Province – mackaycartoons

Wednesday January 30, 2019

February 6, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 30, 2019

Provinces not co-operating to get infrastructure projects underway: Trudeau

Unco-operative provincial governments have been making the effort to get more infrastructure dollars into Canada’s cities a challenge, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

Trudeau, whose government has struggled to fulfil tens of billions worth of infrastructure commitments, made the remarks in Ottawa before a meeting with more than a dozen of Canada’s big-city mayors. He didn’t single any provinces out by name.

His Liberal government has been criticized for how slowly federal money has moved for big civic construction projects, despite its big-ticket plan to spend more than $185 billion on them over 12 years.

“It’s not always easy — we understand that the political context varies a little bit from one end of this country to the other and there are provinces that don’t completely have the same attitude when it comes to tangible investments in their communities and in the big cities,” Trudeau said in French before switching to English.

This cartoon has been animated!

“We’re having sometimes certain challenges with the provinces in various ways.”

Trudeau called big cities the economic engines of the whole country and argued that investing in infrastructure is one of the best ways to create jobs in the short term and growth over the long term.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who also met with the big city mayors Monday, said challenges have surfaced following several recent provincial elections.

Champagne, for whom speeding up the rollout of infrastructure investments is a top priority, said the arrival of new governments has slowed down some of the intake, review and approval of projects. He did note these delays are normal when there’s a change in government. (source: CTV)

Tuesday January 17, 2017

January 16, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 17, 2017

Wynne gets cold shoulder from Trudeau on hydro costs

Feeling more heat over hydro bills — and a cold shoulder on the touchy topic from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — Premier Kathleen Wynne acknowledged her government has to do a better job curbing electricity costs.

October 29, 2015

Wynne was greeted Friday by protesters outside a luncheon speech in Oakville shortly after Trudeau was put on the defensive over hydro prices at a campaign-style stop in Peterborough.

“It is not enough,” the premier said of her Liberal government’s move to waive the 8 per cent provincial portion of the HST on electricity bills starting this month. ‎

While Wynne was taking responsibility for hydro rates that have skyrocketed in recent years and left many homeowners and businesses struggling, Trudeau, under fire for a Caribbean Christmas vacation on a “listening tour” of the country, made it clear electricity prices are Wynne’s cross to bear.

November 22, 2016

At a Peterborough town hall meeting, a weeping woman brandished her hydro bill for the prime minister, saying she earns “almost $50,000 a year and I am living in energy poverty.”

Trudeau, who has frequently campaigned with Wynne in a mutual support pact, praised the woman for speaking out publicly and tried to alleviate her concerns about the impact of looming carbon pricing on energy rates while insisting that “hydro bills are provincial.”

Speaking with reporters after that emotional encounter, the prime minister tried to dodge questions about Wynne’s electricity policies.

“As a Quebec-elected MP I have been trained to be very, very careful about weighing in on provincial areas of jurisdiction. It’s something that is important for positive working relationships with all provinces and I respect provincial rights and responsibilities to make determinations in their areas of jurisdiction,” said Trudeau.

Wynne took credit for the Liberal government’s upgrading of the electricity system since taking power in 2003 so “there are no more blackouts … no more smog days,” but admitted “the cost of the changes has burdened people.”

She told 440 people at an Oakville and Burlington Chamber of Commerce chicken lunch about a father of three who wrote to her at Christmas to say he had to scale back on presents for his kids. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Cartoon demeaned women and PM

Letter to the Editor, Hamilton Spectator, January 24, 2017 RE: Jan. 17 editorial cartoon

I feel Mr. MacKay crossed a line in his attempt at humour in this cartoon. His depiction of the prime minister rescuing the distraught woman during his cross country tour a lack of respect for this woman’s concern about her hydro bill and was demeaning both to her and Mr. Trudeau. Women do not need to be rescued by men nor do we deserve to be shown as weak and in need of this form of support from men.

Barb Howe, Hamilton

Tuesday May 17, 2016

May 16, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday May 17, 2016

Wavering on building LRT

Spectator Editorial – Now that the LRT pot is on the front burner at full boil, it would be wise for everyone to take a deep breath.

May 2015 – The LRT waiting game gallery

Yes, it’s disappointing that city council didn’t take the opportunity to render a public display of support at last week’s meeting. They should have. But as our elected representatives, they have a right to express reservations and ask for more information and time. Hopefully putting it off for a week — the matter is back before council in its general issues committee form tomorrow — will give staff the time to provide the requisite information and councillors time to reflect.

But if the matter is deferred again tomorrow, it will be more problematic. Quite simply, the time has come for council to send another clear, unequivocal message to the province: Thanks for the billion dollars, and yes, we will use it to build LRT.

Arguments against LRT these days tend to fall into two categories. It’s not something Hamilton needs now or ever, or it might be something Hamilton needs, but it’s premature.

August 7, 2015

The first argument is the territory occupied by people who simply don’t believe in modern, environmentally sound, economically catalytic public transit. Those of us who support improving and modernizing transit probably aren’t going to convince this crowd. Their minds are closed. They’re the ones who think the HSR in its current form was good enough in the ’70s and ’80s, so it’s good enough for the future, perhaps with a few tweaks around the edges.

April 1, 2016

The other anti-LRT position — that it’s premature — is more interesting and promising. You can make a solid case LRT might be a better fit eight or 10 years on, when the rest of our transit system is still not optimized to get full value from having LRT as a transit fulcrum. But here’s the thing: a billion provincial dollars.

