in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 14 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Oakville Beaver 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 editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ABOUT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 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 kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia WHO WE ARE OPINION • EDITORIAL • Well, say goodbye Kathleen Wynne and hello to Pre- mier Doug Ford. In the lead-up to this election, change was clearly in the air and, on June 7, that's precisely what voters across Ontario delivered as the Progressive Conserva- tives went from 27 seats at Queen's Park to 76, granting them a sizeable majority. Meanwhile, the Liberals, who entered the race with 55 MPPs, were decimated and finished the night with just seven seats, which means they fail to even qualify for official party status. The events of election night also saw the NDP, who commenced the campaign with 18 MPPs, pick up 22 seats, which will make their 40-strong caucus the new official opposition. Beyond that, there was also some history made as Green party leader Mike Schreiner took the riding of Guelph to become the first member of his party to win a seat in the Ontario Legislature. And while the Liberals will certainly have some thinking to do in regards to what went wrong in this election and where they, as a party, go from here, it is the PCs who face perhaps the most daunting task of all. After 15 years in opposition, the PCs will quickly come to learn that governing is a much greater chal- lenge. The latter job requires difficult decisions and being held accountable for their success or consequenc- es, while the former does not. Expectations will be high for this government, as will the scrutiny. Much was made of the fact that Ford never provided a fully detailed plan during the race and, even now, as he stands anointed the province's next premier, there remains numerous questions about how he will deliver the ambitious mandate he promised. During the campaign, Ford vowed to do away with cap-and-trade, slash income taxes, bring back buck-a- beer pricing and lower gas prices by 10 cents per litre. He also pledged to build new subways, add tens of thou- sands of new long-term care beds over the next decade and provide free dental care to low-income seniors among other measures. Essentially, he's proposing to substantially reduce the revenue the government collects and dramatically in- crease spending at the same time. It will make for an onerous balancing act (made more challenging by the province's projected $325 billion debt and the nearly $12-billion deficit predicted for 2018-2019) especially if the efficiencies Ford hopes to find prove especially elusive or translate as drastic cuts. Right now, all we know for certain is that the elector- ate wanted a new crew running the ship. Time will tell whether or not we look upon this result as a change for the better. Ontario voters choose change Infrastructure is the bed- rock of strong communities. It has the power to revitalize, strengthen and improve our lives. That's why the 2015 Liberal Party platform com- mitted to double infrastruc- ture investment across Can- ada. The federal government is delivering on this promise through our $186-billion In- vesting in Canada plan, which includes historic in- vestments in affordable housing, public transit, cul- tural spaces, and green and disaster mitigation infra- structure. I was delighted to an- nounce several significant investments for Oakville that will ensure our commu- nity remains one of the best places in the country to live. For example, close to $2For example, close to $2F million is being invested in local storm water projects. Any Oakville resident who has experienced flood- ing or storm water backup will appreciate how impor- tant this investment is for their properties. Investing in flood studies, new storm sewers and storm water management will mitigate storm water risks. The federal government aims to improve our quality of life by cutting commute times and reducing traffic congestion. In 2017, Oakville Transit received close to $5 million to meet ridership de- mand, improve accessibility, and install bus shelters. In 2018, the federal and provincial governments an- nounced a combined invest- ment of over $48 million in long-term funding for Oak- ville Transit to expand ur- ban transit networks. Additionally, the federal government is funding GO Transit projects across our region. These historic in- vestments will transform re- gional mobility and improve our environment. Oakville residents highly value their connection to na- ture through our great ra- vine trail systems, parks and outdoor sports facilities. I was very pleased that the Town of Oakville re- ceived $464,600 in federal funding for trail, park, play-funding for trail, park, play-f ground and soccer field im- provement projects. These investments will enhance our enjoyment of outdoor spaces and make them more accessible. By making smart invest- ments in the infrastructure that Oakville needs, our gov- ernment is helping to make our community stronger, greener and more inclusive. I look forward to continu- ing to work with other local leaders to support projects that will make a real differ- ence in our community. - John Oliver is the Mem- ber of Parliament for Oak- ville. Visit his website at johnoliver.mp or contact him at John.Oli- ver@parl.gc.ca. Infrastructure funding boost community Government delivers on promise, writes Oliver JOHN OLIVER Column