According to Lorne Bozinoff of Forum Research, the NDP are between a rock and a hard place.
Toronto Star - Feb 22, 2013 - Robert Benzie
“The NDP is between a rock and a hard place,” said Bozinoff, noting as things stand the third party has “got a tough choice to make when the budget comes” in April about whether to continue to budget the Liberals.
While this may be true at the moment, in the euphoria surrounding the departure of Mr. McGuinty and the anticipated jettisoning of his baggage, as we get closer to budget time, the NDP may be able to escape the confines of this cliche. Kathleen Wynne has been an integral part of the past Liberal cabinet and the reality of that position will quickly dim the glow around her in the coming weeks.
Dalton McGuinty was the agent of change when he first took office, but as time wore on, it became apparent the cost of that change did not rank very high in the rush to tame the government beast. The Liberals found themselves in the midst of fiascos that led the average citizen to wonder about their ability to govern. While Ms. Wynne may be currently siphoning voters away from Ms. Horvath, as time reveals that she is holding to the existing Liberal direction and methodology, she will not be able to hold that support.
Ms. Horvath will need the strength of character to stand strong for everything the NDP needs, in order to keep their expansion of voter support alive. In Northern Ontario, that means stopping the divestiture of ONTC and giving the stakeholders a chance to provide input into how that organization can contribute to the economy of the region and provide service under a comprehensive transportation policy. The "New Deal" currently being proposed by the unions and the James Bay Port Authority must have all ONTC assets to be given a fair assessment.
There are many issues coming to light about the costs of continued highway growth that have the potential to turn into yet another financial fiasco. Intercity rail passenger service co-ordinated with Metrolinx commuter service has the potential to offer real value going forward. Combining rail passenger service with rail freight service has its challenges, but together they can bring the high capital costs down to where a rail passenger service can pull people off the roads and reduce the constant growth on the highways.
Medium haul intermodal service can further pull traffic off the roads.
Ms. Horvath will have to ensure that ONTC remains available to capitalize on that opportunity. She will need to play a strong hand in budget negotiations with Ms. Wynne and understand that even if the Liberals do hold fast on their stated course of action, and force an election, the voters will look upon the NDP favourably by the time an election is called.
NORTHERN ONTARIO - POLITICAL ISSUES An opinion on the issues affecting the province and primarily Northern Ontario
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Thursday 14 February 2013
Minister Gravelle needs to take action
I'm all for giving someone the benefit of the doubt, but I am not reassured by Minister Gravelle's comments in the North Bay Nugget yesterday.
The art of political doublespeak, means you can never just say what your intentions are, because inevitably, circumstances will change and you may wish to make a slight deviation, but there will be someone waiting in the wings to tattoo your previous comments onto your forehead.
http://www.nugget.ca/2013/02/13/gravelle-wants-dialogue
So even if we do allow for some leeway in the interpretation of the comment "Premier Wynne has made it incredibly clear that northern Ontario is a real priority for her and for our government" it is difficult to see how Min. Gravelle's actions are going to reflect that.
Ever since the announcement of the ONTC divestiture, more and more Northern groups are calling for the same thing....Stop the process. Given this loud and concerted call, the comments attributed to Min. Gravelle in this article should not reassure anyone.
"I think it's fair to say the ONTC divestment process will be continuing...in a way that makes sense. And I think we feel there needs to be significant community input into that process"
Northern stakeholders have been quite clear, they do not want input into the divestment process, they want it stopped so a real evaluation of the ONTC role in transportation policy can be done. There is no way the divestment of ONTC makes sense.
Here's hoping Minister Gravelle's words and actions in the future can more accurately reflect Premier Wynne's stated desire to make Northern Ontario a priority. The Liberal government will not be able to gain any traction in Northern Ontario unless they understand what northerners are demanding.
The art of political doublespeak, means you can never just say what your intentions are, because inevitably, circumstances will change and you may wish to make a slight deviation, but there will be someone waiting in the wings to tattoo your previous comments onto your forehead.
http://www.nugget.ca/2013/02/13/gravelle-wants-dialogue
So even if we do allow for some leeway in the interpretation of the comment "Premier Wynne has made it incredibly clear that northern Ontario is a real priority for her and for our government" it is difficult to see how Min. Gravelle's actions are going to reflect that.
