The Liberals’ Rural Roadmap misses the mark, said Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece. It fails to address or even identify key concerns in rural and small-town Ontario, he said.
Pettapiece’s comments follow the Dec. 9 release of the Liberal government’s document titled Rural Roadmap: The Path Forward for Ontario.
“This report is really another step backward,” said Pettapiece. “Instead of addressing the issues that we face every day, the government has simply released a report touting the programs it already provides.”
Pettapiece says the report does not address key rural issues.
“Hydro costs are skyrocketing, and are set to increase yet again in 2016,” said Pettapiece. “Did the report make any mention of this issue, which we hear about nearly every day? Not even one word.”
The MP says the report also fails to address health care concerns, “frozen” hospital budgets, and surgery wait times.
“Despite having an entire section entitled ‘Improving access to rural health care’ the government has allowed individuals in our community to go years without access to a family physician,” stated Pettapiece.
On municipal infrastructure investment, Pettapiece says the government glossed over its “significant funding cuts” to the Connecting Links program and the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF).
“It also contains little information on the government’s plans for the agriculture industry,” he states in a press release.
“The government is well aware of the challenges we face in Perth-Wellington,” Pettapiece said. “The fact that these issues are not even mentioned in a report about rural Ontario sends a clear message: the Liberals are still out of touch.”
To view the report online go to: www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/roadmap-15.pdf.
