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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-05-21, Page 1818 News Record • Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Cuts have consequences, Wynne notes in Walkerton QMI Agency The Liberals will keep their promise to spend $30 million over 10 years at the Walkerton Clean Water Centre if elected next month, the party's leader said Thursday. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was at the centre to make the announcement and tour the facility with Huron -Bruce Liberal candidate Colleen Schenk. Wynne was careful not to directly connect cuts proposed by PC leader Tim Hudak and another potential tragedy of a scope similar to Walker- ton. She acknowledged that despite their differences, she and her political opponents would never "consciously or intentionally follow a policy that would risk another tragedy." However, she made it clear she thinks Ontarians would be tremen- dously impacted by the loss of 100,000 jobs that Hudak promises to cut. "(Hudak's) priority would be to cut 100,000 people who work in the serv- ice of the people of Ontario. We cannot pretend that decisions do not have consequences," Wynne said. "You cannot fire teachers without affecting the quality of education that our children receive. You cannot fire hospital support workers without affecting the quality of care that our families receive. And you cannot fire water or food inspectors without affecting the monitoring of the food that we eat and the water we drink." The Walkerton Clean Water Centre was created in the wake of the tragedy in 2000, which saw seven people die and thousands more fall ill. Justice Dennis O'Connor led an inquiry into the tragedy and placed a significant portion of the blame on the operators of Walkerton's water system, but did not exclude the Mike Harris Conservative government of the 1990s from responsibility. Water testing had been privatized under Harris in 1996. While Hudak has promised not to cut any front-line workers, Wynne said she's not sure what her opponent means when he says front-line. it 4.Kinsmen i h K VN 1, .„, „..... N EVi Clinton and District and Kinettes • 7 2014 CO-ED SLOW PITCH TOURNAMENT Call July 3rd, 4th, & 5th 2014 Register early deadline June 20th, 2014 only 20 teams will be entered $225 per team Dawn Powell Parker for info (519) 482-3915 Tickets going fast for... PlucKinFest 400 Elimination Draw Main Draw for $1,500 Sun. July 6th, 2014 at Clinton Community Park Draw starts at 1:00 pm GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY! Early Bird Draws June 16th - $150 June 23rd - $100 June 30th - $50 $3900 Tickets available at in Cash Prizes or from any $1500 Grand Prize Kinsmen or Kinette for 400th Ticket drawn Brenda Lottery Licence No M690346 Tickets - $20.00 (519) 482-5519 "The fact is ... 100,000 peo- ple taken out of service, whether it's in protecting peo- ple, whether it's firefighters, water inspectors, meat inspec- tors, or whether it's providing support for our children in schools or frail seniors ... I don't know how you find 100,000 people without affect- ing those services," she said. When pressed, Wynne reit- erated she wasn't saying the Hudak cuts would lead to a similar tragedy or worse, but once again asked the electorate to consider the consequences of such cuts. "When governments make decisions, when we put out ideas, we have to also talk about the consequences of those ideas," she said. "When you talk about 100,000 people who are working today, to pro- tect people in their communi- ties, who are working for the public good, if we remove those people, there will be a consequences. "The only message I am bringing today, on the anniver- sary of this tragedy 14 years ago, is that we have to learn from the consequences of deci- sions that were taken then, or I think it is rather sad to see the Premier of Ontario try to take advantage of that for political gain. That's the kind of tactic Dalton McGuinty would use — Tim Hudak we will be doomed to repeat those kinds of decisions," she added. In London, Hudak denied he would cut back on water test- ing, calling it a "core service" for government. "We will not be able to deliver those service if we go deeper into debt," he said. When asked if his proposed cuts would shut down the Walkerton water centre, Hudak accused Wynne of exploiting the 2000 tainted water tragedy that killed seven people. "I think it is rather sad to see the Premier of Ontario try to take advantage of that for politi- cal gain. That's the kind of tactic Dalton McGuinty would use." He said after difficult cuts are made and the budget bal- anced, people would see tax cuts - about $820 annually for the average family, which would help stimulate the economy. Wynne argued she wasn't politicizing or exploiting the tragedy in Walkerton for the benefit of her re-election. "I sat with members of the board and community leaders and I told them what I was going to be saying here ... that we are going to be extending the funding for this centre," she said. "We believe that what has happened here is a beacon for communities around the prov- ince and beyond. "I believe it is important that we learn the lessons," Wynne said. "And I would venture to say that the people in this com- munity want those lessons to be learned ... by governments at the municipal, provincial and, quite frankly, at the fed- eral level." 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