Ontario’s Greens push for public interest first in tackling the deficit eg: Merge all school systems

The Ontario Green's feel that merging all provincial school systems is a long-term solution to tackling the deficit by reducing redundancies.

Toronto, ON – “Putting the public interest before vested interests is the most equitable and efficient way to eliminate Ontario’s record deficit,” says Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner.  Eliminating the deficit requires tackling vested interests in the province’s biggest budget categories: education, energy and health care, as well as bringing our tax system into the 21st century. The Green Party is putting forward long-term solutions to tackle the deficit:

ONE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Ontario must merge the Catholic and public school systems into a single French and English public system to build a high quality, financially responsible, and equitable education system. Two school systems is an obvious source of duplication in the Ontario budget. Ontario also has a financial and social obligation to end the discrimination that results from funding only one religious school system. [ http://www.oneschoolsystem.org/ CP ]
STOP BORROWING BILLIONS TO SUBSIDIZE THE WASTEFUL USE OF ENERGY
Ontario cannot afford to borrow 1 billion dollars each year to reduce electricity bills by a few dollars each month. The province should not play a shell game with our money for a program that benefits the wealthiest the most. The misleadingly named Clean Energy Benefit should be scrapped and replaced with a targeted rebate program for low income families and seniors who need the help the most. Such a rebate would be more effective at a much lower cost.  We all save money with programs that help people save energy.
IT’S HEALTHY OUTCOMES THAT MATTER
Ontario must move from a sick care system focused on hospitals to a home and community care system focused on illness prevention. Funding priorities should focus on healthy outcomes and providing people the continuum of care they need to maintain health and treat illness at the lowest cost to the public purse.

Ontario’s current orientation to treating sickness is costly and unsustainable. We can do better by keeping people out of hospital in the first place. This starts with a funding formula that pays doctors for promoting health, not the quantity of services they provide. We need to empower all health professionals to operate at their full scope of practice.
BRING OUR TAXES INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
The Green party believes the government made a serious mistake in establishing a commission that only addresses government expenditures. We also need a modern tax system that provides sufficient revenues to deliver public services. We need an equitable and efficient tax system that enriches quality of life and encourages job creation without damaging our natural capital. The government should cancel corporate tax cuts that we can’t afford. The Green Party calls on the McGuinty government to form a public commission on the reform and modernization of Ontario’s tax system.

CONCLUSION
“It’s time for politicians to stop punting problems to our kids,” says Schreiner. “The Green Party commends the Drummond Commission for tackling some tough issues. Now the government needs to engage the public in implementing solutions.”

Media Contact:  Becky Smit  Cell: 647-830-6486  Office: 416-977-7476 beckysmit@gpo.ca

Sent from Green Party of Ontario PO Box 1132 Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8 Canada

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2 responses to “Ontario’s Greens push for public interest first in tackling the deficit eg: Merge all school systems”

  1. Becky Smit Avatar
    Becky Smit

    LIBERAL HOT AIR AND INACTION COSTING GREEN ENERGY JOBS
    The ongoing Feed-in Tariff (FIT) review means that green energy contracts have been frozen for six months and counting, killing jobs and threatening to bankrupt homegrown Ontario solar companies.

    Yesterday during Question Period, Energy Minister Chris Bentley’s response to a softball question on the FIT review shows that he is out of touch with the dire situation of solar entrepreneurs across the province.

    The FIT program provides entrepreneurs the chance to produce renewable energy for Ontario’s grid – a program that is good for our environment and our economy. While a review of the program was planned for 2011, no notice was given that contracts would be frozen. Worse yet, the Liberal government has suspended contracts awarded two months before the program review was announced last October.

    Everyone in the solar sector supports FIT price reductions as input costs decline. But freezing contracts while making these adjustments has already cost Ontario jobs and threatens to derail a new, growing industry.

    The Green Party is calling on the government to expedite the review for microFIT and community power projects so new contracts can be awarded at the new lower prices. Future reviews need to be transparent, without unfairly back-dating price adjustments.

    These simple actions will prevent unnecessary bankruptcies and job losses while moving forward with lower FIT pricing that protects electricity consumers. Becky Smith for The Green Party of Ontario

  2. Green Party of Ontario Avatar
    Green Party of Ontario

    PUBLIC INTERESTS MUST TRUMP POLITICAL GAMES IN SPRING SESSION Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner is calling on the old parties to suspend politics as usual during the spring legislative session at Queen’s Park.
    “Ontario is facing difficult budget decisions, and it’s essential that we have political leadership that puts the public interest before vested political interests,” says Schreiner.
    “The Green Party urges all parties to find ways to eliminate our deficit
    with long term solutions that promote high quality public services and
    job creation for us and future generations.”
    The Green Party is looking for political leadership at Queen’s Park to adopt the following priorities: TACKLE THE DEFICIT Ontario needs
    politicians with the courage to tackle vested interests and take a
    clear stand on recommendations submitted by the Drummond Commission on
    the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services.
    Efficiency and equity should guide deficit reduction. Before cutting essential programs, Ontario needs to eliminate needless duplication such as funding a separate religious school board. The Green Party also calls on the McGuinty government to form a public commission to reform and modernize Ontario’s tax system, and to cancel corporate tax cuts that Ontario can’t afford.
    REFORM HEALTH CARE TO FOCUS ON HEALTHY OUTCOMES Ontario’s current system of treating sickness is costly and unsustainable. Health care reform must move Ontario from a sick care system focused on hospitals to a home and community care system focused on preventing illness. A focus on healthy outcomes will provide people the quality care they need at the lowest cost to the public purse. This starts with a funding formula that pays doctors for promoting health, not for the quantity of services they provide.
    And we must empower all health professionals to operate at their full
    scope of practice. This will help keep people out of hospital, provide
    a better quality of care, and save money.
    FINALLY DELIVER ON AN EFFICIENT, AFFORDABLE ENERGY PLAN
    The government must deliver the long overdue Integrated Power System Plan to efficiently meet Ontario’s long-term energy needs. The priority must be lower cost options–energy efficiency, hydro imports, combined heat and power– before committing billions to expensive new nuclear plants.
    This starts with removing barriers to conservation programs and reinstating the home energy savings program that creates jobs and helps people save money by saving energy.
    CONCLUSION
    “It’s time for politicians to stop punting problems to our kids,” says Schreiner. “We need to tackle the tough long-term challenges now. The public deserves honest answers on where parties stand on the recommendations in the Drummond Report.”

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