Ever since the announcement of the ONTC divestiture, more and more Northern groups are calling for the same thing....Stop the process. Given this loud and concerted call, the comments attributed to Min. Gravelle in this article should not reassure anyone.
"I think it's fair to say the ONTC divestment process will be continuing...in a way that makes sense. And I think we feel there needs to be significant community input into that process"
Northern stakeholders have been quite clear, they do not want input into the divestment process, they want it stopped so a real evaluation of the ONTC role in transportation policy can be done. There is no way the divestment of ONTC makes sense.
Here's hoping Minister Gravelle's words and actions in the future can more accurately reflect Premier Wynne's stated desire to make Northern Ontario a priority. The Liberal government will not be able to gain any traction in Northern Ontario unless they understand what northerners are demanding.
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Letter to Kathleen Wynne
The Hon. Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario
VIA email
Dear Premier,
Congratulations on being elected Liberal party leader and Premier of Ontario. All Ontario residents watched with keen interest as your party determined who would lead them, and by default, the province.
The expectations are as high as the challenges that face you and your cabinet. Ontario's economy, weakened by the loss of many manufacturing jobs, does not present an easy environment in which to satisfy all of the demands of the population.
Regional disparity only adds to the complexity of the situation and as you have recognized, Northern Ontario is no different than the rest of the province, in that a comprehensive transportation strategy is desperately needed. Gridlock in the GTA and access to transportation alternatives in the other regions of the province are connected to the same policy decisions.
You now have a chance to correct the recent missteps of your predecessor. Although Mr. McGuinty took over and corrected many of the challenges he faced during his tenure, the ultimate solution evaded him. Allowing Mr. Bartolucci to proceed with his decision to divest ONTC was one factor that led to his exit as Premier before his term was up.
As Dr. Barry Weller, Distinguished Research Fellow has stated, the decision to divest ONTC was made without any empirical evidence to support it. The uproar caused by this bureaucratic commitment to privatization is evidence of the lack of public input into the decision.
Now is the time to press the pause button on this decision and review all of our options as they pertain to a comprehensive transportation policy in this province. Setting one part of the province in one direction, wholly dependent on highway travel, while the GTA tries to move people off the roads onto other modes makes no sense whatsoever.
The ability of ONTC to fit into the transportation policy of this province, as an agency of the MTO, is an idea that is worthy of consideration, but is impossible if the current course of action is adhered to. Moreover, the New Deal, as presented by the unions of the ONTC, makes a lot of sense in co-ordinating federal and province resources, while already ensuring First Nation participation in the future development of the Ring of Fire.
This proposal must be carefully assessed, but requires all parts of it intact before proceeding.
The Liberal party impressed me in 2003 when they listened to the people of the north and stopped the PC plan to rip ONTC out of the public sector. I hope you will impress me again by listening to the people and ensure ONTC can continue to serve the region, measured against benchmarks, service and financial targets that are mutually agreed to.
Philip Koning
Corbeil, ON
Premier of Ontario
VIA email
Dear Premier,
Congratulations on being elected Liberal party leader and Premier of Ontario. All Ontario residents watched with keen interest as your party determined who would lead them, and by default, the province.
The expectations are as high as the challenges that face you and your cabinet. Ontario's economy, weakened by the loss of many manufacturing jobs, does not present an easy environment in which to satisfy all of the demands of the population.
Regional disparity only adds to the complexity of the situation and as you have recognized, Northern Ontario is no different than the rest of the province, in that a comprehensive transportation strategy is desperately needed. Gridlock in the GTA and access to transportation alternatives in the other regions of the province are connected to the same policy decisions.
You now have a chance to correct the recent missteps of your predecessor. Although Mr. McGuinty took over and corrected many of the challenges he faced during his tenure, the ultimate solution evaded him. Allowing Mr. Bartolucci to proceed with his decision to divest ONTC was one factor that led to his exit as Premier before his term was up.
As Dr. Barry Weller, Distinguished Research Fellow has stated, the decision to divest ONTC was made without any empirical evidence to support it. The uproar caused by this bureaucratic commitment to privatization is evidence of the lack of public input into the decision.
