November 4, 2014

Mr. Chris Ballard
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy
6th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON  M7A 1L2

Dear Mr. Ballard:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Treasury Board Secretariat and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received in September from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

As we look for ways to make the most of public investments, it becomes clear that human resources are the province’s most valuable asset in overcoming its fiscal challenges. When you leave no one behind, you arrive at a new destination stronger than ever. Strategic decisions about our investments must be informed by our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our province.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, your specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Working with the Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and with other ministers, including the Minister of Children and Youth Services, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Minister of Community and Social Services and the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, to support the implementation of Realizing Our Potential: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (2014-2019).
  • Engaging with the broader public sector, business, non-profit and community partners, as well as other levels of government to improve outcomes for Ontarians living in poverty.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Deb Matthews
Deputy Premier
President of the Treasury Board
Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy