Cochrane’s MPP isn’t too thrilled after the provincial government laid out its priorities for the next four year’s.
The PC Party’s throne speech included promises to:
- Reduceing gas prices, but with no exact details on how this will happen
- Lowering hydro bills
- Tax relief to parents, small businesses and working poor
- Scrapping cap-and-trade and opposing other carbon tax schemes in all of their forms
- Long-term stable funding for health care including 15,000 new long term care beds over the next five years and $3.8-billion investment in mental health and addictions, including supporting housing
- Increasing supports for families and parents of children with autism
- Expanding beer and wine sales to convenience stores, grocery stores and big box stores
John Vanthof says the whole thing sounded more like a campaign promise than a throne speech.
Vanthof says he is also disappointed that there was no mention of northern Ontario and some of the issues facing this region.
Vanthof says as the Finance Critic he is concerned about where the money is coming for some of the programs being announced. He says other promises like reducing the gas prices sounds good, but who’s to say that the three or four cents people would be saving by the province regulation won’t be added on in some other way.
He says if the government doesn’t switch from campaign to governing mode, it’s going to be a long four years for some people.