December 30, 2016

Ms. Daiene Vernile
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation
Ninth Floor, Ferguson Block
77 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1N3

Dear Ms. Vernile:

I am honoured to have you as my parliamentary assistant, and thank you for the valuable support that you will provide me in this crucial role. I welcome you to the Ministry of Transportation, and look forward to working closely with you to ensure that both ministry and overall government objectives are achieved.

At this mid-point of our mandate — and after having achieved two years of real and tangible progress — we are redoubling our efforts to deliver on our top priority — economic growth and good jobs. Our balanced plan to build Ontario up for everyone will deliver real benefits and more inclusive growth that will help people in their everyday lives. We will do this by continuing to invest in better infrastructure, more affordable and accessible postsecondary education, a competitive, low-carbon economy and improved retirement security.

Responsible fiscal management remains an overarching priority for our government, and, thanks to our disciplined approach, we are on track to balance the budget next year, in 2017-18.

The mandate letter I received in September from Premier Wynne sets out my specific priorities as minister for the coming two years. Parliamentary assistants play a key role in meeting these priorities and in helping put our government’s plan into action.

Our ministry is committed to ensuring that Ontario has a world-class, accessible transportation system that moves people and goods safely, efficiently and sustainably. Together, we will work to achieve this goal and support a globally competitive economy and a high quality of life for all Ontarians.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the delivery of $31.5 billion in investments under Moving Ontario Forward investments in transit, transportation and other priority infrastructure projects across the province, including Regional Express Rail (RER) as well as continued investment in our highway network.
  • Assisting in the discussions with municipalities and the public on what is needed to improve accessible transit within and across municipal borders.
  • Helping to lead the efforts on autonomous vehicles and supporting MTO’s work with the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth in the development of a Centre of Excellence for autonomous vehicles by 2018.

A tremendous opportunity lies before us — to ensure that our ministry’s mandate is fully and effectively implemented, to continue to build Ontario up and to deliver real benefits to all Ontarians.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

The Honourable Steven Del Duca
Minister of Transportation