Liberal, Michael Gravelle, incumbent MPP
Establish a Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs office in Thunder Bay to assist and facilitate the ever-growing needs of Aboriginal people in the City and Region.
Ontario Liberals created the first stand alone Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs. Using the Ipperwash Inquiry as our guide, we have made real progress in establishing a positive relationship with Aboriginal people and communities in Ontario. We are committed to continuing to work with the City of Thunder Bay and Aboriginal communities to address the needs of Aboriginal people in the city and region.
I absolutely agree that we have to establish an office for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in Thunder Bay and this is actually essential to showing that we are committed to working collaboratively with the municipality, urban Aboriginal people and the surrounding Aboriginal communities.
The Ontario Liberal approach is in stark contrast to the PCs, who slashed funding to Aboriginal programming and had a negative, and often combative, relationship with First Nations.
Develop Provincial energy policies that provide competitive pricing and energy sufficient to meet the supply needs anticipated for industrial and residential growth in the North.
Under the PCs and NDP, the electricity system was in a state of decay and disrepair. They simply neglected making the necessary investments to keep the system up-to-date and reliable. The result was emergency power warnings, the threat of brownouts and diesel generators deployed into our downtown cores.
Businesses were concerned about the reliability of the system while families worried about their children's health because Ontario was burning too much coal in order to generate power. In fact, the previous PC government increased the use of smog-producing coal by 127% – a decision that meant more mercury, lead, arsenic, and sulphur dioxide in our air. By 2003, our province was on life-support from expensive, imported U.S electricity – something that cost Ontarians $900 million in just 18 months. Ontario cannot afford to go back to those days of negligence and crumbling infrastructure.
The Ontario Liberal plan, Forward. Together., is helping secure a brighter, cleaner future. So far, we’ve shut down eight coal units, and we’ll be shutting down two more this year. Since 2003, the use of coal in Ontario is down 90%. By 2014 Ontario will be coal-free – which is the equivalent of taking seven million cars off the road. In addition we have brought online more than 8,900MW of new, cleaner power – enough to power over 2 million homes – and upgraded over 5,000 km of transmission lines.
Despite having moved Ontario forward significantly, both the PCs and the NDP refuse to endorse the burgeoning clean energy economy and the FIT program. The reckless commitments of the PC party threaten thousands of Ontario jobs and billions of private sector investment – and will return Ontario to coal-fired electricity.
The NDP plan is no less disappointing. Their platform pledges to kill new clean energy programs that represent approximately $15 billion in private sector investment. This irresponsible proposal would have a devastating effect on Ontario’s clean energy sector, driving billions of dollars out of our economy, and killing thousands of jobs.
To help Ontario families and business manage electricity bills during this period of system re-building, Ontario Liberals have introduced the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit which will take 10% of electricity bills each month for the next five years. That means an average of over $150 per year returned directly to residential consumers and over $1,700 per year returned directly to small business consumers.
Ontario Liberals also created the Northern Ontario Energy Credit: a new, permanent annual credit to help families and individuals in the North with electricity costs. The yearly credit of up to $130 for a single person and up to $200 for a family is available on top of all other credits and benefits, and is accessible to over half of northern Ontario households.
Finally, to help keep northern companies competitive, we introduced the Northern Industrial Energy Rate Program, which provides an average 25% cut in energy costs for northern industrial consumers. Ontario Liberals would make this program permanent.
Together, these measures ensure electricity costs remain stable for companies looking to invest in our economy, expand their operations and create more Northern Ontario jobs.
Commit to the principles of the Northern Ontario Growth Plan and support its implementation including devolution of decision-making authority to Northerners.
The Ontario Liberals’ Growth Plan for Northern Ontario will help guide decision-making and investment planning in the North. It is a 25-year plan that will strategically align provincial policies and investments to support sustainable economic and population growth. This is a plan that has been created by northerners, for northerners and it will be northerners who will continue to guide us as we implement this economic and social vision for the North.
