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Friday October 19, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 19, 2018

Premier Doug Ford’s cap-and-trade move will cost treasury $3B over four years

Premier Doug Ford’s move to scrap Ontario’s cap-and-trade alliance with Quebec and California will deal a $3-billion blow to the treasury, according to the province’s financial accountability officer.

September 29, 2018

“By cancelling the cap-and-trade program, the province’s annual budget balance will worsen by a cumulative total of $3 billion over the next four years,” Peter Weltman warned Tuesday.

“The province’s budget balance worsens because the loss of cap-and-trade revenue from ending the auction of emission allowances is greater than the savings achieved from cancelling cap-and-trade-related spending programs,” said Weltman.

Environment Minister Rod Phillips, who will unveil a replacement climate-change plan later this year without any taxation component, insisted the $3-billion hit was anticipated.

“That’s $3 billion back in the pockets of Ontario taxpayers,” said Phillips.

July 11, 2018

“We committed to the orderly wind-down of this program that was killing jobs, that was regressive, and we will follow that through. It’s a promise we made, it’s a promise we’ll keep,” he said.

“Yes, that means less money for government — that’s more money for families.”

NDP MPP Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth) countered that “Ford is hurting Ontario’s environment, and he’s charging all Ontarians extra to do it.”

“The direct result of Ford’s favour to big polluters will be $3 billion in costs piled onto the backs of the people of Ontario. That means ripping $3 billion right out of folks’ bank accounts, or cutting $3 billion from things like health care,” said Tabuns.

November 22, 2016

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said “Ford’s anti-climate agenda is bad for the environment and bad for business.”

“Today, we learned that the premier’s reckless actions are a $3-billion boondoggle that will dig a deeper fiscal hole for the province,” said Schreiner.

Greenpeace’s Keith Stewart said the FAO report proves axing cap-and-trade “is bad for the budget and worse for our environment.”

Beyond any environmental impact of withdrawing from the climate accord, Ontario will now be subject to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s forthcoming federal carbon-pricing scheme that could be more expensive.

It was exempt from that while it was part of the two-year-old cap-and-trade accord with Quebec and California. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

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Tuesday March 20, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 20, 2018

Ontario Liberals use throne speech to make big spending promises for health care, child care

Ontario’s Liberal government teased what voters should expect in its upcoming pre-election budget in a speech from the throne on Monday, promising significant new spending on a wide range of programs and issues.

The address comes as the province prepares for a June 7 election.

The speech comes a week before the government is set to table its 2018 budget, which is expected to include a deficit of about $8 billion the Liberals say is necessary to beef up spending on health care, child care and support for students.

“After delivering a balanced budget this year, your government has made a deliberate choice to make more investments in the care and the services that the people of this province rely on,” Dowdeswell said.

“As a result, the 2018 budget will show a modest deficit next year of less than one per cent of our GDP, and outline a path back to a balanced budget.”

Health care is clearly emerging as a central theme in the run-up to the official start of campaign season.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath was at Queen’s Park on Monday morning to provide more details on her party’s $1.2-billion proposal to provide dental care coverage for everyone in the province.

Speaking to reporters, Horwath said that an NDP government would “absolutely” run a deficit, but she said it was necessary because of Liberal fiscal mismanagement. (Source: CBC News) 

 

Tuesday November 22, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday November 22, 2016 Wynne calls high electricity prices her ÔmistakeÕ Premier Kathleen Wynne is calling high electricity prices her "mistake," sounding a note of contrition on one of the major issues threatening the Liberals' re-election bid in 2018. Amid the usual rallying of the troops at the Ontario Liberals' annual general meeting Saturday, Wynne addressed her poor popularity numbers, which she called the "elephant in the room.Ó "I think that people look at me and many of them think, 'She's not who we thought she was. She's become a typical politician. She'll do anything to win,'" Wynne said. "Frankly, I may have and I think I sometimes have given them reason to think that.Ó Wynne said part of convincing Ontarians that she wants to do what is in their best interests is admitting when she has made a mistake. "People have told me that they've had to choose between paying the electricity bill and buying food or paying rent," Wynne said. "That is unacceptable to me. It is unacceptable that people in Ontario are facing that choice. Our government made a mistake. It was my mistake.Ó An eight-per-cent rebate on electricity bills comes into effect Jan. 1, but Wynne said she will find more ways to lower rates and reduce the burden on consumers. After her speech, Wynne wouldn't point to any specific decision on the electricity file that she deems a mistake, but said her focus was on the big issues facing the system and she hasn't always paid enough attention to how costs were accumulating on people's bills. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)Êhttp://www.thespec.com/news-story/6975602-wynne-calls-high-electricity-prices-her-mistake-/ Kathleen Wynne, Ontario, Hydro, Cap and Trade, politics, honesty, taxpayer, rocket, launch

