2012 Annual General Meeting - Saturday AM, January 14th

The Parkdale-High Park Ontario Progressive Conservative Association will hold a combined Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Delegate Selection Meeting (DSM) upstairs at The Yellow Griffin Pub on the morning of Saturday, January 14th. The Yellow Griffin Pub is located at 2202 Bloor Street West, on the north side, just a short walk from the Runnymede subway station. The meeting will start at 10:00AM.

Formal notice of the meeting has been sent to all members in good standing, in addition to many former members. The purpose of the AGM is to elect an executive, receive reports, appoint an auditor, and conduct the business of the Association.

The DSM will immediately follow the AGM. Delegates and alternates to the the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party to be held in Niagara Falls, February 10^th, 11^th and 12^th, 2012 will be chosen during the DSM. Please note that we anticipate that candidates for positions on the Ontario executive will likely be in attendance at both meetings, so attendance provides an excellent opportunity to meet prospective executive members.

For more information, please contact:

Marshall Leslie, President, Parkdale-High Park Ontario Progressive Conservative Assoc.,

Email: parkdalehighpark.pc@gmail.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/WestSideTory

A Response to the Liberal Platform

Dalton McGuinty has finally released the Liberal platform that he has intentionally withheld from voters for much of the campaign. What we've always suspected has now been confirmed.

Just like in 2003 and 2007, McGuinty's platform is a transparent attempt to distract attention from the giant elephant in the room -- the fact that he will raise taxes to pay for his "promises" and out of control spending.

Since 2003, the Liberals have increased program spending by an average of 7.2% per year, doubling Ontario's debt. His platform plan to tackle Ontario's deficit is non-existent. Even Ontario's Auditor General has acknowledged that "additional changes in policy or operations" would be needed to "achieve [McGuinty's] fiscal targets".

Instead of addressing Ontario’s debt and deficit, he has made new promises like the $10,000 Affirmative Action for Foreign Workers program that helps those outside Ontario get jobs in the province and leaves out Ontario workers.

Only Joe Ganetakos, Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC Party can bring the change and relief Ontario families need. Make sure to check out changebook to see our plan for tax relief, improving services like health care and education, and standing up for the things hardworking families value.

Support Joe Ganetakos in Parkdale-High Park and let Dalton McGuinty know that Ontario won’t be fooled for a third time.

Click here to download an exclusive ringtone and wallpaper.

Don’t let the elephant stomp on your wallet again.

Ontario welfare recipients jump in July (a headline we should expect to see under Dalton McGuinty)

BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO ,QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

TORONTO - More than 9,000 Ontarians joined the welfare rolls in July — the largest single-month increase in at least two years.

Sandy Mangat, a spokesman for the ministry of community and social services, said ministry officials know of no specific reason for the bump in cases.

“We think it’s a blip at this point,” Mangat said Tuesday. “We’re going to continue to monitor in the next couple of months and see what happens.”

The July results, the most recent Ontario Works figures available, show that 482,748 people were receiving social assistance that month.

That number is a 1.9% increase over the previous month, when 473,702 Ontarians were on assistance.

The caseloads were higher in all three categories of singles, couples and sole-support families.

The largest-percentage increase was among singles, with 3,763 people added to the list.

There were an additional 3,831 members of sole-support families as well.

Statistics Canada unemployment numbers may shed some light on the sudden increase in welfare cases, revealing that the province lost 22,000 jobs in July.

The unemployment rate actually fell slightly despite the job numbers because so many people dropped out of the labour force, StatsCan says.

See link:

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/30/ontario-welfare-recipients-jump-in-july

Joe Ganetakos opens Parkdale-High Park Campaign Office

TORONTO — On Wednesday August 31st at 7PM, Parkdale-High Park Ontario PC candidate Joe Ganetakos will open his campaign/community office. The office is located at 1727 Bloor Street West, just three doors east of Keele on the south side of Bloor, a few steps away from the Keele subway station.

