Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown says he's unimpressed by Premier Kathleen Wynne's recent tour of Northern Ontario, including Sudbury.
Wynne spent the day in Sudbury on Aug. 6, the first stop on a six-day visit around the North. She visited the set of the Crave TV hit show Letterkenny, where she announced the province will invest $2.3 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to fund five film and TV productions that will be shooting in Sudbury, including Letterkenny.
“Our government is committed to ensuring that the film and television production industry in Northern Ontario continues to thrive,” said Wynne. “With today's investment, we are supporting an economic success story that is creating good jobs and growth across the North.
But rather than giving out money, Brown said the Liberal leader should be addressing more urgent matters.
“I have to say that I am disappointed she didn’t take the opportunity to address – or even discuss – some of the region’s most pressing issues,” Brown said in a statement. “Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to visit the North 20 times. I know that far-and-away the biggest issue for Northerners is our province’s skyrocketing hydro rates.
“Despite tweeting throughout the tour, she never once mentions the words ‘energy,’ ‘electricity,’ or ‘hydro.’”
He cited a report last week that said Ontario Hydro One customers now pay the highest energy rates in North America.
“In combination with last month’s reports of rampant energy poverty in our province’s Northern communities, is evidence of how large our energy crisis has become,” Brown said.
“Unfortunately the Wynne Liberals, including Minister of Energy and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault, refuse to acknowledge that a crisis even exists. This is proof of how out of touch this government is to the challenges the region faces.
“Even after Premier Wynne’s whirlwind tour, one thing remains clear: for the people of Northern Ontario, life is harder under the Wynne Liberals.”
