janfromthebruce wrote:

(and out of her depth).

janfromthebruce wrote:

Star Exclusive: Tory MPP says party officials tied donations to labour legislation

A Progressive Conservative MPP says he and his colleagues were told “explicitly” by senior party officials behind closed doors that pushing legislation to help a construction company would boost financial donations to the Tories.

In an email obtained by the Star, Randy Hillier warned his caucus mates last May that the party was “walking on thin ice” by sanctioning a Conservative private member’s bill that would release EllisDon from a closed-shop union agreement dating back to 1958.

snip

According to Elections Ontario, on May 29, EllisDon gave three separate donations to the PC party totalling $14,815.

By comparison, as of July 8, the company had donated five different contributions to the governing Liberals this year for a tally of $26,200. Over that same period, the firm did not appear to give anything to the NDP.

snip

Hudak, McNaughton, and nine other members of the then 36-person caucus voted in favour of the bill — along with 22 Liberals — while Hillier broke ranks and joined with 15 New Democrats to oppose it.

Hillier emphasized in the email that “advancing legislation that explicitly abrogates a voluntary collective agreement at the behest of one employer provides our opposition with a proof-point to their allegations . . . that we are only fighting unions to make big business richer.”

Indeed, unions are concerned the legislature is considering a bill that specifically extricates one company from contractual obligations by giving it special dispensation to hire non-union staff as well as unionized workers.

“That’s what’s very troubling for us . . . because if this legislation goes through other contractors . . . are going to come forward and say ‘I want out of my bargaining arrangements.’ It is a very troubling situation for the building trade unions,” Pat Dillon, business manager and secretary-treasurer, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, said Tuesday.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board, after months of hearings initiated by unionized electricians and sheet metal workers, ruled on Feb. 13, 2012 that the 55-year-old agreement to hire only unionized workers only stood. But the labour relations board gave EllisDon a two-year grace period to lobby Queen’s Park for legislative changes.

John Grimshaw, executive secretary-treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario, said the labour relations board’s move “is unprecedented in my experience.”

“Now who else gets that kind of a deal?” he asked.

So is this corrupt or what? And how progressive is this where libs pretend to be union friends and yet, support legislation that works against unions, workers. So much for solidarity forever.

 Yep out right and blantant corruption why are no charges being laid?

Brachina wrote:

http://m.thestar.com/#!/news/how-corporate-ontario-gets-its-way-at-queen... Liberal and Tory corruption

Thanks Brachina for the link to the article above (How corporate Ontario gets its way at Queen’s Park).  Interesting story about the influence peddling of powerful lobbyists that normally occurs behind the scenes in Ontario politics. 

There's a private member's bill (The Lobbyist Registry Amendment Act, Bill 115) to deal with such issues and promote more transparency.  See here for a description.  And there's a petition to support this bill, so go here to sign the petition.

It looks like Mitt Romney is running the province of Ontario. Kathleen Wynne meet Mitt Romney.

ETA: Maybe critics should ask her what she's running from? A gas plant, a horde of upset teachers, organised workplace laws?

Wynne rejects raising minimum wage to $14 an hour.  She may contemplate "index[ing] the minimum wage to an indicator", but otherwise nothing concrete.  link

ETA:  I've heard that they do plan to raise it to $11.00 an hour.  Don't know if they're going to tie future raises to the consumer price index or not though.  That would be good, but the current minimum wage would still be too low at $11.

On September 20, 2013 the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and Quebec government announced the extension of the Blue Line east as far as Anjou, with five new stations. This will give riders in the east end a second line, and will be finished in the early 2020s.

Police now allege that McGuinty's chief of staff committed breach of trust in the ongoing gas plants scandal.  Specifically that various hard drives were deleted just before Wynne became premier.  She of course claims no knowledge.  The stench continues with this Liberal government.

Doug Ford now says that the Mayor (Rob Ford) will ONLY meet with the deputy premier, as “the mayor doesn’t want to be associated with people that are under investigation for criminal activity of stealing taxpayers’ money,”

“We have a corrupt Liberal government that have stolen billions of dollars off the taxpayer and they need to be held accountable.”

"The present premier, if they (she) didn’t know their computers were being cleaned out, then there is a concern that they let one of their employees go rogue and wipe out information about wasting billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money,” Doug Ford said.

“You ask the public: Are they more concerned about stealing billions of dollars off the taxpayers or somebody that has been caught on a video that has had a few drinks? It’s a very simple answer, the answer will be they don’t want politicians that steal money. You’re never ever going to see a financial scandal with Rob Ford.”

Which is why Rob Ford doesn't want to be associated with the Premier, and will only meet with the deputy Premier. After all who wants a photo-op with someone involved in such a scandal? That according to Doug Ford.

From TTCriders.ca:  TTC Sardine Award goes to Glen Murray for failing to fund the TTC