Category: Tony Dean

By Tony Dean There is talk of the Ontario Legislature staying open for business over the summer to deal with the government’s budget legislation. The PCs are working really hard at being a nuisance with bell ringing an ...

By Tony Dean Queen’s Park was shaken up on May 3 with the surprise appointment of David Livingston to replace Chris Morley as Premier Dalton McGuinty’s chief of staff.   That evening the Ontario crowd at the massive Pub ...

By Tony Dean There has been a lot of talk about the degree to which the McGuinty government has taken up Don Drummond’s recommendations on deficit reduction and reform of public services. It’s a tricky one for the gove ...

By Tony Dean Yet another big announcement hit Queen’s Park on Thursday with the impending departure of Chris Morley as chief of staff in the Premier’s Office. Morley has been a superb chief of staff.  He walked into go ...

By Tony Dean The big news at Queen’s Park today is the appointment of Conservative MPP Elizabeth Witmer as Chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. It’s a good move at the right time for Witmer. It puts the ...

By Tony Dean So there is a last-minute Liberal-NDP budget deal after all. These talks were always going to go to the wire and it’s no surprise that they culminated in a Monday afternoon face-to-face meeting between Dal ...

By Tony Dean Predictably, talks on amendments to the Liberal budget are moving slowly and cautiously.  Let’s face it, an early deal would have observers looking for who blinked first and neither party can afford that.  ...

By Tony Dean In parallel with Don Drummond’s wake-up call on provincial overspending, Premier Dalton McGuinty has called for a two-year wage freeze for doctors and teachers.  This column focuses on teachers because th ...