Opposition leader Patrick Brown appears unimpressed that Premier Kathleen Wynne will be touring Northeast Ontario next weekend.
“I am pleased to see that Premier Wynne and her Liberal Government have finally noticed that Northern Ontario exists, because their record proves that the region has been nothing but an afterthought.The Ministry of Economic Development hasn’t made an investment in Northern Ontario since 2008. And health care in the region is in disarray. The cuts keep coming and the wait times keep getting longer," he said.
"Nothing shows more how out of touch the Wynne Liberals are to the challenges the North faces than the recent comments from the Minister of Energy – a Northern MPP nonetheless. Minister Glenn Thibeault has refused to call Northern Ontario’s skyrocketing hydro rates – which are among the highest in the continent – a 'crisis.'
"I am sure that Premier Wynne will see for herself the many families that are struggling to pay their monthly bills – often being forced to choose between heating their home and eating. I am sure that Premier Wynne will see for herself the businesses with shuttered windows and doors that have shipped their jobs to places such as Manitoba and Quebec because of our hydro rates."
Brown says he has been to the North 20 times over the past two years.
"In fact on Friday I visited with community leaders in Kenora and Manitoulin Island. I have listened relentlessly to the concerns of Northern Ontarians, and I know how dissatisfied they are with the Wynne Liberal Government.”
