In Ontario, while working for a private sector consulting engineering firm, Dr Ikpong did what the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is supposed to do on behalf of the tax payers: he vetted the work of three (3) consulting engineering firms that were awarded over twenty (20) highway bridge design projects and determined that the bridges were under-designed by 30%.  A Tribunal of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) that heard the matter in 2017 recommended that the allegations of deliberate falsification and doctoring of bridge load test results (by MTO engineers) for the Sturgeon River Bridge (located in Northwestern Ontario) be seriously considered and the conclusions published.  What happened immediately after that is that the three (3) engineers at the MTO who were entangled in the matter immediately resigned from Government just as the two (2) university professors of structural engineering (who testified on behalf of the MTO and PEO at the Tribunal hearing) resigned from their university employment.

However, neither PEO nor the MTO have moved to take any action on the recommendations of the PEO Tribunal regarding the allegations (backed by structural engineering proofs) that MTO engineers deliberately falsified/doctored bridge load test results and that PEO conspired afterwards to cover up the crime (and thus defraud and swindle the Ontario Public).  At the same time, it is well established that the accused is never going to bring themselves to justice.  That responsibility falls to the elected representatives of the people.  That is why Dr Ikpong has launched a campaign for parliament from where he can ensure that the affected highway bridges are remedied and those responsible for this gigantic scandal are held accountable.

Further, there are too many residents of Toronto-St. Paul’s – indeed all of Toronto – with graduate degrees from the University of Toronto and other Canadian Universities that are working full-time for “Skip the Dishes”, Uber, etc.  In Parliament, I will strategize and work with other members and employers to see that engineers, scientists, and computer scientists with graduate degrees find employment in their field.  This is very crucial to ensuring that immigration works as intended and that highly educated immigrants are paid salaries that allow them to contribute the tax base required to fund and sustain our social programs.

Finally, as a Member of Parliament representing a riding in Toronto, job #1 for me will be the wellbeing of the people of Toronto-St. Paul’s – it means that I will always fight hard to bring to Toronto-St. Paul’s Federal dollars for housing, elderly care, healthcare, etc.