeds 40 million Canadians. This milestone came faster than expected since we added 1.1 million individuals in 2022 alone. One can only marvel at our population growth given that it was only in 1997 that our population hit 30 million.

As children in our community and in Canada remain of the utmost importance, we are extremely happy to announce that 300,000 children can have healthy teeth by virtue of the Canada Dental Benefit. Previously, many children could not visit an oral health professional due to lack of dental insurance, which is why the Government of Canada launched the Canada Dental Benefit, allowing eligible families to receive financial support to cover children under 12 years old.

• Budget 2023 announced an investment of $13 billion over five years, starting in 2023-24, and an ongoing $4.4 billion to implement the new Canadian Dental Care Plan.

• Once implemented, it will support the oral health of up to nine million uninsured Canadians who have an annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000.

I wish you all a delightful summer filled with the joys of community and many summer events in Willowdale. Should you like to receive a Canada-Day lawn sign, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Ali Ehsassi

Member of Parliament for Willowdale