Ontario Hansard - 15-November2006

WATER AND SEWER

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): I rise, on behalf of John Tory and the PC caucus, to warmly welcome members of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association in the gallery today. They are here today and tomorrow to meet with MPPs and bring attention to the current state of our water and waste water systems in the province.

I have repeatedly questioned the McGuinty Liberals' ongoing avoidance of responsibility on this issue. I have stated and questioned the Minister of the Environment in April, June and October of this year, and not once have we heard an answer.

We have seen numerous watermain breaks, which have caused severe hardship and financial burdens on communities and businesses across the province. It has become clear that this government is either not willing or has no plan to address our aging water and waste water infrastructure. This is in spite of the fact that their own expert water panel report is nearly one year old and, as well, that the tools have been in place since 2002 through the Sustainable Water and Sewer Systems Act.

I certainly hope that the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, who at one point stated, "This is an important priority for our government," will have the courage to respond to the needs of Ontario and stop hiding behind their rhetoric.

I encourage the members of the OSWCA to ask Liberal MPPs for a straight answer as to when they will respond to their own report and when consultations will begin. It's time for the Liberals to stop saying anything to get elected, to stop breaking promises, and to get some real work done.