Editor’s Note: The following was requested to appear as a letter to the editor.
To Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister Rick Bartolucci: “We will do whatever it takes to make sure we can secure a bright future for our kids and their kids... That’s not always an easy thing to do, but I think it’s important that we do the right thing,” to paraphrase Dalton McGuinty. Ontario is $16 billion in debt – recession, economic downturn? – maybe.
But perhaps the scandals below offer more insight into how the Liberals and McGuinty manage our tax dollars:
1. McGuinty Smart Systems for Health Agency Scandal – Liberal government spent 5 years and $647 million.
2. The eHealth Scandal – over $1 billion spent while nearly one million Ontario families still are without a doctor.
3. McGuinty Slush Fund Scandal - The Auditor General described the process as “among the worst that he has ever seen, in terms of almost no controls, process, or accountability.”
4. McGuinty Ontario Lottery and Gaming Scandal - untendered contracts to Liberal friendly firms, unjustified expenses by OLG staff, millions of dollars paid out to corrupt retailers.
5. McGuinty LHIN (Local Health Integration Networks) Scandal –over $7 million worth of untendered contracts.
6. McGuinty Smart Meter Scandal – over $1 billion spent and still no savings.
7. McGuinty Ornge Scandal (air ambulance) - $700 million over five years with virtually no oversight of how the money was spent.
The above lies, theft, scandals, and pilfering have a price tag of billion of dollars. So how are the Liberals going to come up with the money to cover these massive corruptions?
One scheme that McGuinty has come up with is to divest all business lines of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. Northerners are extremely weary of having to constantly defend the few meager crumbs thrown our way.
Perhaps the saddest fact is the betrayal of our own northerner, Rick Bartolucci.
Conveniently, the demise of the ONTC will effectively cut North Bay and Timmins out of the Ring of Fire development. Give up the argument that the North will receive more funding in education and health. We already utilize the Ontario Northland to travel south for most of our medical and education needs and know this will not change regardless of your empty promises.
Maybe you should come to the North and sign another pledge! We could file it next to the useless pledge you made in 2002 promising not to privatize the ONTC.
Wendy Morrish
Timmins