Posts Tagged ‘St. Paul’s By-election’
By-Election Excellent Opportunity For Voters to Judge ‘Summer of Scandal’
I am going to start by saying that I love the idea of elections. Having been involved in many I appreciate the amount of work that politicos put into ‘framing’ election issues for voters, and all the behind the scenes work that goes into elections as well. While I do believe the actions of many, in particular some incumbent’s inappropriate use of public resources for partisan, negatively impacts the ability of the people’s messages to be heard – my hope is that St. Paul’s will be different.
With the impending HST – a tax that will screw up any economic recovery underway when it adds 8% to the cost of nearly everything; the eHealth scandal; OLG scandal; and the other issues all flapping around with blame squarely laying at the Premier’s feet – I’m not sure the Liberals could win this under any circumstances.
I have gone canvassing in St. Paul’s and the voters are angry. The HST, government waste and arrogance seem to be the key drivers of anger with the Premier. Eric Hoskins’ name recognition is weak and voters seem fairly neutral on the merits of his candidacy.
Liberals will say, ‘But Eric Hoskins is a really good guy’. That isn’t a point I will argue, but politically speaking he is proving to be a coward. No one deserves to be represented by a coward. Who seeks to be a voice for a community hides from a debate? What Liberal panders to a large ethic community by promising to support religious funding for private religious schools – especially after McGuinty’s handling and voters response to that issue in the last election? We all know that isn’t a position that is going to change simply because Hoskins thinks voters are stupid enough to believe his election will change the ridicule the Premier put that idea and its supporters through during the 2007 campaign. It goes deeper – this is the second time Eric Hoskins as sought office this year, and neither time has been in his community. What does Eric Hoskins have against local representation? A community needs a strong, local voice. One that is prepared to stand up and go to bat for the residents. No one cares about the anti-democratic mechanisms and fear tactics party leaders call ‘caucus solidarity’ – they want a voice for them. As Rick Johnson said in the last By-election Ontario saw ‘local matters’.
When a government is failing it’s people, it should be replaced. There is no doubt Premier McGuinty has failed beyond belief in his second term. Voters in St. Paul’s have an early opportunity to tell the Premier enough is enough and this is one former Ontario Liberal hoping they do just that this Thursday. I know members of Save the Toronto Bluffs – an organization close to my heart will be out speaking with voters between now and then about the importance of a local voice, and the Liberal party’s refusal to allow any communities to have one.
While I do not hold a membership in any provincial political party, I frankly hope Sue-Ann Levy cleans the Liberal’s clock in this fight, and will be doing my part to ensure that Toronto has at least one MPP in advance of the next election who has the courage to stand up and defend the interests of real people against the abuses of this government.
9 Comments »Save The Toronto Bluffs Demand a Voice for Toronto at Queen’s Park – Endorse Sue Ann Levy
Below is a press release issued by Save the Toronto Bluffs after a discussion of next steps this weekend. It is important to note that 90% of members of the Save the Toronto Bluffs steering committee, myself included, do not hold any provincial party membership. This isn’t about being partisan, this is about being represented. Sadly, we’ve seen how badly Liberal MPPs fail to represent communities when it is a choice between party line and community consensus. When elected officials fail to do their jobs and represent their communities, they get replaced.
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs will actively participate in Sue-Ann Levy’s election as MPP in St. Paul’s in hopes of sending the Ontario Liberals a message, and finding a voice at Queen’s Park that will stand up for the City, where the Ontario Liberal’s Toronto caucus has so badly failed.
I anticipate criticism from Ontario Liberals for this move, but my response is simple – we were participating in a bureaucratic process for months before the Premier and Minister Smitherman decided to come to the public aid of a law breaking, irresponsible developer (Toronto Hydro Energy Services). The Premier and Deputy Premier chose on their own to attack residents, resorting to name calling and distorting our arguments and we’ve stood up and will continue to, until they are defeated or back down. Considering John Gerretsen personally signed off on Toronto Hydro’s illegal application, it’s clear the Ontario Liberals still aren’t listening, so residents will once again turn up the heat and continue to, until Scarborough’s waterfront MPPs find their spines, stand up for residents, or are defeated.
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs frustrated at the lack of representation Toronto’s timid Ontario Liberal MPPs have provided, are calling on St. Pauls voters to heed their warning and elect someone who will stand up for their community and our City at Queen’s Park.
