OLP Leadership Update
While Federal Liberal leadership aspirants are free to subject their candidacy to a year-long striptease before declaring, Ontario Liberals do not have the luxury of time. With the membership cut-off…
dwight duncan
Unfair exemptions to employer health tax cost province $2.4 billion annually
Focused on austerity, the government appears to be ignoring tax policies that have the potential to bring in billions to the provincial treasury. The ruthless slashing of public sector funding…
After 16 Years of McGuinty, What’s Next for OLP?
Sixteen years ago, Dalton McGuinty won the Ontario Liberal leadership race at 4:30 am, after 5 rounds of voting. Always one to defy expectations, McGuinty worked his way up from…
Hospitals: Who is earning more than the $418,000 proposed BPS salary cap?
The Ontario Hospital Association is disappointed again. This week Dwight Duncan announced the government’s intention to cap salaries for new employees in the broader public sector – including hospitals –…
Reality checks in – austerity plan based on exaggerated deficits
In February we attended a forum hosted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives looking at the manufactured crisis the Liberals are using to bring in a far-reaching austerity agenda. At…
Summer election may be fought over sneaky clause in budget bill
Dalton McGuinty is threatening to pull the plug on his own government after the opposition parties amended his budget bill yesterday in the legislature’s finance committee. Like the Harper government…
David Orazietti takes an unwarranted shot at Coalition’s Natalie Mehra
David Orazietti does protest too much. The northern Ontario MPP took a shot May 30th at Natalie Mehra, Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, in what his press release calls…
Stories we couldn’t let pass by this week
CCACs hire 144 direct care nurses This month the government announced 900 new nursing positions to come from their 2007 commitment to 9,000 new nurses for the health system. Among…
Cooperative federalism in action
As exercised by one of our intrepid cabinet ministers: Mr. Duncan described the provinces as being blindsided by Mr. Flaherty behind closed doors. “He put the document in front of…
Health care trial balloon
I think that’s what today’s Ibbitson column on future health care funding must be, a trial balloon. It is probably positioning by the Harper pros in advance of health care…
The Occupy Movement: More Wisdom From Star Readers
I wrote the other day that I normally refrain from excerpting large chunks of text from other sources, but here I go again, this time a reproduction of letters from…
Ontario should brace for cuts ahead of March 2012 budget
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan. Matt Gurney in the National Post lays it on a little thick when he calls the Ontario Liberals – and Premier…
Andrea Horwath, Tim Hudak: Unlikely Allies
“Outrageous proposals for new spending and reckless tax giveaways like these are unacceptable.” So says Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, in high dudgeon over the intention of NDP leader Andrea…
A Tax on Financial Transactions
The Globe and Mail has an online story reporting Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan's adamant opposition to any consideration of a tax on financial transactions at the G20. Although the…