QUEEN’S PARK – Tim Hudak, MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook, continued to call on the McGuinty government in the Legislature today to give Ontario residents a break this summer from the ever increasing cost of living in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario. A person driving a plain old Honda Civic is going to spend $378 more this summer in higher gas prices. Families with a Jeep Grand Cherokee will pay an additional $603. Combine that with increased prices for basic foods items, increased mortgage and hydro rates, and higher taxes and new user fees, and Ontario families will find it difficult to make ends meet this summer, let alone find the disposable income to enjoy the season, Hudak said. “Ontario families are paying more to put gas in their automobiles, to fill up their grocery carts and to power their homes,” Hudak said. “They are making significant sacrifices in this summer of increasing costs.” Hudak called on the Minister of Government and Consumer Services to adopt the solid and thoughtful plan put forward by John Tory and the Ontario PC caucus to eliminate the provincial sales taxes on accommodations and attractions in Ontario this summer so working families can have some quality time together. See hansard transcript of Tim Hudak's question in the House: Gasoline Prices Mr. Tim Hudak: A question for the minister responsible for consumers: Minister, working families in Ontario are contemplating gas prices, forecast to be $1.40 or more per litre this summer. This past week, as you know, mortgage rates have increased, prices for basic foods like pasta are up 26% and bread, 10% or more, since last year. And that’s all on top of Dalton McGuinty’s higher taxes, new user fees and higher hydro rates. Minister, what exactly is your plan to give a break to Ontario consumers this summer? Hon. Ted McMeekin: To the Minister of Energy. Hon. Gerry Phillips: I’d like to comment on the last point that the member made and that is, electricity prices. I mentioned earlier in the House our 20-year plan for affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive electricity. Just over the last four years, for the industrial sector, electricity prices have gone up a little less than inflation and for residential people, just slightly more than inflation. So we’ve been doing what we can for the consumer on electricity prices. On gasoline prices, I would say to him that the prime responsibility for dealing with the gasoline companies rests clearly with the federal government. It is the Competition Bureau, so if there’s any issue around gasoline companies overcharging, it really would be the Competition Bureau— Mr. Tim Hudak: Obviously the minister for consumer interests is doing nothing to give a break to Ontario consumers this summer and keeps passing it to the minister responsible for oil companies and hydro rate increases. You know, Minister, while Dalton McGuinty and his entourage jet off to San Diego or use the government King Air plane to do a short hop from Toronto to Hamilton, Ontario families are paying more to put gas in their automobiles, to fill up their grocery carts or to power their homes. They are making significant sacrifices in this summer of increasing costs. John Tory and the Ontario PC caucus have put forward a solid and thoughtful plan to eliminate the provincial sales taxes on accommodations and attractions so working families can have some quality time together this summer. Minister, will you support our plan to help Ontario families who are getting squeezed in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario? Hon. Gerry Phillips: I go back to the point I made earlier in terms of Ontario families. We are working as hard as we possibly can to build the economy. I think the public is very wise. They understand that what we’re dealing with here is that the price of oil has gone from about $30 in 2003 to $130 now. The US economy has gone soft. The Canadian dollar now is essentially at parity. In spite of these challenges, we are working as hard as we can on the economy. The unemployment rate is now, frankly, lower than when we assumed office because of the work that we’ve done with our private sector to create jobs. Our Premier is working very hard to attract industry to the province of Ontario. I would just say, it’s not been very helpful, frankly, for the federal minister to downplay Ontario. We would have been— The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question?