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83-610: The inquiry was established by then-Premier Dalton McGuinty shortly after he took office after winning the Ontario general election on October 23, 2003. On November 12, 2003 the Liberals called for an inquiry with a twofold purpose, to investigate events surrounding the death of 38-year-old Dudley George , who was shot and killed by an OPP officer at Ipperwash Provincial Park in September 1995, and to make recommendations to prevent

166-947: A June 1, 2007 article in The Toronto Star , the Law Society of Upper Canada described it as "a landmark report on Aboriginal, police and government relations." The Ipperwash inquiry proceedings were taking place at the same time as the Caledonia land dispute also known as the Grand River land dispute . In 2006, members of the Six Nations of the Grand River took control of a disputed parcel of land in Caledonia, Ontario , in Haldimand County known as

249-646: A 2015 history of the Ontario Court of Justice , for many years the family of Dudley George, especially his brother Sam George had called for an investigation, questions had continued to be raised in the Ontario Legislature, and journalists had continued their investigations. On November 12, 2003, the Liberal government that had just won the Ontario general election on October 23, 2003, under Premier McGuinty, called for an inquiry. The hearings for

332-487: A ban on partisan government advertising. On May 18, 2004, Provincial Finance Minister Greg Sorbara released the McGuinty government's first budget, the first year of a four-year plan focused on tackling four deficits the Liberals claim the previous Tories left behind: the "health deficit", the "education deficit", the "infrastructure deficit" and the "fiscal deficit". This budget was focused on health care. At its core

415-539: A campaign to narrow the so-called "$ 23 billion gap" between what Ontario contributes to the federal government and what is returned to Ontario in services. This came as a sharp turn after more than a year of cooperating with the federal government. McGuinty said special deals made by the federal government with other provinces ( Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia ) compromised the nature of equalization . He noted that immigrants in Ontario receive $ 800 in support from

498-585: A few electoral districts. The scandal caused the Liberals to be reduced to a minority government . McGuinty continued as premier for another year and a half, but the continuing gas plant issue refused to go away. He prorogued the legislature in October 2012 before being succeeded as Liberal leader and premier by Kathleen Wynne in February 2013. McGuinty resigned his own seat in June 2013. Shortly after leaving

581-435: A four-year plan to tackle the deficit, funding for 1,000 new teachers, a transfer of two cents of the existing gas tax to municipalities to help fund transit, and a three per cent increase to those on social assistance, the first increase in ten years. Soon after the federal election, McGuinty attended a First Ministers' Meeting on health-care reform that resulted in a new agreement for a national health accord. This Accord saw

664-521: A functionary of the Canadian state. Initial press releases from the protestors in June and July called Sun Dancers to the site, claimed their right to practise their religion was being violated, and re-asserted the belief that the grounds were part of a larger tract of unceded Indigenous land. Shots were allegedly fired toward forestry workers working in the area, at which point the RCMP attempted to secure

747-456: A law degree and practiced law in Ottawa. His father served as a Liberal member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1987 until his death in 1990. A provincial election was called for later that year and McGuinty successfully ran in his father's seat, though the incumbent Liberal government was defeated. After party leader Lyn McLeod resigned due to her leading the Liberals to a second defeat in

830-502: A major issue in the early days of the 2004 federal election , called a week after the Ontario budget. Many believe that the controversy hampered Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin 's bid for re-election . Also controversial was the elimination of coverage for health services not covered by the Canada Health Act including eye examinations and physical therapy. Other elements of the McGuinty government's first budget were

913-457: A number of controversies involving the governing PC Party, including the fallout over the shooting death of native protester Dudley George at Ipperwash , the deaths of seven people from tainted water in Walkerton , and the decision to provide tax credits to parents who sent their children to private schools. Harris resigned in 2001 and his successor, Ernie Eves , received a short boost in

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996-407: A number of initiatives in the fall of 2004. These included legislation allowing restaurant patrons to bring their own wine, banning junk food in public schools, outlawing smoking in public places, and requiring students to stay in school until age 18. Following a series of high-profile maulings by pit bulls , the government also moved to ban the dogs. Some Ontarians were critical of this issue since it

1079-561: A petition to the Queen, signed by representatives of Indigenous religious communities from across Canada, including Rosette and Alberta medicine man John Stevens. The petition sought an international inquiry into the subject of the occupation of unceded Indigenous territories by the Canadian government. At this point, the RCMP operated as mediators between the James Cattle Company and the protestors. In June 1995, people from

