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Letter to Premier-Designate Doug Ford
June 8, 2018
Perth-Wellington Constituency Office
Stratford, Ontario
Doug Ford
Premier-Designate
PC Caucus Services – Room 200NW
111 Wellesley St W,
Toronto, ON, M7A 1A8
Open Letter to Premier-Designate Doug Ford
Dear Premier:
Congratulations on your election as MPP for Etobicoke North and as Premier-Designate. Voters sent a clear message: They are ready for change, and they are ready for new leadership. They also expect us to deliver the change we promised, and I fully intend to do my part. As you begin your new responsibilities as Premier, know that you have a team of committed and experienced MPPs who stand with you.
Above all, my top priority will be the people of Perth-Wellington, no matter where they live or how they voted. They can continue to expect me to speak up for them and to champion the interests of our riding. I am grateful for their trust. As I said last night, trust doesn’t come from just one election campaign. It comes from helping people—one constituent at a time, one day at a time.
Going forward, I want to work with you on the priorities that matter to my constituents. I will be constructive and persistent in speaking up for them. I will continue to be a trusted voice for our small businesses, agriculture, manufacturing, and all the industries we rely on. I want to share just a few of our priorities that I spoke about during the campaign:
The Rea and Walter Act: In April 2017, MPPs of all parties voted to support my private member’s bill to close a major gap in firefighter safety. This bill would give firefighters potentially lifesaving information: knowing which buildings contain truss-and-lightweight construction materials. The Act is named in honour of two North Perth Fire Service members, Ken Rea and Ray Walter, who died battling a fire in March 2011. With a majority government, I believe we finally have the opportunity to pass this legislation.
Local long-term care beds: My constituents were relieved that the proposal to move our long-term care beds from Hillside Manor would not go forward. This was the result of a community-wide lobbying effort to save them. Across Perth-Wellington, however, we do not have the long-term care beds we need. You can count on my support for new long-term care beds. We badly need them.
Healthcare wait times and the family doctor shortage: In many parts of our riding, too many people do not have a trusted family doctor. This is only adding pressure on families, seniors and our emergency rooms. Many other constituents are waiting too long for necessary surgery or to see a specialist. We need better access to healthcare in rural and small-town Ontario. We especially need more PSWs in our area in home care and long-term care.
Relief from the rising cost of living: Too many of my constituents find it hard to make ends meet. I will strongly support our new government’s plans to lower the cost of gas, to help seniors who cannot afford dental care, and to bring tax relief to families.
Fixing hydro and bringing down rates: It is now well accepted that hydro in Ontario is in a mess. I will support our party’s efforts to repair the system and bring down rates.
Transportation challenges: We often discussed the need for better transportation options in rural Ontario. I will continue to support local efforts to provide those options in ways that work for our communities. I will also advocate for better support for municipalities so that they can afford to properly maintain our roads and bridges.
Integrity in government: People must be able to trust their representatives. It is that simple. They must be able to trust the government’s budgets and then hold them to account. They need to know their MPPs are working “for the people” and not privileged insiders. I will work with our new government to help restore the people’s trust.
These are just a few of the priorities I plan to champion in the upcoming parliament. I look forward to working as part of our new government on behalf of all the people I am privileged to represent.
Sincerely,
Randy Pettapiece, MPP
Perth-Wellington
