June marks the start of summer and the wind down of the legislative session for the season. June also focused on awareness by inviting us to take part in recognizing Pride month and Indigenous people’s day, among other causes. I implore all Canadians to continue to reflect upon all aspects of how our country came to be, who we have become, and how we must be better. . Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury is fortunate to share land with three First Nations, Wahnapitae First Nation, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek and Mattagami First Nation who continue to help us learn and become better allies.

 Here is a glimpse at some of what took place in June:

Press releases, funding and engagement opportunities

• MP Serré announces an investment in reconstruction and expansion of Village of Killarney waterfront
• MP Serré announces investment in French River and Markstay-Warren’s economic development and growth
• MP Serré Government of Canada investing in safety at Greater Sudbury airport with a $2.6 million investment
• MP Serré announces over 1.6 million Over $1.6 million to support youth jobs and help employers in Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury through the Canada Summer Jobs Program
• MP Serré announces an investment in reconstruction and expansion of Village of Killarney waterfront

Multimedia

• MP Serré delivered a special message to Grade 8 and Grade 12 graduates across the Greater Sudbury-Nickel Belt region
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Community Engagement

• MP Serré is participating in both in person and Hybrid format of the Parliamentary Session
• MP Serré participated in various caucus and committee meetings including the National, Indigenous, Natural Resources and Status of Women committees, Joint Interparliamentary Council (JIC) 
• MP Serré continued his Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages functions and duties to protect and advance minority languages in the country
• AS Chair of ParlAmericas’ Canadian Section MP Serré attended the 9th Summit of The Americas in Los Angeles, United States between  6–7 June 2022
• MP Serré spoke at the “BEV In-Depth: Mines to Mobility” conference and introduced the Honorable Julie Dabrusin Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• MP Serré co-hosted a climate change awareness event with the Citizen Climate Lobby, volunteers and fellow politicians during which they built a temporary giant dreamcatcher on Parliament Hill with Indigenous Artist Will Morin.
• MP Serré visits Whitewood public school in Sturgeon to discuss the importance of citizenship and civic engagement
• MP Serré visits Markstay Public School to discuss the importance of citizenship and civic engagement
• MP Serré met with Markstay-Warren municipal representatives pertaining to housing development, commercial and industrial expansion, tourism, farming and agriculture
• MP Serré met with Canadian School Board Association representatives to discuss collaborations with the Federal Government and francophone organizations in rural and minority settings
• MP Serré discussed Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) extension opportunities in Nickel Belt with Tenacity Rural Ventures

• MP Serré met with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) to discuss policy recommendations on access to contraception

• MP Serré met with Susan Levesque, Fundraising and Fund Development Officer at the Art Gallery Sudbury to discuss opportunities for collaboration
• MP Serré holds in person meeting with Helen Francis, YMCA Northeastern Ontario CEO to discuss future opportunities for collaboration
• MP Serré met with constituent Ron Dupuis concerning grants and benefits for Nickel Belt projects

Please note the Nickel Belt constituency office is facing a very high demand for passport application appointments. It is important to note we are not able to expedite any passport requests. Please call our office to book an appointment if you wish to have your passport application reviewed, 1-800-267-4829.

Or you can visit Service Canada locations below. General processing times are currently taking approximately 9 weeks however that is not guaranteed. Special note, Passport applications cannot be submitted online.

• Service Canada 30 Front St. Sturgeon Falls Tuesdays 9am to 2pm (closed from 12:00pm to 12:30pm)
• Service Canada 19 Lisgar Street, Main Floor Sudbury, Ontario
• Service Canada Canada Place 107 Shirreff Avenue, Suite 102 North Bay, Ontario

Service Canada offices across the country are experiencing a very high volume of passport applications which has affected the processing times. If you have submitted an application, you may check the status of your application online at: https://secure.cic.gc.ca/rs-vd/stat-eng.aspx

Find full details on renewals, simplified applications and children’s passports at: https://www.canada.ca/.../services/canadian-passports.html

If you submitted your application and are under 14 days away from your travel date you should check the status of your application https://secure.cic.gc.ca/rs-vd/stat-eng.aspx as you may need to request to have your application transferred to a passport issuing office by calling: 1-800-567-6868.

For Canadians who have not yet submitted a passport request and are traveling within 9 weeks they should visit the nearest Service Canada Centre – Passport Service office for service. Proof of urgency is required in these cases.

Canadians with no imminent travel or travel of 9 weeks or more can apply by visiting any of over 300 Service Canada Centres. Service Canada encourages Canadians to make sure they have their passport before making travel commitments and to apply 3-4 months in advance of their travels to ensure they receive their passport on time.