Infrastructure key to Wynne restoring faith in Liberals
SIMCOE, ONT.— It is raining on the premier’s parade in southwestern Ontario.
Despite the best-laid plans for an early morning photo-op at the site of an unfinished bridge, Kathleen Wynne is forced to seek sanctuary in a local hockey rink.
If she cannot hold forth on-site, then the construction site must be relocated to the premier — symbolically — thanks to an enterprising staffer who lugs six oversized reflective pylons across town to the indoor news conference.
In politics, rain or shine, the show must go on. Flanked by grimy pylons and unfurled flags, Wynne has begun another gruelling road trip by once again talking up roads and bridges, trying to make inroads by bridging the growing Liberal gap in rural Ontario.
What better way for a big city politician to gain traction in smalltown Ontario?
If rapid transit is her touchstone in Toronto, roads and bridges are the counterpoint for rural voters who needn’t feel shortchanged.
Not just subways for Scarborough, but infrastructure for all — big or small.
“We can talk about transit in some parts of the province, but in much of the province what we’re talking about are roads (and) bridges,” she tells a small crowd of local residents and reporters sheltering from the rain.
Doling out infrastructure dollars seems to be the centrepiece of Wynne’s economic renewal strategy — at least until further notice.
It is a practice perfected by Ottawa and other provincial governments, and it may be Wynne’s best hope to break out of the box bequeathed by her unpopular predecessor, Dalton McGuinty.
Community leaders love the cash bestowed by the premier. Will voters buy it?
“Your government is right, premier,” Norfolk Mayor Dennis Travale tells Wynne approvingly from the microphone.
But money doesn’t heal all wounds. A local reporter asks the requisite wind turbine question and seems unpersuaded by Wynne’s carefully worded reply that “the go-forward will be much more engaging of the local communities.”
Talk goes only so far, and Ontarians are becoming increasingly impatient about Wynne’s core vocabulary of consultations, discussions and common ground. She will have to start giving more direct answers, and she is clearly trying.
An elderly farming couple warns her against the steep increase in the minimum wage demanded by anti- poverty groups to $14 an hour. Wynne, better known for stressing social justice, counters that a major hike from the current $10.25 an hour is off the table. Reassured by her crisp answer, the wizened couple comes forward with a half-bushel of just-harvested honeycrisp apples for the premier, who also happens to be minister of agriculture and food. Her mere presence has scored points. When she sidles up later to chat up local journalists, one of them seems genuinely touched. “I don’t know that we’ve had a premier come here in the last 30 years,” he muses. After all, she is visiting a safe Tory riding — solidified years ago when McGuinty antagonized local tobacco growers by saying it was time for Ontario to “butt out.” Now farmers are growing ginseng here. And Wynne is trying to put down fresh roots. “Why did you come here?” the local reporter persists, still incredulous. “I wanted to be on a bridge,” Wynne deadpans. And she can’t get that bridge out of her head. As her entourage pushes off for the next stop and photo-op, the premier asks her OPP driver to detour back to that emblematic bridge — trying to recapture the photo-op that eluded her. As her lumbering SUV pulls up, its high-profile passenger hidden by dark tinted windows, Wynne alights in her sleek black pantsuit and high heels onto the pockmarked shoulder. Time enough for a quick meetand-greet — with apologies for the weather that deprived the workers of their 15 minutes of fame. And a promise to return the borrowed pylons. Back on the road, Wynne takes stock of her honeycrisps and talks about the bitter legacy the Liberals have left after a decade in power. The woman from Toronto who took over last February faces steep obstacles. “At the beginning, there was an aloofness, there was a bit of suspicion,” she reflects. “They didn’t know whether to warm up to me or not, but it feels like that has changed now.” By taking on the agriculture portfolio, she has been able to connect quickly with farm leaders — members of the agricultural-industrial establishment who appreciate the higher profile and direct access to power that they gained. Making headway with real voters isn’t so easy. “There are lots of people who just don’t like us in the rural communities,” she acknowledges. Next stop Brantford, where Wynne is whisked to the satellite campus of Wilfrid Laurier University for an economic roundtable with the local chamber of commerce. The minimum wage keeps coming up, forcing Wynne to once again reassure local entrepreneurs that she’s not contemplating any major hikes. They are preoccupied by the de-industrialization of the region and gaps in their skilled workforce.
But there are bright spots amid the gloom. Wynne’s entourage makes an unscheduled stop at Brantwood Farm, swapping those black high heels for red flats as she strides purposefully through the apple orchards that have produced a bumper crop.
From apples on the vine to chocolates on the line, the premier’s onthe-spot inspection tour stops at the sprawling production facility of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, the ubiquitous treats wrapped in gold foil.
The 900,000-square-foot facility employs 1,100 people and is starting to source hazelnuts locally for its signature chocolates, a welcome success story in a region that has failed to achieve its full potential in food processing.
“You make people happy. You supply them with chocolate,” an exuberant Wynne tells about 100 workers gathered for her visit.
“Our mission is to bring joy and light,” explains the factory manager.
It is a winning recipe any politician craves as she tries to mend fences. Food for thought as Wynne disembarks for the long drive back to Toronto through gridlocked highways, weighed down by her precious cargo of honeycrisps and Ferrero Rocher chocolates acquired along the way.
More on her thoughts in my Tuesday column. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn