Archive for March, 2010
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
News
QUEEN’S PARK — The release of the 2010 Sunshine List of highly-paid government employees confirms that the number of government employees making over $100,000 has more than tripled since Dalton McGuinty took office from 20,249 to over 63,000. This sits in stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs that have been lost since the recession began.
Featured prominently on the sunshine list were Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) bureaucrats, Dalton McGuinty’s unaccountable, unelected appointees. The CEO’s at the LHINs were treated to a staggering $15,000 pay increase and the number of LHIN bureaucrats pulling in over $100,000 has grown from 40 to 114 since 2006. Since the creation of the LHINs, over $17 million has been spent on salaries – money that should be focussed on front line care.
Last week, Dalton McGuinty quietly cancelled a legislative review of the LHINs that was set to start on March 28, 2010. A Standing Committee of the Legislature was to conduct a thorough review of the LHINs. Through Freedom of Information, the Ontario PC Caucus has uncovered $7 Million in untendered contracts and spiralling salaries at the LHINs.
Quotes
“While emergency rooms are forced to close and families struggle to make ends meet, Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN appointees are cashing in with their $15,000 raises. These funds need to be directed to frontline patient care – not bloated government salaries.”
– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean-Carleton and Critic for Accountability.
“There is no wonder Dalton McGuinty is on track to double our debt. The growth in six-figure salaried government employees does not come close to reflecting the economic reality of Ontario.”
– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean-Carleton and Critic for Accountability.
Quick Facts
- Dalton McGuinty has more than tripled the number of government executives, appointees and managers making more than $100,000 per year or more. In 2003, 20,249 government employees made six figure salaries. That number has now skyrocketed to 63,836.
- In just three years, the number of LHIN appointees making more than $100,000 per year has increased from 40 to 114 — a 185% increase. This includes 19 employees who are making more than $200,000 per year.
- In total, more than $17,000,000 is being diverted from frontline patient care and towards six-figure salaries for LHINs insiders.
- Today the CEOs at Dalton McGuinty’s LHINs are making an average of $275,000 per year – representing an average raise of $15,000 over what they made last year.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
News
Today the Ontario Sunshine List of employees making over $100,000 is released. If it is anything like past Sunshine Lists, this year’s version will be riddled with examples of highly-paid, unaccountable, Liberal friends and insiders getting rich off of Ontario tax dollars.
One of the worst offenders to date has been the unelected and anonymous appointees at Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies. Since 2006 a total of $176 million health care dollars have been wasted on administration and executive compensation for the LHINS – dollars that should have been spent on frontline patient care. This includes former McGuinty Government appointee Barry Monaghan who was paid $1.1 million dollars over the course of three years. Monaghan would continue collect $351,000 from the Toronto Central LHIN a year after he stopped working there.
Dalton McGuinty has already been caught using the 2010 Budget to cancel the public legislative review of the LHINS and blocked the reappointment of Ontario’s Ombudsman after he conducted his own investigation into a LHIN. It is clear that Dalton McGuinty wants to hide the truth about how many Liberal friends and insiders are getting rich off of his LHIN slush funds.
Quotes
“Today, while everyday Ontario families are forced to cut back under an onslaught of taxes and fees, the ranks of McGuinty Government executives, consultants, and appointees getting rich from our health care dollars continues to swell.”
– Christine Elliott, Ontario PC MPP for Whitby – Oshawa, Deputy Leader and Ontario PC Health Critic
“Just as we saw in the eHealth scandal, Liberal friends and insiders are continuing to get rich from money that should be going to frontline patient care. It’s no wonder that Dalton McGuinty wants to keep the truth about his LHINs out of the sunshine.”
– Christine Elliott, Ontario PC MPP for Whitby – Oshawa, Deputy Leader and Ontario PC Health Critic
Quick Facts
- Today the 2009 Sunshine List of government employees making $100,000 per year will be released. According to last year’s sunshine list, the number of government employees making $100K or more per year is more than two and half times as large as when Dalton McGuinty took office in 2003. (20,249 to 53,715).
- Between 2006 -2008 – the number of LHIN bureaucrats on Sunshine List grew by almost 150% (40 to 95). Over that same period total salaries and compensation at the LHINS grew by 213%.
