For Immediate Release
February 2, 2007

Is Caledonia losing its license bureau?

Simcoe—MPP Toby Barrett is questioning the McGuinty government’s motives for allowing Caledonia to lose its licensing office.

“For nearly a year, the Caledonia area has sustained severe economic hardship as a result of the ongoing land dispute,” Barrett said. “With the MTO office closing, residents and business once again see the provincial government packing up and leaving town.

“Anybody who has been to Caledonia will tell you the closest MTO offices are in Hagersville or Hamilton,” Barrett continued. “What happens if the roads are closed again?”

Barrett pointed out that Caledonia’s MTO woes are eerily similar to the situation facing Delhi. On December 18, 2006, Barrett met with Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield to discuss why not one applicant was chosen to operate a license issuing office in Delhi, which has been hit hard by the decline in the tobacco economy.

“We are starting to see a trend whereby the McGuinty government quietly allows rural communities to lose their licensing offices,” Barrett concluded. “This time, it’s Caledonia that stands to lose.”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at:
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629