PC Leader vows to oversee the implementation of necessary changes at MPAC or to replace it with a model that works for homeowners (Pickering, ON) – Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory, PC Finance Critic Tim Hudak and other PC candidates stood outside the offices of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation in Pickering today to reinforce their commitment to protect Ontario homeowners from skyrocketing property assessment increases that put them at risk of losing their homes. MPP Tim Hudak joins PC Leader John Tory and local PC Candidates at the MPAC building in Pickering"Dalton McGuinty is quick to act when it comes to his year-end slush fund and shoveling taxpayers’ money out the door as quick as possible,” said Tory. “But he’s painfully slow to move when it comes to protecting homeowners and as a result he has allowed Ontario’s property assessment system to spiral out of control. It was only when the provincial Ombudsman released a scathing report revealing the arrogance and unfairness taxpayers were experiencing that Dalton McGuinty even acknowledged there was a problem.”

BEAMSVILLE – Erie-Lincoln MPP Tim Hudak said today that Dalton McGuinty must pay a political price for his months of stonewalling in an attempt to cover up his government’s egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars described by Ontario’s Auditor General. Tim asked many questions about McGuinty's slush fund in the LegislatureOntario’s Auditor General confirmed yesterday that the Liberals’ “year-end slush fund” was politically directed and had little or no controls or process to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars were being spent properly. The Auditor General described the slush fund granting process as “among the worst that (I’ve) seen, in terms of almost no controls, process, or accountability.” Some of the examples highlighted by the Auditor General include: • A $1-million grant to the Ontario Cricket Association by the McGuinty Government when the Cricket Association only asked for $150,000. The Cricket Association then deposited $500,000 into a GIC because they did not need the money, and used $20,000 in a lavish dinner celebration to thank Dalton McGuinty for the million dollar cheque.

July 18, 2007 For Immediate Release Progress Being Made with Temporary Operator Grimsby - Erie-Lincoln MPP Tim Hudak and Grimsby resident Lynn Vanderplaat met at the site of the old Grimsby Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Office today, as they continued to put pressure on the McGuinty Government to permanently re-open the MTO Office. After over 30 years of providing valuable service to the residents of Grimsby, the McGuinty Government closed the Grimsby MTO Office in March. After a public outcry from the community, local political leaders and a petition drive, the McGuinty Government has backed down and announced the office will re-open for at least one year. The closure of the MTO Office is particularly upsetting as driver fees have doubled under the McGuinty Government’s tenure, but important services such as the Grimsby MTO Office have been cut. From his contacts with the provincial government, Hudak has learned that the Ministry is currently reviewing applications to select a temporary operator to provide in person service for the period of one year. Hudak will keep the pressure up to ensure that Grimsby maintains a permanent MTO Office staffed by a person, not simply a computer kiosk.

Erie-Lincoln MPP Tim Hudak is calling for action by Environment Minister Laurel Broten in the ongoing Pelham sludge dispute. Hudak sent a letter to the Environment Minister, a year after the issue was first raised by Pelham residents. In the letter Hudak calls on the Environment Minister to take some real action two years after first receiving her Expert Panel's report which recomended sound-sorb be managed and regulated like any other waste, and one year after Pelham residents first raised their concerns. MPP Tim Hudak's letter is below. July 16, 2007 Hon. Laurel Broten Minister of the Environment 12th Floor, 135 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 Dear Minister Broten For over a year the residents of Pelham have been waiting for some meaningful action from your Ministry to clean up the massive sound sorb berm on Church St. in Fenwick in the Town of Pelham. On Saturday, the St. Catharines Standard reported that a year has passed and the Ministry of Environment has not been able to enforce orders to clean up the massive sound sorb berm on Church St. in Fenwick.

MPP Tim Hudak once again called on the Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) today to heed Niagara residents’ call for an MNR-funded gypsy moth spraying program. The gypsy moth (above) deforested more than 12,000 acres of foliage in Niagara in 2006The gypsy moth, according to the MNR, is a particularly dangerous pest because it can nest in more than 500 different native plant species. It is most destructive during the larval stage, typically in June, when entire areas can be stripped of foliage. Hudak last called on MNR Minister David Ramsay to fund a spraying program in November, which could have been administered in time to avert the same sort of destruction seen in the Niagara region last year. Professional arbourists have estimated that gypsy moths deforested more than 12,000 acres across the Niagara peninsula in 2006. Those experts estimate the same devastation will occur in Niagara this year, though it might have been avoided had the Minister heeded Hudak’s call for a comprehensive spraying program. “The longer we have to wait, the more expensive it is going to be when this annual infestation spreads throughout other greenbelt communities and across the province,” Hudak wrote in a letter to Minister Ramsay. (Letter is attached below) July 5, 2007 Hon. David Ramsay