1162-523: A press release which described McGuinty as an " evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet ". Eves later stated that this was obviously meant as a joke, but acknowledged its inappropriateness. McGuinty undertook a series of choreographed events, including signing a taxpayer protection pledge not to raise taxes. He appeared on the popular sports show "Off the Record", where he received an endorsement from Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm . McGuinty

1245-656: A promise to balance the budget in 2007–08. The government instead aimed at balance in 2008–09. The McGuinty Liberals also moved to expand infrastructure spending by encouraging Ontario's large pension plans to invest in the construction of new roads, schools and hospitals. Specific projects in the budget included a 10-year expansion of the Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit , 15,000 new affordable housing units and improved border crossings. NDP leader Howard Hampton described this move as "privatization by stealth". During their second year in office,

1328-554: A right-leaning leader like McGuinty was necessary to compete against the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) of Premier Mike Harris . McGuinty's first term in opposition was difficult. The governing Progressive Conservatives played up McGuinty's low profile by defining him as "not up to the job" in a series of television advertisements. His internal management of the Liberal Party

1411-407: A scandal developed around a new plan to update health care records called eHealth Ontario . Just prior to the 2011 election, another controversy developed when McGuinty's government cancelled gas plants that were located in key Liberal ridings and were widely opposed by the local residents. The cost to cancel the projects was close to $ 1 billion and the move was seen as pandering to the electorate in

1494-534: A surprisingly difficult re-election in Ottawa South, before defeating his Conservative opponent by about 3,000 votes. During McGuinty's second term as opposition leader, he hired a more skilled group of advisors and drafted former cabinet minister Greg Sorbara as party president. McGuinty also rebuilt the party's fundraising operation, launching the Ontario Liberal Fund. In preparation for

1577-630: A year after the report was released, Sam George was inducted into the Order of Ontario. The man who nominated George, Wayne Samuelson, said that, "Sam George did not seek revenge – he sought justice. Sam is a man of peace, a shining example for us all. Debewin is the Ojibway word for truth. It means the truth is supposed to heal us all. That's what Sam set out to do." In 2003 Amnesty International renewed its call for an inquiry. Alex Neve, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada said that "[e}Eight years

1660-523: Is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearly 70 years earlier. In 2011, he became the first Liberal premier to secure a third consecutive term since Oliver Mowat after his party was re-elected in that year's provincial election . McGuinty was born in Ottawa . He studied science at university, but ended up taking

1743-478: Is simply too long to wait for answer" and that governments at the federal and provincial level had "ignored their responsibilities" and defied a 1999 request from the United Nations. He added that this was "hurting Canada's efforts to pressure other countries on human rights and cited this country's dispute with Iran over the death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi as an example." According to

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1826-466: The 1995 election , McGuinty was elected leader in the 1996 leadership election . McGuinty lost the 1999 election to Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris , but won a resounding majority in 2003 . From 2003 to 2007, McGuinty's government increased spending for health care and education. He won another majority in 2007 , though his second term was deeply affected by the 2008 financial crisis , which saw government revenues plummet. In addition,

1909-403: The 2003 election , the party adopted a platform that emphasized lowering class sizes in schools, hiring more nurses, increasing environmental protections, and "holding the line" on taxes. McGuinty also made an effort to improve his debating skills and received coaching from Scott Reid who also trained United States Senator John McCain . McGuinty's chances of forming government were improved by

1992-541: The Canadian Forces . The RCMP kept journalists well away from the site and some reporters became uneasy that the only side of the story being told was that preferred by the police. Under Canadian law, police forces have discretion to create "exclusion zones" to protect the public, and allow themselves clear space to carry out their duties, but these zones are usually measured in metres. On September 11, RCMP detonated an explosive device buried in an access road to

2075-585: The Gustafsen Lake standoff where the RCMP had been "subject to gunfire". In Volume 1, in the section "History of Stoney Point and Kettle Point", Joan Holmes reported that in 1937 the Chief and Council of the Kettle and Stony Point Band had requested that the provincial government preserve an old Indian burial ground at Ipperwash Beach by fencing it to protect it. This section of the report described in detail

2158-575: The Haldimand Tract . The Caledonia occupation resulted in a successful $ 20 million lawsuit by Caledonia residents against the Crown. The University of Western Ontario 's political science professor, Andrew Sancton wrote in his 2012 article, that the case for Caledonia residents would have been weaker if the Crown had implemented Linden's "democratic policing" model. In her 2010 book entitled Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How

