Mantha’s News form the Park
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
The week has been a busy week back in the riding. I have held numerous constituency clinics and met with many folks. People are gearing up for the holidays with their loved ones and attending many local holiday events and craft shows.
Back at Queen’s Park the gas plant scandal has resurfaced. The OPP have laid charges for two top Liberals.
New Democrats and Ontarians have every reason to be disappointed by the news that more top Liberal aides to the Premier’s Office are being charged by the OPP. People expect better from government. This government has grown increasingly out of touch, preferring to put its own interests ahead of those of Ontarians.
The Premier promised that the corruption of the gas plants was over, but still refuses to accept responsibility for decisions that she helped to make at the cabinet table. Ontarians are aware that charges have also been laid against a Liberal operative in the Sudbury by-election scandal and more may yet be pending.
Ontarians deserve a government that holds itself to the highest ethical standards and puts the public interest first – a government for all Ontarians.
On a positive note, Northern Ontario receives a commitment for a long-overdue PET scanner.
The announcement of operational funding for a PET scanner is good news for the people of Northeastern Ontario. More than six years after Sam Bruno’s family began their campaign, the Liberal government has finally acknowledged that patients in the North East should be able to access a PET scanner without being forced to travel to Toronto. The government’s support for a PET scanner in Sudbury is a long-overdue victory for Northeastern Ontario.
New Democrats and Northerners would like to congratulate the Sam Bruno PET Scanner team for their tireless hard work on this issue. They have collected signatures from over 30,000 Northerners, and raised almost a million dollars with their annual gala and other fundraising initiatives over the last five years. This is a perfect example of what citizens can accomplish by working together.
My colleague France Gélinas, MPP for Nickle Belt and NDP Health Critic has championed this issue since the beginning. Her relentless work on this issue will benefit many northerners. Often Northerners become too familiar with cut backs after cut backs, it’s refreshing to have a healthcare win we can celebrate.
I hope that you all have a safe and joyous holiday season with your family and I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
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
