Ontario Legislature wraps for 2016

Ontario's provincial politicians finished their legislative business on Thursday, as the three party leaders prepared to travel around the province to boost their profiles among voters.

The PCs used the final day of the year at Queen's Parkto challenge the Liberals on road tolls proposed for the GardinerExpressway and Don Valley Parkway in Toronto. The tolls, floated by Toronto Mayor John Tory,would require the approval of Premier Kathleen Wynne and her cabinet.

"This is not a government that should be introducing new taxes or tolls," said PC leader Patrick Brown in Question Period. "Why is the premier doing this to the city of Toronto? Why is she doing this to the 905? This is not the Christmas present that commuters in Toronto need."

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Wynne responded that the provincial government must have respect for municipal governments.

"Decisions have to be made on principle," said Wynne. "The principle that we are operating with on this side of the House is that we need to invest in infrastructure. We need to build roads, bridges and transit."

NDP leader Andrea Horwath's line of attack during the final Question Period of 2016 took a broader swipe at Wynne's record.

"People were hopeful that the premier would change, that things would change, but she hasn't changed a thing and people are now at a breaking point," said Horwath. "We continue to see a Liberal government that's more interested in helping the Liberal Party than the people of Ontario."

Wynne used this as an opportunity to tout her government's accomplishments and citeplans for 2017 to make tuition more affordable and cut the provincial portion of the HST from hydro bills.

"Our unemployment rate is at its lowest levelin eight years," said Wynne. "We're investing historic amounts in child care to create another 100,000 child care spaces. That will make a huge difference for families."

Election date set: June 7, 2018

The Legislature resumes sitting in the new year on Feb. 21. In the meantime,MPPswill be working in their constituencies and the party leaders will be touring the province, all getting a taste of what voters think outside the Queen's Park bubble.

Both Brown and Horwath held news conferences Thursday to mark the end of the 2016 sitting.

Horwath pointed out that new government policies to reduce the HST on hydro and to improvechild protection laws were NDP proposals.

"We do our job when it comes to holding Premier Wynne and this government, their feet to the fire, but we also put forward ideas that we think will make life better for Ontarians," Horwath said.

Brown brushed off polling numbers that show nearly half of voters surveyed don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

"Opposition leaders generally don't have a high-level profile," Brown said. "It will come when the Liberals run attack ads, it will come in the course of the increased [news]coverage in the lead-up to a provincial election."

That election will be held June 7, 2018. The Legislature unanimously passed a bill Thursdaysetting the election date as the first Thursday in June, four years after the previous vote.

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