October 11, 2005

Sorbara steps down

Resignation forces shuffle of McGuinty Cabinet Ontario's Finance Minister, Greg Sorbara, has resigned after police raided his family's real estate company as part of an investigation into another company, Royal Group Technologies. Mr. Sorbara had served on the Board of... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

June 13, 2005

Takhar should have known better

Liberal Transportation Minister in apparent breach of integrity regs Ontario's Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar is in a spot of trouble. According to the Toronto Sun, Mr. Takhar has been caught visiting the company he placed in a blind trust when... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 12, 2005

McGuinty government delivers snoozer Budget

Budgets are usually big deals. There is hoopla and fanfare to play up the government's new initiatives. Yesterday, as Finance Minister Greg Sorbara presented his government's second Budget, there was hoopla and fanfare, but nothing really new. Certainly the government... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

March 31, 2005

You read it here first

The mainstream media have finally caught up with the crack research team here at Max's Mewsings. This afternoon, a number of radio stations and newspapers picked up a story from the Canadian Press' Broadcast News division noting, as I did... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

March 17, 2005

Tory wins by-election easily

Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory has easily won a seat in the Provincial Legislature. With 255 of 269 polls reporting in the riding of Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey, Mr. Tory has 55.8% of the vote, more than three times the total of his... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

March 15, 2005

MPP wants end to gender-based price discrimiation

Is it wrong that a trip to the barber for a man costs less than a trip to the hair dresser for a woman or that a man's boring cotton/polyester dress shirt costs less to dry-clean than a woman's frilly... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

March 2, 2005

McGuinty's name beckons online gamblers

When Dalton McGuinty's Liberals abandoned the ChooseChange.ca web address they used in the 2003 provincial election, I doubt they expected it would be used to advertise online gambling. But some enterprising cyber-squatter has bought the address and has it redirecting... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

February 18, 2005

Broken Promise Fatigue has set in

Yesterday, Dalton McGuinty's government announced $280-million so schools can "secure financing for $4 billion worth of repairs, additions and new schools." The news release also says the new policy will "slow down school closures." So the Liberals, who at every... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

February 5, 2005

Fantino appointment signals politicization of public service

Reports out of Queen's Park say Premier Dalton McGuinty will appoint Toronto's outgoing Police Chief to be the Ontario's new Commissioner of Emergency Management. Julian Fantino will replace Dr. James Young who is heading to Ottawa to take on a... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

February 3, 2005

McGuinty changes his mind - again

Newspapers, blogs and message boards have been abuzz over the McGuinty governments plans to rebrand Ontario. The government says the rebranding effort is required to increase tourism and investment in the province. One of the things they were planning on... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

January 26, 2005

Strippers, Pizza and Sgro

Tracking the troubles former Immigration Minister Judy Sgro has caused for Paul Martin's Liberal government in Ottawa requires a scorecard just to keep up. Every day, there is at least one new development about her or her accuser. Here's the... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Canada Politics / Ontario

January 24, 2005

Proposed Toronto may be in for trouble

The proposed waterfront aquarium, announced with great fanfare a few weeks ago, will be a money-loser according to an article in today's Toronto Star. According to the paper, which spoke to experts in developing aquariums across North America, the aquarium... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

December 22, 2004

I couldn't agree with you more, Howie

Ontario's NDP Leader, Howard Hampton, says Ontarians are fed up with Dalton McGuinty's attempts to impose a "nanny state." In today's National Post, Mr. Hampton says, "People do not want [Premier] Dalton McGuinty or [Health Minister] George Smitherman telling them... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

December 2, 2004

Sushi Ban to come to an end

Finally, common sense has prevailed in Dalton McGuinty's government. After a more than a month of consultation about a policy the government should have consulted on in the first place, the McGuinty government and its hand picked Chief Medical Officer... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

November 13, 2004

TDSB's $400G hug fund

Thank you for your largesse, after all it is you who are paying for a $400,000 fund to help Toronto District School Board tustees get along. The money was sent to the TDSB by Education Minister Gerard Kennedy and has... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

October 27, 2004

Smitherman must go III

Yes, I do recommend that you should get lethal injection for yourself. - George Smitherman, Minister of Health to NDP MPP Michael Prue (October 26, 2004) Has he lost his mind? This comment from yesterday's Question Period at Queen's Park... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

October 21, 2004

Smitherman must go II

The heat I'm getting, I guess because I'm a youngest child or something, it just feels like more attention. - Health Minister George Smitherman (Wednesday, October 20, 2004) With that statement George Smitherman should have brought his Cabinet career to... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

October 20, 2004

Toronto Marathon should be banned?

