McGuinty Liberals should focus on long-term planning, not flashy photo ops
(Queen?s Park) - Ontario Progressive Conservative Party MPP Peter Shurman (Thornhill) today slammed the McGuinty Liberals, saying their failure to implement long range planning has hurt Ontario?s economy and is stunting high-growth areas like many communities in the Greater Toronto Area.
"The McGuinty Liberals? flashy photo-ops and one-off announcements are no substitute for the sound planning Ontario needs," said Shurman. "Unfortunately, Ontarians are being left to pay the price. In Markham, they have seen one of their streets shut down because it isn?t safe for traffic. In North Toronto, people have been waiting in vain for the expansion of the Yonge subway line that is still in the works. Why should these people have to pay for Liberal incompetence?"
Shurman raised the issue as part of a debate on a motion proposed by the Progressive Conservative Caucus in the Legislature today. The motion says that the McGuinty Liberal government?s failure to develop and implement any long-term plan has hurt Ontario?s economy and has led the province to the brink of ?have-not? status. It says that as a result our ability to support services such as health and long-term care, the environment, infrastructure renewal, education, transportation, tourism development, energy supply, safe communities and agriculture have all been put in jeopardy.
Shurman pointed out that while the Greater Golden Horseshoe has a projected population growth of approximately three million people, there is no stable, long-term plan by the McGuinty Liberals to ensure parallel infrastructure growth for the region.
"Despite the fact that we are paying more in taxes, residents of the GTA have to deal with crumbling infrastructure, no plan for transportation and funding shortages in our hospitals," said Shurman. "Dalton McGuinty?s reactive governing is taking a toll on our great province. The people of Ontario deserve better."