While the McGuinty Liberal’s 2008-09 Ontario budget – tabled March 25 in the Legislature – lacked the tax cuts and red tape reductions necessary to stimulate the economy and reverse Ontario’s decline to last in Canada in job creation, some local priorities did receive funding thanks to the hard work of local partnerships here in Niagara and Hamilton. At the beginning of this session of the Legislature, I set a number of priorities to champion on behalf of residents and organizations here in the riding. And thanks to the local teamwork with municipalities and those residents and organizations, some local priorities found support from various provincial ministries, including: • $1 million invested in McNally House Hospice in Grimsby. Congratulations are in order to local champions such as the hospice board of directors, Dr. Denise Marshall, Shirley Martin and municipal leaders. Former Grimsby MPP Jennifer Mossop fought hard for the project and it was rewarding for me to work with local Cabinet Ministers Jim Bradley and Ted McMeekin to push for hospice funding. • $2.8 million for road and bridge repairs distributed amongst Grimsby ($417,851), Lincoln ($839,001), West Lincoln ($894,172) and Pelham ($673,353). Working with local municipal councils, I will continue to push for gas tax revenues to be dedicated to small town road and bridge repairs. • $32.8 million invested in Hamilton transit infrastructure, including improvements to the James-Upper James corridor. While Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan was in Hamilton for pre-budget hearings this past January, I wrote to Duncan to remind him of the need to improve transportation infrastructure in Hamilton and Niagara including GO Transit. • $12.5 million invested in the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. World leading research is vital to the future prosperity of our agriculture sector. However, we also need investments today to support our farmers faced with unfair and subsidized competition from abroad. • Place the onus on MPAC to justify property assessment increases in the event on an appeal by the property owner. This is a key feature of my 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. While these worthy items did receive provincial financial support because of good local teamwork, there is more work to be done. In the time ahead, I will continue to champion your priorities such as the Mid-Pen Corridor, access to quality health care locally, a provincial gypsy moth spraying initiative and a thoughtful plan to assist municipalities, farmers and tourism operators in the greenbelt.