Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas says Northern Ontarians living in unincorporated areas deserve a fair Provincial Land Tax.

“Before this new Provincial Land Tax is implemented, the McGuinty Liberals need to listen to Northern Ontarians. Many property owners in unincorporated areas have been calling my office worried about the impact these changes will have on their property taxes and whether their taxes will be used to improve badly needed local services,” said Gélinas, today at a government information session on the tax.

NDP Leader Howard Hampton today demanded Dalton McGuinty rebalance the fiscal relationship between the province and municipalities and relieve municipal property taxpayers of the burden of paying for provincially-mandated programs.

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 today blasted the McGuinty Liberals for ignoring shortcomings with the legislation that governs the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, the agency responsible for monitoring facilities like the Toronto propane plant that exploded on Sunday.

New Democrat MPP Andrea Horwath says the McGuinty government should launch a major provincial land use inventory in the aftermath of the propane factory blast that rocked Toronto on the weekend that cost one firefighter his life.

NDP Municipal Affairs Critic Andrea Horwath wants to know when the McGuinty government plans to give Ontario’s cash-strapped municipalities a fair deal.

“Where’s the cash for municipalities? Towns and cities across Ontario are being squeezed for additional funds with the cost for essential programs and services mounting,” said Horwath, alluding to escalating court security costs and firefighter workplace-illness claims.