Welcome back to the Inside Ontario blog, where every Monday we recap the top stories from around Ontario.
This week’s top stories: arrests made for animal cruelty at the Toronto Humane Society; a mining analyst says the Vale Inco strike could last into the summer; the provincial government unveils a website that tracks stimulus spending; anger and uncertainty around the HST; and half of Ontario’s Girl Guide camps are closing.
On Thursday, the Toronto Police and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) arrested the Toronto Humane Society’s (THS) president, chief veterinarian, and three senior staff members on charges of animal cruelty (the board members of the THS were also charged). In May, the Globe and Mail ran an investigative report that highlighted the THS’s 6 per cent euthanasia rate for animals admitted to their shelter (this compared to 55 per cent at the Toronto Animal Shelter). Some argued that refusing to euthanize terminally ill animals was cruel. However, THS President Trow countered, “How can anyone suggest that, because [a dog] might be here longer than anyone would want, that it's better to put [that dog] down?”
Members of the THS have also been charged with obstruction of a peace officer after they allegedly hid approximately two dozen animals from the OSPCA during an inspection earlier this year.
Kerry Smith, a mining analyst for Haywood Securities in Toronto, argues that due to an expectation of continued weak nickel prices and demand, the Vale Inco strike could last into the summer. Smith believes the positions of Vale Inco and the United Steelworkers are becoming entrenched. At current nickel prices, Vale Inco’s loses from the strike are manageable and Smith does not believe nickel prices will rebound until 2010. The strike, which began on July 13, affects more than 3,000 workers in Sudbury and Port Colborne.
Laurentian University professor David Leadbeater said that Vale Inco is trying to break the United Steelworkers. Leadbeater went on to say, "[the s]trikers' relationships with their spouses are being damaged, personal and business bankruptcies are increasing and the city's major union is fighting for the balance of power with its employer."
The provincial government launched a website last week that tracks the provincially-funded stimulus projects. The site lists Ontario’s stimulus projects, their total cost, the amount of provincial funding allocated, and the status of the project.
After a heated Question Period exchange between Premier Dalton McGuinty and Opposition Leader Tim Hudak, the entire 25-member Progressive Conservative caucus walked out of the Legislature. Hudak was pressing the Premier to hold public consultations on the HST.
The entire incident can be watched below thanks to the Question Period Archive on TVO’s Civics 101 microsite.
Later in the week, the Ottawa Citizen reported that once the HST is implemented the Ontario Ministry of Revenue will likely lay-off up to 1,250 of its employees (representing about 50 per cent of its staff). However, based on the Maritimes’ experience with the HST, the Citizen expects many of those jobs to be transferred to the federal government.
At the end of Friday’s sitting of the Legislature, the HST bill is still in its second reading.
This week the HST debate moves to Ottawa, where the Stephen Harper Government introduces its HST legislation for Ontario and British Columbia. The NDP and Bloc Quebecois have already said they are opposed to the HST, so now the existence of the harmonized sales tax rests on Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff (since Harper’s minority government does not have enough seats to pass the bill on its own). If Ignatieff does not support the HST bill, he will be at odds with fellow Liberals Dalton McGuinty and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell who are both investing political capital in selling the unpopular tax. Ontario and B.C. are expected to be battlegrounds in the next federal election, so animosity between provincial and federal Liberals could jeopardize swing seats in those provinces for Ignatieff.
The Girl Guides of Canada will be closing 16 of their 33 Ontario camps in an attempt to ease a $1.37-million deficit from 2008 (the above article lists the camps slated for closure). Factors such as the frequency of use, proximity to members, and financial viability determined which camps will be closed. This year marks the 100th anniversary for the Girl Guides of Canada.
The best way to stay on top of what is happening at Queen’s Park is to visit TVO’s Civics 101 microsite. There you will find Queen’s Park This Week (30-minute video digest of last week’s Question Period sessions) and you can watch Question Period sessions in full by visiting the Question Period Archive.
