Page 17 - HumberHappeningsMagazine_Spring2021

FROM THE DESK OF
JAMES MALONEY,M.P.
It is hard to believe it has been over a year since our world, our communi- ties and our lives were turned upside down. COVID-19 continues to affect us, our economy, our communities and our mental health. So many of us have seen our stress levels double since the onset of the pandemic.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada helps explain how to analyse some of our anxiety. They say we can break down what’s happening by looking at the psychology of anxiety, explaining there are three big predictors of how stressful the crisis is going to be:
• How predictable the event/crisis is;
• How much we can control it; and
• How important it is to us.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a situation that checks all three boxes.
I had an online conversation with Dr. Katy Kamkar, who is part of the Work, Stress and Health Program at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Deborah Quiggin from LAMP Com- munity Health Centre to talk about mental health and COVID-19. They offered tips on how to increase your resilience as well as their expert advice on coping mechanisms as we move forward. Email me at james.maloney@parl.gc.ca and I will be happy to email you the link. Remember, no matter where you are or what you’re going through, you don’t have to go through it alone.
Over the past year, I have been moved by stories shared with me from people in our community who have stepped up to
the plate to help others. I started a Heroes of Etobicoke-Lakeshore initiative to rec- ognize people in our community who have gone the extra mile. We had an incredible response, and I will be putting out a special newsletter highlighting all of the heroes that were nominated.
This year, more than ever, it was important to bring back the GEMS of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, awards to honour our small businesses. Small businesses are the vital heart of our economy, and they have been hardest hit by the lock- downs. We held a virtual GEMS awards on May 18th and if you are interested in learning more about the winners, I can send you the link for that event as well.
The good news is we are getting there. We have come together as a country to fight COVID-19 and the recent Federal Budget made more commitments to get- ting us past the finish line, with initiatives to help us rebuild and heal.
Healing the wounds of COVID requires a rescue plan. Budget 2021 proposes to extend the wage subsidy, rent subsidy, and Lockdown Support for businesses and other employers until September 25, 2021, for an estimated total of $12.1 bil- lion in additional support.
To help the hardest hit businesses pivot back to growth, we proposed a new Canada Recovery Hiring Program, which will run from June to November and will provide $595 million to make it easier for businesses to hire back laid-off workers or to bring on new ones. With this budget, we are also proposing to help
them to invest in new technologies and innovation. We will invest up to $4 bil- lion to help small and medium-sized businesses buy and adopt the new tech- nologies they need to grow.
The Canada Digital Adoption Program will also provide businesses with the advice and help they need to get the most out of these new technologies by training 28,000 young Canadians – a Canadian technology corps – and sending them out to work with our small and medium sized businesses. This ground-breaking pro- gram will help Canadian small businesses go digital and become more competitive and efficient.
As we come out of all this, I am confi- dent we will build back better, stronger and more resilient. HH
James Maloney is the Federal Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore and has been a resident in the riding for 42 years. Prior to becoming the M.P., Mr. Maloney served as the City Councillor for Ward 5 and practised law, full-time, as a partner at Hughes Amys. CONTACT INFO: phone 416-251-5510
email: james.maloney@parl.gc.ca
SPRING 2021 | HUMBER HAPPENINGS 17