Since his nomination in April, Ganetakos has knocked on more than 7,000 doors as he brings the Ontario PC campaign of change and much needed relief for Parkdale-High Park families after eight years of Liberal tax hikes, expensive energy experiments, wasteful spending and secret deals.

To contact the campaign:

Phone: 416-604-8484

URL: http://votejoe2011.ca/home/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Ganetakos_ONPC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Ganetakos-for-MPP/178061885559783

Toronto Star: Ontario election fight gets dirty online

The Tories believe the Liberals, or their supporters, started the website www.thetruthabouttim.com, above, after they launched www.truthabouttimhudak.com.
Tanya TalagaQueen's Park Bureau

It may be all smiles for the cameras as Ontario political leaders fight their way toward the Oct. 6 election, but online the fight is nasty.

On Wednesday, the NDP launched a new website to counter social media attacks and rumours they claim are being spread by other parties.

The site, www.stopthesmears.ca, aims to dispel myths such as the NDP have a fleet of 20 orange SUVs on standby for the election and that leader Andrea Horwath is really the incarnation of Mike Harris.

People are tired of whisper campaigns and negative ads, said NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park). She claims the NDP website will “tackle the smears” and get the facts out.

Party leaders have vowed not to wage a dirty campaign before the Oct. 6 election.

But in the social media universe, the election is running a different course. Fake people espousing partisan views have proliferated on Twitter, there are YouTube videos making fun of certain party leaders, and websites have been created by the political parties to try to make sense of it all.

The profile of @GrandmaHudak presents itself with a picture of an elderly lady in a black bathing suit getting out of a swimming pool. GrandmaHudak states she likes to swim on hot days, dry her clothes on a line and that her opinions are her own and “not those concocted by my grandson’s idiot spin doctors”.

Another fake is @FakeDonnaSkelly, a spoof on PC Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale candidate and former TV news anchor Donna Skelly. A recent tweet from this account shows how the gloves are off: “Thinking about pulling an @andreahorwath and photoshopping 20 pounds off my campaign photo.”

The Tories started www.truthabouttimhudak.com and within 24 hours they believe the Liberals, or their supporters, started up the parallel site www.thetruthabouttim.com. The later site does not advertise who created it but it notes Hudak would “cut $3 billion out of health care” and that he wants to scrap the Liberals’ Green Energy Act.

The Liberals deny they are behind the Hudak site. But they do list www.recklessrookie.com,www.Hazardoushudak.com and www.dirtyndp.ca as theirs.

“We stay focused on our positive plan to keep Ontario moving forward and don’t get distracted by the games of others,” said Christine McMillan, the Ontario Liberal Party’s vice-president of communications.

McMillan says they’ll continue to talk about their “positive plan to keep moving Ontario forward and the risky schemes of the PCs, both at the door and in our communities as well as on websites and in social media.”

However, the social media noise distracts journalists from the real news and it can confuse voters, said Greg Elmer, a Ryerson University media professor.

At its worst, social media in campaigns is a “distraction factory” trying to divert attention from positive policy announcements coming from political opponents, said Elmer.

This won’t be the first time political parties have run at least two campaigns.

There is relatively little mud-slinging on the campaign bus tour as the leaders make shiny happy proposals, he said.

The flip side to that are the online anonymous dirty campaigns. Elmer predicts as the vote gets closer, there will be a proliferation of videos, blog posts, sound files and tweets.

“Often what happens is that we are all focused on what these objects mean — is that really the person we see in the image, is that really the voice of the premier we hear in that crackling, web-based audio recording? What is often displaced is who is circulating these,” he said

Town Crier: 'Game designer takes PC nod"

By Tristan Carter
July 28, 2011

PHOTO COURTESY GEORGE GANETAKOS

EMPOWERMENT: Parkdale-High Park PC candidate George Ganetakos says he’d like to develop a website that would show citizens where their tax dollars actually go.

