Tell Premier McGuinty to build Ontario, not tear it apart.

Premier McGuinty put banker Don Drummond in charge of recommending nearly 400 cuts to jobs and public services in Ontario. At a time when Ontarians are in desperate need of economic recovery, these cuts will jeopardize every aspect of society: from health care to full-day kindergarten to pensions. No public service is safe. However, in McGuinty's reckless plan to balance Ontario's books by putting more people out of work and destroying the social safety net, he refuses to roll-back corporate tax cuts that are starving the province of billions of dollars that could be better used to create new jobs and help tens of thousands of struggling Ontario families to get back on their feet.

On March 27, residents of Ontario will get a clear picture of the implications of choosing to eliminate the public debt by 2017-18 within the current public revenue framework.

The key question to be considered: how much are we willing to lose in order to eliminate the deficit without increasing government revenue?

Based on Ontario public accounts, over the last five years (fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2010), health-care spending in Ontario increased at an average nominal rate of 7.1 per cent per year.

Being true to my inner technology geek, I have compulsively followed energy issues for years. Energy discourse is not for everyone, however. I've realized this the socially awkward way by bringing up Ontario's electricity future in casual conversation at house parties.

But with the recent one-year anniversary of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster, forecasts abound on the prospects of nuke power surviving yet another devastating public relations catastrophe. However, in all these stories about nuclear meltdowns and the future of nuclear energy, I was struck by a significant gap: where is the Canadian content?

In the city of Toronto, one of the options for play is a kid-friendly coffee shop that offers a play area. Let's call it "FunSpot." When I first heard of FunSpot I thought, "What a great idea." But then I discovered that, on top of the premium cost of your hot beverage, there is a fee to access the toys, the little slide, and the rubber mats -- all of it cordoned off from the coffee bar by a friendly-looking little gate. FunSpot functions almost like an indoor park, which is fantastic in the winter months, especially if your child is too young to skate or can't even walk. But do not mistake this for a public space.

Just six weeks before the expected announcement of the Ontario provincial budget, the government has finally released the long-awaited report of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services. Chaired by ex-banker Don Drummond, the Commission's mandate was to look at provincial public service delivery and determine "which areas could be delivered more efficiently by another entity."

The report contains 362 recommendations, over 100 of which focus on health care.

Speaking to reporters in a budget-style pre-release lock-up, Drummond acknowledged that his recommendations hearken back to cuts under former premier Mike Harris from 1995-2002.