Privatization a-go-go: Ontario Liberals at the Trough

15 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2014-11-18 03:10

Rokossovsky

Now implementing the "most progressive budget in years", the Liberals dig deep into the asset bank and are looking to sell off half of Hydro One for what seemst to be half price, for a net loss in long term profits in the mid-term of 8 to 12 years.

This round nets them a one time only 3 billion, if they get the right price, according to them. That is how the first year of P3 transit infrastructure is to be paid off. Next year the other half? Where from there?

Sousa is already looking at a shortfall of half a billion in projected corporate tax revenue to be made up where? Teachers salaries I suspect.

School system for sale next. Only question is, should they do it after the next election, or before in a suicide budget?

Quote:

Selling off Hydro One’s distribution assets, as recommended by the Ed Clark panel, would take a big bite out of the company as it is today.

The company’s distribution business — which delivers electricity directly to 1.3 million homes and businesses in most of rural Ontario and some larger centres — accounts for 75 per cent of Hydro One’s revenue, and 36 per cent of its profit.

Did I fail to mention increased cost to consumers once the single source local distribution monopolies get their teeth into consumers?

Wed, 2014-11-19 04:15

Rokossovsky

Now this bit of treachery. I guess this is where Sousa will make up part of his half billion in lost Corporate Tax revenue: Ontario government planning $500M cut to education funding: NDP

Quote:
"Her budget promised increased funding to school boards," Tabuns told the legislature. "She's on the record promising no cuts to schools, and yet the Ministry of Education is spelling out $500 million in cuts to our classrooms and says annual increases are things of the past."

To put this into prespective lets consider that the entire Kindergarten program including FDK cost 1.5 billion a year. Now consider what the damage would be if you removed 1/3rd of the funding from that program, given the chaos it is in now. Of course the cuts will be made everywhere, in small chunks but the damage will be felt nonethless.

Mon, 2014-11-24 07:18

Brachina

But, but the Star said this was far more progressive budget then what the NDP offered?

Oh wait the Star was once again a bunch of corrupt Liberal lickspittles.

Tue, 2014-11-25 05:09

Rokossovsky

Ontario Liberals start rolling out Tim Hudak's "Million Jobs Plan". At the ten to one rate proposed by Hudak, these cuts should results in at least 100,000 new Jobs.

Quote:
Thomas told the Star that if the Liberals have their ways, up to 10,000 workers currently providing an assortment of public services could lose their jobs,

“The want to review all classifications starting with IT . . . if they get what they want in this collective agreement it will be the end of the public service as you know it . . . it’s quote cynical what they are doing,” he said.

[SNIP]

Said Thomas: “Honest to God, it is far worse than anything Mike Harris tabled,” referring to the former Progressive Conservative premier.

“The difference between (Liberal Premier Kathleen) Wynne and Harris is that Harris came straight at you and Wynne smiles while sticking a knife in your back and so does Matthews,” he said.

Union warns Liberal government set to privatize public service jobs

Quote:
Interim Tory Leader Jim Wilson recalled how the Liberals pilloried his party during the spring election for threatening to scrap 100,000.

“Now they are going to get rid of a whole pile — thousands — either through stealth of privatization or by other means. It’s typical Liberals, they say one thing and do another,” said Wilson.

“I suspect they have a lot of friends in the private sector that will do quite well by this.”

Tue, 2014-12-09 22:03

Rokossovsky

The Beast rolls on with cuts to dental services for the children low income earners

Quote:
Premier Kathleen Wynne fired back in the legislature that because of changes made earlier this year through the $30 million Healthy Smiles program, 70,000 more kids from low-income families are receiving dental care, but Dr. Melvin C. Hsu, manager, Dental and Oral Health Services at Toronto Public Health, told the Star that increase was taken into consideration when the board calculated that 15,600 children will lose preventative dental services.

Tue, 2014-12-09 22:25

Rokossovsky

Brachina wrote:

http://diablogue.org/2014/12/09/eight-billion-reasons-why-we-were-right-...

Billions and billions mispent, makes the gas plant scandal look minor in compareson.

Billions flushed down the toilet. Then right after its revealed that billions of revenue have basically been given to the Beer Store by the LCBO, than to a lack of competition, out of the public purse, which btw are major donors to both rightwing parties.

From this thread. From the article:

Quote:
For a government that has been hammering public sector workers, shuttering hospital clinics, and denying patients access to home care in the name of fiscal restraint, the Auditor General made clear they were more than willing to spend $8 billion more than necessary on private consortiums to build infrastructure in this province – the majority of it in health care. About $6.5 billion of that amount is represented by higher financing costs borne by the private sector – a general point the previous Auditor General made in the evaluation of the William Osler P3 deal in 2008.

Wed, 2014-12-10 00:03

Rokossovsky

Meanwhile in Hamilton, John A. McDonald High School has been closed even though the Liberal Party sponsored privatization plan for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming corp fell afoul with local opposition and their plan of convert the school into a Casino.

The plan included an detailed outline to remake "auditorium into a Hard Rock LIVE performance venue, the gym as a conference venue, and the classroom as “meeting rooms and Executive offices.”

