MPP Michael Mantha’s News from the Park
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
Friday (July 25, 2014) the Liberal budget passed and the legislature has risen until the fall. New Democrats are calling for the Auditor General to do an independent report on the fiscal plan and set the record straight. The Auditor needs to do the same report that was done in 2007 and 2011. The Liberals have created uncertainty and confusion on all sides with their Trojan Horse budget.
Many families in Ontario face an uncertain future as job losses mount and more people find themselves looking for work. Last month alone, 34,000 people lost their jobs, many of them young people trying to make a start in the workforce. Government needs to play an active and effective role in restoring confidence and rebuilding our economy. Doing this requires a solid foundation. Clear and transparent public finances are a cornerstone of good government.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath sent a letter to the Premier urging her to ask Ontario’s Auditor General to conduct a prompt review of the 2014 Ontario Budget estimates and forecasts, and report publicly on whether the government’s assumptions are reasonable. We believe it is time an independent assessment of the province’s books was done.
New Democrats have been asking questions for weeks about the budget including plans for a fire-sale of public assets however we are stonewalled every time.
We have heard from communities across the province highlighting many concerns they have with the budget and how it will negatively affect their communities. I continued to raise the plight of the community of Wawa. The liberal government continues to stonewall Wawa and other communities in crisis.
The Minister of Finance refused to say when he plans to consult communities thrown into financial crisis by the government’s clawback of the Power Dam Special Payment program.
I urged the Minister of Finance to work with communities like Wawa, which will lose 47% of their tax base. Last week, the Minister of Finance said his office was having “ongoing discussions” with Wawa, yet the Mayor and council have no record of any communication from him.
Wawa may be the hardest hit, but other communities will be in dire straits with the loss of the power dam compensation payments. To add insult to injury, these communities haven’t received a penny of the money owed them for this year and their cash is drained. The government needs to make good on outstanding payments so these communities can pay their bills.
I will be returning to Algoma-Manitoulin and look forward to seeing you over the next few months at community events and constituency clinics. As always, please feel free to contact my office about this issue or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at 705-461-9710/1-800-831-1899.
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
