NDP Leader Howard Hampton today announced the first step in his plan to reverse four years of Dalton McGuinty ignoring cash-strapped municipalities and the priorities of Ontario’s hard-pressed municipal property taxpayers.

Hampton says the NDP will deliver needed relief by uploading downloaded court security costs. The plan will mean that as of Jan. 1, 2008, the provincial government will assume the cost of providing security services in courtrooms. Municipalities and municipal property taxpayers across the province will see $200 million in benefits which they can choose to use for initiatives that keep our communities safe, like hiring more police officers.

“Dalton McGuinty making other people pay for his provincial programs means that municipal dollars that are supposed to help keep our communities safe are being drained away. It is time to end this unfairness and repair the damage that McGuinty won’t fix,” Hampton said.

“New Democrats will deliver a fair deal for Ontario’s municipalities and municipal property taxpayers. That starts with uploading court security costs. That will help relieve the financial crunch on municipalities and municipal property taxpayers and give them the real support and real investments they need to move forward with efforts to make our communities safer,” he said.

Hampton made the announcement in a speech to the Police Association of Ontario. He told delegates it’s only fair to make the provincial government pay for security costs in courtrooms.

“Up where I come from, when someone decides to buy something, they pay for it themselves. It's only fair. But the McGuinty government doesn't get it. Instead of paying their own bills, instead of picking up the cost of services they mandate, they make other people pay,” Hampton said.

“The McGuinty Liberals got it wrong. New Democrats will make it right. We’ll upload court security costs to give municipalities and property taxpayers the fair deal they deserve and to boost community safety for today’s families,” he said.

If municipalities and municipal property taxpayers didn’t have to pay the bill for McGuinty-government-mandated court security costs, they would have enough money to hire 3,000 police officers. In Toronto alone, the $40-million in court security costs is the equivalent of hiring 500 new police officers. An estimated five per cent of police budgets are spent on court security.

Hampton is leading the charge for a fair deal for today’s working families.

“Dalton McGuinty forgot today’s working families the day he got elected. He found time to give himself a $40,000 pay raise almost overnight, he found time to give
$1 million to a cricket club that only asked for $150,000, but he hasn't found time
to keep his promises to the people of this province,” Hampton said.

“We believe that investing in the services and efforts that deliver fairness for people and that build prosperity for all of us is the best way to build a stronger and safer Ontario. It’s the right thing to do and New Democrats will do it,” he said.