Schreiner delivers strong message for change in historic meeting with Premier

Queen’s Park - Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, made the following statement after his historic meeting with the Premier.

 

“I'm encouraged that Premier Wynne is reaching out across party lines and has listened to our fresh ideas for Ontario. Queen's Park is broken, and needs the new approach that we bring.

 

Today I asked the Premier to include three of our priorities in the 2013 budget:

• Save over $1 billion each year by merging the school boards into one english and french public system;
• Protect our water with actions that start with funding the Experimental Lakes Area, and 
• Move from talk to action with dedicated funding for public transit.

While the Premier and I may agree on some targets - such as the essential need to fund transit - the Liberal record misses the mark. 

 

The gas plant fiasco, for example, has cost us millions and squandered the goodwill of the people of Ontario. The Green Party provides the smart, engaged and honest approach to a green future that people are looking for. 

 

Ontarians are looking for change. They want better management of our money, higher-quality services, smarter implementation of environmental policies, and greater equity and accessibility in education. I call on Premier Wynne's government to be more efficient, more honest, and more principled than the Liberal government that preceded hers.

 

I will continue to push the Premier to make sure this province is strong today and provides a vibrant future for our kids and their kids.”

Black Out Speak Out groups will darken websites nationwide in protest against efforts to silence Canadians

Environmental groups launch major campaign to defend nature and democracy

TORONTO – The federal government’s attack on nature and democracy means “silence is not an option” for Canadians according to a national campaign, being launched Monday, May 7, by the country’s leading environmental organizations.   

“These changes—hidden in a budget bill in the hopes that Canadians wouldn’t notice—are threatening the core values all Canadians hold dear: nature and democracy,” said Sidney Ribaux, executive director of Equiterre. “We are compelled to speak out and we’re inviting Canadians from all walks of life to join us.” 

Known as Black Out Speak Out (or Silence, on parle, in French) the campaign will invite organizations, businesses and citizens from across Canada to darken their websites on June 4, and speak out against changes introduced in the federal government’s budget act (C-38). 

The government is putting the future of our land, water and climate at risk with the recent federal budget implementation bill.  Over a third of the budget is dedicated to weakening Canada's most important environmental laws, including measures to make it more difficult for environmental charities to participate in the public policy process.  The groups are asking Canadians to join them in speaking out and letting the government know that silence is not an option for those who care about what could be lost. 

“The attacks on environmental charities and gutting of environmental review processes aim to silence Canadians of all sectors and many backgrounds who participate in decision-making about large-scale industrial developments,” said Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation. “This is not only undemocratic—it will undermine the government’s ability to make sound policy decisions and to protect the environment.” 

"Powerful oil interests aren't just changing the rules—they're disqualifying any player not on their team," said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence. "We're going black for a day, but we'll be speaking out for as long as it takes." 

The budget bill, C-38, replaces the Canadian Environmental AssessmentAct, empowers the federal government to crack down on charities, including environmental groups,  that advocate for better laws and policies, overrides National Energy Board decisions, rushes projects through a weakened environmental review process to speed up approvals, and shut citizen groups out of environmental reviews for pipelines. 

Black Out Speak Out begins Monday with full-page ads in the Globe and Mail, La Presse and Ottawa’s Hill Times. It also includes a website, blackoutspeakout.ca/silenceonparle.ca. Over the next four weeks, environmental groups will build support for the campaign, inviting other organizations, community and social justice groups, and individuals from across Canada to join them in expressing their concern about the erosion of core Canadian values. 

Participating environmental organizations include CPAWS, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence, Equiterre, Greenpeace, Nature Canada, Pembina Institute, Sierra Club Canada, West Coast Environmental Law, and WWF Canada. 

Canadians wishing to support the campaign can sign up at blackoutspeakout.ca (silenceonparle.ca en français).

Latest McGuinty budget missing fresh thinking!

Latest McGuinty budget missing fresh thinking, says Ontario Greens
Greens call for efficiency in energy use, health care and finances

 

Ontario needs fresh ideas and sensible solutions. We are facing financial, social and environmental deficits, and the Ontario Greens believe today’s provincial budget fails to tackle them in a way that ensures our hard-earned tax dollars are spent on important public services, not interest payments.

Interest on debt is projected to be the 3rd largest expense category at 10.3 billion dollars, second only to spending on Health and Education. This is slightly more than the budget for Community and Social Services, and 47% more than spending for Training and Colleges.

In these financially constrained times, the government is proposing across the board corporate tax cuts that we can not afford without alternative sources of revenue. Instead of additional corporate tax cuts, the Green Party supports targeted tax cuts for local businesses to stimulate job creation.

Greens Call for Fiscal Balance in Ontario’s Budget

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner is calling on the government to address Ontario’s financial, social and environmental deficits in tomorrow’s budget.  Ontario Greens are looking for the government to balance the budget faster so that tax dollars are spent on important public services, not interest payments.
  

“Keeping people out of hospital by supporting front line community care, home care and promoting good health makes sense in these financially constrained times.”
- Mike Schreiner, GPO Leader

Eliminating waste and improving efficiency are at the top of the Green’s priority list. This budget needs to start with investments in energy efficiency and conservation as the most financially responsible approach to dealing with rising energy costs. The successful Home Energy Savings Program should be reinstated, to continue to create local jobs and help Ontario families save money on their energy bills.

Ontario Greens are also calling on the government to reign in spending. Greens support reducing income and local business taxes to stimulate job creation, and offset these tax cuts with a fiscally balanced, revenue neutral carbon levy modeled after British Columbia’s popular approach. Financial prudence involves rewarding individuals and businesses for being more efficient and reducing costly pollution.

The Green Party supports financially responsible investments in frontline health care. Targeted improvements in community and senior care with a focus on illness prevention will reduce stress on families and hospitals.

Mayor Miller Retiring?

Tomorrow, the city of Toronto is going to announce its new tax plan and the rumour is that property taxes may increase 4%.  I guess Miller is planning on leaving politics, because I, along with thousands of other Torontonians will not sit by and put up with this wasteful city council and mayor any longer.

I was once a Miller supporter, but as usually happens with politicians, they seem to forget the people who elected them and, in my opinion, Millers time is up.  

We will see what happens tomorrow.