For four months and four days, the lights were dimmed in the Ontario Legislature.
Finally on Feb. 19, the provincial House resumed sitting, with a recycled Liberal government’s speech from the throne.
Given that Premier Kathleen Wynne has said how proud she is of the McGuinty government’s record, it should come as no surprise that the throne speech sounded like more of the same.
Listening to the speech, it occurred to me that the government appears to be in denial. They seem to be completely oblivious to the significant economic challenges the province faces today.
Whether it is the jobs challenge (565,000 Ontarians are unemployed), the deficit challenge (most recent estimate, $11.9 billion), the rising provincial debt ($258 billion), responsibility for cancelling the gas plants to save marginal Liberal seats (cost: hundreds of millions of dollars), the provincial government carries on as if the problems don’t exist.
Local issues of concern to small town and rural Ontario, like the need for a moratorium on wind farms pending the completion of a Health Canada study and the collapse of the horse racing industry, earned nary a mention.
To the extent that there was an effort to reach out to the Opposition, the governing Liberals veered left. In doing so, they sought and secured a promise of support from the NDP for the important throne speech vote.
Next, attention will turn to the upcoming provincial budget, expected sometime in April.
The Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will soon begin pre-budget consultations.
Anyone who wants to present ideas on what should be in the next provincial budget can email the clerk of the committee at katch_koch@ontla.ola.org. The deadline for written submissions is March 22.
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On March 2, I was glad to attend the “Celebrate Erin” community dinner in Erin.
It was a fabulous evening, and it once again demonstrated the outstanding community spirit which defines small-town Ontario.
And, on Feb. 24, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre Wellington Bowl for Kids Sake was held in Guelph.
As a former Big Brother, I’ve always been happy to attend this annual fundraising event, wherever it’s been held in our riding.
I want to thank everyone who helped organize the Bowl for Kids Sake event, as well as everyone who participated, or sponsored a bowler with a financial contribution.
This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating its 100th anniversary of community service.
Through this outstanding mentoring program, thousands of young people have been inspired, and given encouragement to reach their potential and take the right path in life. Congratulations!
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott welcomes comments. He can be reached at 1-800-265-2366. His website is www.tedarnottmpp.com.