Now is the time to press the pause button on this decision and review all of our options as they pertain to a comprehensive transportation policy in this province. Setting one part of the province in one direction, wholly dependent on highway travel, while the GTA tries to move people off the roads onto other modes makes no sense whatsoever.
The ability of ONTC to fit into the transportation policy of this province, as an agency of the MTO, is an idea that is worthy of consideration, but is impossible if the current course of action is adhered to. Moreover, the New Deal, as presented by the unions of the ONTC, makes a lot of sense in co-ordinating federal and province resources, while already ensuring First Nation participation in the future development of the Ring of Fire.
This proposal must be carefully assessed, but requires all parts of it intact before proceeding.
The Liberal party impressed me in 2003 when they listened to the people of the north and stopped the PC plan to rip ONTC out of the public sector. I hope you will impress me again by listening to the people and ensure ONTC can continue to serve the region, measured against benchmarks, service and financial targets that are mutually agreed to.
Philip Koning
Corbeil, ON
Sunday 10 February 2013
Don't rip up the invitation to the tea party
Tim Hudak comes from so far out in right field, the left tends to write him off as soon as he lobs his ideas into the political circle. This may be detrimental to their cause, as George Smitherman found out in the Toronto mayoral race. Within the Tea Party agenda, that Hudak puts forward are some good ideas that may resonate with voters.
The PC Paths to Prosperity are not likely to gather a majority of Ontarians on their cobblestones, but it is important to review the document and consider some of the points.
The New Deal for Public Sector is primarily a blue print for slashing it to the bone with no plan for service, other than reliance on the private sector to step up to the plate. But among all the gifts to the corporate world is one germ of an idea that makes sense.
Path 10
Aggressively expand the amount of government data made available to the public online, both to promote transparency and accountability, and to engage citizens in rigorously evaluating value-for-money and finding efficiencies.
While it may be debatable on whether the public or private sectors are better suited to providing any specific service, it is a common desire to achieve value for taxpayer dollars. In today's world of "gotcha politics" it has become the standard to obfuscate any communication to reduce the chances of being held accountable to it later. There is also a tendency to rely on the Freedom of Information act in order to thwart those who would like to investigate for themselves the wisdom of any particular political decision. The media also takes a hit because of the need to break any argument down into "bite sized" portions suitable for consumption within the 18 minutes or so of daily news.
These factors make it very difficult to assess any operation to see what value is being provided to the taxpayer. One could argue that expanding the role of the Auditor General would achieve accountability but given the size of government, that option could be cost prohibitive. It makes much more sense to make the information available and allow anyone to prepare a case for or against a particular service based on accurate, timely available information.
The first step to achieving value for money is assessing the current situation which in today's political world is almost impossible. Adopting this path would be widely accepted by the majority of voters and should be a plank in any party's platform.
The PC Paths to Prosperity are not likely to gather a majority of Ontarians on their cobblestones, but it is important to review the document and consider some of the points.
The New Deal for Public Sector is primarily a blue print for slashing it to the bone with no plan for service, other than reliance on the private sector to step up to the plate. But among all the gifts to the corporate world is one germ of an idea that makes sense.
Path 10
Aggressively expand the amount of government data made available to the public online, both to promote transparency and accountability, and to engage citizens in rigorously evaluating value-for-money and finding efficiencies.
While it may be debatable on whether the public or private sectors are better suited to providing any specific service, it is a common desire to achieve value for taxpayer dollars. In today's world of "gotcha politics" it has become the standard to obfuscate any communication to reduce the chances of being held accountable to it later. There is also a tendency to rely on the Freedom of Information act in order to thwart those who would like to investigate for themselves the wisdom of any particular political decision. The media also takes a hit because of the need to break any argument down into "bite sized" portions suitable for consumption within the 18 minutes or so of daily news.
These factors make it very difficult to assess any operation to see what value is being provided to the taxpayer. One could argue that expanding the role of the Auditor General would achieve accountability but given the size of government, that option could be cost prohibitive. It makes much more sense to make the information available and allow anyone to prepare a case for or against a particular service based on accurate, timely available information.
The first step to achieving value for money is assessing the current situation which in today's political world is almost impossible. Adopting this path would be widely accepted by the majority of voters and should be a plank in any party's platform.
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