With the legislature (the leg) in recess for Remembrance Week, MPPs are busy working away in their constituencies. And one can only hope that they're listening (especially opposition members) to the voters and actually scanning the daily headlines.

Since the leg reconvened in late October, question period has been amusing but hardly enlightening for or helpful to taxpayers. Instead of focussing on real problems, the opposition Liberals and NDP seem content to play out their "this government is corrupt, dishonest and arrogant cards" with their daily attacks on various Cabinet ministers. While such a strategy makes for good headlines in the Toronto papers, it does nothing to address the real concerns of voters in Ancaster, London, Timmins or Cornwall.

Here are just a few questions, with the appropriate preamble, that should be asked when the leg returns next week if MPPs wish to effectively serve taxpayers.


Question: Mr. Speaker, the Tories should be ashamed for blatantly breaking their 1995 campaign promise concerning the sale of public assets. At that time, Mr. Harris promised that "every penny" from the sale of public assets would go to paying down the provincial debt. But the Management Board Chairman has confirmed that proceeds from the $200 million fire sale of assets (golf courses, office buildings, and casino land) currently underway will go to general revenue instead. Mr. Speaker, why is the government breaking its promise to tomorrow's taxpayers by not reducing this province's $120 billion debt … now


Question: Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago the Premier was joined by the Mayor of Toronto and the Prime Minister to announce a massive 10-year, 46-km waterfront mega-project development in Toronto.

This mega-project includes plans for a new streetcar line, dismantling of the Gardiner Expressway, and a direct rail link to Pearson airport. But we have no price tag. Why has the Premier given an open-ended blank cheque commitment to aid in the funding of this project Can every other community in the province expect such generosity And exactly where will these billions and billions of tax dollars come from


Question: Mr. Speaker, last week 17 of Toronto's 22 hospitals were on emergency redirect status forcing emergency patients and ambulances to different hospitals. Emergency room backlogs and overcrowding is now a fact of life in many Ontario communities.

What is the government doing to lessen demand What is the government doing in the area of primary care reform to ensure that fewer citizens see the hospital as a care centre of first resort And when will the government accelerate its plans for alternative level of care (ALC) beds so discharged patients receive adequate care and don't return to emergency wards shortly after discharge thereby lowering overall health care costs


Question: Mr. Speaker, why did the Minister of Finance commit to reducing property taxes on privately-owned sports facilities if municipalities do the same

Does the Minister employ any research staff Simple research would reveal that all credible academic evidence concludes that professional sports franchises have a negligible economic impact on local economies. The government has shown no backbone by giving into the "sky is falling" hysteria perpetuated by hockey bailout advocates. Why is the government bailing out an industry that has seen its wage bill (read: player salaries) skyrocket by 480% in nine years

Hopefully, the opposition parties will start doing their job and hold the government to account for matters that are truly troubling to taxpayers. Next week, we'll be watching …