It’s unlikely that any time in the foreseeable future a provincial government is going to believe enough in the transformative potential of LRT that they’re going to put a billion on the table. That’s what we have right now. The money is earmarked for LRT in Hamilton. Not BRT. Not general transit improvements. The province agreed to fund LRT.

We know there are at least two councillors — Chad Collins, who is pushing for a referendum on the issue, and Donna Skelly — who say they will say no to that money. It’s hard to imagine a majority of council will make the same mistake.

Even if the timing isn’t perfect, it is workable. This isn’t entirely about LRT, after all. It’s about efficient, modern transit across the city, with routes, vehicles and schedules effectively integrated to use LRT as the spine of a modern public transit system. No one is asking us to choose LRT over fixing the rest of the system. With or without LRT, we’ll have to do that. This is a $1 billion opportunity Hamilton can’t afford to miss. We’re betting most councillors know that. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

December 22, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Ontario to lose equalization payments as Alberta's economic fortunes fall Ontario will shed its status as a poor cousin of Confederation in the coming years, not because its economic fortunes are rebounding, but because resource-rich Alberta is falling on hard times. The federal government is expected to announce how much each province will receive in the fiscal year 2016-17 from transfer payment programs, which include equalization, before Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets with his provincial and territorial colleagues in Ottawa on Sunday evening. The equalization program redistributes national income to help poorer provinces provide services comparable to those of their richer counterparts. But equalization experts say the formula for calculating the payments is slow to respond to changes, including volatile commodity prices, which will leave Alberta carrying a disproportionate burden when the numbers are announced this weekend. Ontario began receiving equalization for the first time in 2009, a dramatic reversal of fortune for the countryÕs one-time economic powerhouse. It is now set to reclaim its status as a ÒhaveÓ province because the disparity between its economy and that of Alberta is shrinking. ÒWhat weÕre talking about here is the bad way of coming out of equalization,Ó economist Don Drummond said. The Ògood wayÓ to come out of the program, he said, is for a provinceÕs economy to rebound so that growth in its revenues offsets a loss of equalization payments. Because the equalization funding is based on a three-year national average of gross domestic product, next yearÕs calculation will still include times when oil prices were high and Alberta was booming. This means Ontario will not get Òkicked outÓ of the program for another two or three years, Mr. Drummond said. Alberta pulled up the overall standard of living in Canada when the countryÕs wealth was sh

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Ontario to lose equalization payments as Alberta’s economic fortunes fall

Ontario will shed its status as a poor cousin of Confederation in the coming years, not because its economic fortunes are rebounding, but because resource-rich Alberta is falling on hard times.

2005

The federal government is expected to announce how much each province will receive in the fiscal year 2016-17 from transfer payment programs, which include equalization, before Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets with his provincial and territorial colleagues in Ottawa on Sunday evening.

The equalization program redistributes national income to help poorer provinces provide services comparable to those of their richer counterparts. But equalization experts say the formula for calculating the payments is slow to respond to changes, including volatile commodity prices, which will leave Alberta carrying a disproportionate burden when the numbers are announced this weekend.

2008

Ontario began receiving equalization for the first time in 2009, a dramatic reversal of fortune for the country’s one-time economic powerhouse. It is now set to reclaim its status as a “have” province because the disparity between its economy and that of Alberta is shrinking.

“What we’re talking about here is the bad way of coming out of equalization,” economist Don Drummond said.

The “good way” to come out of the program, he said, is for a province’s economy to rebound so that growth in its revenues offsets a loss of equalization payments.

Because the equalization funding is based on a three-year national average of gross domestic product, next year’s calculation will still include times when oil prices were high and Alberta was booming. This means Ontario will not get “kicked out” of the program for another two or three years, Mr. Drummond said.

2008

Alberta pulled up the overall standard of living in Canada when the country’s wealth was shifting west to the resource-rich provinces. Now that Alberta’s economy is faltering, the reverse is happening. Ontario will no longer be eligible to receive equalization once its standard of living is aligned with a lower national average.

Any province that falls below the national average is eligible for equalization. In fiscal 2015-16, Ottawa distributed $17.3-billion in equalization payments to six provinces. Ontario’s share was $2.4-billion. (Source: Globe & Mail)

Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Rachel Notley, Kathleen Wynne, Christmas, Equalization, have, have-not, province, Christmas, stocking, coal

Tuesday January 27, 2015

January 26, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 27, 2015

Premier Wynne guarantees Hamilton LRT funding: mayor

Ontario’s premier has committed to pay 100 per cent of capital costs for Hamilton’s LRT project no matter the final price tag.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger met with Premier Kathleen Wynne Monday to talk transit for the first time since his reelection.

Wynne has vowed 100 per cent capital funding for Hamilton rapid transit during the election, but never specified a project or timeline.

But in a recorded media scrum after Monday’s meeting Eisenberger said he received “confirmation from the premier that they are still … committed to 100 per cent funding for LRT,” later adding “That’s a stronger commitment than I’ve heard from the province in a long time.”

The mayor said he also warned the premier the city is still planning to let a citizen panel study various rapid transit options. “She was comfortable with that,” he said, later adding the province “ultimately wants clarity from Hamilton as well.”

It’s still unclear where Hamilton sits in the queue for the next tranche of $15 billion in Big Move rapid transit funding for the greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

But Eisenberger noted the premier emphasized the pricey electrification of GO Train lines is a top priority and added the province is interested in Hamilton “integrating” its LRT planning with GO developments in the city.

He also stressed the next step should be to forge ahead with a citizens’ panel study on rapid transit – a process that could take most of the rest of the year – despite council’s formal request for $811 million for LRT. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)