2241-551: The Ontario New Democratic Party , and now hoped to defeat the governing Conservatives by strategic voting . The Progressive Conservative Party was re-elected, and McGuinty rallied his party in the election's closing days to draw 40% of the popular vote for the Liberals, their second-best performance in fifty years, which increased their seat total in the Legislature from 30 to 36. McGuinty himself faced

2324-669: The Secwepemc (Shuswap), other Indigenous, and non-Indigenous supporters joined Rosette and Pena at Gustafsen Lake in preparation for the Sun Dance to take place in July. The situation intensified when James presented the camp with an eviction notice after they erected a fence to keep defecating cattle from the ceremonial area. James believed the Indigenous community members and their supporters were staking their territory. The situation

2407-557: The Shuswap language ). The standoff began on August 18, 1995, and lasted for 31 days, ending on September 17, when the few remaining protestors left the site peacefully. The RCMP operation during the standoff ended up being the most costly of its kind to date in modern Canadian history, having involved 400 police officers and support from the Canadian Armed Forces in the form of Operation Wallaby. The 1995 Sun Dance

2490-483: The University of Ottawa before practicing law in Ottawa. Since 1980, he has been married to high school girlfriend Terri McGuinty, an elementary school teacher . The couple have one daughter and three sons. McGuinty's father, Dalton Sr., served as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ottawa South until his death in 1990. Dalton Jr. won the Liberal Party's nomination for his father's former riding for

2573-554: The provincial election of 1990 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario . The Liberal government of David Peterson was defeated by the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) in that election. In opposition, McGuinty served as the Liberal Party's critic for energy, environment and colleges and universities. He was re-elected in Ottawa South in the 1995 provincial election without much difficulty. The Liberals maintained their status as

Ipperwash Inquiry - Misplaced Pages Continue

2656-536: The Energy portfolio. Gustafsen Lake standoff [REDACTED]   British Columbia The Gustafsen Lake standoff was a land dispute that led to a confrontation between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Indigenous protestors (Tsʼpeten Defenders) and non-Indigenous protestors in the interior of British Columbia , Canada, at Gustafsen Lake (known as Tsʼpeten in

2739-542: The Ipperwash Crisis, the land dispute dated back to 1942, when the federal government appropriated Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation 's land to build Camp Ipperwash , a military base, under the War Measures Act and relocated 16 First Nation families and their homes. The land was supposed to be used as a base only during the war and with a promise of compensation. After World War II ,

2822-518: The Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation." In Volume 1 of the report it was noted that, Premier Harris's "comments" and "generally the speed at which he wished to end the occupation of Ipperwash Park, created an atmosphere that unduly narrowed the scope of the government's response to the Aboriginal occupation." The report made 100 recommendations. The Ipperwash inquiry has been called a landmark inquiry by Amnesty International Canada . According to

2905-619: The Law Failed All of Us , reporter Christie Blatchford said that Linden's democratic policing model received "virtually no public attention". She decried the vacuum of policy accountability. Blatchford said that a "more intelligent and sympathetic view of aboriginal and Canadian history [than the Ipperwash Inquiry report] would be hard to find" By 2012, Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse said that, "the most meaningful recommendations remain[ed] unaddressed and combined with

2988-594: The Legislature back for a rare winter session to debate and pass several high-profile bills. The government legislated a "greenbelt" around Toronto . The size of Prince Edward Island, the Greenbelt protects a broad swath of land from development and preserves forests and farmland. In response to court decisions, the McGuinty Liberals updated legislation to reflect the change in the definition of marriage to include homosexual couples. McGuinty also launched

3071-427: The Legislature back in session in late 2003. The government brought in auto insurance reforms (including a price cap), rolled-back a series of corporate and personal tax cuts that had been scheduled for 2004, passed legislation that enshrined publicly funded healthcare into provincial law, hired more meat and water inspectors, opened up the provincially owned electricity companies to Freedom of Information laws and enacted

3154-469: The Liberals imposed a controversial new Health Premium of $ 300 to $ 900, staggered according to income. This violated a key Liberal campaign pledge not to raise taxes, and gave the government an early reputation for breaking promises. The Liberals defended the premium by arguing that the previous government had a hidden deficit, and McGuinty claimed he needed to break his campaign pledge on taxation to fulfill his promises on other fronts. His own finance critic of

