For Immediate Release: August 5, 2010 Simcoe – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett agrees with Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak who has said that the time for a new highway corridor through Niagara and Hamilton is now. “I supported this Mid-Peninsula Highway under previous PC Premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Then Haldimand County was growing … Continue reading “Barrett supports Hudak’s revival of mid-pen corridor”
Author: Toby Barrett
By MPP Toby Barrett Farmers across Ontario, as well as those of us in Opposition, have been calling on the government to implement a permanent Business Risk Management Program for all commodity groups – not just grain and oilseeds. Over the last year, MPP’s have heard the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC) proposal for a … Continue reading “All commodity groups need ongoing risk management”
By MPP Toby Barrett Municipal and Provincial governments won’t always agree, which is understandable. But agree or disagree, both sides should count on a partner that keeps its word. The era of promises that are politically expedient, financially unaffordable, easily made and more easily broken must end. Last week I attended meetings in Windsor of … Continue reading “Be clear, consistent and keep out of the way”
By MPP Toby Barrett Four months ago I questioned the provincial announcement of new water legislation. Now that the Legislature has risen with no debate of the government’s proposed water bill, I have further questions. After much fanfare in this Spring’s Throne Speech and Budget, and the introduction of the Water Opportunities Act to coincide … Continue reading “What happened to McGuinty water legislation?”
By MPP Toby Barrett This Spring, I attended the installation of a windmill in Jarvis – at the Walpole Antique Farm Equipment Association. The tower is 100 years old, 40 feet high and part of our farming heritage. What is not part of our farming heritage is the plan for hundreds of industrial wind towers … Continue reading “Wind towers can pit neighbour against neighbour”
For Immediate Release: July 27, 2010 Simcoe: Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett says he’s heartened by the Environmental Commissioner’s concerns with the chaotic way in which the McGuinty Government’s rolled out the eco fee program. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s (ECO) report on the tax debacle, titled, “Getting it Right”, further pointed to the government’s … Continue reading “Environment Commissioner highlights eco fee fiasco”
Barrett calls on McGuinty to choose carrot over eco-tax stick
For Immediate Release: July 14, 2010 Simcoe – Instead of penalizing manufacturers, retailers and customers, we should be providing incentives to support and promote production and consumption habits that foster more sustainable lifestyles. That from Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett who questions why the McGuinty government always chooses the stick over the carrot. “Let’s make … Continue reading “Barrett calls on McGuinty to choose carrot over eco-tax stick”
For Immediate Release: July 13, 2010 Queens Park – Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett and Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak are calling on Dalton McGuinty to scrap his so-called ‘eco – tax’ During a media conference at Queens Park the pair further committed that, if the McGuinty Liberals fail to eliminate their latest tax-grab, then … Continue reading “Environment Critic Barrett supports scrapping eco-tax”
Barrett to McGuinty: Drop the 100 per cent cement mix eco fee
For Immediate Release: July 8, 2010 Simcoe – Under the McGuinty government’s yet-to-be-announced eco fee program, a 60 pound bag of cement mix, which retails for $3.99, as of July 1st has a new tax of $3.90 – an almost 100 per cent increase. As many know, an Ontario-government agency, Stewardship Ontario, has launched its … Continue reading “Barrett to McGuinty: Drop the 100 per cent cement mix eco fee”
By MPP Toby Barrett ‘No taxation without representation’ was the call in 1773 when revolutionaries hosted the Boston Tea Party to protest taxes by unaccountable government. Some 230 years later, on this side of the border, consumers bushwacked by eco fees are asking where was the legislative debate, and is this legal? As government damage … Continue reading “Eco fees are taxation without representation”