<h4>Headlines</h4>
The LCBO's $1.7-billion contribution to the cause of pushing Ontario's accounts back into the black <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/17/wine-gift-card-purchases-help-lcbo-sales-rise">makes all the papers</a> this morning. Tim Hudak <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/17/lcbo_reaps_record_profits_again.html">told reporters</a> that the government could make even more money if it privatized liquor retail in the province, according to the Toronto Star. Hudak has a 2005 study commissioned by the government on his side, but the Liberals under Kathleen Wynne show no more interest in the idea than they did under her predecessor.
The Tories launched an ad campaign against <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/17/pcs-launch-kathleen-wynne-attack-ads">Wynne and the Liberals yesterday</a>, though it's mainly targeted at Wynne herself, saying there's <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/06/17/ontario-pc-attack-ads-claim-nothing-has-changed-since-wynne-took-over-from-mcguinty/">no difference between her and Dalton McGuinty</a>. In particular, the ad points to Wynne's role as campaign co-chair when the fateful decision to close gas plants was made.
Speaking of which, the gas plant drama has a new player according to the Globe and Mail: Robert Prichard, more commonly known as the Chair of the Metrolinx board. According to the Globe, Prichard <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/emails-reveal-prichards-role-in-ontario-gas-plant-talks/article12594997/">had a more prominent role in the negotiations</a> over the gas plant shutdown than previously revealed, through his law firm Torys LLP. Of course, who wouldn't want to be part of this story now?
The Toronto Sun has been running a series about changes in elderly care, and the latest on <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/17/creative-thinking-how-to-treat-seniors-without-breaking-the-bank">the Danish model of senior care is worth reading</a>. Instead of long-term care homes, Denmark prefers to keep seniors housed in their home communities in specialized housing with access to quality services.
The Liberals could lose the seat McGuinty used to hold, according to <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/18/poll_tories_could_win_dalton_mcguintys_riding_in_byelection.html">a Forum poll reported by the Toronto Star</a>. Despite having held the riding for more than a quarter century, the Liberals are running neck and neck with the Tories, though Forum head Lorne Bozinoff cautions that could change after all the parties have nominees.
In the columns, Andrew Coyne argues that the feds should cover the full freight of the Canada Jobs Grant program <a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/06/17/andrew-coyne-tories-should-fold-to-provincial-pressure-on-jobs-grant/">if the provinces (including Ontario) won't step up</a>. Coyne argues that the program could have some merits and in any case Ottawa shouldn't fold to provincial carping over autonomy and the division of powers. Meanwhile, Martin Regg Cohn takes Toronto to task for advocating for voting reforms without having <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/18/an_antidemocratic_way_to_reform_local_democracy_cohn.html">gone through a municipal referendum first</a>. At the Ottawa Citizen, Andrew Cohen laments our "<a href="http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/Politicians+pillory/8538379/story.html">politicians in the pillory</a>" and the high dudgeon everyone is in these days.
And Chris Vander Doelen in the Windsor Star <a href="http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/06/14/a-lazy-liberal-summer/">criticizes the Wynne government</a> for their latest affront to the sanctity of the legislature, the long summer break that has just begun. Vander Doelen is more specifically angry about the break coming right on the heels of the prorogation over the winter, but only one of the two is the current government's fault.
<h4>Events</h4>
Premier Wynne will attend the memorial for those lose in the Ornge Air Ambulance crash at 2:00 p.m. At 6:20 p.m., Wynne will visit the BAPS Shiri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple during Shrimad Bhagwat Katha.
The Standing Committee on Justice Policy will hear from former chief of staff to Dalton McGuinty Chris Morley today at 9:00 a.m., then receive Emily Marangoni, the Deputy Director of Human Resources in the Office of the Premier. Morley will certainly be questioned about any email deletions during his tenure in the Premier's office.
Charles Sousa will speak to the Toronto Region Board of Trade at 12:45 p.m. about his new "slash and burn" approach to the provinces finances—no, wait, that's not true. Sousa will talk about a "balanaced approach" and how wonderful eliminating the deficit in 2017-18 will be.

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