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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ay 24 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Georgetown Independent & Free Press, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corpora- tion. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 ABOUT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 905-234-1016 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadiancham- pion.com or call 905-234-1019. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague General Manager Steve Foreman Retail Advertising Manager Cindi Campbell Regional Managing Editor Chris Vernon Regional Managing Digital Editor Robyn Wilkinson Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison WHO WE ARE OPINION Ford needs to be progressive on carbon pricing Re: A price on carbon by Alan Slavin May 17, 2018 Cap and trade is good, in that it reduces emissions, but it does not help lower in- come people transition away from fossil fuels. A carbon fee and divi- dend does just that - puts money back into the pockets of those who can least afford the ever-increasing costs of fighting climate change. And their contribution to the problem is miniscule, unlike big and wealthy us- ers. The Progressive Conser- vatives under Patrick Brown had a plan called the People's Guarantee, where they would give the money back through income tax reduc- tions. The provincial auditor general would have verified 100 per cent revenue neutral- ity. The party had a golden opportunity to help every- one, but have now veered away from its progressive roots, much to our collective detriment. So my question to Doug Ford is this - why do you not want to give money back to me and everyone else in this province using the best plan to fight this escalating threat to humankind? Gord Cumming Seatbelts on buses should be mandatory To provincial leaders and MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, The lives of our children are near and dear to my heart. As you are aware, on Fri- day, May 4, a school bus was involved in a horrific acci- dent where it plunged into the Humber Valley ravine off of Humber Lea Road. For- tunately there were no sig- nificant injuries, but need- less to say it is difficult to de- termine how long these stu- dents will suffer the trauma of this incident. Had the bus rolled over I would hate to guess the num- ber of lives that could have been lost or the injuries that could have been sustained. Not only myself, but many of my friends I have spoken to about this feel that seatbelts on all buses, not just school buses should be made mandatory and that all passengers failing to ad- here to the policy of wearing them should be fined. As a recent example, 16 members of the Humboldt Bronco Hockey team died and 13 injured, some of them seriously enough that they may never walk again. Had this bus been equipped with seatbelts how many of those lives could have been saved, and how many injuries could have been avoided. How many more horrific bus accidents is it going to take before the provincial government and/or the fed- eral government take action and mandate seatbelts on all public transit. With the provincial gov- ernment elections just weeks away, I ask as not only a mother and grandmother, but as a concerned citizen that action be taken immedi- ately to put forth the man- date of seatbelts on public transportation as part of your election platform. Thanking you in advance for your consideration in this matter. June Longpre, Bolton • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • It's one thing to see a car commercial give us all the glitz and glamour with none of the hard numbers. The company is softening us up, luring us in with speed and flashy colours. Don't think about the ticket price, payment plan, your pocketbook. It's about the dream, not the reality. That's fine until we walk into the deal- ership. They have to tell us the price then. Why would anyone sign on the dotted line without knowing it? No, we would demand to know the full cost. Yet many appear willing to walk into the voting booth and sign on without knowing the cost of the next government. At one point in the not-too-distant past, parties put out fully-costed platforms. Last November, former PC leader Patrick Brown unveiled his 78-page 2018 elec- tion platform, calling it The People's Guarantee. It included guarantees to cut income tax rates for mid- dle- and low-income earners. Hydro bills would be slashed by 12 per cent. There was something for child care, mental health, an accountability act: you get the picture. The party's new leader, Doug Ford, promised a "sol- id platform that is fully costed," but had yet to release one nearing the midway point of the June 7 election campaign. It seems the plan now is to make a scatter- ing of announcements, each including a price tag. The Liberal Party back in 2003 bragged about their fully costed platform, saying it was verified by a foren- sic accountant and two bank economists. Of course, once elected, Premier Dalton McGuinty more than doubled the promised deficit spending and raised taxes (in the form of the Ontario Health Premium.) The Liberals have had a platform ever since. It is the government's budget released prior to every elec- tion. They are piling onto it with - among other prom- ises - a pledge to ban auto insurance rates based on driver postal codes; an idea they voted against at Queen's Park. So it seems the choice is between a platform that, based on past actions, would be abandoned once the party wins power; or no platform at all, meaning no promises to break, by a party that wants you to vote in ignorance. The difference between a broken promise and no promise? At least we can hold them to a broken prom- ise. The Ontario NDP has offered platforms, including in 2018, and has not broken a promise in decades, if ever. That may have to do with holding precious little time in power, who knows? We could dream a little too. Maybe that car will go as fast and shine as brightly as in the commercials. Maybe cost doesn't matter. Ready to sign? Not until we've seen the broken promise first. Hold parties to their future broken promises