Dear Editor:
It is with utter dismay that I read your front page from last week’s paper.
There were three headlines and a picture of a very cute baby. One might think with that picture and the headline about Strathallan Park that we are a society that cares about providing support for our families and those less fortunate than others.
But please, dear reader, keep reading. We really don’t give a tinker’s darn, as confirmed by the other two headlines Community Living facing $3-million deficit, closing two group homes and a picture of protesters under the last headline, City of Guelph removes tents from downtown encampment.
These headlines prompted me to do a very quick research with Google by asking the question “What has (blank) cost the Ontario taxpayer?” So here is a small list of what Premier Doug Ford prioritizes over the vulnerable in our society
1. Cancellation of German wind farms in Prince Edward County, $231 million in 2019.
2. Beer store contract cancellation, could cost more than $225 million.
3. Cost for dismantling bike lane infrastructure in Toronto, $48 million (it cost $27 million to build), October 2024.
4. $200 per person gift to buy your vote, $3 billion dollars, Oct. 29, 2024.
5. Private health clinics. Very hard to say. Perhaps if you are interested you might contact Christine Elliott, former health minister now paid lobbyist, to raise payments from your tax dollars for Clearpoint Health Network Inc. Her role as lobbyist is to “engage the government in updating and increasing base funding for her employer.”
6. The much discussed 413 highway, all 66km of it – Doug and company won’t let anyone know what projected costs are, but one expert is estimating that it will be around $4 billion.
7. Registration for vehicles waived, at a cost of $1.1 billion per year in lost revenue. Please note no mention of money to assist people with public transit costs.
These are just a few of the dollars spent from your tax dollars by the amazing Doug Ford and company. Do you see any dollars allocated to address two of the headlines on last week’s front page? Of course you don’t, because this is a government that caters to the wealthy and not to the most vulnerable in our communities.
I personally value the people and their families who truly need our support with real solutions and sharing of much-needed resources.
Burna R. Wilton,
Centre Wellington