Tag: Liberals

Selling public assets

While it’s a Conservative or Republican thing to do (selling off publicly-owned assets) Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals are determined to sell off a majority interest in Ontario Hydro.

Some people seem to think that private enterprise will do any job more cost effectively,  and they most likely will, but at what cost to the user, to us? Any savings will not be passed on to the users, to us.  It will be passed on to the shareholders, the stakeholders.

Private Enterprises’ function is to make a profit for those shareholders and stakeholders and that profit will come about in two ways:

  1. Cutting expenses – read “cutting employees” and cutting any other costs such as eliminating safeguards that are in place but not legislated;
  2. Increasing prices.  Private enterprises are not in the philanthropic business, they don’t exist to lose money.

Multinationals around the world are ready to snap up whatever resources or utilities governments are stupid enough, or desperate enough, to sell off because they know they can buy  those resources or utilities at bargain basement prices and it will be guaranteed income for them.

If we think our hydro prices are high now, just have a little patience, it will change.  Thank you, Ms Wynne and all those who voted for you.

 

2014 Election – Burlington

Well, we didn’t win the election – and in that regard, I must congratulate Eleanor McMahon.

With the Stop Hudak movement across the province, a great many votes were targeted to oppose a PC candidate, rather than to vote FOR anyone else.  Hudak and his  goal of getting rid of 100,000 jobs was a real threat at every level.

Now that the Liberals are in with a majority, my fear is that, after 11 years of seeing poverty grow under the Liberals, the fabric of the social safety nets will unravel even further.

For every dollar invested in poverty and affordable housing  infrastructure, $1.50 is returned.  I don’t see any real investments in affordable housing anywhere in the Liberal platform.  They say they will work with municipalities to provide options.  We cannot let municipalities take on the cost of providing affordable housing.

You can say it’s all the same tax payer but the more things that are included in property taxes, the more unaffordable owning one’s own home will become.  Burlington is home to more seniors than the rest of Halton.  A great number of those seniors are on fixed incomes and facing very serious economic challenges.  Property taxes therefor are a huge concern.  In order to pay their taxes, many will go without proper food or other essentials in order to meet the tax payment, in order to hang on to their homes.  Let’s be aware: anything that is being passed off/downloaded to the municipality will marginalize the already marginalized, even further.  Speak up.  Don’t let home ownership be something only the well-off can afford.

Having spoken with thousands of people across Burlington, I know first hand about the facts of poverty.  And the faces of poverty.  They could be your mother, father, sister or brother, aunt or uncle. Many of them are trapped in accommodation with bullying landlords, substandard living conditions – there are no options, no choices – years’  long waiting lists for what affordable housing there is.

My challenge to the Liberals: For every action, there is a reaction – don’t take an action that marginalizes any sector, especially those already marginalized.

I’m not going away, I will continue to fight for a decent living wage, fight for a Poverty Free Halton, fight for a more equitable Burlington.  My sincere thanks to all who voted for me, who showed their faith in me and the New Democratic Party in the June 11 election.