News

On Tuesday April 13, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak released details of the Ontario PC Plan to restore transparency and accountability to government.

As part of this plan all provincial public bodies would be required to proactively disclose all of the details of all goods and services contracts over $10,000 as well as all of their travel and hospitality expenses.

Dalton McGuinty has refused to embrace these tough new accountability rules that could have prevented the Liberal eHealth, OLG, Cancer Care Ontario, WSIB, and LHINs scandals. Yesterday McGuinty informed the Ontario Legislature that the LHINs are already being reviewed by Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner. The Integrity Commissioner Office website shows that the LHINs are not covered.

Quotes

– Christine Elliott, Ontario PC MPP for Whitby-Oshawa, Deputy Leader and Critic for Health

– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean-Carleton and Critic for Revenue and Government Accountability

Quick Facts

• A total of $3.6 billion dollars has been wasted through Dalton McGuinty’s eHealth, Windsor Energy Centre, WSIB, MPAC, OLG, Mike Colle, Cancer Care Ontario, Samsung, Ontario Works, the ODSP, LHINs and HST tax collector scandals.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for proactive disclosure of all travel and hospitality expenses from all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have helped catch, and prevent, WSIB chair Steve Mahoney’s decision to expense a personal GPS system or Cancer Care Ontario’s decision to expense cupcakes at a baby shower and picnics.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for proactive disclosure of all goods and services contracts over $10,000 from all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have forced government agencies such as eHealth and Cancer Care Ontario to disclose, in advance, the nearly $30 million dollars they were diverting to the Liberal friendly Courtyard Group.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to apply to all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have helped catch the McGuinty Government’s decision to raise the ceiling on Cancer Care Ontario’s contract with Courtyard from $3.5 million to $20.2 million as well as the 22 “follow-on” agreements that were not properly authorized.

News

Today Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak and Ontario PC Critic for Accountability Lisa MacLeod released details about the Ontario PC plan to strengthen transparency and accountability in government and increase the public’s right to information on how their tax dollars are being spent.

After seeing record waste and scandals from McGuinty Liberal Government during their scandals at eHealth Ontario, OLG, Cancer Care Ontario, the WSIB and the LHINs, the Ontario PC Plan provides straightforward and practical solutions to improve transparency in all corners of Ontario’s government.

In Question Period today, Hudak challenged the McGuinty Government to adopt their accountability reforms which, had they been in place earlier, would have helped prevent Liberal scandals.

Quotes

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean Carleton and Critic for Revenue and Accountability

Quick Facts

• A total of $3.6 billion dollars has been wasted through Dalton McGuinty’s eHealth, Windsor Energy Centre, WSIB, MPAC, OLG, Mike Colle, Cancer Care Ontario, Samsung, Ontario Works, the ODSP, LHINs and HST tax collector scandals.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for proactive disclosure of all travel and hospitality expenses from all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have helped catch, and prevent, WSIB chair Steve Mahoney’s decision to expense a personal GPS system or Cancer Care Ontario’s decision to expense cupcakes at a baby shower and picnics.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for proactive disclosure of all goods and services contracts over $10,000 from all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have forced government agencies such as eHealth and Cancer Care Ontario to disclose, in advance, the nearly $30 million dollars they were diverting to the Liberal friendly Courtyard Group.
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Caucus are calling for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to apply to all provincial public bodies. Such a measure would have helped catch the McGuinty Government’s decision to raise the ceiling on Cancer Care Ontario’s contract with Courtyard from $3.5 million to $20.2 million as well as the 22 “follow-on” agreements that were not properly authorized.

News:
The Ontario PC Caucus is introducing important measures to improve accountability and transparency in government and to hold Dalton McGuinty to account for his runaway spending, wasteful scandals and untendered contracts.

