Election: Orazietti spanks NDP, Tories on education

NEWS RELEASES

DAVID ORAZIETTI LIBERAL CANDIDATE SAULT STE. MARIE

ONTARIO LIBERAL PARTY

************************ Orazietti and McGuinty support publicly funded education

Continue strengthening Huron-Superior Catholic District and Algoma District schools, not private schools

SAULT STE. MARIE - (September 18) - Ontario voters need to decide if they want our publicly funded education dollars to go toward private schools.

The McGuinty government has made significant investments in the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board and the Algoma District School Board and we need to keep moving forward with these investments, announced Sault Ste. Marie Liberal candidate David Orazietti.

"The McGuinty Liberals stand on the side of the two million kids in publicly funded education as enshrined by the constitution and don't want to see tax dollars diverted from those schools into private schools," said Orazietti.

"We don't want to go back to the days of overcrowded classrooms, teachers strikes and textbook shortages," he said.

McGuinty reiterated his support for public Catholic schools yesterday and insisted Ontario would not follow Quebec and Newfoundland.

"We could change the constitution," McGuinty said. "We could hold a referendum."

"I think it's a bad idea. That's not keeping with my responsibilities as I see it as premier of Ontario," he said.

"There's a constitutional reason and an historical one for my position," the Liberal leader said.

The Conservatives' plan will take $500 million out of publicly funded education for private schools.

This is money that would be taken away from our currently publicly funded schools within the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB) and the Algoma District School Board (ADSB).

"Over the past four years our government has made new investments of over $78 million for publicly funded schools in the Sault," said Orazietti.

"We can't afford to cut back on that money so that it can be diverted to private schools," he said.

"The NDP and the Conservatives have demonstrated their support for tax dollars going to private schools at Queen's Park and need to be straight with voters."

The leader of the NDP and members of the NDP voted to send public education dollars to private schools, which would take funding away from the HSCDSB and the ADSB and that should concern local school board employees.

When the McGuinty Liberals introduced legislation (Bill 2) to cancel the last Conservative private school tax giveaway, the NDP voted against cancelling the private school tax credit.

Here's a list of the NDP members who voted to keep ripping money out of public education and sending it to private schools:

- Howard Hampton, NDP Leader (Kenora Rainy River)

- Rosario Marchese, NDP Education Critic (Trinity Spadina)

- Michael Prue (Beaches East York)

- Gilles Bisson (Timmins James Bay)

- Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt)

McGuinty Liberals stand on the side of two million kids in publicly funded education, including the over 16,000 kids in our Huron-Superior Catholic District and Algoma District Schools right here in Sault Ste. Marie and the constitutional agreement that allows for them.

************************ Ontario Liberals: Standing up for publicly funded rural and northern schools

Schools that would have closed under Conservatives staying open, continue getting stronger

NEWBURGH — Publicly funded rural schools that would have closed under the previous Conservative government are staying open — and getting stronger — thanks to Ontario Liberals, said Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“For rural kids, few things are more important than being able to go to school in your own community, with your own friends,” said the Premier at Newburgh Public School. “Rural schools help keep communities strong, which is why we’re not only committed to keeping them open — but strengthening them.”

Under the cuts and chaos of the previous Conservative government, small schools similar to Newburgh Public School were forced to close, including over 100 of our most vulnerable rural and northern schools.

Under the Ontario Liberals, more rural schools have stayed open and funding has risen by $2,439 for every student.

Ontario Liberals will continue to strengthen rural schools.

We will: - Increase funding by $3.1 billion — including an additional $550 million for rural schools — which means that rural schools won’t have to close in order to cut costs.

- Continue to improve the funding formula so it reflects the changing costs of education in rural Ontario.

- Expand our Community Use of Schools program so our schools become a hub of community activity.

- Expand our homework help programs face-to-face and online and expand e-learning, with an investment in broadband.

The progress made in rural schools could be at risk, however, under the Conservative’s plan to divert half a billion dollars out of publicly funded education and giving that money to private religious schools.

Schools like Newburgh Public School could be put on the chopping block — jeopardizing the education of a whole new generation of rural kids.

“Now that we’ve kept rural schools open, we’re going to continue moving forward for our rural communities,” said McGuinty. “We can’t afford to go backwards, now, just as our schools have finally turned the corner.”

*************************