Blue Like You

Ontario Post-Election Blues

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

Various voices of discontent across the province:

Christina Blizzard - A stain on our ballot boxes. Christina highlights some voting issues that have bubbled to the surface. Some First Nations communities were without ballot boxes, and other horror stories…

The Sun also features a North Bay Nugget editorial criticizing Dalton’s pick for Minister of Natural Resources - Can Cansfield do the job?:

The largest forests in Donna Cansfield’s urban Toronto riding are two of the ritziest, most exclusive golf courses in the city, which makes her a poor choice to lead the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

Brilliant choice, Dalton.

Sign of things to come - Court decision could mean huge windfall for First Nations. Prepare to shell out even though Hallowe’en is over.

3% Hydro Hike sought. And would you like taxes with that?

Globe - Strike at Sarnia border crossing could create traffic chaos.

National Post - Ontario is bad for business:

…Unfortunately the road isn’t equally smooth for everybody, and the reduction in the federal take will only tend to highlight the startling differences between provinces when it comes to corporate tax policy. And one is sticking out like a sore thumb more than ever — Ontario, which now imposes the highest effective tax burden on corporations of any province and has done less than most to program for future reductions…

( . . . )

…As things stand, we take well over twice as much on every dollar of return on capital (36.6%) as does Sweden (17.5%).

The Conservative government in Ottawa is doing its best to change this, as did the prior Liberal government when the problem became too big to ignore, circa 2003. Ontario hasn’t, by and large, although it is slowly phasing out its direct tax on capital (even as provinces like Saskatchewan and New Brunswick simply abandon theirs). Its government seems to prefer to engage in increasingly strident pleas for federal assistance, with its municipal offspring tugging at its hem and joining in the chorus. Meanwhile, it lags behind the other provinces in broad measures of capital reinvestment, and the headlines continue to bring troubling reminders…

Get ready for it Canada! Four more years of Dalton and his socialist union friends demanding your tax-dollars.

Bad news for Brampton - Daimnation!

Star - Diabetes a huge problem for Ontario’s poor.

Ian Urquhart thinks McGuinty blew it - Mini-budget a wasted opportunity.

Connie Woodchuck tells us that the black-market for cigarettes shows no sign of going away - Why I cough up cash for black-market smokes:

…Because nobody in government wants to mess with the natives. Not at Caledonia. Not at Oka. And not at my little local reserve. And really, in my heart of hearts, I know this is simply not right.

We’re all expected to obey the laws of the land — but not when it comes to anything involving aboriginals. They might get mad.

Youth puffing black-market smokes - Globe.

Newmarket, Aurora schools top list for contraband smokes: survey.

Hey, other than all that, things are just peachy!

* * * *

Saturday Update: Hands off our tax cut, Dalton! - Kevin Gaudet.

Making poverty a priority - James Wallace.

Hampton calls for an increase in PST - Globe.