Frank Klees was the last one to join the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership race and one who has been the greatest enigma. It turns out, according to the Toronto Star, that he is the furthest right of them all. He's also the only leadership candidate not born in Canada. At the age of five he came here from Germany with Swabian parents ( Czech Germans ) and his higher education was in theology. However, he made his career in financial services and started a private utilities firm which he has since sold. He has been in the backrooms of politics for decades until he made the final step in 1995, and has been winning ever since. One of Klees's arguments is that he has never lost ... ever.
Klees's policy points started off with healthcare and to all intents looking like a two-tier system which he disputed vigorously. What Klees was very upset about was the long waiting times ending with people having to go to the USA for help. Klees would sooner give the people a chit for, say $ 500, and let them make their choice where they have their MRI, and sooner. The sooner the diagnosis the greater possibility of cure, the less cost to the healthcare system.
" When I was Minister of Tourism and Recreation I was shocked by the waste of resources through our school system. Each school should also be a community centre. Instead at the end of the school day the schools were closed and all students were left to their own devices. I want to see these resources used to their full capacity, " declared Klees.
" Insurance is an subject people are starting to wake up to and are going to realize that the government cannot skirt around the edges of this issue, " said Klees. Klees explains how a young person graduates from school, buys his first car so he can get to work and realizes his insurance is five to six thousand dollars a year. He explains that the government does not have control of the industry.
" Right now our province does not have a long term energy strategy. We have not learned our lesson with the 2003 blackout. We are using more that we are generating," explained Klees, adding, " The Liberals are talking about eliminating coal energy yet they have no economical plan as to how to replace the 25 % of Ontario's energy that coal generates. They talk about replacing coal with natural gas yet they can retrofit the coal co-generation plants giving the same environmental objectives as natural gas yet saving ourselves multi-millions of dollars. We have 700 years of reliable coal supplies in North America which is going to have to be part of our energy strategy. Nobody can predict the cost of natural gas co-generation plants and if we drive up the cost of energy we will drive industry to neighbouring juristictions. We already have natural gas at an all time high and if we are going to use it in that capacity it will drive costs way up. We need to consider means of renewable energy, wind, solar all of which must be pursued. There are still many hydro electric sources available in Ontario, in rivers the size being used in Europe, that we haven't yet used. "
Klees has a well thought out plan for a future of Ontario, especially energy, and he comes with a background similar to many Estonians, from Europe. To reach his committe room, the phone number is 416 351-1717 and his web site is
www.frankklees.com <
http://www.frankklees.com> .
