Posts Tagged ‘eHealth Scandal’
Video of Dwight Duncan on OLG Windsor Energy Centre Scandal
I have to say, you know it’s bad news when you have so many scandals your scandals begin to overlap to the point that the media frankly can’t adequately cover them all. This is the current state of the Dalton McGuinty Ontario Liberal government at Queen’s Park.
This entry is about the OLG deciding (or being decided for) to build a power plant to power the casino in Minister Duncan’s riding. Don’t ask me why, I see this as being epically stupid too. The fall out has been pretty grim, and the government is refusing to release any details to the opposition on this file (I guess they aren’t allowed to expose more than three scandals at a time). Minister Duncan has handled the situation so well the Province is being sued for $355 million by the developer/operator of the plant in addition to what the former CEO is suing for over wrongful dismissal. I don’t think there is anyone else involved in the deal who could sue that isn’t already.
Why the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission decided it was in the business of building power plants in the riding of the Minister responsible for OLG is beyond me, especially considering it was the old Minister (George Smitherman who dropped this responsibility like it was hot once the odeousness of scandal started creeping up from the basement) who was all into the building of unnecessary energy projects.
That being said – I think we now know why Minister Smitherman dropped this like he did eHealth before it when things got messy.
Anyways – I’m not going to make this too heavy. Here is a video that shows Minister Duncan working out an answer to some of this in the legislature. If you’re still confused after watching (and you’ll probably be laughing at how ridiculous or crying at how irresponsible these people are) there are links below to media stories on it.
Duncan takes heat over $81M, OLG-owned power plant in his riding – Hamilton Spectator
Opposition questions $81M price of OLG power plant – Toronto Star
1 Comment »George Smitherman Should Resign…
…and not to fullfil his hubristic fantasies of being the King of a(ny) Castle. He should resign because the eHealth scandal happened on his watch. He should resign because he was Ministry of OLG and like eHealth shoved that issue off on a Cabinet colleague instead of taking responsibly for the corrupt actions he has allowed to happen on his watch. This is a man who talks screams first, and fails to think at all. He loves the game, but clearly doesn’t do the work.
He has failed Ontarians, and demonstrated he is a man whose ethical bar is so low one could trip over it. I don’t see how Premier McGuinty expects to continue to govern with this overgrown school yard bully running around the Cabinet room, throwing cash at the firms that are run by his former employees, and prepping his Cabinet colleagues, and possible leadership contenders for a political stabbing they simply won’t ever recover from.
Caplan should have resigned too, but not for eHealth. He was the Minister of OLG until him and Smitherman traded scandals Ministries.
I’ve said before that when Andrea Horwath and Tim Hudak agree on something – the Premier should listen. I don’t believe there has been a time when they’ve agreed on something that I have disagreed, and expect many Ontarians have a similar experience to their agreement on issues.
Ontarians deserve a government that isn’t going to blow over a billion dollars on back pats for their friends, while failing to live up to the job. Electronic health records are serious business. They will save lives and create a more effecient health system by ending duplicated tests, over prescription of drugs, and the dangerous situations that arise from a lack of information in the doctor/patient relationship. If the Premier, Smitherman or Caplan actually cared about this important goal, they wouldn’t have turned the agency responsible into a scandal ridden piggy bank for their friends.
As for Minister Smitherman not feeling ‘Survivor’s guilt’ over Caplan’s firing – you need a sense of densency and integrity to have a conscience that would compel you to feel guilt. The Toronto Star put it best when they said about Minister Smitherman’s handling of the Green Energy Act: ‘George Smitherman couldn’t find the political high road with a state-of-the-art GPS.’
Perhaps Dalton McGuinty needs to find his spine and point Minister Smitherman in the direction of the nearest exit, before Ontarians opt to do the same for the Premier.
90% of 680 News listeners would agree.
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