Joseph Ganetakos is used to games. But there is no playing around when it comes to his political ambitions.

The lead designer for video game development company Ganz, Ganetakos has been nominated as the Conservative candidate for Parkdale-High Park. He will face off against NDP incumbent Cheri DiNovo and Liberal candidate Cortney Pasternak.

Ganetakos has never run for office before but said he is hoping to use his background and experience to help citizens keep track of government spending.

“What I’d love to do is find a way to bring transparency and I mean that in a real way,” he said. “I want you to be able to be empowered to see where your tax dollars go.”

By using his technological expertise, Ganetakos said he wants to champion a website where anyone can go and look at where government funds are allocated.

“Having that on the table would keep us very accountable and keep us always working towards doing the absolute best for you and always being mindful that it’s your money, not ours,” he said.

He also said he realizes not everyone is so tech savvy and that he wants to make it as easy as possible for people to see this information.

“What I’d love to do is make these types of tools really accessible so you don’t have to be a video gamer to understand it,” he said.

Game development can be a highly demanding field and there are many other skills that he learned in that profession that can be applied to politics, according to Ganetakos.

“I’m used to a very fast-paced and results-driven business,” he said. “But I’m also used to an extremely collaborate and iterative team dynamic.

“I love working with people and going towards a common goal together and getting it done.”

Ganetakos’ other stated goals are to attract more businesses to the area and to help local seniors.

“What I hear at the door frequently from our seniors is that they just can’t afford any additional tax strain,” he said. “They’re just really limited because of their fixed incomes.

“I want to make sure that the seniors are respected because they built this place.”

Ganetakos said that much of his agenda would be determined by what the people of Parkdale-High Park want and said he hopes they vote for him on Oct. 6.

“Ultimately I’ll be working for the people,” he said. “If I’m fortunate enough to get in they’ll decide and they’ll talk to me about what they need.”

Elections Ontario offers new ways to vote

Afficianados of politics, and political junkies, will recall that election days and the actual process of balloting were once very different. They are about to change again, and for the better.

Elections Ontario will institute some new processes and formats in 2011, that include more days to vote (29), and more ways to vote (technology, assistive devices and special ballots). And they have created a friendly online way to inform you, please visit: http://www.wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/more-days-more-ways.aspx

There are actually several other changes that have taken place touching on election finance, voting place accessability and so on ..... If you have an enthusiastic interest in all of these, then visit the main Elections Ontario website: http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/

We're Off and Running

This week marks the real kick-off of the provincial general election campaign in Parkdale-High Park.

Tonight, our riding association has organized a fundraising event hosted by our candidate Joe Ganetakos, and PC critic for industry and economic development Peter Shurman, MPP (Thornhill) that (casting a glance over advance ticket sales) bodes well for our summer activities. If you aren’t attending, you can still indicate your support by visiting this site: https://secure.ontariopc.com/riding/?id=68

Tomorrow, our first print piece – a summary of the main points of #changebook and a “hello” message from Joe – arrives from our printer.

And on Saturday, we begin our first canvas. If you would like to volunteer for this canvas, or any other activity please leave your contact info at 416-604-8484, email parkdalehighpark.pc@gmail.com , or follow http://www.twitter.com/Ganetakos_ONPC

A PC government will provide tax relief for families

One important step that a PC government would take to provide tax relief for families is to allow all couples to share up to $50,000 of their income for tax purposes.

For a typical family earning $70,000 – one spouse earning $50,000 and another earning $20,000, this plan would provide $476 in savings. For a single earner family earning $70,000 the savings would be nearly $1400.

Under Dalton McGuinty, Ontario families have been hit with more and more new and unexpected taxes, taking more and more out of the family budget. If Dalton McGuinty is re-elected, he will hike taxes again, just like he has done in the past.

