Kathleen Wynne was officially sworn in as premier-designate today.
By Kate McCullough
The torch was officially passed to Kathleen Wynne Thursday morning as she was named Ontario’s premier-designate.
“It is a great honour and pleasure to be here. I am just here to accept this honour,” Wynne told The Globe and Mail Thursday. “I had the opportunity this morning to thank the premier for everything that he has done for the province for the last nine years.”
Departing premier Dalton McGuinty formally notified Lieutenant-Governor David Onley of his resignation Thursday morning and introduced Wynne as his replacement, The Globe and Mail reported.
Ontario’s new leader said she is making the gridlock issue in Toronto the number one priority, but the Ottawa Citizen reported she has “no plan” to stop the construction of casinos throughout the province from going ahead.
“What I have said, over and over, is that I do not want the provincial government or an arm of the provincial government to be interfering in terms of municipal process, and I want municipalities to have the autonomy to decide whether they want a casino and where they want it to be,” Wynne said in a conference call with reporters from Eastern Ontario.
The Ontario Gaming and Lottery Corp. is looking for bidders to build new casinos in several cities across the province, including Toronto.
Wynne will be sworn in as the 25th premier of Ontario Feb. 11.