Cornwall ON – The writ is about to fall soon and it will be time for the province of Ontario to make a huge decision and one that will impact all of Canada. From coast to coast the ripples of this
election will be felt, if not right away, shortly thereafter.
The voters of Ontario will have the ability to give Mr. Harper his “Hat Trick” by electing Tim Hudak or by using many of the exact same insights that put Mr. Harper in power by staying the course and re-electing Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
It’s such an easy choice when you get by the glib cut lines like “Changebook” and “Taxman”. If Canada has weathered the recession it’s in part to the core of the country; Ontario. I can tell you that in this riding a lot of jobs were sustained with the infrastructure projects. Healthcare has improved in many areas.
What has impressed me most about the McGuinty government was the attack on generic drug costs and kick backs to pharmacists. It took a lot of integrity and courage to take those steps. The people of Ontario that I speak to do care about healthcare. They do care about jobs, education, the environment, and above all a tolerant and balanced society with hope.
But there’s a dark and sinister play going on when you pull back the curtain and see the levers being manipulated.
State funeral for Jack Layton? Jack was a great person and great Canadian, and probably nobody did more to help Stephen Harper attain his dream of gaining a majority government, but I’m hearing a lot of rumblings of hopes of helping the provincial NDP under Andrea Horvath by whipping up Jack Layton sentiment short of the election.
Like Ms Horvath’s spin says “This NDP is not your Grand Fathers NDP” It doesn’t “own” labour in Ontario. I’m not sure what they truly represent? I know that they have some very ……”Liberal” ideas, but in the end this election comes down to one simple choice.
Stability and recovery for Ontario by re-electing Dalton McGuinty or something worse than the Mike Harris years with Tim Hudak who doesn’t seem to have the testicular fortitude to state his opinions on issues from Abortion to tax dumping on Municipalities while having Billions of of holes in his “changebook”
Sometimes change isn’t a good thing…and remember, Tim Hudak is a Bruins fan.
Jamie Gilcig
Editor – The Cornwall Free News
(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)
I like visiting this site to simply see different opinions and hear why people like or don’t like other peoples opinions or views! It is very entertaining and sometimes the line does get get crossed but people are entitled to their opnions! Jamie (admin) does a good job of protecting and commenting against those that have crossed the line or gone a little extreme even!
This article obviously promotes a Liberal nomination but why? A lot of jobs were sustained because of the infrastructure projects……what? Our local unions were in an uproar because most of the jobs went to out of town sub-contractors………hence the 12% increase in our welfare rate!
If someone continuously lied to win votes is he not a liar? If that same person created and/or raised more taxes than anyone previous is he not a tax man?
The Liberal government is, always has been and always will be a tax and spend government! They created the HST to generate additional revenue, continue to charge a debt reduction fee on Hydro bills (even though the debt has been paid) and have created a massive debt!
I would be happy to see Mark MacDonald win this riding! I would not be happy to see McGuinty re-elected! I like Mark but I really believe the “Old Red” is a full of old dying ideas! Our growth relies in a non-liberal leadership! Our country servived because ignored the ideas of Ignatieff and Harper continued on his path and not because of McGuinty!
Hi Mike, our Mission statement means that we allow all opinions an opportunity to have their turn on the soapbox. Of course when you’re on a soapbox you can’t complain when you get challenged or someone tosses an egg at you. You said in your comment that the McGuinty government is “full of old dying ideas!”
I don’t see that. I see years of abuse in the high costs of generic drugs. I see medical services being returned after they were cut. You have a child I believe. Could you imagine spending more time in an emergency room or having more trouble finding a good doctor or getting a treatment. No matter who is elected perfection will never be achieved. It’s simply part of the system. However in my Ontario I want services. I want infrastructure. I want education. I want a social safety net. I want Ontario to lead and not follow. I don’t want our economy to rely on high resource prices that skew the realities of the economy.
So I took my turn on the soapbox as many editors across our province are doing and sharing my opinion. It may not be perfect. It may not be right. It might end up causing more of my sponsors to try and extort and censor CFN as one did yesterday, but that’s the beauty of CFN, it allows truly free speech and always will as long as I’m at its helm.
