Ontario NDP: Transportation in Ontario is in trouble and we need serious solutions

KITCHENER – Conservative MPP Prabmeet Sarkaria has been named Transportation Minister as Ford tries to rearrange the deck chairs on his government’s sinking ship. The Transportation file has needed a new manager after Caroline Mulroney’s utter mismanagement. Ontarians need a Minister who can deliver serious solutions, instead of empty promises.

“From the costly Eglinton Crosstown delays to the Ottawa LRT debacle, Caroline Mulroney mismanaged the Transportation file again and again,” said Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre), Official Opposition NDP critic for Transit. “Transit in Ontario is in trouble. We need to get serious with better solutions than disastrous public-private partnerships that have failed over and over again.”

“Although Ford’s distraction tactics aren’t fooling anyone, a new Transportation Minister is a good time to implement the trusted solutions that Ontario badly needs,” said Jennifer French (Oshawa), NDP critic for Transportation. “I welcome the new Minister to come to the table and work with the NDP on initiatives, which include:

• Delivering the Bowmanville GO train
• Improving two-way, all-day GO service to Kitchener
• Restoring provincial funding to municipal transit
• Passing Bill 43 to make northern highways a priority for winter safety
• Abandoning the Conservative-insiders-driven Highway 413 scheme.
• Hopefully this new Minister will commit to public projects that our communities really need."