Tag Archives: Patrick Brown

Ontario Ministry Of Transportation Assure “Historic Amount Of Infrastructure Being Built”

Patrick Brown spoke to the Ontario Road Builders Association where he made a number of false statements about the province. Facts Still Matter in Ontario, especially when it comes to the historic amount of transportation infrastructure being built right now across the province.

 

He said: I believe we’ve seen lip service to infrastructure over the last 10 years but we’re not seeing shovels in the ground”

 

Fact: Here are some pictures of shovels in the ground

Eglinton LRT

eglington-lrt

Spadina Subway Extension

spadina-subway-extension

Waterloo LRT

waterloo-lrt

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highway 404 Extension

 highway404extension

(Source: http://m.thecrosstown.ca/Text-Summary-Eglinton-Crosstown-Update?device=mobile)

(Source: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2012/07/work-progressing-stations-spadina-subway-extension)

(Source: http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6119872-video-drone-s-eye-view-of-lrt-construction-through-kitchener-and-waterloo/)

(Source: http://www.bluestarconstruction.ca/operations-services/projects/404-2/)

 

He said: “You go to Gujarat, you think you’re on Canadian roads. They’ve really invested in Infrastructure. No wonder they’ve seen their economy grow. No wonder Gujarat was leading India in job growth.”

 

Fact: The next time he wants to make this point he’s welcome to use Ontario as an example. It’s no coincidence that our government is making the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history and leading the G7 in economic growth.

(Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/building-ontario, http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/ecaccts/)

 

He said: We want to make sure that historic infrastructure 130 billion is actually spent on infrastructure not spent simply on, on promises, on press releases”

 

Fact: Cost of the new GO station in Richmond Hill: $22 million, cost of the press release announcing it was open: $0, cost of catching Patrick Brown making up facts: priceless

(Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2016/11/ontario-making-daily-commute-easier-for-york-region-families.html)

 

He said: We have become the capital of red tape in North America”

 

Fact: The CFIB nominated has nominated the Ontario government for its golden scissors award for cutting red tape 3 years in a row. This year the government received two nominations.

(Source: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/4786-cfib-announces-golden-scissors-award-finalists.html)

 

He said:Projects need to start within mandate… It’s an insincere commitment promising something for 2019 or 2031”

 

Fact: Meaningful projects take longer than 4 years to build. If Patrick Brown won’t build anything that takes longer than 4 years that means he wouldn’t build any new subways or LRT’s.

(Source: http://vivanext.com/blog/2009/12/01/the-spadina-subway-extension-moves-forward/)

 

He said: “The biggest announcement was for Hydro One, government said we’d get money for infrastructure. Of the first $4 billion sold, 0 went into infrastructure, money has been diverted to general revenue”

 

Fact: All of this money went into the Trillium Trust to be spent on projects like like GO Regional Express Rail, Mississauga and Hamilton LRT’s and the recently announced natural gas expansion.

(Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2015/04/the-trillium-trust-and-moving-ontario-forward.html, https://news.ontario.ca/moi/en/2017/01/expanding-natural-gas-to-more-communities-across-ontario.html)

For the Silo, Alana Kiteley.

Significant Gasoline Price Hikes At Ontario Pumps

January 1st kicked off 2017 with significant gasoline price hikes at the pumps courtesy the Ontario Liberal government’s cap and trade legislation. I obviously voted against that bill.

Ontario’s cap and trade, Canada’s price on carbon

Another reality is that Canada is putting a price on carbon, the nature of which is still being negotiated with the provinces. With national carbon pricing being the new reality, Opposition Leader Patrick Brown has written an open letter to Justin Trudeau indicating that Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade law “does not have Ontario’s best interests at heart,” and requesting that Ontario cap-and-trade be removed from the Trudeau carbon pricing system. I’m not holding my breath on that one.

The problem with the provincial cap and trade tax and the federal price on carbon is that going electric is neither technologically nor economically feasible for most, thanks to the Ontario Liberal’s Green Energy Act. I also voted against that bill.  The cap and trade tax system serves as a stick to try and modify behavior without offering a viable alternative and without a carrot to reward changes made, other than using the revenue for more subsidies for things like electric cars and Toronto transit.

As Ontario’s Official Opposition we have committed to dismantle the cap and trade system ever bearing in mind the federal government is mandating all provinces put a price on carbon.

On January 1, the province capped greenhouse emissions and will sell allowances to companies who have to exceed the cap. The province will lower the cap over time. Companies exceeding their cap can also buy additional allowances, or if they come in below their annual limit, can sell their emission allowances to other companies within a market comprised of Ontario, Quebec and California.

It is estimated Ontario businesses will be paying $300 million a year to California.

We maintain the government is so desperate to hike taxes, they have rejected a revenue-neutral plan – cap-and-trade money will disappear into general revenues.

Cap and trade has clearly not been designed to return money to those paying – it is a blatant $2 billion-a-year tax grab under the guise of environmentalism. It will seriously impact everyone’s pocket book. Oil refineries for example will pass their recovery costs of cap and trade to their customers at the pumps. It subtracts money from people, not only for gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, heating oil and aviation fuel but also for groceries, clothing and other consumer goods produced and delivered by carbon-fueled plant, equipment and transportation.

Ontario drivers are being treated like clowns.
Ontario drivers are being treated like clowns.

Ontario’s Auditor General reports the cap and trade tax will cost families an extra $156 this year for gasoline and natural gas, rising to $210 by 2019. Added transportation costs for goods and services will be another $75 per household by 2019.

We are committed to dismantling the cap and trade scheme and the Green Energy Act. This is the best way to ensure people’s hard-earned money stays exactly where it should stay…in their pockets.

In conclusion, I ask you the reader – where do we go from here? There probably won’t be an election until June 2018 and this is the time to consult on policy.

Click me!
Click me!

Provincially, the Ontario PC Party has committed to dismantle the Wynne cap and trade law, as well as the Green Energy Act. However, carbon pricing is now the reality in Canada and Ontario will be bound by the Trudeau price on carbon.  For the Silo, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett.