For Immediate Release
November 30, 2009

More McGuinty deceit surrounding DCE power bills

Queen’s Park – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett pointed out some more McGuinty trickery last week in the Ontario Legislature, surrounding the water and power bills at Douglas Creek Estates.

Barrett cited the Frequently Asked Questions area on the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs website where under the heading Douglas Creek Estates a question reads: “Why are water and power still being supplied to the site, who is paying for this?” The answer reads: Phase 1 of the proposed Douglas Creek Estates was already serviced with water and hydro as it was under construction. For safety and health reasons, the province has kept the power and water working on the property for several months. The utility bills are currently being sent to the Ontario Realty Corp., as the property manager.

“However, just a little while ago, the last line of that same answer read, " ... the Ontario Realty Corp. is in turn sending invoices to Six Nations band council for reimbursement," MPP Barrett told members of the House. “That answer had not been altered in three years, until we filed FOI 202, which asked for copies of the bills for gas, water and hydro in the possession of the ORC for the Douglas Creek Estates.

“It is my opinion that this government realized we were on to them that the Ontario taxpayer had been footing the bill for utilities for all three years, not the Six Nations, even though it was suggested that that was actually the case. So instead of coming clean, Mr. McGuinty has edited his own Web page, hoping the Ontario taxpayer would not notice. My question: Is that not deceitful and misleading? Barrett asked.

The Speaker of the House then asked the local MPP to withdraw his comments with respect to it being deceitful and misleading.

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629