- The CEOs at LHINs made an average of $261,000 in 2008. That resulted in $3.9 million diverted away from patient care and into their pockets. In 2008, 15 bureaucrats at Dalton McGuinty’s LHINs took home over $200,000.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
News
On the heels of dismissing Ontario Ombudsman André Marin, who was conducting an in-depth review of a LHIN, the McGuinty Liberals used the Budget to cancel the review of the LHINs by a Standing Committee of the Legislature. The review was to start no later than March 28, 2010.
Through Freedom of Information requests, the Ontario PC Caucus has obtained documentary evidence confirming that there was over $7 million in untendered contracts handed out at LHINs and, on at least six separate occasions, Dalton McGuinty’s appointees ignored his well-publicized June 17 ‘ban’ on handing out untendered contracts to friendly consultants.
More documents revealed today show that the former CEO of the Toronto – Central LHIN, Barry Monaghan funnelled public money through an untendered contract to a consulting firm run by his friend and former colleague Janice Walker. Following his resignation from the LHIN, Monaghan was rewarded with a job at Walker’s firm, and both Monaghan and Walker continued to receive untendered contracts from Monaghan’s former peers at Ontario’s other LHINs. In 2008, Monaghan received $351,000 in salary from the Toronto Central LHIN, even though he resigned from that post in November 2007.
Quotes
“In the face of untendered contracts and spiralling executive salaries that divert healthcare dollars away from frontline patient care, Dalton McGuinty quietly cancelled his legislative review of the LHINs. Ontario families need an explanation on what he is trying to hide.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“The eHealth scandal began as a series of small spending irregularities, and Dalton McGuinty’s first reaction was to bury the truth. Now that we see growing evidence of eHealth-style scandals at the LHINs, Dalton McGuinty has obstructed a public review of his LHIN appointees.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
- Ontario Ombudsman André Marin was investigating the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN. His reappointment has been blocked by the McGuinty Liberals.
- On page 164 of the 2010 Budget, the McGuinty Liberals buried details of a plan to rewrite the “Local Health Systems Act 2006″ to remove a legal requirement to hold a legislative committee review of the LHINs by March 28, 2010.
- The Ontario PC Caucus has used Ontario’s Freedom of Information Laws to reveal that Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies were engaged in the same binge of untendered contracts that were behind the Liberal eHealth scandal. To date over $7 million worth of untendered contracts have been discovered at the LHINs, including untendered contracts for the eHealth-linked Liberal-friendly Courtyard Group.
- The former CEO of the Toronto Central Health Board, Barry Monaghan, collected $1.1 million in salary over the course of three years. Even though Monaghan resigned in November 2007, the Toronto Central Health Board continued to pay him $351,000 in 2008.
- Prior to joining the Toronto Central LHIN as its CEO, Barry Monaghan worked with Janice Walker at West Park Health Care Centre where Monaghan was the CEO and Walker was the Chief Information Officer. On January 2, 2007, Barry Monaghan gave a $38,400 untendered contract to Janice Walker and her consulting firm, Belcourt Partners.
- After leaving the Toronto Central LHIN, Barry Monaghan was rewarded with a job at Jan Walker’s consulting firm Belcourt Partners, where the two continued to receive untendered contracts. At the same time, Monaghan also received untendered contracts from the LHINs through his own consulting company, Barry Monaghan and Associates.
- As CEO of the Toronto Central LHIN, Barry Monaghan handed out $325,000 in untendered contracts. After resigning in 2007, Monaghan then received $313,000 in untendered contracts.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
News
Buried deep in the 2010 Budget Papers, the McGuinty Liberals quietly, and deliberately, cancelled a legislative review of the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) bureaucracies. This review would have shed light on the spending and contracting practices of the unelected, unaccountable and anonymous appointees who run these regional health bureaucracies.
Under the Local Health Systems Integration Act, 2006, the McGuinty Government is legally required to subject the LHINs to a full public legislative review by March 28, 2010. Rather than be forced to subject the LHINs to public scrutiny, the McGuinty Liberals have instead buried a provision on page 164 of the Budget that would eliminate the obligation to hold this review.
The decision to remove accountability provisions from the LHINs legislation is just the latest example of how far Dalton McGuinty is prepared to go in order to hide his government’s dirty secrets. Previously, the McGuinty Liberals acted quickly to block the reappointment of Ontario Ombudsman André Marin after they obtained a confidential draft report of his own LHIN investigation.