The Canada Free Press' Arthur Weinreb makes a case for banning the Toronto Marathon. He cites health concerns and his logic is perfect (if you believe the Sushi Ban was a good idea, that is).... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

Smitherman must go

Taking a publicly confrontational approach with Ontario's hospitals wasn't enough to deserve dismissal from Cabinet. Embarrassing his government by banning sushi without appropriate public consultation was insufficient to merit banishment to the backbenches. Chasing good public servants out of the... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 30, 2004

Ontario may back down on sushi ban

The Ontario government is having second thoughts about the ban it imposed on fresh sushi earlier this month. The ban has been suspended for three months so it can consult with those concerned. The government says its consultation on new... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 28, 2004

No more fresh sushi for Max

A misguided law has just made me cough up a furball. A new health regulation in Ontario has made it illegal to sell sushi made with fresh fish. Instead sushi chefs must freeze their fish solid for a week before... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

McGuinty won't deliver on auto insurance promise

This time last year Ontarians with cars were in the midst of a round of some of the most offensive automobile insurance rate hikes in history. For many, their insurance was doubling even without an accident or traffic ticket. The... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 18, 2004

Flaherty phones it in

Hundreds of Ontario Conservatives made the trek to Toronto this weekend for the party's Leadership event. They came expecting to hear directly what leadership aspirants John Tory, Frank Klees and Jim Flaherty would do for the party and the province.... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 16, 2004

$41B for health over 10 years

It took a while, but they got a deal. Not that anyone is going to be particularly happy with it at the end of the day. The agreement is much more expensive than Ottawa had wanted - Paul Martin was... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 14, 2004

Tory membership list leaked

When they opened their inboxes this morning, members of Ontario's Progressive Conservative Party were greeted by a message urging them to "Vote to Protect Marriage In The PC Party" when they vote in the party's leadership election this weekend. The... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

September 9, 2004

McGuinty's Redemption Tour a Flop

In the wake of his government's disastrous budget which reinforced his image as a promise-breaker, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty took to barbeque circuit to try to rehabilitate his image. It appears the Redemption Tour™ didn't work. In a poll for... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

August 24, 2004

Do we really need Photo Radar?

Yesterday, Ontario's municipal leaders told Premier Dalton McGuinty they'd like him to reintroduce photo radar. Mr. McGuinty opened the door to redeploying cameras on Ontario highways a few moths ago, saying he would look into it if municipalities asked him... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

August 13, 2004

From the rumour mill...

With the rumoured late summer Cabinet Shuffle beginning to look unlikely, new rumours are filling the gap at Queen's Park. The latest surrounds the communications branch at Ontario's Ministry of Health. Over the winter, that branch's top three civil servants... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

August 6, 2004

Where's the plan, Premier?

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is touring the province this summer in an attempt to "reconnect" with average Ontarians, as one senior Liberal put it. Really, Mr. McGuinty's road show should be called the "Redemption Tour." So far, the Premier has... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

August 5, 2004

Drop the T's

Ontario Tory leadership hopeful Frank Klees' solution to the cost of providing public education in Ontario must be to start dropping the letter 'T'. How else can you explain why a news release emailed to reporters yesterday was sent with... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

July 29, 2004

Premium may be dangerous to your wealth

A report released today by the Fraser Institute says the Ontario Health Care Premium will have to triple in the next three years to make up for the anticipated increase in health care costs for the province. The report is... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

July 13, 2004

If it costs too much, don't buy it

This weekend, an arbitrator ruled the 407ETR (Ontario's only toll highway - for now) doesn't need to seek the Provincial Government's permission to raise tolls. People are outraged. The comment, editorial and letters pages of Toronto's daily newspapers have been... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

