NDP Health and Long-Term Care Critic France Gélinas slammed today’s long-term care re-announcement for failing to address serious problems in Ontario’s long-term care homes.

“If you do the math on today’s budget re-announcement, residents of long-term care homes may receive an extra 2 minutes of hands-on care per day. To achieve a guaranteed 3.5 hours of daily care -- the level of care recommended by most experts -- at least one hour of increased care is needed,” said Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt.

New Democrat MPP Andrea Horwath says Thunder Bay’s redeveloped waterfront signals a city on the move that deserves financial support, but is bound to be disappointed by the McGuinty government’s failure to invest.

NDP Leader Howard Hampton is calling on the McGuinty Liberals to scrap the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) and replace it with a fully transparent and accountable government agency responsible for inspection and oversight of propane facilities across the province.

NDP Health Critic France Gélinas is urging immediate action to address growing waiting times for in-home attendant services for people with severe physical disabilities.

A new report from the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) indicates more than 1,400 people in Ontario with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and other serious disabilities have been left waiting for basic care for as long as 10 years.

NDP finance critic Michael Prue has called upon the McGuinty government to come clean on new property tax rates for properties in unincorporated areas.

A new Land Tax system is being put in place effective January 1, 2009, and all that affected property tax owners know at this point is that the new system will be based on the same current market value assessment that is presently in place in incorporated municipalities.