When I was in high school in the late 1970s, we listened to The Who, an iconic English rock band.
We cranked up the volume on the song which became their anthem: Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Near the end of the song, The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey belts out a sceptical lyric, emblematic of the times: “Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss.”
On Jan. 26 the Ontario Liberal Party elected Kathleen Wynne as its new Leader, succeeding the outgoing Dalton McGuinty. She automatically becomes Premier of Ontario. Ms. Wynne’s biggest political challenge will be to demonstrate that she’s not the “same as the old boss.”
But solving her political problems should be secondary to solving the Province of Ontario’s problems. That is what effective political leadership is all about.
On the very first business day after Ms. Wynne’s election as Liberal Leader, I wrote to congratulate her. But I added a long list of concerns that I have heard from Wellington-Halton Hills residents since the Legislature was prorogued almost four months ago.
Jobs and the economy, support for small business, deficit reduction and debt repayment topped my list (the complete letter is on my website at www.tedarnottmpp.com).
Ms. Wynne has said her priorities are social justice, transit and rebuilding the government’s relationship with some of the teachers’ union leaders. To me, this sounds like the precursor to some kind of Liberal/NDP agreement to prop up the government.
It remains to be seen if the new Liberal leader represents a change in substance, or only a change in style.
Meet the new boss.
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Also on Jan. 26, I attended an event that speaks volumes about the strength of our communities in Wellington-Halton Hills. The event was the official opening of the new ARC Industries East building in Erin.
“ARC” stands for Adult Rehabilitation Centre, and is a program of Community Living Guelph Wellington, which provides employment training and support for people with an intellectual disability.
As Marvin McDougall said at the opening, ARC Industries is in the “hope” business: hope for the future, including the hope that clients can take up their rightful place in the community.
ARC Industry East’s fundraising committee raised $1 million for the project.
They never asked for a government grant. Instead they leaned on local partnerships and organizations, generous local donors, a local builder and sub-trades. Everyone pulled together to make the vision of a new building a reality in just two years.
In doing so, they have provided a template of how a caring community responds to show its compassion. Everyone involved deserves our warmest thanks and congratulations.
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott welcomes comments. He can be reached at 1-800-265-2366. His website address is www.tedarnottmpp.com.