3237-403: The McGuinty Liberals brought forward a series of negotiations with the province's unions. First, Health Minister George Smitherman concluded an agreement with the province's doctors that included incentives to practice in family health teams or under-serviced communities. Education Minister Gerard Kennedy established a province-wide negotiating framework with the province's teachers' unions with

3320-833: The McGuinty government of breaking its promise to cap classroom sizes. Kennedy responded that some flexibility is always necessary, and that any reasonable person would regard a 90–95% success rate as a promise kept. Also in June 2005, two cabinet ministers in McGuinty's government were scrutinized for alleged improprieties. Joseph Cordiano faced calls for his resignation after revelations that he billed $ 17,000 for personal expenses to his riding association. These expenses included meals in Paris and Milan , and theatre tickets in London . Cordiano insisted that these expenses were related to riding activities, and refused to resign. McGuinty defended Cordiano in public, claiming he had "complete confidence" in

3403-407: The McGuinty government put forward a throne speech in October reiterating their priorities of health, education and economic prosperity. The speech outlined plans to offer the first money-back guarantee on a public service: a refund for people who do not receive a birth certificate within 15 days of applying on-line. On November 18, 2005, it was announced that Ontario's Drive Clean emissions program

Ipperwash Inquiry - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-497: The Ontario Public Inquiries Act (1990) . In the introduction of Volume 3 of his final report, Linden explained how public inquiries are "established by government, and their objective is to fulfill the mandate set out in an order-in-council, yet they are independent of government." He wrote that a "public inquiry can be called to uncover the truth about a specific matter... and to propose policy reform" as

3569-602: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCPP) had erred in including his name in the search warrant. In striking Sorbara's name from the warrant, Justice Ian Nordheimer of the Ontario Superior Court said there were inadequate grounds for police to include him in the first place. The judge was particularly scathing in his review of the RCMP probe of Sorbara. On May 23, 2006, Sorbara was reinstated as Minister of Finance, while Duncan returned to

3652-603: The Sorbara Group offices — owned by Greg Sorbara and his brothers — as part of the ongoing Royal Group Technologies investigation. The warrant stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe Sorbara and other directors of Royal Group defrauded the company and shareholders when they bought land in Brampton, that was owned by a subsidiary of the Sorbara Group. Sorbara initially resisted opposition calls for him to step down, then resigned as Minister of Finance

3735-578: The Stony Point reserve by the Government of Canada in 1942 was unprecedented in Canadian history." The inquiry "found that the OPP, the provincial government led by Premier Mike Harris, and the federal government all bore responsibility for the events that led to George's death. Linden also called on the federal government to issue a public apology and return Camp Ipperwash – along with compensation – to

3818-438: The area. The RCMP continued to negotiate with the protestors through local elected leadership and, then, national Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Grand Chief Ovide Mercredi without success. The RCMP launched one of the largest police operations in Canadian history, including the deployment of 400 tactical assault team members, five helicopters, two surveillance planes and nine Bison armoured personnel carriers on loan from

3901-544: The camp, heavily damaging a supply truck being driven by protestors. The incident resulted in a firefight that made use of the Bisons. Non-Indigenous occupier Suniva Bronson was shot in the arm during the shootout and would be the only injury in the extensive exchange of bullets. On the following day, an unarmed man crossing a field designated as a no-shoot zone was shot at by police snipers. Police later admitted to this mistake. The standoff ended peacefully on September 17 when

3984-477: The ceremony at Gustafsen Lake. James agreed to allow the ceremony to take place for four years as long as no permanent structures were erected at the site. The Sun Dance continued in 1994 and James discovered that Rosette and his partner Mary Pena had taken up permanent residence at the site sometime late in 1994. Rosette was in contact with veteran Indigenous rights lawyer and supporter of Indigenous sovereignty, Bruce Allan Clark . On January 3, 1995, Clark submitted

4067-509: The discovery and authentication of burial sites, the appropriation of land containing the burial sites, and the unrelenting efforts on the part of the Kettle and Stony Point Band to have this site protected. It also described the establishment of Ipperwash Provincial Park in 1936 and the ongoing efforts of the First Nations to protect the burial sites. Stony Point of According to a September 20, 2015 CBC News report twenty years after

