The dust had barely settled on the provincial election before MPP Ted Arnott was putting pen to paper, writing a letter to Premier Doug Ford about what's important to residents in the Wellington-Halton Hills riding.
The re-elected provincial politician has identified the much-needed Georgetown Hospital redevelopment as one of his top priorities in his new term at Queen’s Park.
“I want to do whatever I can to support their redevelopment project as they move through the multi-stage approvals process administered by the capital branch of the Ministry of Health,” said Arnott in his letter to Ford.
“I hope the ministry moves quickly to allow Halton Healthcare to move to stage two of planning, and extend financial support for their project, consistent with how other projects like ours have been recognized. I would appreciate your assistance. Let’s get it done.”
Arnott is advocating for a grant of about $15 million to allow the hospital to complete the necessary planning work, which may ultimately see a new hospital built on a larger piece of land.
He noted that he spoke with the health minister recently, and she was “very interested and supportive” of the hospital project.
As he campaigned in the riding, Arnott said one of the biggest concerns he heard from local residents centred on affordability of gasoline, food and housing as the cost of living and inflation soar.
“We need to work co-operatively with other orders of government to recognize this is a huge challenge for a large number of our people, and we have to find ways to help,” he said.
Arnott noted the provincial government recently took some steps on the affordability front by eliminating license plate sticker renewal fees and reducing the gas tax, which comes into effect July 1.
When its comes to Hwy. 413, Arnott said he’s heard from many people in the riding, including Halton Hills Council, who have concerns about the proposed highway that the Ministry of Transportation has deemed “necessary.”
On the other hand, he said he’s also aware that the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce supports the proposal.
“I think this speaks to the need for more community consultation, and the government, I feel, needs to seriously consider some of the alternatives that are being proposed and evaluate them,” he said.
“I want to make sure the minister and other members of the government are aware of the concerns I’m hearing in Wellington-Halton Hills. I’ve been doing that (making them aware), and I hope to continue to do so.”