QUICK FACTS
1) In 2003 Dalton McGuinty promised not to raise taxes but after the election brought in the largest income tax hike in Ontario history with his so called health tax – that doesn’t even go to health care.
2) In 2007 Dalton McGuinty promised not to raise taxes but after the election brought in the largest sales tax hike in Ontario history with his HST tax grab and sneaky eco-taxes.
3) Under Dalton McGuinty, hydro rates have increased eight times since 2003 by a total of 84 percent, and a whopping 150 percent for families with activated smart meters.
4) Despite promising Ontario families that his expensive energy experiments and Green Energy Act would only raise rates by 1 percent, Dalton McGuinty now admits in last year’s Fall Economic Update that bills will rise 46 percent by 2015.

BACKGROUNDER
How an Ontario PC Government Will Help Families:
- For the past eight years, more new and unexpected taxes and costs have been sprung on families in Ontario. The HST, health tax, eco taxes and skyrocketing hydro bills are just some examples.
- If Dalton McGuinty is re-elected he will raise taxes again, just like he has done twice before. And Ontario families will pay the price.
- A Tim Hudak government will provide tax relief for families and let all couples reduce their taxable income through income sharing.
- An Ontario PC government will change the tax system to allow all couples to share up to $50,000 of their income for Ontario tax purposes. For a typical family earning $70,000 – one spouse earning $50,000 and another earning $20,000, this plan would provide $476 in savings. For a single earner family earning $70,000 the savings would be as much as $1400
- This income sharing plan builds on the Government of Canada’s proposed Family Tax Cut. That plan is scheduled for implementation when the federal budget is balanced. A Tim Hudak government will call on Ottawa to implement their tax relief for families earlier, at the same time as Ontario’s in order for families to receive more tax relief sooner.
- While the federal government’s Family Tax Cut would enable income sharing for couples with dependent children under 18 years of age only, the Ontario PC income sharing plan would apply to all couples in Ontario, regardless of their family size.

What Else An Ontario PC Government Will Do To Help Families:
We will create more opportunities for newcomers to Ontario. We will make Ontario a magnet for the world’s best and brightest by reducing barriers for potential new Canadians. To ease newcomers’ transition we will improve transparency of foreign credential recognition and create a tax credit for employers who sponsor language training.

We will lower income taxes on middle-class families. A PC government will give families tax relief and spur economic growth by lowering income taxes 5% on the first $75,000 of taxable income, putting $258 back in the pocket of taxpayers earning $70,000 per year.

We will provide relief for families from rising hydro costs. A PC government would provide relief for families and seniors facing rising energy costs by removing the HST from home hydro and heating bills, and removing the debt retirement charge from home hydro bills.

We will unplug the mandatory “smart” meters. We will end mandatory so-called time of use pricing. We will stop forcing families to be showered and ready for school and work before 7 a.m. or compelling seniors to do laundry late into the night. The smart meters forced on our homes – at a cost that recently blew by $1 billion – have become nothing but government-sponsored tax machines. We will let you decide whether to use the time-of-use pricing system.

Changebook - the Ontario PC Party plan to bring change for Ontario families

For three days this weekend, more than 1,700 members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (including 14 from this riding) attended training, education and technology presentations, and also listened to reports from the campaign manager, director of policy, staff and executive of the Party. On each day, there was also an important presentation by Tim Hudak.

At the conclusion, delegates were presented with the document that we will spend the next 18 weeks convincing Ontarians is a balanced plan for government. "Changebook" is the culmination of three years of consultations with Party members and citizens - the inspiration of thousands of conversations, letters, emails and phone calls.

Please take the time now to read it for yourself online at: http://www.changebook.ca

Or download it, here: http://www.ontariopc.com/pdf/Changebook_en.pdf

If you wish to obtain print copies (the party will make it available in 16 languages), please contact us.

Reprint of Joe Ganetakos' Acceptance Speech From April 21, 2011

I am thrilled and excited to be the Progressive Conservative candidate for Parkdale-High Park. I’d like to thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity to make a difference. I’d also like to pass along my thanks to Tim Hudak and the Ontario Progressive Conservative party for their support. This is a great party with a proud history and I am humbled by this assignment. I accept this nomination and will work very hard for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.

