Oily Grits

Keith Howell wrote in “Give Northlander two more years”, (North Bay Nugget, Mar.1, 2000):

“Liberal leader wants `genuine effort' to revive passenger train before killing it.
WEST NIPISSING - Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty wants the Northlander passenger train to run for another two years in a final attempt to make it viable.
"I think there should be a genuine effort made to revive it. It simply cannot survive as it is," McGuinty said in an interview Tuesday.
"It has to be transformed into a viable, attractive mode of transportation or it is going to go the way of the dodo. There will be no new lease on life given beyond that unless there has been an increase in ridership," McGuinty said.
The Liberal leader was at Club Calumet in Sturgeon Falls for a speech to about 100 party faithful at a fund-raising dinner. Earlier in the day, he and fellow Grit MPPs David Ramsay (Timiskaming- Cochrane) and Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay-Superior North) hosted the first stop on a fact-finding tour about Ontario's transportation needs.
"One problem they have is low ridership. I would like to see some kind of proposals put forward by the community," McGuinty said.
Ramsay, who accompanied his leader and Gravelle to Sturgeon Falls, said it is time for the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) to "reinvent" the Northlander.
He suggested getting the private sector involved with the Northlander, perhaps with concepts such as casino cars and snowmobile cars.
"It needs some entrepreneurial, private-sector partnerships," Ramsay said.
ONTC chairman Dick Grant said recently the current six-day-a- week passenger train service has an operating deficit of about $4.2 million annually.
After public hearings into passenger rail service last fall, the ONTC gave the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines a choice of two recommendations - end the train service and replace it with buses; or continue the service on the existing level or reduced schedule, possibly three days a week.
The ONTC no longer wants to subsidize the service through its other operations and wants the province to decide the Northlander's fate.
As for his thoughts on the gasoline crisis, McGuinty recommended rescinding the $37 vehicle registration in Northern Ontario to compensate for the greater traveling distances.
"They (Ontario government) should call off that dog-and-pony show (Ontario oil and gasoline price hearings), which is serving no purpose other than to point a finger at the federal government. The fact is the province has jurisdiction over pricing," he said.
Premier Mike Harris has three choices, McGuinty said.
"He can regulate gas prices; he can cut gasoline taxes, which are about 15 cents a litre, or he can stop complaining. I wouldn't close the door on a reduction in the gasoline tax, understanding that at the same time there is also a demand for money in public transit."
McGuinty stopped short of supporting a gasoline tax cut, though.
"I'm just saying it's not something I would rule out. But I would stop pointing provincial guns at the federal government."
After hearing presentations in Timmins, McGuinty said one idea the government might look at is providing greater infrastructure and trails for the burgeoning snowmobile industry.
Ramsay came away from the Timmins meeting even more convinced either Highway 11 or 17 should be four-laned across Northern Ontario, he said.”

*

On Apr.3, 2008 there was this exchange in the Ontario legislature regarding the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission:

“Mr. John O'Toole: My question is to the Premier. You should know that the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission has not published an annual report for the entire term of your government, since 2003. In fact, the last statement was in 2003 and more recently-it is described as "the site is under construction." Yet, Premier, it is your government that ran on those very themes of openness and the principle of accountability.
Premier, in the interest of this accountability, what will your government do to ensure that the Ontario Northland Transportation System delivers at least one annual report in your term?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. James J. Bradley: Thank you very much. I will share this with the Minister for Northern Development and Mines, who is responsible.
I tend to agree with the member that whenever we can it's valuable to have that kind of information available, not only to members of the Legislature but the general public. I know that when they have a lot of activities to undertake, sometimes the one that is not put on the front burner is the one of developing an annual report, and I think that is valuable information. So when I'm in my discussions with the minister, I will let him know, first of all, that you have asked the question in this House about this important matter and that it would be valuable to gather this information together as soon as possible. I know the member is, as all members of the House would be, concerned that reports be provided in a timely fashion. I'll do my very best to see that happens.

Mr. John O'Toole: Again, to the Premier, and the minister as well can respond if he wishes. It's obvious that that is a real surprise here, just by the Premier not having any notes on it at all and the Minister of Transportation going to refer it to a minister who's not here.
This is a serious, serious issue. In fact, it begs a larger question. Something you should know is that the sunshine list published yesterday has 33 employees from this very commission on the list making $100,000 or more. If this isn't about accountability-

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I would ask that the member stick to his initial question, which dealt with an annual report from Ontario Northland.