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 22, 2016

Wynne calls high electricity prices her ‘mistake’

Premier Kathleen Wynne is calling high electricity prices her “mistake,” sounding a note of contrition on one of the major issues threatening the Liberals’ re-election bid in 2018.

Amid the usual rallying of the troops at the Ontario Liberals’ annual general meeting Saturday, Wynne addressed her poor popularity numbers, which she called the “elephant in the room.”

“I think that people look at me and many of them think, ‘She’s not who we thought she was. She’s become a typical politician. She’ll do anything to win,'” Wynne said.

“Frankly, I may have and I think I sometimes have given them reason to think that.”

 

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Wynne said part of convincing Ontarians that she wants to do what is in their best interests is admitting when she has made a mistake.

“People have told me that they’ve had to choose between paying the electricity bill and buying food or paying rent,” Wynne said.

“That is unacceptable to me. It is unacceptable that people in Ontario are facing that choice. Our government made a mistake. It was my mistake.”

An eight-per-cent rebate on electricity bills comes into effect Jan. 1, but Wynne said she will find more ways to lower rates and reduce the burden on consumers.

After her speech, Wynne wouldn’t point to any specific decision on the electricity file that she deems a mistake, but said her focus was on the big issues facing the system and she hasn’t always paid enough attention to how costs were accumulating on people’s bills. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Wednesday December 2, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday December 3, 2015 Trudeau children's nannies being paid for by taxpayers Canadian taxpayers are paying the wages of two nannies hired to care for the children of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie GrŽgoire-Trudeau, according to cabinet orders posted online. The hirings were approved late last week, with cabinet authorizing the appointment of the two women under the Official Residences Act as "special assistants at the prime minister's residence." They will be paid between $15 and $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 an hour for night shifts effective Nov. 4 Ñ the day Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in. The disclosure comes after an election campaign where Trudeau repeatedly attacked the Conservatives' enhanced universal child care benefit, or UCCB, and income splitting for families, arguing rich families like his and former prime minister Stephen Harper's didn't need taxpayers' help. "In these times, Mr. Harper's top priority is to give wealthy families like his and mine $2,000," Trudeau said in reference to the Conservatives' income-splitting tax credit. "Let me tell you something: We don't need it. And Canada can't afford it." Trudeau is also entitled to collect annual UCCB payments of about $3,400 for his three children. He promised to give the money to charity. One of the women hired was with the Trudeaus this past week on the prime minister's foreign trip that wrapped up Monday at the UN climate change conference in Paris. She posted photos online of the couple's two children who came on the trip. There were also shots of her with the Trudeaus' youngest child on Facebook visiting museums and at the hotel where they stayed in Paris. The prime minister's director of communications, Kate Purchase, said in an email that the two women who have been hired are doing more than childcare. "Like all families of prime ministers, a small number of staff provide assi

