Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Today – Snow ending late this morning then a mix of sun and cloud. Amount 5 cm. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h near noon. High minus 4.

Tonight – Partly cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light early this evening. Low minus 14.

’10 Warning Signs for Dementia’ presentation in Wallaceburg

Fairfield Park in Wallaceburg is inviting people into their 1934 Dufferin Ave. location on February 7 at 6 p.m. for a special presentation.

Tara Seney, public education manager / First Link® at the Alzheimer’s Society, will present on the ’10 Warning Signs for Dementia’.

Following her presentation, Tracey Maxim, administrator at Fairfield Park, will speak briefly about the importance to residents of their right to establish a Family Council.

Human Trafficking Symposium held in Tecumseh

On January 31, 2018 Essex County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) hosted a Human Trafficking Symposium in Tecumseh, Ontario.

Over 200 emergency service personnel, health care officials, mental health experts elected officials attended the full day symposium provided in part by the Project B.E.S.T (Believe, Empower, Support, Together) initiative in hopes of educating and bringing extensive awareness to sexual violence and harassment.

The United Nations estimates that the human trafficking industry represents approximately 152 Billion dollars annually and is the world’s fastest growing crime. It is believed that Ontario represents approximately 65 percent of all Human Trafficking cases reported to police in Canada.

Ms. Larissa Maxwell of British Columbia is the director of Anti-Human Trafficking Programs for the Salvation Army.

She has assisted in creating Provincial and Nationally recognized programs and action plans to assist victims of trafficking and exploitation across North America including “DEBORAH’S GATE”, a national specialized program of care, serving international and domestic women aged 18 and older. Larissa is also the first recipient of the annual Justice of Canada Excellence in Victim Services Award.

Mrs. Kelly Franklin is the creator of Farmtown Canada, located in South Western Ontario which brings a life changing experience to the lives of young adult women, teens and young girls through therapy delivered through horses.

Young women come to the farm to care for the animals, connecting in a way that is truly inspirational. Kelly is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth 2 Diamond Jubilee medal for her work with youth in Canada and has received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to the Province of Ontario.

Kelly and her husband are trained through EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) which is the leading international non-profit association for professionals, incorporating equine therapy to address mental health and personal development needs.

The presenters were well received by all and helped to initiate dialogue and the coordination of services between the many agencies in attendance.

“The strategy for a safer Ontario involves a shift from a reactive, resource intensive approach to a focus on Prevention and Social Development,” stated Glenn Miller, Detachment Commander, Essex County OPP.

“The OPP’s Community Mobilization and Engagement Model of Community Policing is an acknowledgement that no single organization can solve community’s problems on its own. Real sustainable change takes a focussed and committed partnership of likeminded people to deliver the best care and service to the community. Human trafficking manifests in forms that take away a person’s identity, leading to a life of violence, anxiety, drug dependency, depression, suicide and even murder.

Miller added: “The OPP has recently created an Anti-Human Trafficking Investigation Coordination Team who believes that crime is as much emotional as it is physical. Essex County OPP has now designated ARY (At Risk Youth/Anti Human Trafficking) officers who are assigned to monitor all occurrences involving youth in Essex County policed municipalities. Prevention and Partnerships is the key to our success. ”

International Safer Internet Day 2018

In support of International Safer Internet Day 2018, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is encouraging young people and their families to report if you or someone you know is being victimized online.

In January, the OPP and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (Canadian Centre or C3P) signed an important agreement that highlights areas of collaboration to enhance the safety of children and youth in Ontario.

The Canadian Centre operates Cybertip.ca – Canada’s national tip line to report child sexual abuse and exploitation on the internet, as well as other prevention and intervention services to the Canadian public.

“The Ontario Provincial Police is working diligently to protect children in our communities, but police cannot be everywhere at once,” stated Commissioner Vince Hawkes, Ontario Provincial Police, in a press release.

“It is important for parents to be proactive and speak with their kids about their experiences online and potential safety concerns, such as cyberbullying and privacy.”

There are many age appropriate internet safety education and awareness resources found on Cybertip.ca. If you know a child who is in immediate danger or risk, call 9-1-1 or your local police.

Useful links:

needhelpnow.ca

protectchildren.ca

kidsintheknow.ca

Premier Wynne in the U.S. standing up for Ontario workers and businesses

Premier Kathleen Wynne was in Washington, D.C., on Monday to meet with U.S. leaders and advocate on behalf of Ontario workers and businesses for the importance of maintaining free trade with the U.S.

The Premier sat down with state representatives, including Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Representative Jim Renacci of Ohio, to discuss the importance of Ontario’s economic relationships with these key states.

Premier Wynne also met with the US Chief Negotiator on NAFTA, John Melle, and other members of the Office of the US Trade Representative, as well as Mark Calabria, Chief Economist and Policy Director for the Office of the Vice President, and Ted McKinney, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, to highlight Ontario’s status as a top customer of 28 states, as well as the nearly 9 million U.S. jobs that depend on trade, investment and partnership with Canada.

At a meeting with Representatives Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, Sandy Levin of Michigan, Brian Higgins of New York and other members of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Premier spoke about the benefits of NAFTA and noted that efforts to undermine NAFTA are only one example of protectionist actions that are putting millions of jobs across North America at risk.

