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Provincial Election: October 6, 2011

On October 20, 2011 the new Liberal minority government officially took office with the PCs as the official opposition party. 
► Click for the official list of the Ontario Executive Council (Cabinet).
Citizens now expect the promises made regarding cancellation of the Sherway power plant to be immediately honoured and construction to stop.

TOPCA ELECTION POLICY: As stated in Article 2 of TOPCA's Constitution, TOPCA has a policy of being non-partisan.
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CANDIDATES in MISSISSAUGA SOUTH: (in alphabetical order)

Paul Figueiras      Vegan Environmental Party  
Mark Harris         Freedom Party of Ontario
Geoff Janoscik     Conservative Party
Cory Mogk          Green Party
Anju Sikka          New Democratic Party
Charles Sousa     Liberal Party  ** ELECTED **

Mississauga News article (Oct. 7, 2011): Sousa romps to win.
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SHERWAY POWER PLANT ELECTION PROMISES:  On September 24, 2011, the Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidates in the provincial riding of Mississauga South (and their party leaders) promised that if elected, their respective government would cancel the Sherway power plant. 

► (Cory Mogk) Green Party statement Sept. 27, 2011.
► (Geoff Janoscik) PC press release Sept. 24, 2011.
► (Charles Sousa + 3) Liberal press release Sept. 24, 2011.
► (Anju Sikka) NDP open letter Sept. 20, 2011.

NOTE: For ongoing media coverage of this issue, pictures and all background info of this long citizen struggle, see the MIRANET webpage about the Sherway power plant.

TOPCA STATEMENT RE CANCELLATION: Public Pressure Works.
The Town of Port Credit Association (TOPCA) Executive welcomes pledges made on September 24, 2011, by Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidates in Mississauga South (and their party leaders) regarding cancellation of the Sherway power plant.  The community is also awaiting responses from other parties.

This has been a citizen-led initiative from the outset.  While local politicians have been supportive, they readily acknowledge that the heavy lifting has been done by a wide spectrum of citizens groups who have worked relentlessly for years to prevent multiple developments that would make an already polluted air shed even more dangerous to the health of nearby hospital patients, seniors, children, people with respiratory illnesses and other residents at-risk.  As one of the two dozen participating associations in the Mississauga Residents Association Network (MIRANET), TOPCA and its members have been proud to collaborate with individual citizens and dedicated groups from across Mississauga, Oakville and Etobicoke in this long fight for clean air.
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Wikipedia article:  Ontario general election, 2011.
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► ELECTIONS ONTARIO:  This is the independent, non-partisan agency responsible for conducting provincial elections and referendums.  The website provides information about the voters' list (and how to ensure you are on it), the candidates, advance polls, how and where to vote and other key information about the electoral process.  Click for the Elections Ontario website which includes official ELECTION RESULTS.  Click for ADVANCE POLLS (dates, times, locations).
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MEDIA COVERAGE: 

► Globe and Mail
► Mississauga News
► National Post
► Toronto Star
► Toronto Sun

Mississauga News article (Sept. 28, 2011): Scrap the OMB, candidates say.  Excerpt: "There was a rare moment of cohesion last night during an all-candidates debate in the riding of Mississauga South.  All it took was a question about the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to bring the candidates together during the debate held at Clarkson Secondary School. ... Most of the candidates who attended agreed that the provincial organization that provides mediation on land use and planning issues needs to be abolished or reworked."
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PORT CREDIT All-Candidates Meeting:  Wed. September 21, 2011 @ 7-9 p.m. at CLARKE HALL.  Click for FLYER.  Click for FORMAT & RULES. 


L-R: Moderator Mary Simpson (TOPCA), NDP candidate Anju Sikka, Green candidate Cory Mogk, Vegan Environmental candidate Paul Figueiras, Conservative candidate Geoff Janoscik and Liberal candidate Charles Sousa.  Freedom Party candidate Mark Harris did not attend.

Questions asked by the 4-member RA panel:

1.  Are you aware that Peel students do not receive their fair share of provincial funding compared to other students in the province, and that, in the entire province, we receive the absolute lowest per student funding for high needs students?  What will you do to ensure fair funding for our children?  (PCVRA)

2.  Property taxes are rising rapidly in parts of Mississauga, particularly south of the QEW, partly due to increased property valuations made by the province's Municipal Property Assessment Commission (MPAC).  How would your party alleviate the financial burden of property taxes on fixed income seniors so that they are not forced to sell their homes? (CCPCRA)

3.  From this night forwards, what are you and your Party going to do to stop the Sherway Power Plant immediately? (MWRRA) 

4.  Communities all along the Lakeshore Corridor have witnessed the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) overrule municipal planning – recent decisions have authorized the destabilization of established neighbourhoods from Lakeview to Port Credit to Clarkson.  The Sherway power plant has gotten this far thanks to an OMB ruling.  We wonder how our communities will cope with intensification along Lakeshore Road and how ‘big box’ retail outlets will fit into our mainstreet character.  Is the OMB to continue to make rulings site-by-site on everything from condos to power plants, without any accountability or adherence to Mississauga’s new Official Plan?  In your view, and that of your party, what should become of the OMB? (TOPCA)
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MISSISSAUGA SOUTH: The Port Credit, Clarkson, Lorne Park, Lakeview, Sherway, Orchard Heights, Applewood Acres and Mineola communities are all in the federal riding of MISSISSAUGA SOUTH.  Click for riding profile.  Click for MAP and description.
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MISSISSAUGA RIDINGS: Information about all the Mississauga contests can be found in the MIRANET article about the Provincial Election. 
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ISSUES:  There are several important issues in Mississauga South which are governed at the provincial level, including:

- downloaded provincial costs on the municipal property tax – will they all be finally uploaded so residents can afford to stay in their homes?

- need for infrastructure and transit funding from the province to assist cities – our property taxes can’t fund these needed projects!

- role of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) which currently can overrule municipal planning, for example....

- the concept of the Lakeshore Corridor has gained traction as communities from Clarkson to Port Credit to Lakeview have come to recognize their mutual concerns of waterfront, mainstreet, neighbourhood and heritage issues, all connected by a vital transportation artery that is already over-capacity according to the City’s statistics -- the OMB needs to respect this reality

- power plants and air quality (currently residents are fighting the Sherway power plant – incredibly the FOURTH such fight in the last four years)

- increased electricity costs, related to the government’s energy strategy and the HST

- health care costs and delivery

- per capita school board funding (the Peel Board is comparatively underfunded per the provincial average)

- brownfield legislation for redevelopment e.g. the 75 acre Imperial Oil lands
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CITY'S PROVINCIAL ELECTION WEBPAGE: The City of Mississauga encourages its citizens to learn how provincial policies impact the municipalities, particularly in the realms of transit and infrastructure funding.  The City's Provincial Election 2011 webpage includes useful links and information about the election and identifies priority local issues, encouraging residents to ask candidates about:
•        Fund and Grow Public Transit
•        City Building - Infrastructure Funding
•        Interest Arbitration - Labour Costs for Emergency Services
•        The Future of the Ontario Power Generation lands
•        Post-Secondary Education Funding
•        Air Quality - Clarkson Air Shed and Loreland Site (Sherway power plant)