CALEDON, Ont. - Former Ontario premier Bill Davis, whose reign in politics is often linked to his contributions to the educational system, said Thursday that he supports a report calling for full-day kindergarten in the province.
Davis, who led the Progressive Conservatives as premier between 1971 and 1985 and was also well-respected when he acted as the party's education minister, said the ideas laid out by Dr. Charles Pascal to enhance early childhood learning have merit.
"I am very supportive of the report done by a gentleman I know very well, it was well-thought out," Davis said.
"There are some real problems for the school boards in terms of accommodations of teaching professionals and daycare personnel, but the report is consistent with the views expressed some years ago by (early childhood development expert) Fraser Mustard."
Premier Dalton McGuinty has allocated $500 million over two years to start phasing in optional all-day kindergarten in 2010.
Davis received an award Thursday in Caledon, Ont., for having the vision to balance growth in southern Ontario with a commitment to protect the environment.
"His bold and visionary action has inspired a half-century of environmentalists," said Sandy Houston, chairman of the Greenbelt Foundation.
Several plaques in his honour will be posted along the entrances of five hiking trails in the Greenbelt, protected land which spans about 728,000 hectares including the Oak Ridges Moraine and Rouge Park and hundreds of rural towns, villages and farms.
In 1973, Davis enacted the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act, protecting a 725-kilometre area that stretches from Niagara Falls to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.
He also commented Thursday on his impressions of the current landscape of Canadian politics, and said he thought Prime Minister Stephen Harper "came out pretty well" in averting a summer election.
Even if a vote was called, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff would've looked worse for wear, Davis said.
"If a federal election would have happened this season, which most people didn't want, Ignatieff would have been blamed for that," Davis said.
"(But) I don't think he lost an opportunity," he added.