‘We’ve seen first hand how poorly Liberal MPPs respond to community concerns that don’t line up with the ‘party line’. Toronto doesn’t need an 18th Liberal MPP who won’t stand up for their constituents or our City. Said John Laforet. ‘Sue-Ann Levy has a proven track record of being outspoken, and her election can only help Torontonian’s voices to be heard at Queen’s Park.’ Laforet continued.
On August 11th, members of Save the Toronto Bluffs staged a protest of Premier McGuinty’s visit first visit to Scarborough since he and Minister Smitherman attacked Scarborough Bluffs residents for opposing Toronto Hydro’s Lake Ontario wind proposal. Last week, the government, ignoring all community concerns, accepted Toronto Hydro’s application.
‘Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs have tried for a year to convince the Provincial government a project like this does not belong in our drinking water, so close to a sensitive natural shoreline and especially without an environmental assessment.’ Said Barry Matthews, Vice President of Save the Toronto Bluffs, a group representing thousands of Scarborough residents who oppose Toronto Hydro Energy Services proposal to install a wind farm 2km off the Scarborough Bluffs. ‘Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, have been met with indifference from local MPPs and have seen members of Cabinet resort to name-calling while passing legislation specifically intended to deny residents a voice.’ Matthews continued.
The Progressive Conservative Party is the only party that stood up for Scarborough Residents during the debate on the Green Energy Act, a law that stripped environmental assessments, community participation and city planning legislation from renewable energy projects.
Save the Toronto Bluffs is endorsing Sue-Ann Levy in hopes of sending a clear message to Dalton McGuinty ‘listen, or be defeated.’
Members of Save the Toronto Bluffs are planning to go canvassing in support of Sue-Ann Levy in hopes that an upset win for her could see all Torontonians with a voice a Queen’s Park.
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No Comments »It’s Official By-Election Called in St. Paul’s for September 17th 2009
On September 17th 2009 residents in St. Paul’s will elect a new Member of Provincial Parliament to replace former MPP Michael Bryant. Bryant resigned his seat after a decade in elected office to take on a new role with the City of Toronto as head of Invest Toronto. It is shaping up to be a very interesting fight between Eric Hoskins, the co-founder of War Child, former 2008 federal Liberal candidate in Haldimand Norfolk (roughly Niagara to Lake Erie) and Toronto Sun columnist and local resident Sue-Ann Levy.
I don’t know much about Hoskins except that he has an impressive resume and has done a lot of good humanitarian work. As a City Hall watcher, I am more familiar with Sue-Ann Levy and the strength she brings to opposing what she sees as being harmful for the City or all around bad public policy. The NDP has yet to nominate a candidate as their nomination meeting had been scheduled for September 9th. They will need to speed up their process if they are to compete, something I hope they will do as many of the points the NDP have been making since Horwath’s election as leader have been well put and make a lot of sense to a number of Ontarians.
This will be a dog fight and one that will be fought on a number of issues that favour the opposition. The average income in St. Paul’s is over $100 000 with the median income being closer to $60 000. It can be expected if the average income is over $100 000, and half of resident’s household incomes are over $60 000 that the HST will be a non starter with many as folks with incomes that high are certainly consumers and many due to income will not even be eligible for the money the Provincial government will be handing out to try to ease the pain of this tax increase.
As a heavily urban riding with a number of condo developments, it can be expected condo owners will also overwhelmingly be opposed to the HST as it adds an 8% tax to their monthly maintenance payment, effectively creating a ’13th month’ for the Provincial government’s share.
There is also the matter of E-health, the economy and the general malaise Ontarians tend to have with a second term premier mid way through.
Considering both the Ontario NDP and PC party’s have been carrying very similar messages on the negative impacts of the HST on condo owners and everyday Ontarians and speak in near unison on the e-health scandal and each are calling for a stronger focus on the economy (obviously from different perspectives), if the NDP nominate a quality candidate that matches the calibre of Hoskins and Levy, democracy will be well served on the streets of St. Paul’s.
I’m not calling this for anyone at this point, I’m just saying it’s going to be one heck of a fight, and if Levy brings to it what she’s brought to her column over the years at City Hall – it will certainly be passionate and hard fought.
I know this Torontonian looks forward to watching this play out.
Chris Chopik – Green Party of Ontario
Eric Hoskins – Ontario Liberal Party
Sue-Ann Levy – Ontario Progressive Conservative
Ontario NDP Candidate to be named
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