MPP MACLEOD QUESTIONS PREMIER ON FAILURE TO ACHIEVE PROMISED “NET ZERO” AGREEMENTS

QUEEN’S PARK – Nepean-Carleton PC MPP Lisa MacLeod today questioned Premier Kathleen Wynne on the President of the Treasury Board’s failure to achieve “net-zero” agreements. 

Despite multiple promises that “agreements were in line with our net-zero bargaining framework,” it has come to light that contract agreements with teachers and education workers across the province actually came with at least $300 million in additional costs.  This is mere months after it was revealed that the government paid out millions to teachers’ unions to cover bargaining costs.

“That is $300 million taken out of the education budgets,” MacLeod said.  “The government is cutting demonstration schools across this province, special-ed cuts everywhere, and parents are fund-raising for basic necessities in our classrooms.”

MacLeod cited the so-called “net-zero” deal with the power workers union that also came with an additional $87 million price tag, as well as the gas plant closures that the government claimed would cost $40 million, but actually came to $1.2 billion.   

As a result of a successful motion by MPP MacLeod, an upcoming Auditor General report will review the millions in payouts made to teachers’ unions between 2008 and the present.  The report, expected this spring, will focus on other negotiation costs and where the money from the union payouts came from, as well as what the money was intended to fund.   

“You can’t trust this government anymore when they tell us what something is going to cost,” MacLeod said, slamming the Liberal government.