Today, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak was joined by Accountability Critic Lisa MacLeod, MPP to unveil three key accountability components including:

Expanding the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to apply to all provincial public bodies.
Guaranteeing full proactive disclosure of all contracts over $10,000 to apply to all provincial public bodies.
Guaranteeing full proactive disclosure of all travel and hospitality expenses to apply to all provincial public bodies.

Lisa MacLeod, MPP will be introducing The Ontario Accountability and Transparency Act in the Legislature to put an end to the spending scandals that has spread throughout the government to eHealth Ontario, OLG, Cancer Care Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term-Care, the WSIB and the LHINs. 

Quotes:

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean – Carleton and Critic for Revenue and Accountability

Quick Facts:

• A total of $3.6 billion dollars has been wasted during Dalton McGuinty’s eHealth, the Windsor Energy Centre, the WSIB, MPAC, OLG, Mike Colle, Cancer Care Ontario, Samsung, Ontario Works, the ODSP, LHINs and HST tax collector scandals.
• Dalton McGuinty’s June 17, 2009 promise to end sole-sourced contracts was exposed through untendered contracts at Casino Niagara, the Windsor Energy Centre and the LHINs.
• On Dalton McGuinty’s September 14, 2009 broken promise to force Ontario Agencies, Boards and Commissions to post their expenses online was undermined by the fact that more than 580 Ontario Agencies Boards and Commissions remain exempt.
• On Dalton McGuinty’s October 19th, 2009 promised to stop hiding the six figured salaries of his health officials in hospital budgets but was exposed by hiding LHIN salaries in hospital budgets.

News

Dalton McGuinty has been caught breaking his promise to stop the practice of raiding Ontario hospital budgets to pay the salaries of senior government officials.

This time the culprits are McGuinty’s scandal-plagued LHIN bureaucracies.  On multiple occasions, people who are listed as staff at the LHINs do not appear as LHIN employees on Ontario’s Sunshine List of public sector employees making $100,000 or more.  Instead, according to the Sunshine List, these highly-paid LHIN employees were paid by Ontario hospitals.
 
Dalton McGuinty previously promised to end the practice of raiding hospital budgets for high-end salaries after it was exposed that almost half-million dollar salary of his former Deputy Minister of Health and the $320,000 salary of his former climate change advisor Hugh MacLeod were diverted from hospital funds intended to go towards frontline patient care.  Today’s revelation is just the latest proof that there is always fine print to every promise McGuinty makes.

Quotes

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

– Christine Elliott, Ontario PC MPP for Whitby – Oshawa, Deputy Leader, and Critic for Health

Quick Facts

• Last fall, Dalton McGuinty was caught raiding the hospital budget of Hamilton Health Sciences to pay the $500,000 salary of his Deputy Minister of Health Ron Sapsford and the using the budget  University Health Network to pay the $320,000 salary of his climate-change advisor Hugh MacLeod.  (”McGuinty says bureaucrat’s salaries will no longer be buried in hospital budgets,” Waterloo Region Record , Tue Oct 20 2009) 
• “I disagree with that practice and that’s why we’re going to change it,” Dalton McGuinty on the shady practice of burying salaries in hospital budgets. (Hansard, October 19, 2010).

 

• According to the 2009 Ontario Sunshine List, the following people identified as LHIN employees are all listed as having their salaries actually paid out of Ontario Hospital budgets.

 

• Gloria Whitson–Shea (Waterloo-Wellington LHIN) was paid $227,000 by the Grand River Hospital.
• Sandra Easson-Bruno (North Simcoe-Muskoka LHIN) was paid $104,000 by the Royal Victoria Hospital.
• Antonette Adey (Waterloo-Wellington LHIN) had half of her $205,000 salary paid by Bluewater Health.
• Jennifer Everson (Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant LHIN) had her $422,000 salary by Hamilton Health Sciences.

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today issued the following statement on the death of Lech Kaczy?ski, President of the Republic of Poland.  Kaczy?ski and his wife were among the more than 80 people killed in a plane crash in Smolensk, Russia.

