Kind'a hard to keep any promises when it comes to existing programs considering the absolute f*cking mess the Liberals left province's finances in.
Incompetent politicians always blame previous governments. Ignorant taxpayers do as well
Kind'a hard to keep any promises when it comes to existing programs considering the absolute f*cking mess the Liberals left province's finances in.
Incompetent politicians always blame previous governments. Ignorant taxpayers do as well
The premiers of Saskatchewan and Ontario met in Toronto on Monday to talk trade, drawing the ire of a federal minister less than a week after the two provinces decided not to send officials to a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial representatives on trade in Vancouver.
"It's extremely disappointing to see Ontario and Saskatchewan play political games with such an important economic file after being the only provinces absent from the table at last week's meeting in Vancouver on Internal Trade and the USMCA," said federal minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc in a statement.
"The Premiers need to stop putting their partisan interests ahead of the growth of the economy and the well-being of Canadians."
On Monday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford held their second meeting this month to discuss trade and voice their shared opposition to the federal government's carbon plan. Ford was in Saskatoon on Oct. 4 to meet with Moe and Saskatchewan business leaders.
On Monday, the two premiers signed a memorandum of understanding to begin bilateral discussions to lower trade barriers between the two provinces.
"I am so proud to have a partner like Premier Moe work with us to make new jobs, new investment and new growth a reality in both provinces," Ford said.
Ford said he "looked forward" to working with other province's to bring down trade barriers.
When asked about missing the meeting last week in Vancouver, Moe said, "it is my understanding that there was six provinces not present."
"I was disappointed that Ontario and Saskatchewan were singled out in that communication but there were six provinces that were not present at that meeting," Moe said.
LeBlanc's office sent the attendees list of both the ad hoc meeting of internal trade ministers and the briefing on the USMCA held on Oct. 25. According to the list provided by the minister`s office, each province and territory had at least one representative, with the exception of Saskatchewan and Ontario.
When Ford was asked why he did not send representatives he said, "we just signed an MOU and we're going to move forward on that MOU and I'll keep it at that."
Ford said Canadian premiers "spent hours" talking about first aid kits at a recent meeting "when we should be doing something a little more productive. We'll get this done and other provinces can join."
Minister calls Vancouver meeting 'political, partisan'
On Monday, Saskatchewan's Minister of Trade Jeremy Harrison defended not attending the meetings in Vancouver.
"It was an ad hoc meeting called by the feds with nowhere near the amount of notice that generally be put into these things," Harrison said.
LeBlanc's office said the invitation to the Vancouver meeting was sent on Oct. 5.
"I'll tell what the purpose of the meeting was it was political and it was partisan," Harrison said.
Harrison said premiers have raised the issue of a lack of competitiveness and that the federal government has been avoiding dealing with it.
Harrison said an "official" internal trade meeting has been called for the end of November, which the government plans on attending.
"We're going to the real one," he said.
Harrison said the attendance list supplied by Minister LeBlanc's office was "entirely dishonest." He said six provincial ministers skipped the meetings.
Harrison pointed out that British Columbia's trade minister did not attend the meeting despite it being held in Vancouver.
On the MOU signed between Saskatchewan and Ontario, Harrison said the two province's had been working on it with some intensity for the last seven to 10 days.
Federal minister says Saskatchewan and Ontario 'playing political games' after provinces skip trade meeting
The Ontario PC Party has passed resolution to no longer recognize gender identity theory, sources tell Global News.
The vote happened Saturday morning, during the party's three-day convention in Toronto.
The resolution says gender identity theory is "A highly controversial, unscientific 'liberal ideology'; and, as such, that an Ontario PC Government will remove the teaching and promotion of 'gender identity theory' from Ontario schools and its curriculum."
The vote was adopted as a party policy and is not binding government policy.
The policy, named Resolution R4, was proposed by Tanya Granic Allen, a former Ontario PC candidate in the June general election who was ousted following what the Ontario Liberals called "homophobic" comments in a 2014 video.
Ontario PC Party passes resolution to not recognize gender identity
Ontario's new climate plan won't do much to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but it will cost the province jobs, say some people involved with companies in the emerging clean technologies sector.
Tom Rand of Arctern Ventures says the Progressive Conservative government's policies have already cost jobs and hurt investment, and the new plan will accelerate those losses.
"There's a global race on to build clean-tech solutions, to build technologies that allow us to decouple economic activity from carbon emissions," Rand said. "Ontario just signaled that it is not serious about going after that market."
Environment Minister Rod Phillips says the province's plan will stimulate private investment in clean energy through a $400-million, taxpayer-funded Ontario Carbon Trust — which will encourage large polluters to adopt clean technologies. The plan does not include a tax on carbon.
The trust replaces the previous Liberal regime's cap-and-trade system, under which greenhouse gas emissions were capped and companies bought and traded permits to pollute. The provincial government re-invested the money from the transactions in green industries.
