EASTERN ONTARIO TORY MPP’S: OTTAWA’S PREMIER FORGETS ABOUT EASTERN ONTARIO PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 21 March 2007 19:00

 
Dalton McGuinty spends over $22 billion more but Eastern Ontario suffers because of weak results

QUEEN’S PARK, March 22, 2007 –Dalton McGuinty has collected over $4,500 more per household in taxes since elected, but families and businesses across Eastern Ontario have seen meagre results in return, especially when compared to other regions in Ontario, according to Eastern Ontario Tory MPPs.

“Dalton McGuinty has increased annual spending by over $22 billion since he came to office,” said Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa Macleod.  “That translates into a staggering $750,000 for every hour he has been in office, yet McGuinty continues to pass Eastern Ontario by with no real results for our communities.”

“Ontario needs strong leadership to make important decisions and deliver results,” said Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman. “Dalton McGuinty has broken his promises and failed to deliver that leadership. This government is awash in cash but taxpayers in Eastern Ontario continue to take a bath.”

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski expressed his disappointment saying, “despite Dalton McGuinty claim the budget was to improve the lives of children, he failed to provide mental health services for the children of Ontarians serving in the armed forces overseas.”

“When taxpayers ask themselves ‘is my job more secure? Are hospital emergency rooms better? Can I get to work and home any faster?’ Is the environment better? the answers are negative. Dalton McGuinty does the easy part – the spending – but he just doesn’t deliver results,” said PC Leader John Tory.

The Tory MPPs pointed to key areas where Dalton McGuinty’s $22 billion spending spree ignores Eastern Ontario communities:

  • McGuinty offers no financial support for the expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre, but pledges a new convention centre for Niagara Falls.
  • McGuinty has no plan to fix the 417/174 split, so residents in the East End will still endure rush hour gridlock, and shows no progress on previous government’s plan to widen the 417.  Yet McGuinty pledges billions for transportation and transit in Toronto, York, Brampton, Mississauga, Durham, and the Golden Horseshoe.
  • McGuinty stands by and does nothing, and even cuts the rural tourism budget, as Eastern Ontario loses vital manufacturing jobs.  
  • No Eastern Ontario Secretariat or Eastern Ontario Economic Development Fund, but McGuinty creates a Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator.
  • McGuinty has no plan to fix infrastructure for rural communities within the City of Ottawa, such as roads, water and sewer services.  Yet McGuinty pledges billions for rural infrastructure in the rest of Ontario.
  • No help for children with Autism and no funding for an autism pilot project in south-west Ottawa.
  • No help for children at risk at the Phoenix Centre serving military families based in Petawawa.
  • Dalton McGuinty has continued his tradition of neglecting farmers by cutting more than $100 million from the Ministry of Agriculture budget.

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For more information:


Stephen Gilman, Executive Assistant
Office of Lisa MacLeod, MPP (Nepean-Carleton)
Phone: 613-823-2116  Cell: 613-799-0370

Mary-Frances Dulny, Executive Assistant
Office of John Yakabuski, MPP (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke)
Phone: 416-325-2170


Stephen Clark, Executive Assistant
Office of Bob Runciman, MPP (Leeds-Grenville)
Phone: 613-342-9522