As part of the implementation, we are moving quickly to establish a Northern Policy Institute, an independent, not-for-profit corporation that gives northerners a greater say in policy directions affecting Northern Ontario. Through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, the McGuinty Liberals have dedicated $5 million to see the establishment of this independent, non-profit organization. We are also working with two local implementation teams to develop pilot regional economic development planning areas anchored by the cities of Greater Sudbury in the Northeast and Thunder Bay in the Northwest.
In their northern platforms and campaign announcements, the NDP and PCs have failed to mention the Northern Growth Plan. This concerns me greatly. The NDP’s $9 billion in job-killing taxes would stifle growth in Northern Ontario, while the PCs’ $14 billion in unfunded giveaways and tax cuts would mean deep cuts to programs that support growth in Northern Ontario. This is consistent with the approach that the PCs took when they were last in government.
Support enhanced dedicated municipal infrastructure funding that addresses the many challenges of public infrastructure in Ontario.
Ontario Liberals believe that efficient, modern infrastructure is critical to Northern Ontario’s future. As we said in our Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, transportation, education, health, energy, water and wastewater infrastructure, information and communications technology and community infrastructure are the building blocks for economic growth.
Since 2003, we have invested $62 billion to help repair, replace and modernize hospitals, schools, highways, public transit and other critical systems in communities across the province. That is more than both the previous PC and NDP governments combined.
Over the past seven years, Ontario Liberal investments have built 18 new hospitals, 739 bridges, 5,500 kilometers of road, 400 new schools. We have invested $11 billion in public transit and $1.8 billion in grants for municipal water/wastewater infrastructure, plus an additional $1.7 billion in affordable loans through Infrastructure Ontario. Through our Northern Highways Program, we have also invested over $700 million a year to build safer highways and ensure better connectivity between our communities in the North. This program has also created, and will continue to create thousands of jobs in our Northern communities.
Also, as part of the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, we are working on our Multi-Modal Transportation Strategy. The McGuinty Liberals have dedicated $2.2 million to this strategy that will focus on developing a more integrated transportation infrastructure system for air, rail, road and water.
In June, we released Building Together, our 10 year infrastructure plan that will give municipalities, the broader public sector, and industry greater clarity and predictability to plan for Ontario’s collective infrastructure needs. It sets out a strategic framework that will guide future investments in ways that support economic growth, are fiscally responsible, and respond to changing needs.
Building Together will build on these unprecedented investments and will begin by devoting more than $35 billion over the next three years. We will continue to work with our municipal partners to address the challenges of the current infrastructure deficit and emerging needs of communities like Thunder Bay. Our plan sets out an infrastructure investment program that will act as a catalyst for economic growth and better quality of life.
Provide basic community services in Thunder Bay for users who require culturally sensitive services such as;
1. Withdrawal management and crisis housing for people dealing with serious substance use issues.
We’re providing support to a number of Aboriginal organizations to administer $80 million in affordable housing programming for Aboriginal people living in urban settings. More than 800 low-income Aboriginal households in urban and rural areas across Ontario will have access to affordable rental units, home ownership assistance and home repairs through this initiative. Through this housing initiative, the Ontario Liberals have provided funding for local Aboriginal organizations to determine priority areas to service the Aboriginal peoples in Thunder Bay. We will continue to provide supports to municipalities and Aboriginal organizations for culturally sensitive programs and services.
I also strongly support providing management and crisis housing for people dealing with serious substance use issues and have made that priority a key part of my campaign. I have spoken publicly about the need for provincial support to see this goal achieved and, if elected, will work closely with the city to achieve that goal.
2. Regional Transitional Housing for people visiting the region who require support and services not offered in their home communities.
The Ontario Liberals are proud of the support to urban Aboriginal services providers to deliver important programs and services to improve the quality of life and overall well-being of Aboriginal people in cities and towns in Ontario, including Thunder Bay. Our party has worked in partnership with the federal government, the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre, the Ontario Native Women's Association, the federal government and other local Aboriginal organizations on the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, to support capacity initiatives in Thunder Bay. This Strategy also funds a community driven research project to better understand the needs of urban Aboriginal peoples, including housing and transition needs. We are committed to working with Aboriginal peoples and the federal government in providing support services delivered in a culturally appropriate manner that effectively meets the needs of Aboriginal peoples in Thunder Bay.
