HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-05-07, Page 7Wednesday, May 7, 2014 • Huron Expositor 7
Provincial election called for June 12
)NDP leader Andrea
Horwath announced
she would vote
against Liberal budget
Ontario is heading to the polls.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath
announced Friday morning she
would vote against the Liberals'
spring budget, which prompted Pre-
mier Kathleen Wynne to visit Lt. -Gov.
David Onley and ask him to dissolve
parliament.
"It's time for change," Horwath said
Friday. "You deserve a better
government."
Horwath said she decided to deny
her support because of the growing
list of Liberal scandals and her lack
of confidence in Wynne to deliver on
her budget promises.
Wynne had given Horwath until
May 8 to decide, but she rendered
her decision one day after Finance
Minister Charles Sousa delivered his
supposedly NDP -friendly budget.
"Kathleen Wynne cannot even
build a raft. How do we expect her to
actually build a ship?" Horwath said.
"We will not be voting in favour of
any confidence motion including the
budget."
Premier Kathleen Wynne, speaking
on the Lorne Brooker Show on CJBQ
radio in Belleville, said she's disap-
pointed Horwath wouldn't meet with
her as requested to discuss the
budget.
"I think there's a lot in this budget
that needs to be implemented in the
province," Wynne said. "But I've said
all along if we didn't have a partner
in the legislature, then we would take
this budget to the people of the prov-
ince. And we will do that."
Ontario Federation of Labour pres-
ident Sid Ryan and some other labour
leaders urged Horwath to support
the budget, which includes measures
to raise social assistance rates, the
minimum wage and salaries for per-
sonal support and child-care
workers.
But other union heads recom-
mended the NDP vote against it.
"A lot of people, my members in
particular, all 130,000 of them, just
hold the Liberals in absolute dis-
dain," Warren "Smokey" Thomas,
president of the Ontario Public Serv-
ice Employees Union (OPSEU), said.
Thomas said there are some good
ideas in the budget, but the govern-
ment doesn't have the money to
implement them.
Progressive Conservative Leader
Tim Hudak said he's excited about
the opportunity to put his "Million
Jobs Plan" to Ontario voters.
Health Unit looking to
help residents butt out
with STOP program
With the new beginnings that spring
brings it is a perfect time to butt out.
If you are a smoker who is ready to
quit, you can get free nicotine -replace-
ment therapy to help.
Two STOP (Smoking Treatment for
Ontario Patients) Program workshops
are being offered in Huron County in
May.
The STOP (Smoking Treatment for
Ontario Patients) Program workshop
offers eligible participants five weeks of
free nicotine replacement therapy and
information to help them in their quit
attempt.
The STOP Program is led by the Cen-
tre for Addiction and Mental Health
(CAMH).
It is funded by the Ontario Ministry of
Health and Long -Term Care as part of
its Smoke -Free Ontario Strategy.
Public health nurse Julie Verch says
this is a great opportunity because
For many smokers the cost of nico-
tine replacement products can be a bar-
rier to quitting.
Nicotine replacement therapy helps
improve the chances of people quitting
smoking successfully by easing with-
drawal symptoms.
Verch says there will be information
at the workshop to help people deal
with quitting smoking.
"We'll be giving workshop partici-
pants information on how to deal with
really wanting a cigarette while trying to
quit. We'll also talk about other lifestyle
factors that are known to go along with
smoking such as diet and physical activ-
ity and ways a healthy diet and physical
activity can help with quitting."
The STOP workshops are being held:
• May14 in Exeter at the Royal Cana-
dian Legion at 6:30 p.m.
• May 29 in Wingham at the Westcast
Community Complex at 6:30 p.m.
To learn more, see if you qualify, and
to register, call the Huron County
Health Unit at 519-482-3416 ext.
2005.
"I think that Andrea Hor-
wath and the NDP took their
marching orders from big gov-
ernment union bosses," Hudak
said. "They propped up the
Liberals for two years now.
That means that half the hydro
hikes, half the gas plant scan-
dal, is on the NDP's back."
Hudak said labour leaders
have been running the "NDP -
Liberal coalition" for more
than two years now.
"I'm going to say no to the
government union bosses and
yes to taxpayers by getting
Ontario back to work," Hudak
said.
Horwath said she looked at
the proposals in the latest Lib-
eral budget, but doesn't
believe Wynne delivered on
previous promises to lower
auto insurance rates, set up a
financial accountability office
and reduce wait times for sen-
iors' home care.
"I have lost confidence in
Kathleen Wynne and her abil-
ity to deliver," she said. "I can-
not in good conscience sup-
port a government that people
don't trust anymore."
New business program and
grant for people ages 18 to 29
There's a new business pro-
gram in the county.
The Huron Small Business
Enterprise Centre (SBEC) will
administer the program with
funding from the Ministry of
Economic Development, Trade
& Employment.
The Starter Company pro-
gram -don't let the name fool
you - is available to assist with
the starting, purchasing or
expanding of an existing
business.
Applicants must be between
18 to 29 years of age.
The starter company program
includes:
• Training and Business Skills
Development
• Advice and Mentorship
from local business leaders
• Business Plan Writing
• Where applicable/eligible, a
funding grant for up to $5,000
Information sessions are to
be held at the SBEC/Huron
Business Centre in Seaforth.
• Thurs., May 8 from 2 to 4
p.m.
• Wed., May 28 from 2 to 4
p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
• Thurs., June 12 from 2 to 4
p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
To register call 519-527-0305
or email kpostma@huron-
county.ca
Every borne in Onturio
4— must have a working
i smoke alarm on every
, storey and outsidc on
sleeping areas.
INSTALL SMOKE AI—ARMS
IT'S THE LAW
OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSH AL
THINK CYSTIC FIBROSIS CAN'T TOUCH YOU?
1 in 25 carries the
cystic fibrosis gene.
Are you the on
To learn more and support cystic fibrosis research, visit
cysticfibrosis.ca
•7 Cystic Fibrosis
Iff IT Canada
Breathing life into the future'