September 2022 Community Update

Hello, Bonjour, Aanii,

September marks the resumption of the legislative session in the House of Commons. In the face of high inflation, the government has proposed several bills aimed at easing financial pressure on families and low-income earners. I hope to share these successes in the coming months.

September 30^th also marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the legacy of Residential Schools, and to honour the thousands of survivors.

To honour Indigenous peoples across Canada, I highly encourage Canadians to do five things:

• First, read books by indigenous authors
• Second, Review the 94 Truth and Reconciliation calls to action and commit to at least one
• Watch online events hosted by the national centre for truth and reconciliation
• Identify and connect with your local indigenous serving organizations
• And finally read Phyllis Webstad’s book “The Orange Shirt Story”

My hope is that Canadians learn and truly understand the painful truth about residential schools, read the TRC Calls to Action and to understand what happened to the children that were taken and to the families left behind.

Northern Ontario is losing a seat in the House of Commons - Make your voice heard

Thanks to an influx of feedback, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission has announced that they have extended the written submission period for federal boundary changes until October 29th, 2022.

This means that all residents of Northern Ontario now have additional time to comment on the removal of a riding and a complete remapping of our northern ridings.

I want to sincerely thank all area Municipal leaders, Chiefs, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) the Sudbury East Municipal Association (SEMA), the regional Chambers of Commerce, as well as numerous organizations and individuals for opposing these changes. I strongly encourage residents to continue to make their opinion known.

I urge members of the public to send a written submission on this pressing issue to the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario by October 29th.

Please visit https://redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca/com/on/phrg/index_e.aspx to make a difference in these discussions. To learn more about the changes, visit marcserre.ca.

Passport Update

Sudbury’s Service Canada is now permanently designated as a passport pick-up location will begin offering a 10 day passport pick up service with proof of travel. This is an exciting development for our region!

The expansion of passport services will greatly decrease wait times in the region, improve accessibility and streamline the process for passport applications. Thank you to the Service Canada staff who have dedicated their time to finding solutions for residents in the north.

More details: https://marcserre.libparl.ca/.../mp-serre-and-lapointe.../

Press releases, funding, and engagement opportunities

• The Government of Canada launches a call for proposals for community-based projects to support seniors in Nickel Belt

MP Serré shared that Seniors and youth will benefit from Government of Canada’s support for community-based projects in Sudbury

• MP Serré shared that Government of Canada will invest over $400,000 in Northern Ontario’s Agriculture Innovation Ecosystem
• MP Serré announced a FedNor investment to create youth employment and enhance camping tourism in Killarney
• MP Serré announced a FedNor investment that will help Northern Ontario businesses participate in Canada’s longest-running agri-food exhibition
• MP Serré shared that the Government of Canada has invested in local conservation projects to protect species at risk and their habitat within Wahnapitae First Nation
• MP Serré announced that FedNor has invested over $190,000 to revitalize the St.-Charles Community Centre
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe announce 10-day passport pick up service expansion in Sudbury

Multimedia

• MP Serré published an Op-Ed expressing concern about Northern Ontario losing a seat in the House of Commons
• MP Serré Spoke to CTV News about electoral boundary changes that are being proposed

Community Engagement

• MP Serré continued Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages functions and duties to protect and advance minority languages in the country
• Marc continues his role as Chair of ParlAmericas’ Canadian Section
• MP Serré welcomed Minister Bibeau to Sudbury for a series of visits, including:

• Meeting with 4H Club Sudbury to discuss food security and issues facing youth in agriculture in the region;
• Meeting at the Banque d’alimentaire Sudbury Food Bank to discuss their initiatives, including their programming, food security, and how to effectively service their community;
• Tour of Verner Co-op Régionale to discuss on how producers can help reduce GES emission by innovating and adopting clean agriculture technologies;
• Tour Seguin Creekbend Farm to discuss the complexity around bee loss and the importance of our efforts to fight against climate change;
• Tour Springer Animal Hospital to discuss the lack of veterinarian service for livestock and how telemedicine, training and education will help fill the gap;
• Tour Leisure Farms to discuss the importance of local produce and eating locally.

• MP Serré, MP Lapointe and the Hon. Minister Bibeau held a round table discussion with members of the Ontario Farm Alliance to discuss challenges in the agriculture industry within Northern Ontario
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe welcomed Hon. Minister Champagne to Sudbury, where they travelled to Copper Cliff for a tour of a Vale mining facility
• MP Serré, MP Lapointe and the Hon. Minister Champagne participated in a round table with CEMI/MICA to discuss new innovations in Northern Ontario’s mining industry
• MP Serré travelled to Ottawa to participate in the closing ceremonies of Official Language Action Plan Consultations for 2023-2028.
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe welcomed the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Heath Carolyn Bennett to Greater Sudbury.
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe and the Hon Carolyn Bennett toured the newly opened Réseau Access Network Supervised Consumption Site
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe and the Hon Carolyn Bennett led a round table on mental health and addictions
• MP Serré and MP Lapointe and the Hon Carolyn Bennett held a meeting at Work Place Safety North (WSN)

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 17 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 20 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.

If you have imminent travel plans and are leaving within the next 45 days , you can visit the Sudbury Service Canada centre to receive a 10 day passport processing service. Proof of travel is required.

A passport transfer request can be made at any one of the 300 Service Canada centres across Canada. Transfer requests can be made if you applied by mail more than 20 business days ago or if you are traveling within the next 20 business days.

For Canadians who have not yet submitted a passport request and are traveling within 13 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.