Mayor readies demands for Ontario's next premier
Maintaining uploading agreement between the province and municipalities is a 'No. 1 preoccupation': Jim Watson
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson knows exactly which issues he'll raise with Ontario's next premier following his or her election Thursday.
Watson is keen to confirm the next provincial government honours commitments already made to light rail and affordable housing in Ottawa, and wants to ensure cities aren't left picking up the slack for funding decisions made at Queen's Park.
Asked which candidate he'd like to see lead the province, the mayor — a former member of the Liberal cabinet at Queen's Park — admitted his bias. Watson favours his old party "for the simple reason that they have been good partners," he said Tuesday.
But it's not clear what a Ford government would mean for the City of Ottawa because the PC platform has been "vague," he said.
Watson asked all three political parties to answer a survey relating to municipal issues, and released the results this week.
See the survey results here.
Trillium Line extension
Just before the election began, the Liberal government promised to fully fund a three kilometre LRT extension to the edge of the urban boundary, south of Earl Armstrong Road.
The New Democrats told Watson they would honour the Liberal funding commitment.
While all parties responded to Watson's questionnaire, PC Leader Doug Ford didn't answer the mayor's question about the Trillium Line.
"We still have a question out about the Conservative support for the $50 million for the Riverside South extension," Watson said Tuesday.
Ford did say his government would honour its commitment to Phase 2 of the city's LRT plan, a much larger investment.
Uploading agreement
Ford also didn't answer Watson's question about provincial uploading.
When Watson was a member of the Liberal cabinet, he signed a $1.5-billion uploading agreement ensuring cities wouldn't be held financially responsible for programs the province is supposed to pay for, including social services.
That agreement ends this year, and Watson wants to make sure the deal is maintained.
"It's my No. 1 preoccupation," Watson said.
Wynne 'courageous'
Watson commended Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne for acknowledging this past weekend she will not be re-elected premier.
"I think it was gutsy to have to pull yourself, in essence, out of the election and realize you're not going to be the premier after Thursday," Watson said.
As for whether Watson is considering abandoning his own mayoral campaign to take over the Liberal party, the mayor politely declined.
"I'm very happy where I am, thank you for asking."