Below please take a moment and read the letter I sent to Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Chris Lewis. In the letter I express the concerns many have shared with me; that they worry the OPP will not enforce the terms of the agreement. 

Published on February 7, 2013 in the EMC Perth

EMC News - While the Perth Legion hall is far removed from the flying banners and protests of the Idle No More movement, the ongoing national debate about Canada's relationship with the First Nations peoples still came to the surface last week.

As the long winter of parliamentary dissolution finally draws to an end - it'll be 127 days since Premier McGuinty prorogued the house - and the weekly sojourns to Queens Park recommence, it's time for more Scuttlebutt from Queen's Park. This Scuttlebutt tells the story of Land Claims, Labour Pains and Political Shames in the week past and the week ahead.

Published on January 30th, 2013 in the EMC Perth

PERTH - Randy Hillier came face to face with protesters fighting bed closures at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital this week in a sometimes testy exchange.

Published on January 23rd, 2013 in the EMC Perth

PERTH - MPP Randy Hillier is dismissing a campaign by hospital unions to fight for more money for the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital as simply fighting for their piece of the pie.

Published in the Windsor Star on January 19th, 2013

Rationality flies out the window when it comes to discussing labour policy with labour leaders. Since the PC Party and I launched our 'Paths to Prosperity: Flexible Labour Markets' white paper, union leaders have said our proposal to make union membership optional would make collective bargaining illegal, toss out the Rand Formula and lead to other evil deeds.

Although Queen's Park remains shuttered and silent since October, the wheels of government continue to relentlessly grind out more policies, laws and regulations even though the elected legislators are absent. It's important that you are aware of these new policies which will invariably impact us in the days ahead.

Published on January 17th, 2013 in the Frontenac News

by Jeff Green

The long-promised Ontario Algonquin Land Claim Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) was quietly released in early December, and comments about its implications have been somewhat muted since then.

To a certain extent this is due to the political focus on Chief Theresa Spence and the Idle No More protests against new environmental laws and proposed changes to the Indian Act.

The Ontario Liberal government recently created another arm’s length agency with legislated powers called the Ontario College of Trades. This agency is unelected and unaccountable not only to both the public and politicians, but also to all employees who must belong and pay fees to it.

I sat down with Ian Sutton on Lake 88 to discuss a number of issues including, the recently released initial draft of the Algonquin Land Claim agreement, my concerns with the new College of Trades agency, and the ongoing Ontario teacher's negotiations.