Greg Sorbara

September 28, 2007

Greg Sorbara, the Province’s Finance Minister, was at the Spec last week to speak to the Ed. Board. (It’s taken me a while to get around posting this.) I like the guy. He’s smart, friendly, funny, and trustworthy. His boss, the Premier, is friendly in person, but when he gets talking his aww shucks attitude and his tendancy to blow off government falterings with statements like “our work has only just begun”, and “we were handed a mess by the previous Tory government”, it gets to be a bit grating. Sorbara gives similar message points, but he seems to be more genuine when reflecting on the challenges of government. If it were my choice Sorbara would be leader of the Liberals and Premier of Ontario — but it’s not the case so the man will continue to be puppet master to Dalton McGuinty.

I haven’t always been kind to Sorbara. Here’s a few of my cartoons over the last 4 years which have included the provincial Finance Minister:

Here Hamilton is shafted as Sorbara caters to the 905 area around Toronto taking advantage of social service pooling.
Here he delivers his second Provincial Budget
Here Sorbara nurses the imposition of the Health Premium in the Liberal’s first Budget.
Here Sorbara and McGuinty are shown doing very little as homeowners get burned on their property assessments.
Here Sorbara and McGuinty are portrayed in a issue combination cartoon, one relating to securing a Shriner sponsored hospital in Ontario, and another

* * * * * Update: October 30, 2007 * * * * *

A new cartoon featuring Greg Sorbara’s sudden decision to sit as a backbencher in the second term of the McGuinty Liberal government:

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, March 24, 2007

Hamilton a poor cousin

Did the flat-earthers have the right idea? Does the earth really end, drop off into oblivion, at the western border of Burlington?

Sure feels that way in Hamilton as the dust settles after this week’s provincial budget.

Hamiltonians will likely continue to see increased user fees, cuts in services and property tax hikes to cover the most basic of services. That’s what Greg Sorbara’s budget will look like here.

There is no doubt the Dalton McGuinty government has recognized the negative impact of downloading on older cities such as Hamilton. For the past three years, the province has come through for this city with top-ups for downloading: $19.5 million in 2004, $15 million in 2005, more than $20 million last year. This budget continues that recognition, even though it falls short of expectations. As well, the province has set up a panel to review the downloading of provincial programs onto municipalities, scheduled to report next February.

Why then, does Toronto get a good dollop of social services relief in this budget? Why are the GTA municipalities — newer, wealthier and with more growth potential and fewer infrastructure crises than Hamilton — off the hook for pooled social services costs? The pooling will be phased out and those municipalities will benefit. We never even had a chance to get our feet wet in that pool. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)