“My condolences go out to the family of President Kaczy?ski, the people of Poland, and to families of Polish heritage here in Canada and around the world.

“This is a tragic day for Poland and for thousands of Ontario families of Polish descent.  President Kaczy?ski represented more than just the Polish state; he also represented the incredible potential of post-communist Poland.  Kaczy?ski lived his life as a steadfast champion of Poland and a resolute defender of its values.  We will continue to see his legacy in the new spirit of confidence and optimism we witness throughout Poland and from people of Polish heritage around the world.

“Lech Kaczy?ski was a leader in the Solidarity movement that helped topple communist tyranny and return democracy to Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe.  He was part of an incredible generation of patriots and will be missed by all who shared his belief in the power of liberty, democracy and human rights.”

Statement by Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak on the Battle of Vimy Rdige

Today marks the anniversary of an event that not only solidified Canada’s presence on the world stage, but also helped a fledgling country to forge its own national identity at home.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge is considered by many to be the first real allied victory in the First World War – and it was won through the innovative battle tactics, grit and sacrifice of our Canadian Corps.

It was through battles like Vimy Ridge that solidified the Canadian Corps’ reputation as a professional and hard fighting force – something our service men and women have carried with them through the beaches of Normandy to the front lines of Korea and in Afghanistan today.

Truly there is no sight more inspiring to the innocent and more terrifying to the enemy than Canadian soldiers fighting for Canadian ideals.

Young men from all nine of Canada’s provinces fought for the Canadian Corps in World War I. Those who were fortunate enough to return from war brought back with them a national pride that helped this country gain its own identity separate from Britain.

While Confederation occurred some 50 years prior, it was their triumphs and their sacrifices that made Canada a country.

Now that an entire generation of Canadian heroes has moved on, it is more important than ever to honour their memory. We must honour their service by doing our part to protect and preserve the Canadian ideals for which they fought.

I am proud to support my Caucus colleague Norm Sterling and his Private Member’s Bill proclaiming April 9 as Vimy Ridge Day, and am pleased it was supported by all government members.

News

QUEEN’S PARK – Dalton McGuinty’s so-called ‘green energy’ announcement is little more than a consolation prize for the Ontario businesses that were frozen out of his unprecedented billion dollar handout to Korean Industrial Giant Samsung.

The OPA has confirmed that it received 1,000 applications for funding through this program, with only 184 receiving approval. This massive demand further undermines Dalton McGuinty’s claim that he had no alternatives to charging every Ontario household $12 more per month on their hydro bills in order to fund his Samsung corporate welfare scheme.

The ultimate losers in Dalton McGuinty’s so-called ‘green’ energy giveaway are Ontario families and businesses who will be forced to pay record electricity tariffs for at least 20 years. The London Economic Institute estimates that Dalton McGuinty’s so-called ‘green’ subsidy program will cost Ontario households up to $631 per year.

Quotes

– John Yakabuski, Ontario PC MPP for Renfew – Nippissing – Pembroke and Critic for Energy

– John Yakabuski, Ontario PC MPP for Renfew – Nippissing – Pembroke and Critic for Energy

Quick Facts

• The Ontario Power Authority has confirmed that more than 1,000 Ontario businesses applied for funding through Dalton McGuinty’s subsidy scheme. Only 184 projects were accepted.
• London Economics International (LEI) estimates that the cumulative cost of the Green Energy Act is approximately $46 billion from 2010 through 2025, before considering additional costs related to energy audits and energy conservation plans. This is equivalent to approximately $631 per household per year.
• Dalton McGuinty’s sweetheart Samsung deal included a special $437 million payout that is explicitly being denied to Ontario businesses. In total, the McGuinty Samsung deal will single-handedly increase Ontario hydro bills by $12 per month and cost Ontario families $303,000 per new job.
• The president of the Association of Power Produces of Ontario has called the McGuinty-Samsung deal “fundamentally wrong” and a betrayal. In a November 5th letter to the Premier, the heads of the Canadian Wind Energy Association and Canadian Solar Energy Association condemned the McGuinty-Samsung deal as “manifestly unfair.”