Mr. John O'Toole: Well, Ontario Northland has a report out there. The only one that's available, Mr. Speaker, is accounting that there are 33 employees on the $100,000 list, and yet that commission is funded by the province of Ontario. Premier, what are you going to do to have some openness and accountability in your government when you've got spending going through the roof and services being delayed?

Hon. James J. Bradley: I wasn't aware that the question was designed to embarrass members of the public service, as the ongoing attack of my friends in the opposite benches who continually-and I know this embarrasses the former Minister of Health, a good friend of mine from the Waterloo area, to hear that the party is swinging to the right one more time and is attacking the public service of this province by trying to embarrass them.
I would note that all members of the Legislature happen to be on the list to which he makes a reference. So I guess firing those stones around from those of us who are in glass houses can be difficult. But I want to tell the member this: The financial statements that are audited by the Auditor General are indeed on their website. I invite the member to go the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission website to look carefully at the audited statements at that time. They're available to the Auditor General, and they're available to the member.”

*

Eight years ago Liberal Dalton McGuinty was considering killing the Northlander train. (Why…wasn’t smog and GHG a problem, which would be solved by more – not fewer – trains, at whatever cost? That’s the story McGuinty and Bradley were peddling in Niagara about the GO train at the time!)

Now, the ONTC apparently has 33 employees in the sunshine list – and all Bradley can do is make some smarmy-assed, pointless remark about “the former Minister of Health, a good friend of mine from the Waterloo area” ? Wha…?!

What the FLICK, Jim?! Just answer the FLICKING question! Has ONTC become vastly profitable since McGuinty wanted it killed off? Has the McGuinty government 'revived' , 'increased ridership', and 'transformed' the railroad into a 'viable and attractive mode of transportation, or are they sheilding a 'dodo'?

Is Bradley convinced, as David Ramsey was then, that either Highway 11 or 17 should be four-laned across Northern Ontario?

It was also interesting to note Dalton McGuinty, in Howell’s 2000 story above, lecturing Premier Harris on the price of gas:

“The fact is the province has jurisdiction over pricing," he said.

Premier Mike Harris has three choices, McGuinty said.

"He can regulate gas prices; he can cut gasoline taxes, which are about 15 cents a litre, or he can stop complaining. I wouldn't close the door on a reduction in the gasoline tax, understanding that at the same time there is also a demand for money in public transit."

McGuinty stopped short of supporting a gasoline tax cut, though.

"I'm just saying it's not something I would rule out. But I would stop pointing provincial guns at the federal government."

McGuinty said back then that the premier "can regulate gas prices".

(Jim Bradley even introduced a private member’s bill to regulate gasoline prices, (see St. Catharines Standard story, Nov.19, 1999) where Bradley introduces his 'gas-price control' bill, because, according to Bradley, of the (then-Conservative) government's 'failure to take meaningful action on price gouging'!!)

So here we are - in Apr 2008 - and Bradley's Liberals have done sweet-FLICK-all themselves!! In the last FIVE years, what 'meaningful action' have the Liberals taken, Jim?!)

So let’s look at what Dalton McGuinty – now Premier – said in the Legislature (from Hansard) on Apr.7, 2008:

“Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I can understand where the official opposition is coming from. They would like Ontarians to believe that we somehow have control over the price of oil, but they don't believe that. They think that we influence the value of the dollar, but Ontarians don't believe that. They would like Ontarians to believe that somehow we influence the vigour of the US economy. Ontarians don't believe that either.”

Flicking two-faced Liberals! Who's leading who to believe what?? Who was once leading Ontarians to believe that the Premier somehow does have control over the price of gas?

Now, in 2008, McGuinty pretends he CAN’T regulate the price of oil – as he ever-so-righteously claimed was possible about gas in 2000!?!

McGuinty clearly said then that the “province has jurisdiction”!

Mcguinty clearly said then that the Ontario Premier – who is now…McGuinty… “can regulate gas prices”; “can cut gasoline taxes”!!

Or will Dalton defer to the minutiae-distinction that he was referring then to the price of gasoline, and not specifically the price of oil? (as if one can exist in a vaccuum without influencing the other, and which - in any case - McGuinty, as Premier, has done nothing about! This is similar to the vague 'is it a GO /bus/train/commuter/tourist/weekend/weekday' transit service that the Liberals keep threatening to bring to Niagara)

Was Dalton McGuinty lying about gas prices in March 2000, or is he lying about oil prices in the Legislature now?
*