Durham MPP busy at Queen’s Park

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

As with many other rookie MPPs, the past five months have been a large learning curve for Durham representative Lindsey Park.
As the Doug Ford-led Conservatives swept into power at Queen’s Park this past June, Park was along for the ride, winning her seat with 47 per cent of the vote.
With changes made to the riding boundaries, Park now represents a heftier portion of the City of Oshawa than previous MPPs.
Park says she’s pleased to be a part of the current government and praised their work so far.
“I’m really excited with the leadership we have and desire of our premier and leadership of our team to get things done on issues that have been long neglected,” Park says.
Park says there are a number of “big projects” ongoing in her riding, including the redevelopment of the Bowmanville Hospital.
She wants to ensure she and her constituents are “up-to-date” on the expansion of GO Train service to Bowmanville. Construction for the project is slated to start next year, and wrap up in 2024.
Earlier this month, Park was named to a select committee that is reviewing the financial policies and decisions of the previous Liberal government.
“I think it is very important work that the committee is doing. We’ve talked a lot about restoring trust and responsibility, and it’s central on delivering on that promise,” Park states. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of why certain costly decisions were made by the previous government.”
The committee has reviewed documents and heard from a number of witnesses including the province’s auditor general Bonnie Lysyk, a noted critic of the financial actions of former Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal government.
Park is joined by five other PC MPPs and three members of the NDP, and she believes they will be able to work together in a non-partisan way.
“From that perspective, I think both the PC and NDP caucus are getting to the bottom of [the issue]. It isn’t political in nature,” Park says. “My hope is it can be viewed by the public as done in a professional and outstanding way. I think most people can agree that there is a lot of important work to be done after 15 years.”
The committee is scheduled to report on its findings in December.
With both Park and Oshawa MPP Jennifer French representing constituents in the community, the Durham representative says it is critical for them to work together when required.
“We see each other in the legislature and often run into each other. I think we are both interested in delivering for the people of Oshawa,” Park says.