June 9, 2004

Ontario will lose influence in Ottawa

I think that's a real stretch to say that our budget had much of an impact at all on the federal campaign -Greg Sorbarra, Ontario Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier If you were looking for evidence that the Ontario... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

McGuinty fails the Mike Harris test

Saturday will mark the beginning of the ninth month of Liberal rule in Ontario. In the eight months that have passed, the McGuinty government has done more to damage its reputation than any government in recent memory. With McGuinty’s personal... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 19, 2004

Ontario Budget

I really don't know what write about yesterday's Ontario Budget. Should I concentrate on the $9-billion tax increase? Or maybe I should discuss the implications of the biggest tax increase since 1993? Or perhaps I should talk about the contradictions... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 18, 2004

Ontario Budget: It's gonna cost you

All of the pre-budget leaking from the McGuinty government is over. It's budget day and here (according to the leaks) is what we can expect. Higher Taxes. Taxes on alcohol and tobacco are set to rise. McGuinty is also going... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 11:35 AM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 15, 2004

Another McGuinty Tax Hike

The McGuinty government floated yet another tax hike through an anonymous leak to the Globe and Mail today -- Health Care Premiums. The government says the premiums will be "progressive" in nature, meaning the more you make, the more you... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 07:25 PM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 14, 2004

Ontario Liberals Lose By-Election

Last night, the voters in Hamilton East handed the Liberals a massive defeat. It was supposed to be a fairly easy run for Dalton McGuinty's hand-picked Liberal candidate, Ralph Agostino. When the by-election was called, the Libs were high in... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:29 AM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 12, 2004

McGuinty's Secret Plan IV

It looks like Mr. McGuinty is going to raise your taxes. Apparently the Liberals have been in touch with Elections Ontario about the possibility of holding a referendum. The Taxpayers' Protection Act requires the government to hold a referendum on... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 06:29 PM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

Liberals anonymous on bad news

For the second time in two days, I have been shocked to read the response of the Ontario Liberals to bad news. It seems when it has something to say, this government likes to remain anonymous. Take, for example, yesterday's... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

May 11, 2004

McGuinty's Secret Plan III

Speculation is rampant around Queen's Park this evening that the McGuinty Liberals plan to harmonize the province's sales tax with the hated GST. As I predicted in McGuinty's Secret Plan I the Coffee Tax proposal was likely just a stealthy... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 24, 2004

Dalton, this isn't leadership

The Ontario Premier says he's going to "assume a leadership role in Confederation." To do this, he is going to cut bilateral deals with the federal government on issues like health care, labour and immigration. This is a fundamental shift... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 21, 2004

McGuinty backs down

Well, after a couple of weeks of flailing about on the Coffee Tax, Dalton McGuinty finally saw what was plain to the rest of us. You can't make a rock float on its own. The Preem stuck to his nonsensical... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 20, 2004

I hate to break it to you...

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Dalton McGuinty lied to you. He forecast that the cancellation Private Schools Tax Credit save the government $500-million a year (or $425-million by 2006 - depending on the pamphlet you... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:43 AM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 16, 2004

Hotels for the homeless

Toronto City Council estimates it costs $156 per person per night to porvide shelter spaces for the city's homeless. Councillor Rob Ford says that for that price, the city could put people up in downtown hotels. The Toronto Sun did... More...

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Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 15, 2004

Is he kidding?

The Liberal Government at Queen's Park is now using some revsisionist history to explain why it's okay to impose the Coffee Tax. You might recall Liberal Leader (and now Premier) Dalton McGuinty saying he wouldn't raise taxes during last Fall's... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 10:16 AM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 14, 2004

McGuinty's Secret Plan II

The Preem sent his Finance Minister out to talk to the hordes of ravenous media today. He wanted Greg Sorbarra to put an end to the continued speculation around the proposed "Coffee Tax" (see yesterday's mewsing). [Liberal spin doctors are... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 03:44 PM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

April 13, 2004

McGuinty's Secret Plan

A leak out of the McGuinty Liberal Government at Queen's Park has the Province extending the PST to cover "Fast Food" meals. Currently, meals under $4 are not subject to PST but are subject to federal GST. A quick survey... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 11:51 AM | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario