By MPP Toby Barrett My caucus colleagues and I have always fought for an open and trustworthy consumer market. In fact it was Tim Hudak who tabled the Consumer Protection Act in 2002. Now that the Ontario Legislature has returned, it is important to continue the debate on Bill 55, an omnibus bill relating to … Continue reading “Turning up the heat on door-to-door water heater scams”
Category: Column Articles
By MPP Toby Barrett I think all of us were quite shaken when we saw Detroit file for bankruptcy. We now see firsthand what’s in jeopardy if our province continues down the current path. In Detroit, you have to wait 58 minutes for police to respond to a crime and people are driving down streets … Continue reading “We must hit the brakes before we become Detroit”
By MPP Toby Barrett Ontario is in the midst of an unprecedented jobs crisis and it is important to come up with sensible and affordable solutions. One avenue is to improve our colleges and universities. Ontario’s system of higher learning must reflect the requirements of jobs in the present and the future. And it must … Continue reading “Better colleges, universities lead to better jobs”
By MPP Toby Barrett A case can be made for our area as the birthplace of Canadian conservation. When the Long Point Company purchased the point in 1866, Canada was not yet a country. There were no national parks, no hunting regulations. After the formation of the Long Point Company, logging ended and hunting restrictions … Continue reading “Our area is the birthplace of Canadian conservation”
By MPP Toby Barrett As summer turns to fall, in a lot of areas festivals start to wind down. Not so in Haldimand and Norfolk. Hard on the heels of an action-packed summer, Port Rowan welcomes the Labour Day weekend with its Bayfest festivities. A week later Delhi Harvest Festival takes place on a new … Continue reading “A fall full of local fairs and weekend festivals”
By MPP Toby Barrett If the scandals under the present provincial government were a deck of cards, provincial taxpayers would be holding a poor hand. People in Ontario are being cheated out of billions. The low cards Ontario residents have been dealt include Caledonia, eHealth, Ornge Air Ambulance, Mississauga/Oakville Gas Plants and the largest income … Continue reading “Ten years of scandals have dealt us a poor hand”
By MPP Toby Barrett Buying a home is often the largest and most stressful purchase we make. Negotiating a mortgage, fear of losing the house you wish to purchase, commissions and location, all weigh heavily on people’s minds when deciding to move. During the last session at Queen’s Park, Bill 55 — Stronger Protection for … Continue reading “Legislation takes on phantom real estate offers”
By MPP Toby Barrett A thriving manufacturing sector is vital to Ontario’s future. Advanced manufacturing is returning to North America, driven by rising transportation costs and increasing wages in other competing countries. Advanced manufacturing involves much more than assembling products. It creates jobs in design, advertising, customer service and global marketing. Combine these services with … Continue reading “There is hope to bring back – ‘Made in Ontario’”
By MPP Toby Barrett Ontario is in trouble. It took over 60 years for Detroit to lose 270,000 manufacturing jobs – Ontario has lost 300,000 in the last 10 years alone. As with the devastation in bankrupt Detroit, those lost factory jobs aren’t coming back. We have to work hard to create 300,000 new ones. … Continue reading “What has happened to manufacturing in Ontario?”
By MPP Toby Barrett High electricity prices are a two-pronged plug. Not only do higher prices consume people’s expendable income, but they also suffocate our business and industrial sectors. Those with air conditioning find some comfort from this summer’s heat and humidity but many are finding that comfort displaced with shock when they open their … Continue reading “The two-pronged plug of high electricity prices”