MPP
Arnott hammers McGuinty Government for not helping municipalities
meet infrastructure needs
Speaking
in support of municipal infrastructure projects in the
communities he represents, MPP Ted Arnott made the following
statement in the Ontario Legislature on March 21st,
2007:
Mr.
Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): Mr. Speaker, people
in Waterloo, Wellington, and Halton Hills know the McGuinty
Liberal Government’s record is one of broken promises,
weak leadership, and misplaced priorities. It is a fact
that Dalton McGuinty is spending at least $20 billion
a year more than when he came into office three and
a half years ago. In spite of this spending spree, the
communities I represent are not receiving the financial
support they need from the Province for vital infrastructure
projects.
The
Towns of Minto and Halton Hills are asking that municipalities
which have been shut out of three rounds of COMRIF funding
be compensated for the cost of their applications. They
made a good point, and as of this morning ninety-nine
municipalities had passed resolutions in agreement.
While
at the Good Roads/ROMA conference three weeks ago, I
heard from many local Councillors. For example, the
Township of Centre Wellington has 104 bridges, and a
third of them need work now. They also need help with
their Elora Water Pollution Control Plant expansion.
Recently I’ve heard from the County of Wellington, the
Region of Halton, the Township of Puslinch, and the
Town of Erin on their transportation needs, and they
are showing leadership and vision that the McGuinty
Government is not. Soon the House will hear more from
me on that.
And
when it comes to recreation projects, so important to
our quality of life, health and wellness, communities
like Elmira, Mount Forest, and Acton, have received
short-shrift from this Government when they needed provincial
support.
This
Government wasted $400 Million to expand the Windsor
casino and entice more people to gamble there. That
is money that should have been spent on rural infrastructure
projects, or any number of other, more pressing priorities.
Let’s
hope that tomorrow’s budget responds to the needs of
the people of Ontario, not just the waning fortunes
of the Ontario Liberal Party.
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