Smith holding consultations on budget
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith is holding a series of public consultations on the forthcoming Ontario budget — and the next opportunity to attend one of these public meetings is next week.
The consultation will be held on Jan. 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Friends of the Library Community Room at the Peterborough Public Library on Aylmer St.
It’s one of a series of consultations that Smith has already begun: he hosted two in Peterborough County on Friday.
The first one was Friday morning at the Marshland Centre in Lakefield. Members of the Chamber of Commerce East Kawartha were among the attendees.
Smith also held another consultation in the afternoon at Honeys Diner in Woodview.
Meanwhile the province’s standing committee on finance and economic affairs is also coming to Peterborough at the end of the month.
That’s another public meeting in advance of the provincial government’s budget — but it’s a separate consultation.
That meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28 in the Regency Ballroom at the Holiday Inn Peterborough Waterfront on George St. It’s open to the public.
It’s the second last in a series of consultations by the committee that start in Toronto on Tuesday and will travel to Dryden, Timmins, Ottawa, Sarnia and Kitchener-Waterloo.
The deadline to register to make an oral presentation to the committee has passed, but there’s still time to submit comments in writing.
Those interested must write to Timothy Bryant, the clerk of the committee, by 5 p.m. on Jan. 29 (the mailing address is Room 1405, Whitney Block, Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ont., M7A 1A2).
Yet another series of prebudget consultations was launched in December by Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.
Fideli announced last month he is seeking ideas from the public on how to cut government red tape, improve government programs and save money for taxpayers.