Despite this elaborate secrecy, the Ontario PC Caucus has nonetheless obtained evidence confirming that Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies have handed out at least $7 million in untendered contracts, involving many of the same players who got rich off of the Liberal eHealth scandal. Most shocking of all is the fact that at least a half-dozen of these untendered consulting contracts were handed out well after Dalton McGuinty’s much-publicized ‘ban’ of untendered consulting contracts throughout government.
Quotes
“There is no excuse for using the 2010 Budget to undermine accountability rules. This has nothing to do with Ontario’s finances and everything to do with hiding the Liberals’ latest dirty secrets from the public.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“Dalton McGuinty promised he would ban untendered contracts, but his own appointees at the LHINs kept on handing them out. Not only is Dalton McGuinty refusing to enforce his own rules, he is now deliberately trying to help the LHINs cover-up the truth. It is clear that this is not the same Dalton McGuinty people thought they were voting for in 2003.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
On the cover-up
- Ontario’s LHIN bureaucracies were created by a standalone piece legislation which created the Local Health Integration Networks in the “Local Health Systems Act 2006″. This legislation received Royal Assent on March 28, 2006.
- The “Local Health Systems Act 2006″ calls for a public Legislative Committee review of the LHINs to begin no later than four years after the act receives Royal Assent (March 28, 2010).
- On page 164 of the 2010 Budget, the McGuinty Liberals propose rewriting the Act to remove this requirement and replace it with a vague commitment to conduct their own “thorough review of the Act and the powers available to Local Health Integration Networks”. There is no deadline for this internal review nor is there any guarantee that it will be made public.
On the scandal
- The Ontario PC Caucus has used Ontario’s Freedom of Information Laws to reveal that Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies were engaged in the same binge of untendered contracts that were behind the Liberal eHealth scandal.
- To date over $7 million worth of untendered contracts have been discovered at the LHINs, including untendered contracts for the eHealth-linked Liberal-friendly Courtyard Group.
- On June 17, 2009, Dalton McGuinty issued an edict supposedly banning untendered contracts throughout the Ontario government.
- Despite this edict, the pattern of handing out untendered contracts continued at the LHINS where, on at least a half-dozen separate occasions, McGuinty’s own LHINs appointees ignored this edict and continued the practice.
- On June 25, 2009 – only eight days after the McGuinty edict – the Central LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On October 1, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On July 20, 2009, the Erie – St. Clair LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On July 27, 2009, the Erie – St. Clair LHIN handed out a second untendered contract.
- On July 29, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out an untendered contract extension.
- On November 9, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out a second untendered contract extension.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Chag Pesach Sameach!
On this solemn occasion marking the Jewish peoples’ liberation from slavery and exodus from Egypt, I would like to wish you a happy and blessed Passover. As you sit down this week with family and friends, may you enjoy your time together reflecting upon the strength of your ancestors in the face of persecution and the importance of teaching the next generation the customs that are central to the Jewish faith.
These are common values that transcend the many cultures and creeds that have so uniquely woven together our society in Ontario. On behalf of the Ontario PC Caucus, I would like to offer my warm wishes for a joyous and healthy celebration.
Sincerely,
Tim Hudak, MPP
Ontario PC Leader
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Sunday, March 28th, 2010
News
Buried deep in the 2010 Budget Papers, the McGuinty Liberals quietly cancelled a legislative review of the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) bureaucracies.
Under the Local Health Systems Integration Act, 2006, the McGuinty Government is legally required to subject the LHINs to a full public legislative review by March 28, 2010. Rather than be forced to subject the LHINs to public scrutiny, the McGuinty Liberals have instead buried a provision on page 164 of the Budget that would eliminate the obligation to hold this review.
The decision to remove accountability provisions from the LHINs legislation is just the latest example of how far Dalton McGuinty is prepared to go in order to hide his government’s dirty secrets. Previously, the McGuinty Liberals acted quickly to block the reappointment of Ontario Ombudsman André Marin after they obtained a confidential draft report of his own LHIN investigation.
Despite this elaborate secrecy, the Ontario PC Caucus has nonetheless obtained evidence confirming that Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies have handed out at least $7 million in untendered contracts, involving many of the same players who got rich off of the Liberal eHealth scandal. Most shocking of all is the fact that at least a half-dozen of these untendered consulting contracts were handed out well after Dalton McGuinty’s much-publicized ‘ban’ of untendered consulting contracts throughout government.
