Ted McMeekin

April 13, 2010 



Today the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) under Section 47 of the Planning Act to freeze the zoning of 154 hectares of land in the former Town of Flamborough. As a result, St. Mary's Cement Inc. is prohibited from using these lands for a proposed major quarry development. 

The MZO comes after concerns about the potential impact on groundwater raised by Hamilton City Council, the Halton Regional Council, local Medical officers of Health and countless citizens potentially impacted by the development.

"Today is a watershed day for our community and a fitting tribute to the enormous community-based leadership that articulated the case against the proposed St. Mary's Quarry so very well,” said MPP Ted McMeekin.” 

With the MZO, the zoning on the land shall remain 'Rural and Conservation Management' in perpetuity and ONLY those uses consistent with this designated zoning will be permitted. This ensures the long-term protection of groundwater resources in this sensitive area.

“Our community came together and stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight to stop the quarry,” said McMeekin. “In so doing we have not only protected the water resource we hold sacred but also the environmental heritage of this area."

The community-based opposition to the quarry was led by FORCE, Friends of the Rural Community and the Environment.  

 “This is a joyous day for our communities,” said Graham Flint, Chair and Spokesperson for Friends of Rural Communities and the Environment (FORCE). “We thank Ted for his tireless efforts to champion our cause at the provincial level and applaud the McGuinty government for hearing and responding to the very real concerns of our local municipalities and citizens about this massive open pit mine proposal. Now our drinking water, the air we breathe, the fragile natural features in this area, our way of life and the roads we use to work, live and play will be protected.”

"It's clear that at every stage of the fight to protect our community, FORCE has been a force to be reckoned with. FORCE was able to combine sound research with the ability to articulate the justness of their cause in a compelling manner. I am very proud of FORCE, its leader Graham Flint, and our entire community for the responsible way the battle on this critical issue has been waged," added McMeekin.

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For further information contact

Ted McMeekin MPP     905-690-6552

Five-Year Plan will Strengthen Water Expertise, Higher Education

March 8th, 2010

 

Hamilton – Today Sophia Aggelonitis MPP and Ted McMeekin MPP shared the government’s new, five-year Open Ontario Plan will create jobs to build a stronger economy.

“Building on our educational standards, our innovation, productivity and diversity, and on our foundational values of compassion and duty, Ontario is ready to chart a new course. This year alone we are adding 20,000 more new college and university students – about as many undergrads as McMaster.”

-Ted McMeekin MPP

Through education, training, tax reform, and a commitment to the new economy, Ontario is creating a climate where business can innovate and create new jobs, in turn supporting a quality of life for our families that is the envy of the world.”

- Sophia Aggelonitis MPP, Hamilton Mountain.

The plan was unveiled today in a Speech from the Throne opening the second session of Ontario’s 39th parliament.  Highlights include:

·     A new Water Opportunities Act to take advantage of the province’s expertise in clean-water technology to create more, good jobs for Ontario families

·    20,000 more student spaces in colleges and universities this year

·     A new Ontario Online Institute to give students access to the best professors in top university programs from their home computers

·     New legislation to improve accountability in our publicly-funded health care system

·     Improving services for patients by encouraging health professionals to work together

·     Capitalizing on northwestern Ontario’s chromite deposits, while working with Northerners and Aboriginal communities and continuing to protect half of the northern Boreal Forest (chromite is a key ingredient in stainless steel)

The five-year plan includes several initiatives already underway:

·     A tax reform package, which will create nearly 600,000 new Ontario jobs

·     The Green Energy Act, which will create up to 50,000 jobs

·     $32-billion investment in roads, bridges, public transit and energy retrofits for schools that is creating and sustaining over 300,000 jobs

·     Full-day learning for four- and five-year olds, starting at schools across the province this September

·     A strategy to make Toronto one of the world’s leading financial centres

“The choices we make during the next five years will be decisive in the life of our province,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty.  “Growing our economy — growing stronger — requires Ontario to be open to change, open to opportunities and open to our new world.”

For more information, visit www.ontario.ca/openontario. The Speech from the Throne can be viewed online at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/throneSpeech.php.

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For more information, contact:

Ted McMeekin MPP  905-690-6552  and Sophia Aggelonitis MPP 905 388 9734

Renewable projects get go-ahead in Hamilton Region

Hamilton- March 10, 2010 – The future will be brighter for many businesses in Ontario as more than 500 new green energy projects, most of them solar power installations will go ahead in the Hamilton area.

The 510 projects are the first larger power generators to obtain contracts through Ontario’s landmark Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program, the most comprehensive of its kind in North America. FIT encourages the development of renewable energy projects from a diverse range of producers, including homeowners, schools, farmers, large retailers and small businesses, by offering long-term, stable prices for the electricity generated.

