Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor David Onley opened the new session of the provincial legislature on February 19th with a Speech from the Throne containing important emphasis on energy and infrastructure. The newly-minted government of Kathleen Wynne re-iterated support for energy conservation calling it "the cheapest source of energy available" and promising that Ontario will continue to be a leader in smart-grid technology. The government commits to ongoing support for "the creation of new-economy jobs through the deployment of leading energy efficiency technologies in our homes and businesses."
Urban gridlock attracted much attention in the Speech from the Throne. "Ontario cannot evolve if it cannot move" intoned the Lieutenant-Governor. Premier Wynne seems intent on addressing the growing pressure on transportation infrastructure in the Greater Toronto Area saying that "Ontarians are ready to have a serious conversation" about the state of urban and suburban transit. The new Premier indicated that she is willing to consider new revenue sources to support the necessary investment in this infrastructure.
In another area of infrastructure policy, the Speech from Throne specifically addressed the issue of community involvement in the siting of such developments as power plants, quarries and casinos. "Local populations" must be involved from the beginning in the development of these projects and the Wynne government served notice that it is much more likely to support "willing hosts" than mandated sites.
And speaking of gas plants, the never-ending debate about those highly controversial gas plants in Mississauga and Oakville has returned to centre stage at Queen's Park. Almost immediately after the new session of Legislature opened, the matter of the tendering, planning, commissioning, cancellation and relocation of those two gas plants was referred to the Justice Committee of the Legislature for review. The Justice Committee has also been authorized "to consider any report prepared by the Auditor General with respect to the cancellation and relocation of the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants". Ontario's Auditor General is expected to report on these two power plant cancellations later this year.
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