2003-05-29

People have been very critical of China for its handling of SARS. Now it looks like SARS may have spread beyond our hospitals and beyond the GTA. Like China, we were afraid of the loss of business that SARS was bringing. We are also fighting what looks like a losing battle against West Nile - it certainly seems to be spreading rapidly south of the border.

To top it all off, the Tories will be bringing in diesel generators to boost our power supply this summer. These generators will add to the air pollution that already is killing 2,000 people per year in Ontario.

I've been watching the Tory ads on television promoting their party and the provincial government. Ernie Eves talks about banning work to rule by the teachers. Leaving aside the ludicrous proposition of disciplining employees for following the rules or making voluntary activities mandatory without negotiating them into the contract, can't the Tories come up with any positive solutions to the problems they've created?

They've cut back on public heath spending, gotten rid of nurses, laid off Natural Resources and Environment staff and under-funded education to the point that students have to sell candy bars to buy text books. Their response is more teacher bashing.

As the polls have apparently been telling the Tories, the people aren't buying it anymore. They know it's time to reinvest in our provincial infrastructure. We need to roll back the tax breaks for the rich and put that money back into our vital public services. We need to restore Ontario to the clean, safe and healthy province that people used to like to visit, live and do business in.

Gary Dale, Provincial NDP Candidate
Scarborough East