Quotes
“There is no excuse for using the 2010 Budget to undermine accountability rules. This has nothing to do with Ontario’s finances and everything to do with hiding the Liberals’ latest dirty secrets from the public.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“Dalton McGuinty’s promise to put an end to untendered consulting contracts has been exposed as a fraud by his own appointees at the LHINs. It is no wonder that the Liberals would rather fire watchdogs and rewrite accountability laws than see their latest untendered contract scandal exposed in public.”
– Lisa MacLeod Ontario PC MPP for Nepean – Carleton and Critic for Accountability
Quick Facts
On the cover-up:
- Ontario’s LHIN bureaucracies were created by a standalone piece legislation which created the Local Health Integration Networks in the “Local Health Systems Act 2006”. This legislation received Royal Assent on March 28, 2006.
- The “Local Health Systems Act 2006” calls for a public Legislative Committee review of the LHINs to begin no later than four years after the act receives Royal Assent (March 28, 2010).
- On page 164 of the 2010 Budget, the McGuinty Liberals propose rewriting the Act to remove this requirement and replace it with a vague commitment to conduct their own “thorough review of the Act and the powers available to Local Health Integration Networks”. There is no deadline for this internal review nor is there any guarantee that it will be made public.
On the scandal
- The Ontario PC Caucus has used Ontario’s Freedom of Information Laws to reveal that Dalton McGuinty’s LHIN bureaucracies were engaged in the same binge of untendered contracts that were behind the Liberal eHealth scandal.
- To date over $7 million worth of untendered contracts have been discovered at the LHINs, including untendered contracts for the eHealth-linked Liberal-friendly Courtyard Group.
- On June 17, 2009, Dalton McGuinty issued an edict supposedly banning untendered contracts throughout the Ontario government.
- Despite this edict, the pattern of handing out untendered contracts continued at the LHINS where, on at least a half-dozen separate occasions McGuinty’s own LHINs appointees ignored this edict and continued the practice.
- On June 25, 2009 – only eight days after the McGuinty edict – the Central LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On October 1, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On July 20, 2009, the Erie – St. Clair LHIN handed out an untendered contract.
- On July 27, 2009, the Erie – St. Clair LHIN handed out a second untendered contract.
- On July 29, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out an untendered contract extension.
- On November 9, 2009, the Waterloo – Wellington LHIN handed out a second untendered contract extension.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Friday, March 26th, 2010
News
QUEEN’S PARK – The Ontario PC Caucus will use their first opportunity on Monday to introduce an amendment to the 2010 Budget Motion condemning the McGuinty Liberals for refusing to protect taxpayers from being forced to pay $25 million in severance to HST tax collectors who will not be losing their jobs.
Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today released the text of the Ontario PC Budget Motion amendment. Yesterday, Hudak released text of a PC amendment to the Budget Bill that would prevent HST tax collectors from receiving up to $45,000 each in severance despite the fact that they will not be missing a day of work.
The Ontario PC Caucus will continue to use every legislative tool at their disposal, including Opposition Day Motions, Question Period, and Private Members business to protect seniors, families and taxpayers from paying this outrageous and undeserved severance.
Quotes
“Our position is clear. If you don’t lose your job, you don’t collect severance. This is the rule that every other employer in the world follows, it is about time that Dalton McGuinty and his HST tax collectors followed it as well.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“While families struggle to make ends meet, Dalton McGuinty is forking over $25 million in so-called severance to HST tax collectors who are not, in fact, losing their jobs.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
The Ontario PC Caucus has the prerogative of moving an amendment to the main Budget Motion. This amendment is, by convention, a confidence measure. This amendment will be introduced on Monday.
The Ontario PC Caucus will also have the opportunity to move a substantive amendment to the Budget Bill itself. The Ontario PC Budget Bill amendment will close the loophole in the Comprehensive Integrated Tax Coordination Agreement that allows Dalton McGuinty to pay $45,000 in severance to HST collectors under the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
News
Despite Ontario’s urgent need for action in the face of unprecedented deficits, job losses and high unemployment, the 2010 McGuinty Liberal budget failed to put jobs first. While other economies are recovering from the recession, Ontario is being left behind.
Ontario PC Leader Tim called on Dalton McGuinty to take Ontario down a new path and urged the government to implement the Ontario PC Caucus’ affordable and practical ideas that would create jobs and grow Ontario’s economy right away.
Hudak also stood up for Ontario families and tabled a new idea by announcing he will propose an amendment to the 2010 budget bill that would cancel the $25 million severance payout to the HST tax collectors who are not losing their jobs.