Cheers,
Jamie (who only posts as admin on CFN or his own name elsewhere contrary to some very very small minds out there)
Hi Jamie,
I don’t beleive anyone should sensor your web-site due to your political stance since it is your right to vote and have free speech! I recently experienced the same thing because I was in the Standard-Freeholder for allowing Jim McDonell to announce the PC’s Bill of Rights for small businesses in my store. I literally was bombarded with a red wave that believed I did it to purposely hurt the local liberal riding; which was completely untrue!
I allow almost anything to take place in my store because:
1) It brings people into the store.
2) It is a good business decision to keep on the top of everyone’s mind by frequently seeing our companies name.
3) I am politically active but that doesn’t mean I am disrespectful and if the Liberal’s or NDP wanted to do something in my store than I would gladly say YES. Why would I allow more than one party to present their topics in my store? Simple. Many of my employee’s are liberal and NDP supporters and I am not oblivious to this fact! Also, it falls in line with reason number 2.
I agree that more money has been put into health care but I believe it was done because the people forced the issue and not because it was a liberal mandate! I also believe the infrastructure spending was also forced upon the Liberal government and again was not a planned expenditure. However, I do beleive that the HST, Eco Tax and the Debt Reduction charges were always in the master plan! Hence, making McGuinty – McFibber!
Either way, I enjoy this site very much and wich it all the success in the world!
I have to agree with the OP. McGuinty has been a sound and stable steward of things, cautiously improving the situation where he can…jobs, education, health care, drug costs, insurance reform….while Hudak wants to turn the clock back and erase all these improvements. He’s so unstable that his own caucus doesn’t agree with him. Dr. Keon, a died in the wool conservative is expressing dissonance with his own party over Hudak’s ideas….this should sound warning bells.
If you come right down to it, it’s who you think has their ducks in a row that should govern. Dalton McGuinty or Tim Hudak. That’s a no brainer….no really….I mean one of them has no brain!
I found this website and story on a trip through the Bourque news site on a Saturday morning review, and I find it interesting that our society has put blinders on when it comes to politicians with integrity (a bit of an oxymoron, really -like “army intelligence”). We don’t have such politicians anymore. Tim Hudak has a platform “full of holes,” I’ve read. But Dalton McGuinty has lied -not just once or twice -but several times. I have two daughters in their 20s, and many of their contemporaries are functionally illiterate (in spite of tests that state our core educational competencies are increasing). Our wait times at Ontario hospitals are alleged to be improving, but the quality of health care in this province is not -and will not improve significantly until a leader with the political stones steps up and advocates for true reform in health care (including fees for certain services -THAT much is inevitable. In less than seven years, more than 70 cents on every tax dollar is forecast to go to health care -and that is simply not sustainable (it’s a little more than 40 cents, right now).
Our infrastructure is crumbling (I don’t know where Mr. Gilcig got his statement about its improvement in the province; sink-holes from collapsed sewers are occurring with greater frequency in places such as Toronto and London -and city engineers in both jurisdictions are left to shrug their shoulders and say, “Better get used to it -it’s going to keep happening!”). Simply put, there isn’t enough money from the entire province to finance the rebuilding of decaying sewers in Toronto, alone, much less repair sewers AND pay for health care and education!
We always seem to stare blankly at people when asked, “Where will the money for THIS, and THAT come from?” And we reply, “Well, the government will provide for us!”
Folks, WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT. We are the ones who pay for health care, who pay for education, who pay for provincial parks, and the Stratford Festival and the Children’s Aid Society and maintenance on the 401. And WE are the ones who put our blind faith in a person like Dalton McGuinty -not once, but twice -and now we’re talking about doing it a third time? We give the politicians their mandate, and two times now, we’ve given this man the license to lie to us repeatedly, about taxes, about fiscal mismanagement, about educational incompetence, to name but a few. He’s cheated us, he’s cheated our children, and if we give him another chance, he’ll add our grandchildren to the list -because we’ll be paying for his mistakes for at least another two generations.
When do we say “ENOUGH!” and give someone else a chance? Do you curse the darkness or do you light a candle? Do you fear what is largely only media conjecture about the Conservatives? Or do you start asking Mr. Hudak or even Ms. Horvath questions about their platform specifics?
Learn more about the Conservatives or the NDP before you put your faith in anything the media tell you about them -or worse, before you accept the empty lies of the Liberal party.
