QUEEN’S PARK – While the McGuinty Liberal’s 2008-09 Ontario budget – tabled Tuesday in the Legislature – lacked the tax cuts and red tape reductions necessary to stimulate job creation and stop Ontario’s slide to “have not” status, some local priorities did receive funding thanks to the hard work of local partnerships here in Niagara and Hamilton.

The 2008-09 Ontario Budget failed to cut high taxes and red tape, but did contain some funding for local priorities"Despite the fact that Dalton McGuinty refused to give taxpayers and businesses a break on Canada's highest taxes in this budget, our hard work locally in partnership with municipal leaders and local organizations did have some dividends for some local priorities,” said Tim Hudak, MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook.

At the beginning of the session, Hudak set a number of priorities to champion in the Legislature. The local teamwork with municipalities and local organizations, found support in various Provincial Ministries with:

• $1 million invested in McNally House Hospice in Grimsby, which the hospice board of directors, local champions like Dr. Denise Marshall and Shirley Martin, Hudak, former Grimsby MPP Jennifer Mossop and many community stakeholders requested from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

• $2.8 million for road and bridge repairs distributed amongst Grimsby ($417,851), Lincoln ($839,001), West Lincoln ($894,172) and Pelham ($673,353). Hudak and the Ontario PCs have lobbied for provincial gas tax revenues to be spent on rural road and bridge repairs in addition to municipal transit.

• $32.8 million invested in Hamilton transit infrastructure, including improvements to the James-Upper James corridor. Hudak has long advocated for increased funding for local roads, bridges and transit. While Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan was in Hamilton for pre-budget hearings this past January, Hudak wrote to Duncan to remind him of the need to improve transportation infrastructure in Hamilton and Niagara.

• $12.5 million invested in the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, which works to benefit the agriculture industry in Niagara, including greenbelt farmers and grape and tender fruit growers. Since the creation of the greenbelt, Hudak has called for the McGuinty government to secure the financial sustainability of greenbelt farmers by ensuring they have proper access to a marketplace.

• Place the onus on MPAC to justify property assessment increases in the event on an appeal by the property owner. This has been one of the major features of Hudak’s private member’s bill, the Homestead Act. It was also a recommendation of the Ontario Ombudsman in his scathing March 2006 report on MPAC operations.

Hudak added many of Niagara and Hamilton’s priorities were overlooked in the budget, such as expediting the Mid-Pen Corridor Project, dependable and transparent funding for municipalities and long-term care homes, a provincial gypsy moth spraying initiative and a thoughtful plan to assist municipalities, farmers and tourism operators in the greenbelt.

Hudak will continue to press these issues in the Ontario Legislature in the time ahead.