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 2, 2015

Trudeau children’s nannies being paid for by taxpayers

Canadian taxpayers are paying the wages of two nannies hired to care for the children of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, according to cabinet orders posted online.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday January 12, 2007 Is Justin Trudeau set to run as MP? Justin Trudeau is about to enter federal politicsÑwell, according to everyone but him, that is. While the 35-year-old school teacher and academic is remaining coy about his intentions, a report published in MontrŽalÕs French-language daily La Presse on Tue, Jan 9, claims that the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau is planning on running as a Liberal candidate in the next federal election in Outremont, a riding located in the centre of the Island of MontrŽal that is home to wealthy Francophone families and a sizeable Jewish community. Outremont is considered to be an extremely ÒsafeÓ riding for the partyÑsince its creation in 1933, the Liberals have failed to win the seat only once, in 1988Ñand the areaÕs current MP, former Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, has indicated that he does not plan to run in the next election. Despite his denials and deflections (ÒI have no comment to make at this time,Ó Trudeau wrote in an email to the MontrŽal Gazette), the increasing likelihood of TrudeauÕs entrance into the House of Commons has set political pundits and journalists abuzz. A recent article in MacleanÕs magazine headlined ÒHis SecretÕs OutÓ claims that Trudeau hinted in an interview that he would make an announcement regarding his future in politics sometime after Christmas, while a close friend of the supposed star candidate reportedly told the magazine ÒOff the record, I think heÕs pretty much there.Ó (Source: Vue) editorial cartoon, 2007, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Trudeau, Colm Feore, politics, Outremont, trudeau

Friday January 12, 2007

The hirings were approved late last week, with cabinet authorizing the appointment of the two women under the Official Residences Act as “special assistants at the prime minister’s residence.”

They will be paid between $15 and $20 an hour during the day and $11 to $13 an hour for night shifts effective Nov. 4 — the day Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in.

The disclosure comes after an election campaign where Trudeau repeatedly attacked the Conservatives’ enhanced universal child care benefit, or UCCB, and income splitting for families, arguing rich families like his and former prime minister Stephen Harper’s didn’t need taxpayers’ help.

“In these times, Mr. Harper’s top priority is to give wealthy families like his and mine $2,000,” Trudeau said in reference to the Conservatives’ income-splitting tax credit. “Let me tell you something: We don’t need it. And Canada can’t afford it.”

Trudeau is also entitled to collect annual UCCB payments of about $3,400 for his three children.

He promised to give the money to charity.

April 25, 2012

One of the women hired was with the Trudeaus this past week on the prime minister’s foreign trip that wrapped up Monday at the UN climate change conference in Paris. She posted photos online of the couple’s two children who came on the trip.

There were also shots of her with the Trudeaus’ youngest child on Facebook visiting museums and at the hotel where they stayed in Paris.

The prime minister’s director of communications, Kate Purchase, said in an email that the two women who have been hired are doing more than childcare.

“Like all families of prime ministers, a small number of staff provide assistance. Given the nature of the prime minister’s responsibilities and his young family, the Trudeaus employ two household employees who, in addition to performing other duties around the house, act as secondary caregivers to the three children,” Purchase said. (Source: CBC News)

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Regina Leader-Post, December 3, 2015

Regina Leader-Post, December 3, 2015

Tuesday May 28, 2013

Tuesday May 28, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday May 28, 2013

Metrolinx report recommends Transit Revenue Tools

Ontario’s transportation agency is recommending a five-cents-a-litre regional gas tax and a one percentage point increase in the sales tax to help fund public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

They are among four new fees Metrolinx is proposing in a report Monday to raise $2 billion a year for transit.

They include a 25 cents per day business off-street parking levy and a 15 per cent increase in development charges.

Metrolinx says the increase in the HST to 14 per cent from the current 13 per cent would bring in $1.3 billion a year if applied only in the GTHA.

But the Metrolinx report says that due to the administration and collection of HST at the federal and provincial levels, the province may find it necessary to introduce the increase across Ontario.
The report says if that happens, revenue collected outside of the GTHA would be exclusively directed to priorities outside of the region.

The agency says the gas tax and HST hikes would cost the average household in the region about $477 a year.

Premier Kathleen Wynne will use the report to determine which levies she’ll choose to raise the billions of dollars needed to fund what’s being called The Big Move.

Wynne has already ruled out hiking property taxes, but is in favour of creating so-called high occupancy toll lanes.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, currently embroiled in a scandal over allegations of crack cocaine use which he denies, opposes all the levies. (Source: Global News)