Jeff Arbus's plan to upload your downloads

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

************************* NDP will upload downloaded court security costs

NDP plan will provide municipalities needed relief, boost community safety

SAULT STE. MARIE – Sault Ste. Marie NDP candidate Jeff Arbus has announced the first step in the NDP's plan to reverse four years of Dalton McGuinty ignoring cash-strapped municipalities and the priorities of Ontario's hard-pressed municipal property taxpayers.

Arbus [shown flanked by Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton and Sault MP Tony Martin] says the NDP will deliver needed relief by uploading downloaded court security costs.

The plan will mean that as of January 1, 2008, the provincial government will assume the cost of providing security services in court rooms.

Municipalities and municipal property taxpayers across the province will see $200 million in benefits which they can choose to use for initiatives that keep our communities safe, like hiring more police officers.

“Ontario municipalities, whether small or large, need help. Dalton McGuinty has let Ontario municipalities down by forcing Ontario communities to pay for services that should be provided by the provincial government,” Arbus said.

“I am committed to a fair deal for the working families of Sault Ste. Marie. That commitment starts with uploading court security costs. This one initiative will go a long way to relieving the financial crunch on municipalities and municipal property taxpayers. It will give them the real support and real investments they need to move forward with efforts to make our communities safer,” Arbus said.

If municipalities and municipal property taxpayers didn’t have to pay the bill for McGuinty-government-mandated court security costs, they would have enough money to hire 3,000 police officers.

“New Democrats believe that investing in these services and reducing the demands on municipal property taxpayers is about fairness for working Ontario and is the best way to build a stronger and safer Ontario. It’s the right thing to do and New Democrats will do it,” he said.

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