4150-614: The escalation of violence like that which took place during the Ipperwash Crisis . According to the report, George was the "first aboriginal person to be killed in a land-rights dispute in Canada since the 19th century." The report found that "the appropriation of the Stony Point reserve by the Government of Canada in 1942 was unprecedented in Canadian history." For ten years Dudley George 's brother Sam George fought "for justice" calling for an inquiry into Dudley's death. In 2008,

4233-435: The fact that the province ha[d] cut funding to support joint implementation work by half compared to 2007 levels" First Nations questioned whether the Ontario government was "committed to making the changes necessary to achieve reconciliation with First Nations in Ontario." By January 2015, the disputed land still had not been returned to the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation. In 2010 the Ontario government had confirmed that

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4316-505: The federal government, while those in Quebec receive $ 3,800. Premier McGuinty and Prime Minister Paul Martin debated the Ontario government's accusations throughout the spring of 2005. McGuinty and Martin finally met in May and, following a nine-hour meeting, McGuinty received a commitment for $ 5.75 billion, spread out over five years, including new money for immigrant settlement, training for

4399-627: The few remaining protestors left the site under the guidance of medicine man, John Stevens. By the end of the 31-day standoff, police had fired up to 77,000 rounds of ammunition, and killed a dog. One of the Indigenous leaders claimed that at least one of the shooting incidents blamed on them in fact occurred when two Bisons fired on one another when their view was obscured. The operation was the largest paramilitary operation in British Columbia history and cost $ 5.5 million. Fourteen Indigenous and four non-Indigenous people were charged following

4482-476: The inquiry were conducted between July 2004 and August 2006 at Kimball Hall Forest Memorial Arena and Community Centre in Forest, Ontario. This location was chosen as it is less than 20 km from where the events leading to the inquiry occurred and because this location made it more convenient for the many local witnesses who testified to attend. The public judicial inquiry was funded by the Government of Ontario under

4565-577: The land had been transferred to the "federal government, which alone has the power to designate reserve territory." On September 18, 2015 members of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation voted to approve a deal with the federal government which included a "$ 90-million dollar financial settlement", the "return of land appropriated by the federal government in 1942 and the cleanup of Stoney Point lands." Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. OOnt (born July 19, 1955)

4648-566: The land was not returned to the First Nation, Camp Ipperwash was used for training cadets until 1995. The First Nations claimed that Sandy Point was a sacred burial site. By 1993, members of the First Nation began to occupy Camp Ipperwash while the military was using the land for training army cadets. In 1995 the military withdrew. A group of 30 First Nations protesters marched into Ipperwash Provincial Park and took up occupation on September 4, 1995. The report found that "the appropriation of

4731-406: The legislature, he was named a senior fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs . McGuinty was born in Ottawa , Ontario. His parents are politician and professor Dalton McGuinty Sr. and full-time nurse Elizabeth (Pexton) McGuinty. The son of a Francophone mother and an Anglophone father, McGuinty is bilingual . McGuinty is the second Roman Catholic to hold

4814-571: The minister. At around the same time, Minister of Transportation Harinder Takhar was accused of a conflict-of-interest, after visiting a company that he owned in a blind trust. Takhar acknowledged that he made "an error in judgement", but denied any wrongdoing. Both Cordiano and Takhar were retained in their portfolios following a cabinet shuffle on June 29, 2005. The matter was sent to the provincial ethics commissioner, who on January 4, 2006, ruled that Takhar had violated Ontario's integrity guidelines by not maintaining an arms length relationship with

4897-533: The official opposition amid a provincial swing from the NDP to the Progressive Conservatives. McGuinty's supporters in his 1996 leadership bid included John Manley , Murray Elston , and Bob Chiarelli . He was elected leader at the party's convention December in a surprise victory over front-runner Gerard Kennedy . Kennedy, a former head of Toronto 's Daily Bread food bank , was popular on

4980-543: The only Indigenous person ever granted political asylum in the United States. According to Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart of the U.S District Court in Oregon , "The Gustafsen Lake incident involved an organized group of Indigenous people rising up in their homeland against an occupation by the government of Canada of their sacred and unceded tribal land." She also asserted that "the Canadian government engaged in

5063-646: The polls from his attempts to move the PC Party to the centre. The 2003 North America blackout gave Eves increased exposure and rallied some support for his party. He called an election immediately after the blackout, and polling showed that the previous Liberal lead had narrowed to a tie in the first week. The rise in Tory support was short-lived. The Liberals took a commanding lead in the campaign's second week, and remained in that position until election day. The Progressive Conservative government accidentally distributed

