2011 Ontario Election

[Steeltown]

The 40th Ontario general election is scheduled for October 6, 2011.

Dalton McGuinty - Liberal - Incumbent Premier
Tim Hudak - Ontario PC
Andrea Horwath - New Democrat
Mike Schreiner - Green

107 seats in the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
54 seats are needed for a majority

[Diesel_Power]

Sure to get ugly.

[vid]

I like how the NDP and PCs are pretty much the same party. They should merge! Choose a new, middle of the road name, like "Liberal", or something.

[Steeltown]

Hudak unclear on uploading commitments

Provincial Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak isn’t saying whether his government will upload all the social service costs passed down to municipalities in the 1990s — a move that stands to add millions to Hamilton’s bottom line.

Hudak says if he’s elected to the Ontario legislature on Oct. 6, his government will continue to pay for programs that have already been uploaded back onto the province’s books.

“For the billion dollars that has been uploaded to the provincial coffers, we will honour that commitment to date,” Hudak told The Spectator in an interview Thursday.

However, Hudak would not say whether his government would continue to take back the remaining costs that haven’t yet been uploaded — a process that isn’t expected to be complete until 2018.

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ng-commitments

[Steeltown]

Hudak appeals to our wallets

Here’s the thing about appealing to the lowest common denominator: It usually works. Provincial Conservative Leader Tim Hudak and his brain trust — some of the same political strategists who helped Mike Harris win two consecutive majority governments — know that, and they’re using that unflattering reality to good advantage.

Hudak and friends understand that Ontarians are feeling financially pinched — especially the middle class. Wages, at least in the private sector, are stagnant or restrained. The cost of living — food, gas, utilities and the like — are steadily increasing. People want and need a break, and they’re probably going to support a provincial leader who promises it. It’s that simple.

Hudak says he’ll take the provincial share of the HST off home heating costs and remove the Ontario Hydro debt retirement charge from power bills. That will save an average family $22 per month. That resonates. It’s true that a large part of the reason electricity rates have risen is that Ontario’s energy infrastructure is critically in need of upgrading and maintenance, and it’s also true that previous governments have ignored that for political reasons. Just as it’s true that it was the Harris Conservatives who drove electricity deregulation to begin with, and so created the original price spikes we’re all suffering through now.

Doesn’t matter. Hudak is offering to save money on the monthly utility bill, and that’s all many Ontarians need to hear.

Mike Harris knew this when he promised to reduce taxes by 30 per cent as part of the Common Sense Revolution. It later turned out Ontario paid for that promise in many ways tangible and intangible. But it worked, and there’s a growing chance it will work for Hudak, too.

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/edito...to-our-wallets

[Diesel_Power]

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/a.../02/c8208.html

Tim Hudak is a liar.


Ernie Eves on Tim Hudak

[Steeltown]

So who do you think did a good job with tonight's debate?

[AndrewJM3D]

I missed the debates but I do know my vote will be going to either the Liberals, or NDP, sorry Hudak but Ford has killed any chance of me throwing a vote your way.

[Diesel_Power]

Transportation is my biggest concern. Especially after this came out today.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle2180899/

Sadly none of the candidates spoke on transportation, which really disappointed me.

[flesh_is_weak]

my vote goes to whoever can bring about real education reform in Ontario...was walking around Laurentian today, and i find it disturbing that almost every other student there don't "really live" in Canada...i mean, most of the students are international students...it sucks that most Ontarians can't afford--or miss out on the opportunity--higher education in their own province

[yin_yang]

Originally Posted by flesh_is_weak

my vote goes to whoever can bring about real education reform in Ontario...was walking around Laurentian today, and i find it disturbing that almost every other student there don't "really live" in Canada...i mean, most of the students are international students...it sucks that most Ontarians can't afford--or miss out on the opportunity--higher education in their own province

it's a free country!

[vid]

Many Lakehead students that I see are from India and Taiwan. The majority are still local, but the amount of international students is up significantly. Riding the bus to the university, you don't often hear anyone speaking English anymore.

[NoMoreHeroes]

Originally Posted by flesh_is_weak

my vote goes to whoever can bring about real education reform in Ontario...was walking around Laurentian today, and i find it disturbing that almost every other student there don't "really live" in Canada...i mean, most of the students are international students...it sucks that most Ontarians can't afford--or miss out on the opportunity--higher education in their own province

I have to disagree and say that international students studying here in Ontario is a non issue. Education in Ontario for international students is significantly higher, they don't get government assistance to help keep down the costs and it’s hard for them to be able to study in Canada. My buddy is from South Africa, and to do animation at my school it's costing him 21k a year (that he has to do via bank loans and whatever money his parents are able to wire him), whereas for an Ontario resident it's 7k (still high mind you). We students who are born here pay around a third of the costs for education; keep in mind that I wholeheartedly agree that tuition is still very expensive and getting OSAP is a huge pain. However, back in 2006, in order for colleges (and I can only assume universities) to raise their tuition fees, they had to agree to provide the SAG program (Student Access Guarantee Program) which basically says that any Ontario student who is academically qualified according to the institution’s academic requirements for a particular program cannot be denied their education because of financial limitations (you also have to apply for OSAP first to be eligible for it, and the amount of added assistance varies between schools).

[vid]

I can't get a student loan because my dad owes money on it. That's probably one of the stupidest government policies in existence. Because my dad failed his education, I can't get a loan to even begin mine.

[NoMoreHeroes]

Originally Posted by vid

I can't get a student loan because my dad owes money on it. That's probably one of the stupidest government policies in existence. Because my dad failed his education, I can't get a loan to even begin mine.

I truly feel you man. A few years ago my sister tried to get OSAP and even though our family was legally below the poverty line, they wouldn't give her any assistance because our mom had a job and a car. There does need to be a reform there because I know a lot of people who can't get any assistance because of small technicalities.

[flesh_is_weak]

I've got nothing against international students too, i was just using it for comparison...my point was that the current educational system in Ontario makes it difficult for many Ontarians to access higher education

[NoMoreHeroes]

Originally Posted by flesh_is_weak

I've got nothing against international students too, i was just using it for comparison...my point was that the current educational system in Ontario makes it difficult for many Ontarians to access higher education

My apologies, I misunderstood what you were getting at . And yes, it really does. OSAP has so many technicalities and conditions. Right now with OSAP, I can only work and make 600 dollars a semester without them deducting what I've received via OSAP. Which to me makes no sense because OSAP isn’t going to cover the cost of living, and 600 Dollars isn’t going to come close to cover the cost of living for 4 months...

[icemachine]

Originally Posted by NoMoreHeroes

My apologies, I misunderstood what you were getting at . And yes, it really does. OSAP has so many technicalities and conditions. Right now with OSAP, I can only work and make 600 dollars a semester without them deducting what I've received via OSAP. Which to me makes no sense because OSAP isn’t going to cover the cost of living, and 600 Dollars isn’t going to come close to cover the cost of living for 4 months...

That's why I always worked for cash in college with the exception of my Co-op work terms. Government can't track cash yet!

[vid]

Every pay cheque I've ever gotten has been more than $600. So basically, only unemployed people can get OSAP.

[Marbur66]

Originally Posted by flesh_is_weak

my vote goes to whoever can bring about real education reform in Ontario...was walking around Laurentian today, and i find it disturbing that almost every other student there don't "really live" in Canada...i mean, most of the students are international students...it sucks that most Ontarians can't afford--or miss out on the opportunity--higher education in their own province

Originally Posted by yin_yang

it's a free country!

What does that mean? How is that a valid response to what he said?