Tory drops by for a chat

Provincial Conservative leader John Tory dropped by the North Bay and area Chamber of Commerce offices Friday for a round table discussion with chamber execs.

The leader, who is still without a seat at Queen’s Park, is on a provincial fact finding mission and stopped by the Bay to get the chamber’s take of Ontario's economy.

Tory told reporters after the meeting that he questions Premiere Dalton McGuinty’s leadership skills and is appalled with McGuinty's reaction to the Royal Bank suggesting exports reflect that Ontario could be heading into a recession this year.

Tory said that McGuinty told Ontario families to ‘steel themselves’ for tough times, an approach he completely rejects.

He also questioned why both North Bay and Mattawa failed to secure provincial funding for their summer festivals.

"How could it be that Ontario allocates 10-million dollars for festivals but couldn't find 10-cents for North Bay or Mattawa," he asks.

Tory also questioned MPP Monique Smith’s reaction to the news by calling it disappointing.

“She should be outraged.”

The leader also admitted his role in PC candidate Bill Vrebosch’s botched campaign last fall, but said the time for dissecting the party’s election loss has passed and that it is time for the party to move forward and focus on winning the next election.