Oakville Election 2014: Candidate for Ontario PC: Larry Scott

Oakville candidate for Ontario PC, Larry Scott believes two of the main issues on the provincial platform next term are going to be dealing with the aftermath of the TransCanada gas plant issue and the development of the Merton Lands near 14 Mile Creek. The cancellation of the gas plant that was to be built in Oakville has come with a hefty debt. Scott says the debt could have been much less had the agreement been properly understood. “The hangover there is that nobody read the agreement, because if you read the agreement you didn’t have to pay the 840 million dollars,” said Scott. “That bothers a lot of people, so that’s a big issue.” Though it looks like taxpayers are going to pick up the tab, Scott believes in the future the government should be tougher in it’s dealings with companies like TransCanada. “The way I look at this is it’s half the price of a new hospital. It’s a lot of money.” With regards to the Merton lands - an area of green space south of Upper Middle Road and north of the QEW - Scott thinks we should do whatever we can to protect it, even if it means changing regulations to avoid development. One suggestion he has, though he admits is a little far-fetched, would be to put the area into a provincial park. “Nobody would ever be able to develop a provincial park without a huge fight,” said Scott. “If I told you I was going to pave Algonquin Park, everybody in Ontario would be in an uproar. If you want to protect this, you need to protect it forever. “I think the governments back in the 70s put most of this into the Greenbelt. It’s not as protected as they thought it was.” Born in Niagara Falls, Scott has lived in Oakville for 18 years. He has wide-ranging experience in banking and finance having been the managing director of the Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto and London England as well as Chase Manhattan Bank among others. Scott was also chief of staff for Oakville’s MP, Terence Young, prior to becoming the town’s provincial PC candidate. Contact information for Larry Scott: Website: Larry Scott Tel: 905-902-9933 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @LarryScottPC