Hudak sidesteps on committing to Peterborough-Toronto passenger rail
By BRENDAN WEDLEY, Examiner Staff Writer
Posted 2 days ago
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak steered clear of making commitments to carry forward with the Peterborough-Toronto commuter rail service and uploading social services costs from municipalities, in a telephone interview with The Examiner Thursday.
The Liberal government has committed $150 million toward establishing a Peterborough-Toronto commuter rail service. And it has committed to upload a further $553 million in costs for social programs and other services that were downloaded to municipalities by former premier Mike Harris¹s Progressive Conservative government.
Hudak sidestepped direct questions on those issues.
While he didn¹t mention the Peterborough-Toronto rail line, Hudak commented that the Progressive Conservative plan includes $35 billion for infrastructure.
“We’re absolutely committed to our share, which is $150 million, and I¹m shocked that Tim Hudak wouldn¹t commit to a railroad project that will have positive benefits for Peterborough riding.â€
Peterborough Liberal MPP Jeff Leal
"We're going to be investing in infrastructure priorities, primarily to help break gridlock and invest in our transportation systems," he said.
He said he would look at the best projects to move people faster and he would listen closely to the priorities of MPPs.
The Liberal government is committed to its share of the funding for the provincial-federal project to establish the commuter rail service, said Peterborough Liberal candidate Jeff Leal, who is seeking re-election to a third term.
"We're absolutely committed to our share, which is $150 million, and I¹m shocked that Tim Hudak wouldn¹t commit to a railroad project that will have positive benefits for Peterborough riding," he said.
Municipal leaders wanted to know if the Conservatives would maintain the current government's commitment to upload between 2012 and 2018 another $553 million in costs for social programs and other downloaded services.
Hudak didn't make that commitment when he spoke at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference last month. He avoided the issue Thursday.
The Conservatives would maintain the billion dollars in uploaded costs that the Liberals have already removed from the property tax base, Hudak said.
He said he would fix the provincial arbitration system that has been handing out contract awards for police and fire that are "far out of line with what Peterborough families can afford."
He said he would allow municipalities to use their provincial gas tax revenue on expenses other than transit.
"We'll put our faith in local leaders to make those decisions, not bureaucrats at Queen¹s Park," he said.
Hudak was in Peterborough Thursday for a rally at Peterborough Conservative candidate Alan Wilson's campaign office, but he didn¹t take questions from the media at the event. Instead, he made himself available for a telephone interview from his campaign bus before he arrived in Peterborough.
He touched on issues such as how the Conservatives would try to help create jobs, the Liberal plan for a $10,000 tax credit for employers that hire new Canadians, health care and his plan to take HST and the debt retirement charge off hydro and home heating bills.
Hudak wouldn¹t say when a Conservative government would finish the Hwy. 407 extension to Hwy. 35/115, but he pledged the project would be one of the top priorities for his transportation minister.
"The McGuinty Liberals dithered and delayed for years," he said.
The Liberal government originally planned to build the extension by 2013, but later revised the projected completion date for the connection with Hwy. 35/115 to 2020.
A Conservative government would cut income taxes for the middle class, Hudak said.
"We have an extensive jobs plan," he said, addressing the issue of the more than 10% unemployment rate in the Peterborough area. "We¹re going to put more money back into the pockets of Peterborough families so they have confidence to spend again and create jobs."