Provide alternate Non-Emergent Transportation for residents of Thunder Bay and the District served by Superior North Emergency Medical Service (EMS).
Ontario Liberals recognize the importance of greater access to non-urgent transportation for residents of Thunder Bay and the district. We have committed to regulating the sector to ensure non-urgent medical transportation is both accessible and high-quality. Ontario Liberals will continue to work with the North West LHIN to meet these needs of Thunder Bay residents. This is another important priority for me and I look forward to working with the city and district municipalities to resolve this issue without reducing services.
Adopt an Ontario Crime Prevention Strategy that provides core funding for crime prevention initiatives to municipal crime prevention councils.
Ontario Liberals are tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. That’s why we have delivered more than $100 million toward putting 2,300 additional police officers on the streets since being elected in 2003.
We introduced the Safer Communities – 1000 Officers partnership program and made funding permanent for the Community Policing Partnership Program, a program which the PCs would have downloaded onto municipalities such as Thunder Bay.
We built on the success of our Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) initiative, by introducing the Provincial Violence Intervention Strategy (PAVIS). We are proud that the Thunder Bay Police Service is a participant in this very successful anti-crime initiative.
Because of the success of PAVIS – 1,100 arrests, 2,000 criminal charges and the removal of hundreds of illegal firearms from the streets - we’re investing an addition $15 million over the next two years.
But we also believe that an effective crime strategy includes prevention to keep our communities safe. That’s why we’re investing in education and getting more and more young people through school and on to post-secondary. In 2003 Ontario graduated 68% of its high school students. Today we graduate 81%. That’s 72,000 more young people who have a shot at a better future. Additionally, we have twice the number of young people going on to post-secondary as the average for the rest of the country.
This year we invested $100M in summer job programs for young people, helping them to get work experience or start a summer business. These investments have helped make our communities safer. Ontario now has the lowest crime rate in the country and the lowest since the 1970s.
We will continue to invest and to work with municipalities to ensure these investments address the needs of our communities.
Support in principle the development of a new Thunder Bay Event Centre subject to completion of the detailed Phase 2 Feasibility Study.
I strongly support the development of a new Thunder Bay Event Centre. I strongly believe that both federal and provincial government support will be crucial to seeing this project come to fruition. I will actively support those efforts.
I would encourage the City of Thunder Bay to work with their local Northern Development Officer on resubmitting an application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. The Northern Development Officer can assist in generating an application for the Event Centre that falls within the Fund’s parameters.
Through the Heritage Fund, Ontario Liberals contribute to projects in Thunder Bay and across Northern Ontario that stimulate growth, attract investment and create jobs. The Fund helps northerners make the investments necessary to improve infrastructure needed for the creation of jobs.
Ontario Liberals will increase the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation’s annual allocation to $110 million to further grow the North’s economy. We are the first to provide this unprecedented level of funding. In addition we will increase the number of jobs created through the fund to 4,000 per year.
To date, in the ridings of Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ontario Liberals, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, have approved over $118 million, toward 853 projects, leveraging over $478 million. This is helping create or sustain more than 3,600 jobs and co-op placements.
Under the last PC government, with Tim Hudak as Minister of Northern Development, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund was treated as a slush fund that paid for golf tournaments for PC insiders and other PC pet projects. The Harris-Hudak PCs used the fund to hide their cuts to basic infrastructure spending, and under them the fund had no private-sector programs to encourage job creation.
Today, the PCs have no plan to create jobs in the North and have $14 billion in unfunded giveaways and tax cuts that would mean deep cuts to northern programs and services.
The last NDP government rolled the northern development funding into general revenues, effectively depriving the North of $60 million that could have been used for jobs. Under their watch, Ontario lost an average of 1,300 jobs per week — including in the North.
Today, the Horwath NDP would introduce a crushing $9 billion in job-killing taxes that would be particularly harmful to the North, where many communities are seeing a recovery that has just begun.
