PC Leader Doug Ford's rally in Chatham was packed full of "Ford Nation" supporters from all over the municipality.
Ford held the rally on Wednesday at 6pm at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre, which marked his second visit to the municipality since his campaign began.
During his speech, Ford's promises were to cut the cap and trade, cut carbon tax, reduce gas prices by 10 cents per litre, focus on jobs and small businesses in Ontario, lower hydro rates, invest $1.9-million in mental health housing and addiction support, implement 15,000 new long-term care beds, and provide dental care for over 100,000 seniors.
Chatham-Kent resident Krista Lee says she thinks Ford is wonderful and loves everything about him.
"I just agree with everything he stands for and I love Doug," says Lee.
Another supporter named Dennis Owen from Dover Township says he likes Ford's ideas, but is somewhat skeptical of how he will follow through with this promises -- especially because Ford has yet to release a fully costed party platform and refuses to say when that will happen exactly.
"I'm certainly impressed with what he wants to try to accomplish, but he hasn't said how he's going to come up with all the money and everything else," says Owen.
He adds that he is currently experiencing issues with his water well due to the North Kent Wind Project and wants to know how Ford's party will tackle this problem.
"I'd certainly like to know what the hell they're going to do about all these wind mills and the water well problems that we're having in Chatham-Kent," says Owen.
Suzanne MacEachern, another resident at the rally, says she was impressed by Ford's speech.
"He really represents hope for me," says MacEachern. "We've been living in a society that doesn't hold common sense and integrity and I see hope in Doug Ford."
Maceacherm says one part of his platform that stands out is Ford's promise to add 15,000 new long-term care beds.
"Yes, he's going to spend over a billion dollars doing it, but the job creation itself, the nursing staff, from putting the shovel in the ground, straight onto the administration later on -- the jobs that'll create will pay for that and then some," she says.
MacEachern says it will have a positive "snowball effect" by relieving the beds in the hospitals and taking people out of the emergency room and getting people out of waiting areas.
Resident Dianne Sawchuk says she is still trying to decide who to vote for and wants to hear different views.
"I was interested in what he said about the military because my son is a veteran and I was also interested in the dental care," she says. "I was a little disappointed that he didn't mention anything on child care. I would have liked to have heard that."
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