Political Dad

Moose with a shiner. My boy has a habit of crashing into...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:57:01 -0500

Moose with a shiner. My boy has a habit of crashing into things head first. This time it was a metal pole while tobogganing. You can still see the scar in the middle of his forehead from when he wiped off his bike on Thanksgiving weekend.

Rob Ford: The Opera

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:38:10 -0500

Rob Ford: The Opera

On the Ledge: The Monsters of 2012

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:11:32 -0500

On the Ledge: The Monsters of 2012

Photo

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:52:31 -0500

Focus Ontario: A Conversation with the Premier

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:45:01 -0500

Focus Ontario: A Conversation with the Premier

A preview of my year end interview with Premier McGuinty

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:17:16 -0500

A preview of my year end interview with Premier McGuinty

“There’s no doubt we can improve the program and the...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:35:00 -0500

“There’s no doubt we can improve the program and the way it works” said Dalton McGuinty about Ontario’s Green Energy Program in a year end interview for Focus Ontario.

Responding to a scathing report from the Auditor General that highlights a lack of oversight in the energy sector as the Liberals pour billions into wind and solar projects, McGuinty says “when you move aggressively to plant your flag… you create a few things along the way.” Some of those “things” according to the Auditor include the fact that more than half of the promised 50-thousand green energy jobs are short term construction jobs, and that for every job created 2 to 4 others are lost because of high energy prices. McGuinty brushed aside that last statistic as being subject to some debate.

Asked about his future plans, the man who has been Ontario’s Premier for more than 8 years committed to staying on the job until the current government’s term expires in 2015. He hasn’t made up his mind whether to run again at that point. That of course ignores the very real possibility that the Liberal minority government will fall in before that. “If there’s a snap election I’m going to run in that election” said McGuinty. “A snap election is something we have no control over and we would embrace that opportunity.”

McGuinty refused to say whether the Liberals would consider pressing pause on scheduled corporate tax cuts as has been demanded by the NDP. Facing a $16 billion dollar deficit, the government must rein in spending, and cutting the revenue stream at same time seems counter productive to some. “We prefer a balanced approach” said McGuinty saying the corporate tax environment must remain competitive. When pressed on the point McGuinty said “you want me to reveal elements of the next budget, and I’m not going to go there.”

Trimming the tree with Birdy and Moose

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:12:00 -0500

Trimming the tree with Birdy and Moose

The big three political columnists at Queen’s Park all had...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:05:57 -0500

The big three political columnists at Queen’s Park all had a different take about this week’s warning from Moody’s that Ontario’s debt is a whisker away from being downgraded. If that happens it will cost taxpayers millions more in higher interest rates every year, at the same time the government already faces a $16 billion dollar deficit.

Martin Regg Cohn (Toronto Star) notes the “sparkle” in Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s eye while delivering what conventional wisdom would call a bucket load of bad news.

Christina Blizzard (Toronto Sun) thinks, in light of the Moody’s credit watch, Ontario voters might want have their own sanity watched.

Adam Radwanski (Globe and Mail) says Duncan has been handed a gift by Moody’s as he tries to push his message to the Liberal cabinet.

Chistina Blizzard - If we knew then what we know now.

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:01:50 -0500

Chistina Blizzard - If we knew then what we know now.

Martin Regg Cohn - Good News about Negative Outlook

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:00:36 -0500

Martin Regg Cohn - Good News about Negative Outlook

Adam Radwanski - Blessing in Disguise

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:58:16 -0500

Adam Radwanski - Blessing in Disguise

Moody's press release on Ontario debt.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:13:30 -0500

Moody's press release on Ontario debt.

Downgrade or Credit Watch?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:13:00 -0500

Plenty of spin from the Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan in his suppertime news conference to reveal the change in outlook on Ontario’s debt from credit agency Moody’s.

“Have you got the news from Moody’s?” said Duncan with a smile knowing full well that reporters had been standing on the 3rd floor of Queen’s Park waiting for him while the press release was sent out by the agency.

“This is not a downgrade” said Duncan several times during the press conference, preferring the term ‘credit watch’. A downgrade would entail an increase in the cost of servicing Ontario’s $190 billion debt, and would be a blow to a minority government already grappling with a $16 billion dollar deficit.

To call it a ”credit watch” is not quite the whole story either, as Moody’s notes in its headline that Ontario’s debt has been revised to “negative”.

Duncan passed most of this off as a result of global economic turmoil, failing to mention that Moody’s pointed out the “strong expense growth” in Ontario under the Liberal watch. Moody says that pulling back spending increases to budgeted targets will require “difficult policy decisions” and that “increased fiscal discipline” will have to be job one of the Liberal government.

Political Dad gets tasered. From December 2000.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:15:05 -0500

Political Dad gets tasered. From December 2000.

The Full Ombudsman report on the SIU

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:42:44 -0500

The Full Ombudsman report on the SIU

“Police are riding roughshod over the SIU” says...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:41:34 -0500

“Police are riding roughshod over the SIU” says Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin. In his report titled “Oversight Undermined”, Marin says the government is working against the civilian police watchdog, going so far as to “suppress” a report from the director of the SIU that it found too provocative.

Calling for legislation to beef up the SIU”s powers, Marin said right now there are no consequences for police officers who don’t cooperate with the SIU.

“I’ll look at the report.” Attorney General John Gerretsen essentially parroted the line of his predecessor Chris Bentley the last time Marin called for more teeth for the SIU. Marin said he found evidence the government never intended to act on his 2008 recommendations.

Political points or the right thing to do? Beaches East York...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:56:02 -0500

Political points or the right thing to do? Beaches East York MPP Michael Prue was part of a news conference at Queen’s Park with a family of an 82-year old patient threatened with a $1300/day charge from Toronto East General Hospital.

Within hours of the news conference, the hospital issued an apology and offered to meet with the woman’s family to make amends.

Health Minister Deb Matthews admits the hospital “made a mistake” but suggested MPP Prue would have done better by the family if he had simply called TEGH instead of booking the media studio.

Prue says Matthews is simply trying to deflect attention from an ongoing problem, claiming the family asked to do the news conference when told the $1300/day charge was illegal.

This isn’t the first time Matthews has reminded hospitals of the rules regarding charging patients. In February her ministry issued an edict on the same subject.

My Newshour story on the apology from Toronto East General...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:22:04 -0500

My Newshour story on the apology from Toronto East General Hospital to the family of an 82 year old woman who was threatened with a $1300/day bill.

Is this a demonstration? According to the Sergeant at Arms it...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:48:58 -0500

Is this a demonstration? According to the Sergeant at Arms it is. CUPE organizer Stella Yeadon wanted some moms and kids to sing a version of The 12 Days of Christmas outside the Premier’s door on the 2nd floor. The Premier’s office said fine, but security denied the group access and relocated them to outside the building. The reason it was declared a demo? Their version of the Christmas carol was a parody with lines about universal childcare. The moral of the story is if you want to sing inside Queen’s Park, don’t mess with the song.