"The idea of recycling the cap-and-trade money back into industries in order to allow them to reduce emissions at the scale of billions of dollars a year is a relevant and reasonable approach to saying Ontario was going go after the clean tech market," said Rand.
"Throwing 500 million bucks at it and over a number of years, it's not a serious effort."
And Rand says it will be more and more difficult to keep those green tech companies in Ontario.
Robin Edger, the Ontario regional director with the Pembina Institute, a non-profit thank-tank that deals with energy issues, says cancelling incentive programs has already had an impact.
For example, he says, retrofit companies lost business when incentives to make homes more energy efficient were cut and car companies are feeling the impact of the cancellation of electric vehicle rebates.
"I think it looks good to throw $500 million at an industry. It sounds like a big number," Edger said.
"But you spread that over a few years, it's pennies. This reversal in direction on climate leadership will cost us jobs and clean innovative industries and put our economic future at risk."
Edger says the new climate plan fails to acknowledge that other economies are transitioning to cleaner technologies and there is a global market for low-carbon products and services worth an estimated $7.5 trillion a year.
"This government's plan does nothing for that sector. We're not well placed to compete," Edger said.
And there are doubts whether the climate-change plan will help Ontario meet its Paris Agreement targets by 2030.
"Not putting a price on carbon is still a huge concern for us because this is going to make it very difficult to actually get to the emissions reductions we want to achieve. We don't have the investments to actually take those actions," said Dusha Sritharan of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
The Progressive Conservative government won't put a price on carbon and, in fact, Ontario is one of several provinces going to court to stop the federal government from imposing a carbon tax.
Even the Green party is admitting that clean energy cannot stand alone as true alternative to fossil fuels
Ford government's climate plan will cut jobs, not emissions, green advocates say
So essentially the Green party and the opposition are admitting that fossil fuel prices must be artificially inflated to make the appearance that alternative energy is a viable option. Also Alternative energy cannot survive without taxpayer support so the alternative energy industry jobs are kinda public employees.
The government of Premier Doug Ford has pulled out of binding arbitration with the association representing the province's physicians, according to documents obtained by CBC Toronto, citing a "lack of confidence" in the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
The government informed the OMA of its decision on Monday.
Lawyers representing the OMA say the move is "unprecedented [and] an affront to the rule of law," in a letter obtained by CBC Toronto.
Government lawyers argued the province cannot proceed in negotiating with the OMA when there is "public dispute in the profession about whether the OMA is the exclusive representation of physicians in Ontario."
In a November vote, eight units of the OMA voted to leave and join the Ontario Specialists Association. Those who voted to leave represent 10 per cent of specialists in the province, and 5 per cent of the association's membership.
Many of those who voted to leave were subjected to cuts in the fees they can charge to the government for services.
'An abuse of provisional power': labour lawyer
Labour lawyer Muneeza Sheikh with Levitt LLP says the argument by the province is "completely absurd" and "and an abuse of provisional power.
"Under the Arbitration Act, there's a legal obligation to continue within this process and one party, cannot simply even if you're the provincial government pull the plug unilaterally," she told CBC Toronto.
The government's argument that internal labour politics within the OMA disqualifies the entire arbitration process "makes no sense," Sheikh said.
"It is truly setting a dangerous precedent," she added.
Should the province not return to arbitration meetings scheduled for Dec.15, Sheikh says the OMA has multiple legal options, including launching a legal challenge claiming the government is violating the Arbitration Act, or suing for breach of contract over the 2017 deal with the province that set the framework for bargaining.
'Will send a chill through labour': OPSEU president
When reached for comment Tuesday night, OPSEU president Smokey Thomas was shocked.
"I've actually asked my lawyers ... to look at this," he said in a telephone interview.
"I honestly don't see how they can do this," he added.
"This is unheard of in Ontario."
OPSEU is currently in arbitration with its correctional bargaining unit and the province.
"They got no right messing around in internal politics [of the OMA]," Thomas added.
No one from the premier's office or the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care responded to initial requests by CBC Toronto for comment.
This should make you happy STB Because specialists jumped to another Union for less benefits the whole deal should be scrapped, so Ford is watering down the gravy
Ford government move to bail on binding arbitration with doctors 'affront to the law,' OMA says
Whoopsee!
Unintended consequences from Doug the thug ...
What if Conservatism ???!!!
What if you are presenting incoherent and nonsensical posts?????????????
Alas, only one brewery left willing to sell buck-a-beer.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/just-one-company-left-selling-one-dollar-beer-1.4949315
Do you think that Ford's government is going to fall over it?
What an asshole!Don't f**k with Ford, we need ONE politician with BALLS in this country! Maybe we can rent him out to Ottawa one day a week and get something done over there too!