Joel Harden MPP / Député, Ottawa Centre

Government of Ontario

Weekly Email Update

COVID Update #65: It's time for justice in long-term care

  Every morning I walked into work this week, I thought of a personal support worker coming off a night shift somewhere at a long-term care (LTC) home.  Why? Because the report from Ontar... More

COVID Update #64: there is no police solution to the opioid crisis

On April 23rd, Carl Reinboth, a harm reduction worker at the Somerset West Community Health Centre, was tragically killed while walking to a local business.  His death appears to be ra... More

COVID Update #63

Premier Ford is a danger to Ontario, and we must organize for better. The good news is we have fought back, and it has made a difference. In fact, we’ve seen three victories in the las... More

COVID Update #62: Government should stop pointing fingers, and start pointing thumbs

I’m predisposed to skepticism with everything the Ford Government does, but even loyal Tories must be shaking their heads this week.  Everything going wrong is apparently someone else’s fault. I’ve... More

COVID Update #61: Why does an ICU doctor do media interviews?

  Like many of you, I was shaken by CBC’s interview with Dr. Michael Warner last weekend, head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Michael Garron Hospital.  “Four floors below me”, he sai... More

COVID Update #60: We must look after each other as we go back to “lockdown”

  Starting on Saturday at 12:01am, Ottawa and the rest of Ontario will go into a 4 week long “shutdown” as we reel from the impact of COVID-19, notably the UK variant. Officials are detec... More

COVID Update #59: Justice for workers at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel

  With no letter, phone call, or email, workers at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel were terminated this week. Their union, UNITE HERE Local 261, wanted recall rights so they could return to wor... More

COVID Update #58: We must address today’s mental health crisis by funding safe schools

Long before Ottawa moved into the “red” category for COVID-19, the third wave of the pandemic already arrived. A widespread crisis in mental health, notably among teenagers, is here, a... More

COVID Update #57: All leaders make mistakes, but good leaders acknowledge them

COVID-19 has tested our political system unlike anything in recent memory. Our leaders have been under enormous pressure to act which, unsurprisingly, has often led to mistakes.  To er... More

COVID Update #55: It's time for Voula's Law

  Next week I’m headed to the Legislature, and top of mind for me is Motion 129, a Private Members Motion we’ve put forward for debate. We’re calling the motion “Voula’s Law”.  Voula’s La... More