Statement from Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown on the government’s natural gas expansion announcement:

“The Ontario PC Party unequivocally supports natural gas expansion in Ontario. Unfortunately today’s announcement is more talk and no action.

“For years the Wynne Liberals promised $230 million for the expansion of natural gas without spending a nickel, and now they’ve announced they’re slashing that program by $130 million. We are tired of announcements and re-announcements by this government.

“What’s more, we question the government’s commitment to the future of natural gas in Ontario. The truth can instead be found in a leaked cabinet document revealing their secret agenda to ban natural gas, which Minister Glen Murray then confirmed in the Legislature. The Wynne Liberals have never had any plans to invest in natural gas, and a press release isn’t going to change that.

“There are businesses that have said no to Ontario because the Liberal government dragged their feet instead of making investments in natural gas infrastructure a priority for rural Ontario. The Wynne Liberals have let rural families and businesses suffer with unaffordable electricity rates.  

“It’s becoming more clear every day that this is an out of touch government that is more concerned with their political survival than the well-being of Ontarians.”