In Washington, the Premier expressed her concern that protectionism at the state level will also damage cross-border partnerships that create jobs, referring to New York State’s Buy American provisions, set to take effect April 1.

While not as far-reaching as the Buy American legislation originally proposed by New York State lawmakers in early 2017, the Premier has consistently said that she will respond to any Buy American laws that cause unfair harm to Ontario workers and businesses. In the case of New York State, Ontario has been left with no choice but to act.

When Ontario’s legislative session resumes on February 20, the government will table legislation that would enable the province to respond in kind to New York State’s legislation and to any other state that enacts similar legislation, including Texas. The Premier looks forward to working with all parties in the Ontario legislature to ensure swift passage of this important legislation.

Today the Premier is in New York City to meet with business leaders at a NAFTA Breakfast Roundtable hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding, as well as a roundtable with Kathy Wylde, President and CEO of Partnership for New York City. Premier Wynne will also join Richard Florida, Editor of CityLab, for a fireside chat on inclusive prosperity at New York University.

Minister of International Trade, Michael Chan, and Minister of Economic Development and Growth, Steven Del Duca, are joining the Premier in the U.S. to reinforce Ontario’s position that free and fair trade creates good jobs on both sides of the border.

Promoting trade and partnership while protecting Ontario’s economic interests is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.

“I am pleased that New York State has modified its Buy American legislation to be less harmful to Ontario than earlier versions, but it’s not enough,” Wynne said in a press release.

“I have consistently said that Ontario wants free and fair trade. That’s what creates the greatest number of opportunities for our people. New York State’s Buy American law will undermine the spirit of our partnership and give their workers an unfair edge. I have no choice but to respond by introducing legislation of our own. Our U.S. partners need to know that if they choose protectionism, they will pay a price. My hope is that New York State will grasp what is at stake here and work with us to continue tearing down trade barriers and creating good jobs. I am a staunch advocate for open, fair and competitive procurement. But when the well-being of our workers is threatened, I will stand up for them by whatever means necessary. Every time.”

In early 2017, New York State proposed Buy American provisions in its budget that would restrict Ontario businesses’ access to bidding on public sector procurement projects.

Michael Chan, Minister of International Trade, Brad Duguid, then Minister of Economic Development and Growth, and Monique Smith, Ontario’s Representative in Washington, engaged directly with legislators in Albany to seek an exemption for Canadian businesses.

After successful advocacy by Ontario and other Canadian partners, New York State completely dropped proposed Buy American provisions from its budget in April. Ontario continued to actively engage with legislators throughout the spring to promote open and competitive procurement and underscore the value of Ontario’s economic partnership with New York.

Ultimately, New York introduced a significantly less punitive bill in June, which was signed into law on December 15, 2017 and will come into effect on April 1, 2018.

Every day, more than $1 billion in goods are traded between Ontario and the U.S.

In 2016, two-way trade between Ontario and the U.S. totaled nearly $400 billion.

In 2016, more than 60 per cent of the merchandise exports from the U.S. to Canada were destined for Ontario.

Premier Wynne has met with 33 U.S. governors since January 2017.

Canadian generic drug prices higher than international levels in recent years

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), through the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System (NPDUIS) research initiative, recently published the latest edition of the Generics360 report, which examines the latest trends in domestic and international generic drug pricing, sales and utilization.

The report found that Canada has a strong generics market with the third highest rate of generic drug use and the second highest per capita spending on generics among OECD countries in 2016.

In 2016, Canadians continued to pay more than most other OECD countries for generic drugs despite high generic drug use and the implementation of provincial and territorial policies that have greatly reduced generic prices in recent years.

The findings demonstrated that Canadian public drug plans could have seen their 2016 costs reduced by nearly half a billion dollars if higher-priced top-selling generic drugs in Canada had been aligned with international levels.

This edition of Generics360 focuses on the last quarter of 2016 and examines 605 generic drugs which accounted for 82.3% of all Canadian generic sales.

In comparing Canadian generic drug prices to prices in other countries, the report emphasizes the seven countries listed in the PMPRB’s regulations (“PMPRB7”) — France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Prices in select OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries were also looked at for further perspective on Canada’s position within the global market.

Federal officials say sales of generic drugs in Canada rose from $3.0B in 2006 to $5.5B in 2016; at a rate of growth similar to other industrialized countries.

Generic drugs accounted for 74% of the volume of drugs in the Canadian pharmaceutical market in 2016, the third highest among the OECD countries after the United States and Germany.

Canadians spent $165 per capita on generic drugs in 2016, the second highest among the OECD countries after the United States.

Average generic drug prices in Canada declined to half of what they were a decade ago, more than in most other foreign countries, but have stabilized in recent years.

In the last quarter of 2016, generic drug prices in Canada were the seventh highest in the OECD.

Average generic drug prices in the PMPRB7 were 11% lower than in Canada and median prices were 30% lower.

Between 2013 and 2016, the pCPA reduced the price of 18 of the most commonly used generic drugs to 18% of their brand-name price. While the prices of these drugs dropped by 66% over the last decade, their average foreign prices were still 14% lower, and median foreign prices were 34% lower, in the last quarter of 2016.

If public drug plans had paid median foreign prices for the higher-priced top-selling generic drugs in Canada in 2016, they could have saved nearly half a billion dollars, or over 5% of total drug costs, in fiscal year 2015-16.