Thank you to the Parkdale-High Park Progressive Conservative Riding Association. Without your hard work and donations, we would not be in a position to compete for this seat. The board members and membership represent a strong foundation for a terrific campaign.

A BIG thank you goes out to Taylor Train. The "Train" is on track for victory, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a majority win for the Federal Party!  Thank you for taking me door-to-door, and energizing the conservative base in our riding.

Some of you may be asking, WHO IS JOE GANETAKOS? Well firstly, I am a proud husband to Mary and father to Jack, our 15 month old son. I am 39 years old & I was born and raised in Toronto. I love Parkdale-High Park & am proud to have called this riding my home for the past 6 years. I am a dog-walking baby-strolling resident of the riding. At work, I am a project manager & video game designer.

I’ve also  been lucky …. I studied computer 3D modelling and animation at the University of Toronto. I studied graphic design at George Brown College. And I studied Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Art. My interests outside of work include politics, sports, technology trends & Martial Arts. I am a member of the International Game Developer Association. I am also a member of Kilwinning Lodge 565. And as a local sports fan, I firmly believe that the Leafs will win the Cup - in my lifetime.

As I said, I was born and raised in Toronto, born into a family of the arts, and ardent art supporters.  My mother works for different companies as a freelance Executive Assistant. My father was one of the founding members of a great Toronto success story, the Toronto Sun. He worked as Entertainment Editor for the Sun until he went to the CBC to develop and build Canadian talent, a role he continues to this day working with talent like Rick Mercer. My sister is a television producer and award-winning writer who works on comedy, animation and such popular talent shows as Canadian Idol. My brother is a working musician who has toured with such artists as Nelly Furtado and is in Niagara Falls tonight rehearsing for a new show.

The love of my life, my wife Mary, who hails originally from Kingston, works full time with some of the more challenged members of the Parkdale-High Park community, in support of adults with mental health issues. Our son Jack is currently contributing to our education by showing us what new mischief he learns every day at our local Day Care. As you may have gathered by now, family is very important to me, as is our community.

As we know, in Parkdale-High Park we have a difficult challenge ahead of us. Our opponent, Cheri Dinovo, is a strong & respectable candidate. But, quite frankly, she is in the wrong party, the NDP. The rosy principles of the NDP are not in the best interests of this province. You simply cannot spend & spend to solve all the problems of the world. We need to live within our means. But I have a confession to make. I used to be an NDP’er not too long ago. And yes, I’ve learned a lot since then. When I was voting NDP, my heart was in the right place, but my vote was in the wrong party. With age, wisdom and fatherhood, I have learned that there is a big difference between wishing it were so and making it happen. I’m not the first NDP voter to figure this out.  And on election day, I won’t be the last.

I have embraced the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party because I feel that they are the most in touch with what Ontarians actually care about. I believe that being in government requires facing difficult decisions, and I believe that governments should not unfairly burden future generations with the cost of these decisions. I am convinced that the Ontario PC party under the leadership of Tim Hudak has the best chance to re-establish Ontario’s place as a leader in Canada. My experiences in business have taught me that that strong fiscal management is imperative for success. I believe that government can play a positive role in the economy and I believe the PCs are the best party to encourage businesses to set up shop in Ontario, creating new jobs & revitalizing investment in the province. It is for reasons like these and more, that I am putting my name forward for public office under the leadership of Tim Hudak's Progressive Conservatives.

My upbringing has given me a strong foundation of compassion and empathy. I have many areas of interest that I will bring to this position, but I will bring up just a few tonight. I believe that hardworking Ontario families that play by the rules need relief. I believe that investments in mental health for children and adults should be a priority. I believe that we need to demonstrate respect for seniors who are on fixed incomes. I believe that the government must support arts and culture, as they bring in Billions of dollars in revenue and create many jobs for the province. I believe we must demonstrate transparency in how Ontario tax dollars are spent.

