PC MPP for Bay of Quinte Todd Smith sat down with Global News anchor Bill Hutchins to talk about the decisions made by the new PC government so far, and how those decisions, some considered controversial, may affect local issues.
Cannabis legalization
Smith, who is the Ontario Government House Leader and Minister of Government and Consumer Services, spoke first about the privatization of cannabis, and how it might affect local businesses.
When Hutchins asked Smith whether smaller stores that sell marijuana paraphernalia might be considered as viable options for future pot shops, Smith said those retailers would have a shot at selling legal weed.
“If they’re a legal distributor of all of those different items that you need to participate in the recreational cannabis realm, then they’re fully able to participate. We would encourage those types of storefronts to participate in the consultation going forward.”
The consultations, Smith said, will involve participation from public and private sectors, law enforcement, those already involved in cannabis businesses and those who are planning to be wholesaling the product.
When asked why the Ford government switched gears from the previous Liberal government’s plan to sell cannabis from government-run stores, Smith said it was about the economics of the matter.
“We shouldn’t be losing money on the sale of cannabis,” said Smith, but he did not elaborate on how privatization would bring more money to the province.
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Green energy and carbon tax
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Smith also addressed the cancellation of the Prince Edward County White Pines wind project in early July.
“It should never have been given the green light to go ahead,” said the Bay of Quinte MPP.
He added that the project would have cost electricity customers more over its 20-year contract than it would have to cancel it right away.
White Pines Development, the company in charge of the project, said the cost of the cancellation could be over $100 million, a price Smith took issue with.
“There’s no way the cancellation penalty is going to be anywhere near $100 million,” Smith said. When asked how much will be paid out to White Pines Development, Smith said he didn’t want to estimate.
Smith also discussed the more-than-750 province-wide construction contracts cut by the PC government, arguing that the cuts will bring back almost $800 million to Ontario in the long run.
“There is a little bit of pain certainly, and there is going to be some compensation paid out to these companies,” Smith said.
All in all, the Government House Leader said that the energy cuts the PC government made this year will be a boon to the people of Ontario.
“The net benefit to electricity customers is going to be great.”
Hutchins also asked Smith about cancelling Ontario’s cap-and-trade system and fighting the federal government’s carbon tax.
“It was driving up the cost of everything,” said Smith about the cap-and-trade system. The MPP said he often heard complaints from people and businesses about the high price of gasoline in the province. Nevertheless, Smith did admit that certain municipalities will be negatively affected by the cancellation of cap-and-trade.
“Certainly, there were some municipalities who were counting on the proceeds that were coming in, but it’s the residents in those municipalities who were getting dinged for that tax money.”
Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum
Hutchins ended the interview by asking about Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum. The PC government suspended the sex-ed curriculum updated by Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government in 2015. This year, teachers in Ontario will be teaching the sex-ed curriculum created in 1998.
Although the cancellation of the 2015 sex-ed curriculum has caused waves among parents and educational institutions, Smith was quick to point out that many were unhappy with the 2015 curriculum when it first came out.
“You’ll recall … when the new curriculum was introduced by premier Wynne, there were massive, massive protests on the front lawn at Queen’s Park because parents weren’t consulted.”
Smith said this year will give the Ontario government the time to consult with a wide variety of people, and then come back in 2019 with a new curriculum based on those consultations.
With files from Alexandra Mazur and Mike Postovit
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