Perth Wellington's MPP has introduced a private members bill calling on the province to stop including politics in infrastructure funding decisions.
Randy Pettapiece says all residents in Ontario pay taxes.
“We all pay taxes, and we should all expect a similar quality of infrastructure,” says Pettapiece. “Funding decisions need to be based on principles of fairness—never the political stripe of an area MPP.”
He says a municipality or riding should not be disadvantaged, because it happens to be represented by an opposition MPP.
He wants the law to guarantee that government held and opposition ridings be given equal, transparent consideration for infrastructure funding.
He adds that the local MPP should also be given fair and equal advance notice of the official announcement.
Pettapiece claims Liberal infrastructure priorities have shortchanged rural and small town Ontario.
For example, he says the long standing Connecting Link program to help local municipalities with maintenance for provincial highways has been cancelled.
He adds the government is also phasing out the Ontario Muncipal Partnership Fund, the province's main transfer payment to local municipalities. And he says the upcoming sell off of Hydro One will ensure rural Ontario will pay for trains and other infrastructure in primarily government held urban ridings.
He also points out that some local municipalities are still waiting for the emergency assistance promised from the province after the ice storm of 2013.
“Too often, the Liberals have deliberately frozen out opposition MP PS ,” says Pettapiece. “At the very least, this contributes to a perception that the government is playing favorites with our infrastructure dollars.”
100 municipalities have already supported the resolution, which will be up for debate next Thursday.
“Oftentimes, municipalities won even bother applying for infrastructure money because the Liberals process is too costly, too time-consuming, and has a questionable chance of success,” Pettapiece explains.