A Totally Disconnected Premier Blows Smoke In Niagara

A Commentary by Doug Draper

How much more malarkey do we have to take from this guy?

On first day of summer, McGuinty snows Niagara

Only until October 6 of this year when I hope a provincial election scheduled for that date will see him and a Liberal government that seems to have lost any connection with ordinary, struggling Ontarians is blasted out of office.

I’m talking about the government of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who spoke before a business group in Niagara, Ontario community of St. Catharines this June 21 and who might just as well have delivered a speech that came from an alien from the planet Neptune or Mars.

Maybe the speech went over like gangbusters with the well-healed chamber crowd but it is hard to imagine it would go over like anything more than emulsions from a skunk in one of the most economically ravaged regions of this province. Indeed, here was McGuinty bragging to a chamber of commerce audience about Ontario being a province of “strong builders” with a plan of “bringing people together to build a stronger economy,” in a region suffering from one of the highest jobless and poverty rates in the province. Here he is boasting about bringing “better health care” to a region where his government has allowed a Niagara Health System board systematically gut emergency and acute care services for residents in the southern half of this region.

He went on to boast about his government helping young people achieve a higher education as if they can actually afford the escalating post-secondary school tuitions without being burdened with heavy debts and can find a decent job in their field, even if they do make it to graduation day.

Niagara At Large is posting a media release below from the Dalton McGuinty camp, and below that we welcome you to share your views.

Ontario Creating Jobs, Providing Better Health Care And Education
McGuinty Government’s Plan Helping Families, Laying Foundation For The Future

June 21, 2011, Ontario’s economy is back on track and creating good new jobs for Ontario families. Our plan is helping Ontarians succeed by investing in education, health care and creating new economic opportunities. Here’s how our plan is working:

§    Job creation — Ontario has now regained 278,000 jobs since the global economic recession.

§    Full-day kindergarten — A full day of early learning gives students a strong start and it makes the transition to Grade 1 easier for both parents and children. About 120,000 children will benefit from full-day kindergarten in September, 2012 and all students by 2014.

§    Higher graduation rates — 81 per cent of students graduated high school in 2010, an increase of 13 percentage points since 2003.

§    As part of our tax reform to make Ontario more competitive, 93 per cent of Ontario taxpayers have received a tax cut to help make ends meet.

§    Investments in infrastructure — 18 new hospitals, 400 new schools and 5,500 kilometres of roads and bridges that create jobs now and improve quality of life in our communities.

§    Better access to health care — 94 per cent of Ontarians now have a family doctor, which is 1.3 million more than in 2004.

The Premier was in St. Catharines today and toured GM’s Powertrain Facility, which employs about 1,400 people. In 2010, Ontario contributed $3.5 billion to help support the restructuring of General Motors. In turn, GM Canada committed to investing more than $470 million in the St. Catharines facility, which is securing more than 800 jobs.

QUOTES

“Ontarians are strong builders — they see the opportunity in our changing world and they’re seizing it. Our plan is bringing people together to build a stronger economy. It relies on the strengths and the skills of our people and supports innovative thinking to attract businesses and create new good jobs for our families.”
— Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

QUICK FACTS

§    The Ontario government has reduced the deficit by 34 per cent so far and will eliminate it by 2018.

§    The Ontario government has invested $62 billion for infrastructure throughout the province since 2003. These investments have supported and created about 600,000 jobs, strengthened communities and kept the economy moving.