Mario's RESULTS for Thornhill

Mario has represented the people of Concord/Thornhill for the past 22 years, first as a Local Councillor and since 2003, as the Member of Provincial Parliament for the Riding of Thornhill (Concord/Thornhill).

The ward and the riding are home to many parks , community centres, recreation facilities and other amenities thanks to Mario's work for the people he was elected to represent.

As Member of Provincial Parliament for Thornhill, Mario G. Racco in four years has helped bring to the riding:

• $670 million to extend the subway from Toronto to the Vaughan Corporate Centre

• A commitment to bring the Yonge Street subway line to Thornhill up to Hwy #7

• $57 million for VIVA (York Region Transit) Phase 2

• Firm commitments to build a Community Health Care Centre in Vaughan

• $46.4 million for expansion and state-of-the-art facilities at York Central Hospital

• $4.2 million in funding for new textbooks and resources for school libraries

• $100,000 Trillium grant for Family Services
York Region

•  $26,000 to reduce impaired driving in
York Region

•  Investing more than $350 million to redevelop the Markham Stouffville hospital as well as more than $50 million to build a new cancer centre at Southlake Regional Health Centre in nearby Newmarket

Mario G. Racco and the Liberal Government's RESULTS:
Health Care

In 2006, Mario stood beside Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman to announce funding to bring a Community Health Centre in Vaughan into operation by November of this of this year.

Mario   and the Liberal Government of Ontario have also announced the construction of a new hospital in the city in the next five years, something Mario had brought forth in 1985.

Mario and the Government have also approved funding for the expansion of all three existing hospitals in the Region of York - namely York Central Hospital, Markham-Stouffville Hospital and Southlake Regional Health Centre.

Mario G. Racco and the Liberal Government's RESULTS:
Education

We have hired more teachers and assistants to improve the education system in Ontario.   We have increased fundings and we have restored peace, stability and respect for public education.   We have had no strike in the Region of York.

Grants have increased by $3.5 Billions or 24% or $2,000 more per student for a total of $9,400 per student per year.   What does this mean to you?   Smaller class size, better test scores and an increase in the number of graduates.

Mario G. Racco and the Liberal Government's RESULTS: Improving the Quality of Life

Our Government has subsidized the hiring of 1,000 new police officers and extended permanently the subsidies for another 1,000 existing police officers.

Mairo G. Racco and the Liberal Government have increased funding across the province for guns and gangs task forces, highway patrol officers, and hate crimes and cyber (computer) crimes units.

Mario and his government colleagues have increased the minimum wage to $8 an hour and will increase it further to $10.25/hour by 2010.

Mario G. Racco and the Liberal Government's RESULTS:
The Environment

Mario G. Racco is a friend of groups dedicated to preserving green space in and around York Region, and has helped deliver real, positive results through numerous environmental projects. Among these accomplishments:

•  The Greenbelt - protection of 1.8 million acres of green space, stretching through York Region, from Niagara Falls to Oshawa

•  The Clean Water Act, legislation ensuring that Ontarians have some of the best-protected drinking water in the world

•  Implementation of a five-point Action Plan for Cleaner Air, including tough air pollution limits for industry

•  Increasing the number of drinking water inspectors by 25%

•  Commitments to cleaner, renewable sources of energy, which have already resulted in over 2000 Megawatts of wind, water and biomass electricity generation enough to power over 638,777 homes

•  Setting a target to produce 10% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010, putting us at the forefront in North America

Planting 50 million trees in southern Ontario by 2020 - recognized by the United Nations as the most ambitious project of its kind in North America - to help remove 3.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.