Quotes
“Dalton McGuinty had the opportunity to demonstrate that Ontario has a plan to once again become the best place in the world to invest, start a business and create jobs. But he failed to provide a plan that would put jobs first.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“While Ontario has lost 210,000 jobs, Dalton McGuinty is handing over $25 million in severance to his HST tax collectors. This is not acceptable to me and it is not acceptable to Ontario families. In my response to the budget, I will be tabling an amendment that will see the $25 million severance package stopped and returned to Ontario families.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
- Budget 2010 confirms that Dalton McGuinty will singlehandedly double Ontario’s debt by 2012-2013. (page 195)
- Budget 2010 confirms that Dalton McGuinty is driving Ontario even deeper into ‘have not’ status. Ontario will now receive $972 million in equalization payments from better performing provinces – a near tripling over last year’s total. (page 136)
- To find out more about the Ontario PC Caucus’ 10 ideas to provide tax relief, cut red tape and control government spending, please visit www.10for2010.ca.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
News
While families, seniors and businesses throughout Ontario are tightening their belts and making sacrifices in order to make ends meet, the McGuinty Government continues to indulge in outrageous spending and sweetheart deals.
Under Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax grab plan, the McGuinty Government will pay six-month severance packages worth as much as $45,000 each, to more than 1,250 Ministry of Revenue tax collectors who won’t lose their jobs. This ‘severance’ will cost Ontario workers and families a total of $25 million even though the tax collectors will not be missing a day of work.
The 2010 Ontario budget is an opportunity for Dalton McGuinty to lead by example and start showing respect for how much Ontario families are already paying by cancelling the outrageous $25 million tax collector payout, return this money to Ontario families and cancel his record breaking HST tax grab.
The Ontario PC Caucus has released a list of 10 ideas that will create jobs, control spending and help the economy grow. These ideas can be viewed at www.10for2010.ca.
Quotes
“Today when families and budgets are already stretched to the breaking point, it is insulting to see government elites and insiders indulging themselves at the taxpayers’ expense. Dalton McGuinty must use the 2010 budget to cancel up to $45,000 that each HST tax collector is receiving in return for changing their business cards.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“There are still two rules in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario. While the government demands that most people continue to do more with less, the favoured few continue to get rich on the taxpayers’ dime. Dalton McGuinty’s $3 billion HST tax is painful enough. He must show leadership and demand that tax collectors return this $25 million to the taxpayers right away.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
The McGuinty Government will pay six-month severance packages worth as much as $45,000 each to more than 1,250 Ministry of Revenue tax collectors who won’t lose their jobs. The McGuinty Government estimates the severance deal could cost up to $25 million.
The severance is being issued to tax collectors affected by the implementation of the HST, which takes effect on July 1, 2010.
An agreement signed by the McGuinty Government and the Canada Revenue Agency will see the provincial tax workers become employees of the federal government, but not before receiving severance payouts for the “loss” of their Ontario jobs. In contrast, public servants in British Columbia who signed a similar deal this week to move to federal positions will not be entitled to severance payouts
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
News
QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today released a list of 10 practical, affordable and achievable ideas that, if implemented by the Ontario Government today, will help create jobs and support small businesses in Ontario in 2010.
Hudak also announced the launch of the website www.10for2010.ca which provides details on each of the 10 ideas being proposed by the Ontario PC Caucus. The website also includes a robust feedback feature that allows members of the general public to make their own job-creation ideas known.
The new website is just the latest example of how Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are reaching out and listening to Ontario families. On Monday, Hudak became the first political leader in Canadian history to hold an electronic town hall to discuss job creation in 2010.
Quotes
“These ten ideas are all practical, affordable and achievable. We are calling on the McGuinty Government to put the brakes on their high taxes, corporate subsidies, and record deficits, and begin implementing these job creating ideas right away.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
“While these ten ideas will help create jobs right away, we know that there are many other good ideas out there. I encourage anybody who has a good idea to create jobs for the future to visit our 10for2010.ca website and share your ideas with us.”
– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
Quick Facts
During his electronic town hall, Tim Hudak talked with 1400 Ontarians across the province about their ideas to create jobs and get Ontario back on track.
Hudak is also the first political leader in Canadian history to launch is own iPhone application, which includes additional feedback features that allow members of the public to have their say.
Posted in Ontario | No Comments »
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