Our current government is an utter disappointment. Spending has ballooned under the watch of the Liberals. Ontario is swimming in debt.  Good paying jobs have fled our borders.  Once the engine of confederation, Ontario is now a have-not province. All the while families are struggling to keep up. We are working harder to keep less money in our pockets. It does not make sense. We see the Liberal government squander money with one hand and then turn around and tax us with the other!

My friends, at the end of the day, WE NEED CHANGE. We need to put an end to Dalton McGuinty's promise-breaking, loose-spending, tax-hiking ways once and for all. We need change - and I want that change to start right here in Parkdale-High Park. Tim Hudak and I will offer a clear choice to families in our riding in the next election.

But nothing is going to be handed to us. We must work harder and longer than our opponents. We must spread our message of change to every voter across Parkdale-High Park. Rob Ford`s victory and the Federal Conservatives growing strength show that conservatives can be competitive in Toronto.

We can do this, we absolutely can win. But to win, I need your help. Help me identify and build the biggest volunteer team this riding has ever seen.  Help me raise money to cover the cost of lawn signs, advertisements, phone lines and office space. Help me identify our conservative supporters between now and the election.  Help me convert supporters of other parties to our cause, and convince first time voters to vote PC. Help me deliver our supporters to the polls on October 6^th.

Thursday October 6^th, 2011 will be that day.

I am Joe Ganetakos and I want to be your Member of Provincial Parliament.

Thank you.

Guest Column from Candidate Joseph Ganetakos

Who is Joseph Ganetakos?

I work in interactive entertainment, am a father, community advocate and High Park dog-walking and baby-strolling resident of Parkdale-High Park. I love Parkdale-High Park and am proud to call this my home. In recent years, with the onset of fatherhood, I have become more and more concerned the City and Province that I love is headed in the wrong direction. As it is with anything you love, I am compelled to strive to make our community better and stronger and it is for this reason that I am putting my name forward for public office under the leadership of Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives.

I used to be a staunch NDP’er from the Howard Hampton days. My apologies. I greatly respect current MPP Cheri DiNovo and the passion that the NDP bring to community advocacy. So why the switch? As it is with age, I have grown wiser with time and feel that the rosy principles of the NDP are not in the best interests of this province. You simply cannot spend and spend to solve all the problems of the world - people need to take responsibility. We need to live within our means.

I embraced the PCs because I feel that they are the most in touch with what Ontarians actually care about – community, family and financial prudence. Under the leadership of Tim Hudak, I am convinced that the Ontario PC party has the best chance to re-establish Ontario’s place as leader in Canada. This is not a far right party but rather a progressive party of pragmatists and realists. A PC government would provide a better place to set up shop, create new jobs and revitalize investment in the province. Ontario can lead again.

With the NDP and Tories, you know what those parties’ priorities actually are. With the Liberals and Dalton McGuinty, I am not sure what they stand for. I believe that being in government requires people to make tough decisions, not the most popular decisions, and not postponing the payment for these decisions to future generations. Despite the Liberal’s lack of a philosophical anchor, the decisions that Liberals have made have been poor for the long-term interests of Ontario. There is ample evidence that this Liberal government has run its course – billion dollar scandals, increased taxation coupled with record deficits, out of control spending, higher energy bills, and a lack of priorities.

If elected, I intend to help everyday Ontario families by representing the principles of community, family and financial prudence in a PC government.  After witnessing failure after failure under Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal party, I simply cannot allow the mismanagement of such a tremendous province to go on any longer, and I would be honoured to represent this great riding in the Ontario legislature.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. I need your help, through a donation or volunteering, or both! Change is coming to Ontario! Circle your calendar Thursday October 6^th, 2011 as the day that Ontario can lead again.

