News from the Park : Highway Maintenance & Hydro Sell-Off
Algoma-Manitoulin NDP MPP Michael Mantha
This week the Auditor General released her report on Winter Highway Maintenance. The report said that the contracting out of highway maintenance services has led to a drastic decrease in services leaving roads unsalted and snow uncleared in the winter. My colleague and NDP Transportation Critic Wayne Gates demanded an apology from the government regarding the lack of winter highway maintenance.
The Auditor General’s report revealed that the Ministry of Transportation had contracted out services to the lowest bidders, resulting in contractors with aging equipment who lacked adequate vehicles and anti-icing chemicals.
The report shows that Liberal privatization has made our winter roads unsafe. For those of us living in Northern Ontario it is abundantly clear that privatization of the winter maintenance program has failed, and has made our roads unsafe. I received many emails and pictures from motorists depicting extremely treacherous conditions each day throughout the winter months. I bring these concerns to the Minister’s attention continuously.
MPP Gates pointed out that Kathleen Wynne was the Minister of Transportation when contracting services were changed in 2009, and said that contracts should have never been given to companies that did not have the proper equipment.
We are demanding that the Ministry immediately accepts all eight of the Auditor General’s recommendations that came from the scathing report.
We also demanded that the government release the contracts, inspection records and performance penalties that were requested by the NDP before the release of the report.
Though the ministry argues contracting out saved the province money, they are currently facing over 200 lawsuits related to winter road maintenance.
In other news, Ontarians are sending a message loud and clear that they don’t want Kathleen Wynne to sell Hydro One. As of noon on April 30 almost 15,000 Ontarians have sent a message to the Liberals that they don’t want Kathleen Wynne to sell Hydro One.
New Democrats believe that Ontarians deserve the opportunity through public hearings to have their say on the proposed sale of Hydro One. We have asked that these hearings be held in communities across the province so as to ensure the broadest consultation possible. Given the significant impact that selling Hydro One will have on generations of Ontarians, we believe this is the only correct way to proceed.
If you would like to add your voice to the growing numbers of concerned Ontarians you can add your name here: www.youpaytheprice.ca
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