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5146-514: The premiership. His father is Irish , and his mother is English and French Canadian . His maternal grandfather immigrated to Canada from England . He has nine brothers and sisters. His younger brother David has represented the riding of Ottawa South in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. He is an alumnus of St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, earning a B.Sc. in biology from McMaster University . He then earned his LL.B from

5229-451: The progressive wing of the party, while McGuinty built his core support on its establishment and pro-business right-wing. McGuinty was fourth on the first and second ballots, closely behind Dwight Duncan . He then overtook Duncan and Joe Cordiano on the third and fourth ballots, respectively, receiving the support of their delegates to win on the fifth ballot over Kennedy. Critics called McGuinty "Harris Lite", but his supporters argued that

5312-480: The province's finances. Peters revealed that the out-going Progressive Conservative government had left a hidden deficit of at least $ 5.6 billion. The Conservatives questioned Peters' methodology, and suggested that the McGuinty government was overstating the province's financial difficulties to break or delay some of its campaign spending promises. McGuinty took office as Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs on October 23, 2003. The new government called

5395-546: The provinces receive new federal funding in exchange for providing reports on such things as waiting times for surgeries. McGuinty's government ended the year by releasing "Progress Report 2004: Getting Results for Ontario". This work focused on health, education, and economic growth, and set targets to achieve before the next election (including reducing the high school drop out rate, increasing participation in post-secondary education and reducing wait times for specific medical procedures). The McGuinty government brought forward

5478-661: The report, George was the "first aboriginal person to be killed in a land-rights dispute in Canada since the 19th century." The full report consisted of 4 volumes. Volume 1 covered "Investigation and Findings", Volume 2 was on Policy Analysis, Volume 3 was on Inquiry Process, and Volume 4 included the Executive Summary. According to the section "OPP Prepare for Park Occupation" in Volume 2, on August 29, 1995, OPP Incident Commander John Carson contacted RCMP Inspector Dave Guy in British Columbia about possible similarities with

5561-691: The result that most school boards settled their contracts without lost teaching time. Finally, Management Board Chair Gerry Phillips closed a deal with the provincial government's own civil service union, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union . On June 22, 2005, Education Minister Gerard Kennedy announced that 90–95% of Ontario students between junior kindergarten and Grade Three would be in classes of twenty students or fewer by 2007. He also acknowledged that extenuating circumstances may require slightly larger classes in some cases. Opposition critic Frank Klees accused

5644-507: The same day. He consistently denied any knowledge of the specific allegations against him, and sued the RCMP to either clarify their case against him or withdraw their investigation. Following Sorbara's resignation, Dwight Duncan was appointed as Minister of Finance and Chair of the Management Board. Donna Cansfield took over Duncan's responsibility as Minister of Energy and Jim Bradley as Government House Leader. The next day,

5727-412: The siege, fifteen of whom were found guilty and sentenced to jail terms ranging from six months to eight years. The leader of the protest/occupation, William "Wolverine" Jones Ignace, was found guilty of mischief to property, mischief causing danger to life, possession of firearms and explosives, discharging a firearm at police, and using a firearm to assault police officers. Three of the defendants appealed

5810-634: The time, Gerry Phillips , had predicted that the Tories' projected balanced budget would in fact result in a $ 5 billion deficit in a meeting of the Standing Committee of Estimates of the Legislature on June 3, 2003. Liberal MPP Monte Kwinter also predicted a $ 5 billion deficit. As a result, the Liberals dropped badly in polls and McGuinty fell behind Ernie Eves in the category of preferred premier. The Ontario Health Premium also became

5893-556: The trustee appointed to run his blind trust. McGuinty has defended his minister, and has rejected calls to remove him from cabinet, even after the Integrity Commissioner issued his finding. In the same cabinet shuffle, Premier McGuinty withdrew from the Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio and became the province's first Minister of Research and Innovation . On October 11, 2005, police raided

5976-484: The unemployed, federal delivery of meat inspection and corporate tax collection and per capita funding for post-secondary education. In late April 2005, McGuinty announced the closure of the Lakeview coal-fired generating station, one of Ontario's largest polluters. Although the McGuinty government had promised to close all coal-burning plants by 2007, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan announced on June 14, 2005, that this