Sign me,
A voice from the rural south (St. Marys, Ontario)
For our riding it ought to be a no-brainer. Jim Brownell stepped up to the plate and delivered, Mark MacDonald is vowing to follow Jim’s example, and Mark has what it takes to succeed.
Was that a serious editorial, or does it REALLY matter whose hockey team you cheer for????
I’m not sure why Mike Bedard thinks the debt retirement charge (the charge that Harris levied against Ontarians to convince his cronies to purchase the Hydro generation assets) has paid the debt….it’s not paid. Just wanted to make that clear. Let’s get the facts straight guys.
Ralph Pearce is certainly voicing an opinion….such as it is and he has a right to do so…however to call Dalton a liar is simply beyond the pale. Dalton has taken responsibility for any decision he has made PERSONALLY. If it’s a tough call, that’s what he says…”I made the call”. He doesn’t try to hide behind an admin assistant, a campaign director…another minister etc etc. He is a stand-up guy that will stand by his record.
What Mr. Pearce is not telling you is that Ontario is dragging Canada kicking and screaming back to prosperity. We will be at pre recession employment levels early 2012 thanks to Dalton’s stewardship. But you don’t see Dalton taking all the credit. Instead, he heaps the credit back on US for weathering the storm so well.
That’s character. Something Timmy Hudak might want to consider stocking up on.
Hi Jamie,
You are right in saying that the debt retirement charge has not been paid but here is were my comment comes from! The “stranded debt” is not being paid down adequately due to mismanagement such as in 2006 when $127 million dollars was charged to credits cards of Hydro One employees credit cards and paid without receipts! Then the president quite rather than be fired!
The Liberal government has voted to keep the balance secret! Why? Unless, your hiding something there is no reason NOT to post the balance after 12 years of paying doen the debt unless there is a problem or TO GOOD OF REVENUE STREAM to stop!
All very interesting. Now let me ask, of everyone posting here who is actually being charged “Time of Use” hydro rates with Smart Meters?
How many of you know that approximately one milllion (yes, ONLY one million) people in the Province are actually stuck paying “Time of Use” prices and those people are for the most part rural customers.
My family and I are very energy consumption conscious, and we have been for a very long time.
Then lo and behold, here come smart meters – hydro bill up 27%. Then along came HST, hydro bills up another 8%.
Laundry either gets done at night, after 2100 hours, or on weekends. Cooking dinner is ALWAYS in the highest priced electricity rate. My kids are told to have their showers either before 0700 hours, or after 2100 hours, my daughter is asked not use her hair dryer and curling irons.
Sure makes me a popular father, but the truth is I CANNOT afford HYDRO rates any more. In two years my bills have increased by 35%.
I have been paying for my smart meter since July 2010. Who else is paying for theirs?
And as for the Debt Retirement Charge, I personally think the government has screwed us on that from the beginning. I wish I had a business where I could spend billions of dollars more than I made and then just say to the EVERY person in the Province, “Oh by the way, I screwed up, now you all have to fix my mistake for me by paying every month until I say my debt is covered”
What a joke!
And, of all of the research I can find on this matter, the debt has been covered (but that doesn’t mean I have found the right information). But I agree with Mike Bedard, WHY DO THE PEOPLE PAYING DOWN THE DEBT NOT GET THE BALANCE ON THEIR MONTHLY BILLS?
Every debt I have shows payments made, balance remaining, and interest charged.
And the other thing that gets in my craw, it is not just Liberal and Conversative. These two parties have been feeding from the taxpayer trough forever.
There are alternatives. Maybe it’s time to start looking there instead, after all, they can’t screw it up much more than the Fiberals and Conservatives already have!
Mike Bedard thinks the debt retirement charge should be stopped for the same reason many of us do. The 7.8 billion has been paid back but McGuinty said a couple of months ago it would be extended to continue taking in 1 billion plus HST of about 80 million.
Hydro reported in 2009/10 that revenue exceeded expenses by 1.4 billion, the next year they reported borrowing 1 billion. Why not, it all just big numbers!
Did you know the Ontario government charges Ontario Power Generation for the water it uses?
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110617/water-rental-fee-110617/20110617/?hub=TorontoNewHome