How many times does the Ontario government have to get kicked in the teeth by the legal system before it stops wasting our money appealing the process for hiking Hwy. 407 tolls?
You remember the deal. In the raft of rash promises Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals made to win the election in 2003 (an election they were going to win anyway) the Grits promised they’d change the process of raising tolls.
Unfortunately, as with their commitment about immediately stopping development on the Oak Ridges Moraine, they only checked the fine print later, and found they didn’t have a legal leg to stand on.
But, that didn’t stop McGuinty and his Cabinet from going to court to fight a battle they couldn’t win.
They obviously wanted to pound home the message that the Harris Tories signed away the ship with their 100-year-long Hwy. 407 lease that doesn’t require Cabinet approval for toll hikes.
That message was already clear to anyone who had been paying attention.
Yes, it was a horrible deal. Of course, no private company should be able to bleed money from the public like this without any government control.
But, pouring our money down the appeal drain isn’t going to fix anything.
Our own Harinder Takhar, Transportation Minister and MPP for Mississauga Centre, is leading the charge of the not-so-bright brigade here. He’s a smart man who should know better.
Cut the losses, cut the bleeding and save the rhetoric for the next election campaign in 2007.