'Close the doors'

If Tim Hudak has his way, the North West Local Health Integration Network’s days are numbered.

The provincial Progressive Conservative leader, in Thunder Bay Wednesday, said he would close the doors on the province’s LHINs and put every penny of the estimated $250 million spent on them since 2006 back into actual health care.

"This is a bloated bureaucracy," Hudak said just after a speech at the Valhalla Inn for a packed PC $200-a-plate fundraiser. "They take money out of the health-care system they don’t spend a single minute with patients they don’t do any surgeries. I’d close the LHINs and put the money into care for families."

Cutting costs was part of the theme throughout Hudak’s 12-minute speech, which was interrupted by applause every 30 seconds. Hudak told the room that cutting the cost of government, and taxes across the board, was one way to ensure a better Ontario.

"A government must live within its means," Hudak said. “If a department cannot justify itself, it goes."

But Hudak wouldn’t commit to one particular cut being asked for by Northwestern Ontario industry; hydro rates.

The PC leader said he has been spending time in Northwestern Ontario listening to business, families and municipal leaders about hydro costs to make sure PC policy reflects their concerns. He added that he believes affordable hydro is a key factor in creating jobs.

"Energy policy under Dalton McGuinty has chased jobs out of our province and really decimated a lot of Northwestern Ontario communities. We need to take a completely different path when it comes to electricity policy in our province," he said.

Along with affordable energy rates, Hudak said a competitive tax rate and cutting red tape is needed to make sure this region gets the most out of potential mining development in the Ring of Fire.

Saying it could be the greatest impact on job creation in the province’s history, Hudak said he wants to make sure processing for the Ring of Fire is done in Northwestern Ontario.

"I want to see the jobs here.”

The McGuinty government has taken Ontario down a dangerous and undemocratic path with the Green Energy Act, Hudak added. Renewable energy, such as industrial wind farms, should be affordable and only built in communities that want them.

"I think local leaders and local families should have a say. Not made up in the Premier’s office back in Toronto."

The PC leader promised his party would release a more detailed platform later this spring.