Smith named Natural Resources and Forestry critic

Todd Smith

New duties have been added to the plate at Queen’s Park for Todd Smith, MPP Prince Edward-Hastings.

This week, PC Leader Patrick Brown added the Natural Resources and Forestry portfolio to Smith’s list of responsibilities which already include his caucus’ response to the government’s Hydro One sale.

“Obviously, any time you’re given extra responsibilities, it’s an honour,” Smith said. “In the wake of a budget that just raised a number of fees for fishing, hunting and camping in 2017, I think it’s important to people in my riding that extra attention be placed on these matters.”

The increase in responsibilities to the PC Caucus comes after a couple of busy weeks for Smith at Queen’s Park, where he hosted Prince Edward-Hastings Day and led the PC Caucus fight to keep provincial and demonstration schools open beyond the 2016-17 school year.

“I think over the last few weeks, I’ve taken on areas beyond the Hydro One Sale and shown that I could play a bigger role going forward inside the caucus,” Smith said. “As I said, it’s a real honour to play a bigger role in the caucus as look toward hopefully forming government in 2018.”

Smith noted some of the Natural Resources issues that he’s had to deal with as MPP for Prince Edward-Hastings and how dealing with those constituent concerns will help him in his new role.

“Obviously the wind turbine issue in Prince Edward County has given me some background in endangered species but there have been forestry issues in North Hastings, conservation issues across the riding and the Sandbanks Provincial Park issue in the County that all touch on my new job. At the end of the day, it’s about results and that’s what I’m hoping to achieve both for people in Prince Edward-Hastings and now across Ontario on this file.”