For Immediate Release:
October 19, 2010
Queens Park – Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett questions whether McGuinty is purposely shutting out one of the major partners in water service delivery by holding water act hearings during the municipal election.
A full afternoon of Committee hearings on Bill 72 – the Water Opportunities Act – took place yesterday, in the middle of a municipal election.
“This would be akin to the Federal Government introducing the HST during a Provincial election,” Barrett noted. “To schedule hearings on this province’s future water direction when the major service deliverer is muted and unavailable due to an election is short-sighted.”
General Government Committee member and Municipal Affairs Critic, MPP Joyce Savoline, echoed Barrett’s concerns:
“You cannot underestimate the depth of experience that municipalities have as providers and protectors of our water resources,” Savoline said. “Moving forward with Bill 72 without discussions with municipalities is treating the issue as an experiment; our water must never be a McGuinty experiment.”
Following yesterday’s one afternoon of hearings, the committee will consider amendments to the bill to be submitted by Friday noon.
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629