6059-630: The verdicts on the grounds that the Canadian courts have no jurisdiction over the lands where the Gustafsen Lake standoff took place, which they claimed remain unceded Indigenous land. The Supreme Court of British Columbia refused to hear the appeal. One of those convicted was James Pitawanakwat, who was sentenced to three years in jail for endangering life. He left Canada for the United States nine days after being released on parole, and successfully fought extradition to Canada, becoming

6142-555: Was a large infusion of new money into hospitals specifically to shorten wait times in key areas: knee and hip replacements, cancer treatment, cardiac treatment, cataracts, and MRI and CT scans. The government also brought in free immunizations for children, 150 new Family Health Teams to improve access to physicians, almost 100,000 new home care spaces for Ontario's elderly, almost 4,000 new long-term care beds, and $ 200 million more to improve public health and fight potential outbreaks like SARS and West Nile fever . To pay for this plan,

6225-556: Was a neutral third party "pursuant to his powers as commissioner established under the Ontario Public Inquiries Act". The inquiry had a twofold mandate, set out by the order in council, "to look into and report on events surrounding the death of Dudley George and to make recommendations focused on the avoidance of violence in similar circumstances." The inquiry culminated in the four volume 1,533-page Ipperwash Inquiry Report released on May 30, 2007. According to

6308-461: Was able to maintain his party's standing in the polls in the last stages, preventing Eves from making up ground during the leader's debate. On election day, the Liberal were elected to a majority government , winning 72 of the Ontario Legislature's 103 seats. The PC Party fell to 24 seats, while the NDP lost official party status in the legislature. Following the election, the McGuinty government asked former Provincial Auditor Erik Peters to examine

6391-521: Was also criticized by some. McGuinty's performance in the early weeks of the 1999 provincial election was widely criticized in the media, and he was generally regarded as having performed poorly in the election's only leaders' debate. In response to a question by late CITY-TV journalist Colin Vaughan , he described Mike Harris as a "thug" who is lying to the people of Ontario. McGuinty's Liberals won support from progressive voters who had supported

6474-453: Was complicated by allegedly armed and racist ranch hands who impaled the notice on a sacred spear. The Secwepemc believed their religion was under attack. Although guns were already present at the camp, the 1995 Sun Dance leader, Splitting the Sky called for an armed defensive stance. The involvement of local elected Shuswap leadership further aggravated the protestors who saw elected leadership as

6557-696: Was no longer possible, and that the Nanticoke Coal Plant will not close until 2009. On May 11, 2005, the McGuinty Liberals delivered their second budget, built around the "Reaching Higher" plan for education. The second year of the four-year plan, this budget was designed to tackle to so-called "education deficit". Investing $ 6.2 billion over the next four years, the budget included the largest investment in higher education in forty years. It also increased accessibility for low-income students, expanded medical school spaces, and invested in new faculty, graduate scholarships and research. The budget also broke

6640-424: Was seen as moving the responsibility for safety away from owners and over toward the animals. People who owned pitbulls previous to the ban were allowed to keep them, muzzled in public and sterilized to prevent them from breeding. The "importing" and breeding of pitbulls in Ontario was banned, while all pitbulls being held in shelters were euthanized or sent to research facilities. During early 2005, McGuinty called

6723-542: Was the case with the Ipperwash inquiry. It was led by a neutral third party, Sidney B. Linden , "pursuant to his powers as commissioner established under the Ontario Public Inquiries Act ." The inquiry culminated in a four volume 1,533-page Ipperwash Inquiry Report released on May 30, 2007. The public inquiry was funded by the Government of Ontario but conducted by a neutral third party, Linden,

6806-638: Was the sixth Sun Dance to be performed at Gustafsen Lake. Sun Dances began at the site after Faith Keeper Percy Rosette and other Shuswap elders had a vision of the site. The site is located at the head of Dog Creek, near 100 Mile House, British Columbia . The specific location of the lands were in District Lot 114, Lillooet Land District, at approximately 51°32′28.8″N 121°43′0.1″W  /  51.541333°N 121.716694°W  / 51.541333; -121.716694  ( Gustafsen Lake ) . Rosette approached ranch owner Lyle James about conducting

6889-406: Was to be expanded rather than scrapped. The 2006 budget was the third year of the four-year plan, and focused on the "infrastructure deficit". The centrepiece was MoveOntario, a $ 1.2 billion investment in transportation infrastructure. $ 400 million was invested to build and repair roads and bridges in municipalities across Ontario. On May 18, 2006, a judge agreed with Greg Sorbara's contention that

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