“Everybody is participating, from everywhere in Ontario, from farmers, schools and hospitals to large scale retail and commercial operations,” said Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. “These projects will create a new source of income while providing new clean and green electricity in Ontario ¾particularly on hot, sunny summer days when demand soars. With our new domestic content rules, these projects will also help create new ‘green collar’ jobs here in Ontario, as well as major economic investments in equipment and services here at home.”

Notes MPPs Ted McMeekin “These projects bring the benefits of Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff program home to our Hamilton region. Its keen and its green and just the beginning of great things from great minds!”

Sophia Aggelonitis MPP states, “Ontario’s electricity future will be spurred by initiatives like these that capture the rays of the sun, the force of wind, water and of renewable gases to light our homes and power our businesses. Everyone in the Hamilton area should take pride in these developments and look forward to those still to come.”

The 510 projects are to be built in 120 communities across Ontario by farmers, municipalities, local distribution companies, commercial businesses, industrial customers, public institutions such as schools and hospitals, a winery and even a church. The projects range from 10 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts and have a total generating capacity of 112 megawatts, enough energy to power more than 13,000 homes.  About 95 percent of the projects are for solar generation. The remaining projects are biogas (20), water (4), onshore wind (3) and biomass (1). A detailed list of the projects is available on the Ontario Power Authority’s website at www.fit.powerauthority.on.ca

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Fresh from the Sun Energy Inc., QPA Solar Inc. and SKY OZZ International Inc will be part of the new green renewable providers right here locally.

The Feed-in Tariff program’s domestic content requirements ensure that a key portion of the technology used for renewable energy generation comes from Ontario.  Developers must meet a certain percentage of made-in Ontario goods and labour at the time the project reach commercial operation. For solar photovoltaic projects larger than 10 kilowatts, the requirement is 50 per cent today, which will increase to 60 per cent on Jan. 1, 2011.

“The Ontario Power Authority is very excited about this announcement. Over the last year, we consulted, developed and launched the program. These first FIT contracts really bring the program to life and highlight its success,” said Colin Andersen, CEO of the Ontario Power Authority.

The Ontario Power Authority began accepting FIT applications on Oct. 1, 2009 and received 956 eligible applications for the first round of FIT contracts, including the 510 projects announced today. Due to their size (up to 500 kilowatts), these projects can be connected to Ontario’s electricity grid without detailed impact assessments necessary for larger projects.

The FIT program, one of the cornerstones of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, provides stable, guaranteed pricing to renewable energy producers. It supports the province’s commitment to eliminate dirty coal-fired generation by the end of 2014 — the single largest climate change initiative in Canada. FIT and other initiatives under the Green Energy Act will support the creation of 50,000 “green collar” jobs.

The OPA is responsible for ensuring a reliable, sustainable supply of electricity for Ontario. Its four key areas of focus are: planning the power system for the long term, leading and co-ordinating conservation initiatives across the province, ensuring development of needed generation resources, and supporting the continued evolution of the electricity sector.

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Media Contacts

Sophia Aggelonitis MPP Hamilton Mountain  905-388-9734

Ted McMeekin MPP Ancaster Dundas Flamborough Westdale  905-690-6552

Tim Butters, Ontario Power Authority, 416-969-6307 / Toll Free: 1-800-797-9604

Ontario is introducing an initiative that will help attract physicians for residents in Hamilton area.

The province is introducing the Postgraduate Return of Service Program, in which international medical graduates agree to practise for five years in any Ontario community, except the Toronto area and Ottawa, in exchange for postgraduate training opportunities. Previously, these doctors were restricted to practising in rural and northern communities for five years, following graduation

Ontario is also increasing access to family health care for all by adding 50 Family Health Teams and 25 Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics across the province by 2011.

QUOTES

“Our government wants to ensure that areas such as Hamilton have the means to attract more doctors. This initiative will provide opportunities to increase the availability of health care for local residents.”

-Sophia Aggelonitis MPP and Ted McMeekin MPP

QUICK FACTS

§  After graduating, the new graduates will be able to choose among eligible communities, and the terms of the working arrangements are then negotiated between the community and the doctor.

§  It's  expected that 175 new international medical graduates will begin practising each year through return-of-service programs this year and in 2011 and 2012. After that 185 will start practising annually.

§  Through the government’s expansion of medical education, 38 per cent more undergraduate school spaces will be created by 2011/12. 

LEARN MORE

Learn more about the government’s move to create more Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics.

Read more about Health Care Connect which helps Ontarians find a family health care provider.

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CONTACT

Ted McMeekin MPP 905-690-6552

Sophia Aggelonitis 905-388-9734