Quote:
The fact that Casino proponents already had detailed architectural renderings for Sir John A Macdonald School long before it closed should give us pause. So should the fact that these renderings had been developed well before any public debate had occurred on the issue of a Casino.

The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board is undergoing one of the largest dispositions of public land in recent memory. What becomes of that land is anyone’s guess- while the City and other educational institutions may buy these properties up for other uses, that can’t be done in every case. These are very large and very valuable parcels of assembled land, which the school board is required to sell at fair market value.

Capitalization of property in the immediate environs of the downtown core, conveniently located next to landmarks like Copps Coliseum is just too tempting for cash strapped Hamilton Wentworth School Board, despite the high enrollment, convenient location and excellent public facilities.

Quote:
The school has a theatre auditorium that seats 750 people, which was originally built as a community performance venue that could not be accommodated in the construction of Hamilton Place. There are auto mechanic garages, two large art studio classrooms and a large natural grass playing field.

The school is located at 130 York Boulevard, close to the city Public Library and across the street from the Copps Coliseum and Lloyd D. Jackson Square Mall.

The ongoing population growth in our Downtown Core, along with the residential intensification strategy for the Core as promoted during the election by our newly elected Mayor Fred Eisenberger, demands that we maintain a Secondary School in the Core to keep the momentum for this intensification that must include families.

Once dubbed the "Social Justice premier", Kathleen Wynne has made a good start at going into the history books as the "Privatization Premier".

Wed, 2014-12-10 17:12

Geoff

Privatization is a huge issue at Ontario's community colleges. They're not being "sold off" to the private sector, at least not directly. However, by continuing to cut back public funding (Ontario is 10th out of 10 provinces for per student funding), community colleges are becoming increasingly dependent on donations from corporations and wealthy individuals.

In fact, in the media I've seen colleges referred to as "publicly-assisted" rather than "publicly-funded", and we know that the powers-that-be don't change language for nothing (i.e. tar sands to oil sands). How sad that our children's futures are becoming increasingly dependent on the largesse of the well-to-do. We're moving to a 19th century model of funding for post-secondary education.

Hopefully OPSEU, which represent faculty and support staff at the colleges, won't forget them as it embarks on its anti-privatization campaign. After all, privatization comes in many disguises.

Fri, 2014-12-12 00:59

Rokossovsky

Few benefits from $2 billion smart meter program, auditor says

Quote:
Ontario’s $1.9-billion smart meter program for hydro utilities has delivered few benefits for the hefty cost, says Ontario’s auditor general Bonnie Lysyk.

In fact, one in six of the 4.8 million meters installed have not yet transmitted any readings, she found.

“Based on a $2 billion investment, there doesn’t seem to be $2 billion of value coming yet,” she said.

The value will be to the corporate purchasers of the Hydro One distribution system, who will basically be able to run the utilities from their office without overhead costs of labour needed to do meter readings. Count this as a 2 billion dollar gift to the "Corporate Billing Sector" who are going to gain control of the Hydro One distribution system, and be able to manage them with little more than database management techs and a call center for "customer service", and get paid for doing us the favour of sending us monthly or bi-monthly bills.

Thu, 2014-12-18 16:04

#10

Rokossovsky

Gee these people work cheap!

Police allege McGuinty aide's spouse was paid $10,000 to wipe computers

Quote:

Thursday’s news is the latest wrinkle in McGuinty’s controversial decision to scrap gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 Ontario election in order to save five Liberal-held ridings.

“It just proves to me it was a good move on our part to bring in the OPP,” said Progressive Conservative House Leader Steve Clark, a colleague of Tory MPP Vic Fedeli and former MPP Rob Leone who requested the probe.

Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk has estimated the cancellations could cost ratepayers and taxpayers as much as to $1.1 billion over 20 years.

Looks like Wynne dodged a bullet by dissolving the government.

Thu, 2014-12-18 16:22

#11

Rokossovsky

And now this!

Sometimes it seems all these people do is outsources our money. A quarter million on software that doesn't work.

OPSEU seeks injunction on social assistance software problems

Quote:

The $240 million software is responsible for a series of overpayments to recipients, but also continues to cause delays in processing financial assistance.

"Despite our repeated warnings, the Ministry of Community and Social Services went ahead and implemented this system, which in turn disadvantaged the most vulnerable people in this province," union president Warren (Smokey) Thomas said in a news release.

Sat, 2021-11-20 21:03

#12

jfb

Thu, 2014-12-18 17:04

#13

Unionist

1. Are there grounds to declare the election null and void and re-run it?

2. Will Andrea try running on the ONDP platform this time?

Thu, 2014-12-18 17:04

#14

Brachina

I bet when Liberal voters had voted for Wynn and ignored corruption and incompetence, they were giving Wynn the greenlight to not just continue with corruption, but to double down on it. See Glenn Thibealt in Sudbury.

Thu, 2014-12-18 17:17

#15

Rokossovsky

Unionist wrote:

1. Are there grounds to declare the election null and void and re-run it?

2. Will Andrea try running on the ONDP platform this time?

1. Are there grounds to declare those who called the Liberal economic plan "progressive" intellectually void?

2. Will Kathleen Wynne admit she is running on Tim Hudak's platform?

3. Would Jerry Dias, Sid Ryan, Judy Rebick, Gerald Caplan, or yourself notice if she did?