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From Queen’s Park by Sylvia Jones MPP — More waste and mismanagement: $54,000 on Canada Goose jackets

May 15, 2017   ·   0 Comments

It was revealed Friday that the Liberal government spent nearly $54,000 on Canada Goose parkas for government officials in 2015-2016.
Through a Freedom of Information request, I discovered parkas were purchased by the Ministry of Child and Youth Services for their employees.
Incredibly, the government has decided to defend the indefensible, as Premier Wynne said, “workers at a youth detention facility need the coats to keep warm in subzero temperatures while outside with the children.”
This quote makes it clear how out of touch this government is. Of course workers need coats, however the problem is that the government purchased luxury items. Further, the children at those facilities were not provided Canada Goose jackets.
This is just another example of government waste that provides no value for taxpayers. It is inconceivable that the Liberal government is so out of touch with the needs of Ontarians that they spent $53,948 on luxury Canada Goose parkas while families and children are not getting the services they need. The government approved this purchase the same year they were telling parents that their children would be kicked off the IBI waitlist. The government made this purchase while wait times and hospitalizations for youth mental health services rose. According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario’s November 2016 report, children in Ottawa are waiting for a year and a half for mental health treatment and there are 12,000 kids waiting for long-term psychotherapy. Yet this government decided to prioritize the purchase of luxury parkas.
The Ministry of Child and Youth Services is mandated to give children the best start in life, prepare youth to become productive adults and make it easier for families to get key service at all stages of a child’s development. The fact there would be high-priced apparel being purchased when you have a ministry that desperately needs funds for youth is offensive and appalling.
Buying these luxury jackets is indefensible. The government needs to apologize to all the families who have had to wait for service, while they have grossly mismanaged their tax dollars. The government also needs to release all the documents related to the purchase of these goods. Ontarians have seen too many examples of the Liberals wasting their money. From the $1 billion gas plant scandal, to upside down bridge trusses, Ontarians are losing faith the in the ability of this government to respect their tax dollars. It is time for the government to release all of this information, so that Ontarian families can decide for themselves whether the government is spending their money appropriately.

         

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