By Doug Draper
One of the Ontario Liberal government’s more maverick members – Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor – is hoping to meet with premier-designate Kathleen Wynne as soon as possible to discuss some of the more burning issues in Niagara.
Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor
Craitor, a former Niagara Falls city councillor who has served for the past nine years as a Liberal government MPP for a riding that includes his city and the towns of Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake, told Niagara At Large the day following Wynne’s victory at a Liberal leadership convention this January 26 that he has a few issues he wants her to place on her to-do list.
Those issues, said Craitor, include a promise from Wynne to do what she can, within reason. to save the Fort Erie Race Track – a time-honoured horse-racing track in Niagara, Ontario that supports hundreds of jobs and has been a major fixture in the Fort Erie community for more than a century. That track, along with Woodbine in Toronto and others across the province, are now twisting in the wind as outgoing Premier Dalton McGuinty chose to abandon them in slurry of decisions he made around gambling or so-called “gaming” establishments, including the now-defunct Fort Erie Slots casino in Fort Erie, over the past year.
Craitor, who supported Gerard Kennedy in the leadership race before Kennedy, along with him and other Kennedy delegates finally through their votes behind Wynne, said he also wants a commitment from her that she will support the building of a new hospital in south Niagara and do more, provincially, to support the wine industry in Niagara.
Finally, Craitor said he is hoping Wynne will do a thorough review of the Liberal Party and have newer blood fill its front benches, including cabinet seats . “It is time to change the faces behind the premier,” he said. “That must be part of the renewal.”
On a phone in program on CBC Radio’s noon hour program this January 31, Wynne gave every impression that she plans to make some significant changes in direction and personnel on the government’s cabinet in the days ahead. She is poised to choose a new cabinet before she intends to end the prorogation of the provincial legislature by the middle of this February.
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Niagara At Large 
One could also hope that MPP Craitor might petition Ms Wynne about current Health Services in Niagara. While the Southern Tier waits multi years for a possible hospital, services are being moving North. Kim could give great support to the Mayors and Councils of Welland and Niagara Falls by pointing out to the Premier designate the ultimate harm the decision to move Maternity and Pediatrics on March 24th will cause. Small parking lots and the traffic jam on the 406 for visiting day are the very least of the problems we will see . A reasonable request was made to Smith for a 6 month delay…..he carefully considered it for less then 24 hours before a resounding NO. Filling the beds immediately for financial reasons is outweighing the community needs . I’m suprised this issue was not front and center on Kim’s list.
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Craitor just embarrassed himself when he chose to defend the Fort Erie EDTC GM at council on Monday night. The GM had made some very inappropriate remarks, including likening the Town of Fort Erie to a prostitute, accepting money from the province in a presentation a week earlier. A fellow Liberal, who has worked hard to elect Kim in the past, Don Lubberts, demanded that action be taken regarding Thibert’s behaviour. Craitor showed up and threw Lubberts under the bus, essentially blaming him and other members of council for their anger over Thibert’s attitude. To date, Thibert refuses to even apologize to the people of Fort Erie for his remarks.
Rather than defend Thibert, why didn’t Craitor just pressure his friend to apologize?
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I’ve said it before, and I am saying it again — Kim Craitor is one of the very few Liberals I respect.
Ontario would be a much better place if members of ALL politicial parties followed this man’s approach.
He obviously cares for people and is less concerned about political ideology. That, to me, as a small-c conservative, is the type of person we need at Queen’s Park from each and every riding. We need the same type of people in our City/Regional government — and more importantly — federal government.
I would not be surprised to see Premier-designate Wynne ask Mr Craitor to be in her cabinet. I think he would be a good choice for almost any cabinet post.
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Perhaps Mr. Craitor could also included on his wish list. The Canadian Motor Speedway.
I appreaciate the need for everyone’s concerns to be heard. But since the OMB have allready given their approval to the project. Perhaps they need a little nudge to deal with the current concerns of PALS. So they can get this much needed projected moving forward.
I believe Mr. Craitor is a Parlimentary assistant to the Economic Minister. And we certainly need something to get the economy moving in this region.
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Lets promote Kim for the Health Ministry porfolio and give the boots to The Deb. Kim rallied with us to save Fort Erie and Port Hospitals so perhaps he could reverse the trend of stripping the Southern Tier .Go Kim go!!!!
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