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today issued the following statement on the April 4th machete attack on Jewish and Pro-Israel Carleton University students.

“The recent machete attack on Jewish and pro-Israel Carleton University students is as unacceptable as it is upsetting. No matter how strongly one’s emotions may run on any issue, there is no place in a civilized province like Ontario for resorting to such a savage act of violence and intimidation.

“As recent events such as Israel-Apartheid Week remind us, there is a disturbing market for anti-Semitic activists and their rhetoric at too many Ontario Universities. For these activists religious bigotry is acceptable as long as it is directed at people of the Jewish faith. It is sad, but not surprising, that this double standard in human rights is now prompting acts of violence

“The Ontario PC Caucus will always be a champion of human rights such as free speech. But we are equally clear: anti-Semitism is un-Canadian, and we condemn it fully and forcefully. I call on the Premier and Attorney General, as well as their counterparts in Quebec, to do everything in their power to ensure that the people behind this attack face the full consequences of the law.”

News

GRIMSBY – New evidence confirms that Dalton McGuinty’s Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) appointees were involved in many of the same contract and spending abuses that led to the billion dollar eHealth scandal. Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today released evidence that confirms that the Liberal appointees at the Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brant LHIN handed out a $75,000 contract to a private U.S. health care consultant for undefined “community engagement” products.

Further documentary evidence confirms that Dalton McGuinty’s American health care consultant, despite being based in Michigan, nonetheless proceeded to bill Ontario taxpayers for multiple flights to and from sunny Florida. Adding insult to injury, the same American health care consultant also filed frivolous expenses that included a stop at a Tennessee Starbucks and fast-food meals in Detroit. All expenses were paid out of Ontario health care dollars.

Last week, the release of Ontario’s Sunshine List revealed that, while families in Grimsby and await approvals for their long-overdue new hospital, the amount of money being paid in six-figure salaries to LHIN executives and managers has nearly doubled to more than a million dollars since 2006. This includes the LHIN CEO whose salary has shot up by 24% –from $236,000 to $289,000.

Quotes

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

Quick Facts

• Dalton McGuinty created a new layer of bureaucracy with his so-called “Local Health Integration Networks” (LHINs). Since 2006-2007, more than $176 million health care dollars have been diverted away from Ontario families and directed towards salaries and administration at these boards.
• In just four 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 2006, three employees at the Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brant LHIN made six figure salaries and their total compensation totaled $534, 000. Today, six LHIN executives are making $1,007,000. During this time, the salary of the LHIN CEO has shot up from $236,000 to $289,000.
• LHIN appointees handed out a $75,000 untendered contract to private U.S. Health Care consultant Jay Connor for “community engagement projects”.
• Despite being a Michigan – based consultant, Connor nonetheless billed Ontario taxpayers for multiple trips to and from Florida. Connor also billed Ontario taxpayers for frivolous expenses including a stop at a Tennessee Starbucks, bridge and highway tolls at the Canadian border, and dinners in his hometown of Detroit. All expenses were paid out of Ontario health care dollars.
• The Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brand LHIN also handed out a $98,000 contract to consultant Dan Banko to do just two months worth of work in “community engagement”.

Dear Friends:

As you get together this weekend with family and friends, please accept my best wishes for a happy and healthy Easter holiday.

May everyone in Ontario’s Christian community enjoy this special time – celebrating treasured family traditions and reflecting upon the power and glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Along with my wife Debbie and our young daughter Miller, we are looking forward to sharing the Easter holiday with our families.

On behalf of the Ontario PC Caucus, I hope your family enjoys a cheerful and blessed celebration.

Sincerely,

Tim Hudak
Ontario PC Leader