Joseph Ganetakos

Provincial Nomination Meeting Called for Parkdale-High Park

The Provincial Nominations Committee has called a nomination meeting for the riding of Parkdale-High Park

Under the Rules Governing Candidate Nominations of the Ontario PC Party, the Provincial Nominations Committee (PNC) has called a nomination meeting for the riding of Parkdale-High Park which will take place as follows:

Ontario PC Nomination Meeting
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Registration: 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Meeting: 7:00 PM
Location: Swansea Town Hall, “Rousseau Room”
95 Lavinia Avenue, Toronto, ON  M6S 3H9

The official notice of meeting was mailed to members on Friday April 1, 2011.

Members that have received this notice in the mail will not have renewed their membership in time for the mailing and will be required to update their membership prior to attending the meeting.

Expired memberships as well as new membership must be received by 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 in order to be eligible to vote at the nomination meeting.

You can join or update your membership here: https://secure.ontariopc.com/riding/?id=68&type=membership

Candidates as of April 1st

Currently, the PNC has approved the candidacy of Joseph Ganetakos for the Progressive Conservative nomination in Parkdale-High Park. You may contact Joe at:

Web: www.josephganetakos.ca
Email: joseph@ganetakos.ca
Twitter: @Ganetakos_ONPC

The deadline for candidates to submit nomination papers is 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 7th, 2011. Submissions must be made to Ontario PC Party Campaign Headquarters:

Ontario PC Campaign Headquarters,
85 Richmond Street West, Suite 900,
Toronto, ON.

In a partisan environment there is still time for independent and non-partisan opinion

We have obviously entered a super-heated political environment - one that at least in Ontario will not end until polls close on October 6th. In the midst of this, those of us who are politically active should take note of independent opinions and non-partisan efforts, as a gauge against our own efforts. In education, the 2011 'Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/display.aspx?id=17371 was just released and it concludes that in the last five years advances have just held steady. It should not come as a surprise that most school improvements would have come in the early years of standardized testing, and that improvements will get harder as time goes by. (The report also by inference asks a fundamental question about whether or not throwing money at a problem will solve it). Read the report and search out your own school. This afternoon, a provincial budget will be presented, and we will write more about that later. In the meantime, we have learned that important recommendations of the all-party Select Committee on Mental Health and Addiction will be included, and that is a good thing. You can read the report at http://bitly/ickw1c but you should also note that it is thanks to members of three parties - Kevin Flynn (Liberal from Oakville), France Gelinas (NDP Nickel Belt) and Ontario PC Deputy Leader Christine Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa) that it has progressed this far.

2011 Ontario Progressive Conservative Convention

Progressive Conservative Party members in Parkdale-High Park have an opportunity to shape the future of the province at the '2011 Ontario PC Convention' from Thursday, May 26th to Saturday, May 28th in Toronto. It is an event that should not be missed by anyone who plans to work on the coming provincial election campaign and will include:

• campaign mobilization sessions


• comprehensive training programme including the latest in campaigning and social network tactics


• campaign team and policy briefings


• a 'Miller Kids Convention' featuring fun activities and daycare for kids


• great social events and special guest speakers


• an Ontario PC Youth Programme and Convention


• the chance to meet all of our Ontario Progressive Conservative candidates for the 2011 convention and our leader, Tim Hudak, live from the convention floor!

These are exclusive sessions for members only. If your membership has lapsed, you can quickly renew it by contacting me, or renewing online through this website, or at www.OntarioPC.com I hope to see you all at the convention!

Ontario PCs leading over Liberals, poll suggests (National Post March 18, 2011)

A new Nanos poll suggests that Tim Hudak’s PCs are the front-runners over Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals in the upcoming Ontario provincial election. The latest numbers — from a telephone survey conducted between March 8 and March 11 — below


>> Read the full story at the National Post

Check Back Soon

Welcome to the new Parkdale High Park Ontario PC Riding Association.
This blog is closed at the moment while we build out our main website.

Please check back soon.