The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

10 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, February 22,2006 t.'.v Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Opposition Calls for Transport Minister to Step Down Last week, the House had the first opportunity to respond to the Integrity Commissioner's report on the conduct of Ontario's Transportation Minister. Minister. The Commissioner ruled earlier this year that the Minister had broken the Member's Integrity Act. A reprimand reprimand was issued. However, the Commissioner does not have the authority to decide whether an MPP who.breaks the integrity rules may continue to serve as a Cabinet Minister. The Commissioner found that Minister Takhar was guilty, of an "error in judgment" judgment" in using the premises of his former business , for what he claimed to be family mat- . ters. The Integrity Commissioner Commissioner also found that "the Minister has breached section 11 of the Members Integrity Act and parliamentary convention" convention" by allowing his "arm's length" trustee to also act as the CFO of his Riding Association, and failing to dis- closè his trustee's other responsibilities. During his time in the opposition benches, Premier McGuinty was quick to call for ministers' resignations. But, now that one of his own ' ministers has "been reprimanded, reprimanded, the premier-seems reluctant reluctant to apply the same standards standards he set for others. More importantly, it is the voters in Ontario who are entitled to the highest standards of conduct from all their elected officials. In my view, the Ontario Legislature should pass a law . that would require friture cabinet cabinet ministers to automatically step down if they are found to be in violation of the Member's Integrity Act. This would ensure there are no . doubts concerning the standards standards expected. At the end of the day, this is not about Minister Takhar. It. is about Premier McGuinty's leadership. Private Member's Bill Supports Property Rights Last week at Queen's Park, my colleague, MPP Toby : Barrett, introduced a Private Member's Bill that aims to support support the rights of property owners. owners. Many citizens are concerned concerned that property rights are not among the guarantees provided provided in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Toby Barrett's bill would, if passed, introduce improved rights for landowners under the Human Rights legislation and expropriation laws. His proposed amendments to the Human Rights Code recognize, recognize, subject to specific limitations limitations at law, the right to peaceful peaceful enjoyment of one's.land, the moral responsibility to maintain it and the right to freedom from search of one's property and home and from seizure of anything from it. The Bill also amends the Expropriations Act and the Human Rights Code to enhance the protection that Ontario law gives to owners of land and persons with respect to their homes. Bill Gives Rural Municipalities Municipalities Gas Tax Funds The provincial government is giving municipalities some of the funds raised from the gasoline tax to help offset public transit costs. The prom ise is that municipalities would share in up to two cents per litre of the gasoline tax, but only if they have a public transit system. MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing- Pembroke) is calling for the province to provide a share of gasoline tax rebates to all municipalities, whether they are rural or urban. The existing rules discriminate against rural communities because although • public transit may not be possible possible in. predominantly rural areas, these communities still have to pay for maintaining roads and bridges. In addition, rural Ontarians contribute a larger percentage of gas taxes because you .cannot go anywhere anywhere in most rural Ontario communities without using a private vehicle. John Yakabus- ki's Bill would' provide a rebate on a per capita basis and end. the discrimination that currently exists between the rural and urban communities. . New Family Law Amendments Passed Last week in the House, the Family Statute Law Amendments Amendments Act (Bill 27) received third reading. It requires that family arbitration be conduct- èd under Ontario/Canadian law rather than allowing for independent faith-based arbitration. arbitration. While much of the debate in the past has focused on the role of Sharia Law in Ontario, Bill 27 makes a number number of other changes to family law. For example, it re-writes portions of the provincial custody custody and access laws. Under the new amendments in Bill 27, the applicant's ability, to act as a parent is added to the list of matters to be considered by the courts when making decisions on custody and access. Courts would be required to consider, an individual's individual's past record in terms of violence or abuse against his or her spouse, a parent of the child, a member of the person's person's household, or any child. Legislation Would Create More Political Parties , Legislation proposed by the McGuinty government would make it easier to form political parties in Ontario. Under the Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006, a political party would be recognized recognized if it endorses at least two candidates in a general election election or if it provides the Chief Election Officer with signatures, signatures, names and addresses of at least 1,000 electors outside of an election period. Current electoral legislation requires a party to run Candidates in at least 50 per cent of the provincial provincial ridings during a general election. Between elections, a Northcutt Elliott Funeral Home THOUGHTFULNESS, SERVICE & CONCERN A Family Owned Business, Offering: / Traditional Funeral Services Pre-arranged & Prepaid Services - Cremation Arrangements , Alternatives to Traditional Funerals - Out of Town Shipping CORY KUIPERS - PRESIDENT 53 Division Street 905-623-5668 Qowmanville, Ontario L1C 2Z8 OFF STREET PARKING Learn how to talk to others about their Q m Û 2 ^rsmokersHELPiiNE CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY TOLL-FREE 1-877-513-5333 -iSs HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION Finding answers, For life. Your support is vital. Research Into the root causes of heart disease and stroke will help millions live longer, healthier lives. As a leading funder of heart and stroke research in Canada, we need your help. Call 1-888-HSF-INFO or visit www.heartandstroke.ca party must submit a petition to the Chief Election Officer . jj signed by 10,000 voters in order to achieve official récognition. The benefits of a political party being formally recognized include the ability j to collect donations and to. ! issue tax receipts. Recognized political parties can also receive copies of the official Register of Electors. This legislation legislation has not yet been debated debated in the House. However, it has the potential to make some significant changes in the political landscape of Ontario. As with all provincial issues or proposed laws, I welcome your comments. Bill 206 Update With the controversial Bill 206 approaching third reading, reading, the possibility of a general general strike by many Ontario workers is looming. Members of the Official Opposition will continue to call on all of the stakeholders to get together to reach an agreement. This is not an issue in which a general general strike has to happen. By taking the time to talk with municipalities, Unions, police and firefighters, the Dalton McGuinty government: can ! avoid confrontation' in its changes to the OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Employees Retirement System) pension. pension. m