Ontarians will go to the polls this Thursday to elect their provincial government. Blackburn News reached out to the candidates in London North Centre to ask them about some of the top issues in the campaign. The questions, and their answers, are below.
Ontario Liberal Party
Name: Kate Graham
Kate Graham. (Photo courtesy of Kate Graham).
Profession: Public Servant (former Director at City of London), Educator (teaches at King’s University College and Western Continuing Studies), Student (completing PhD in Political Science at Western)
Hometown: London, Ontario
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
For the past six months, my team and I have spent hours every day knocking on doors and listening to Londoners. After connecting with more than 30,000 Londoners, I can tell you that people know how high the stakes are in this election. There are a number of issues that are so important that they come up every day: health care, education, infrastructure and transportation, jobs and the economy, and the environment. If we care about these things, we need to fight for them.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
We need to continue to invest in our education system to ensure all children are supported to grow and achieve their full potential. We need to make sure that make sure that the ability to attend college or university is based on a student’s ability to learn, not their ability to pay. Students from the lowest-income families are about four times less likely to go on to post-secondary education than those from the highest-income families - and we need to keep working to change that. We also need to adapt our education system to the changing nature of work. Our economy is evolving, and we need to make sure it’s as easy as possible for people to access the education and training they need - whether that’s better STEM education for elementary school students or upskilling programs for adult workers - to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
With our 2018 budget, we are making a deliberate choice to invest in care for the people of Ontario by investing more in healthcare - in hospitals, home care, mental health, and long-term care. We’re increasing our health care spending by 5%, to reduce wait times and increase access across the entire healthcare system including $822-million to support Ontario’s publicly funded hospitals and $2.1-billion over four years for mental health and addictions to deliver more accessible, integrated care.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in southwestern Ontario?
Ontario has the fastest growing economy in Canada, and our unemployment rate in the province is the lowest in 20 years. But we know that this growth has been uneven. London and Southwestern Ontario continue to lag behind, and many London families continue to struggle. That’s why investing in things that make the lives of Londoners more affordable, things like minimum wage, child care and tuition are so important. We need to invest in London, so it’s a place where entrepreneurs want to start and grow their businesses. We need to support small businesses, and develop the workforce to meet the demands of today and tomorrow. We need to ensure our strongest sectors like health care, manufacturing, digital creative and agri-business remain strong. We also need to address underlying issues that prevent people from working, by investing in mental health and other supports.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
We need to start having an honest conversation about hydro. Here’s the reality: for 30 years, governments of all stripes neglected to invest in our energy system.... Investing in infrastructure and relying on cleaner power sources is expensive. We’ve heard loud and clear from Ontarians that those increases were too high to sustain. That’s why this past year, we introduced the Fair Hydro Plan, which has reduced energy bills by an average of 25%. This plan spreads the costs of our infrastructure investments over a longer period of time, to this generation and to the future generations who will also benefit. We need to keep working to ensure we have an energy system that supports the energy needs from a rapidly growing province, and that is affordable for families and businesses.
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Progressive Conservative
Name: Susan Truppe
Susan Truppe. (Photo courtesy of Nick Colosimo).
Profession: Small business owner, mom, former Member of Parliament, and Parliamentary Secretary
Hometown: Windsor
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
As I speak to constituents one on one on their doorsteps, I keep hearing concerns about sky rocketing hydro rates, gas prices, a hallway healthcare system, and out of control spending that is going to bankrupt our future generation. Our Ontario PC plan for the people is affordable, responsible, and puts more money back in your pockets.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
Half of Ontario's Grade 6 students are not meeting the provincial math standard. Its time for schools go get back to the basics. Kids used to learn math by doing things like memorizing a multiplication table, and it worked. Instead, our kids are left with experimental discovery math. That hardly teaches math at all. Instead, everyone gets a participation ribbon and our kids are left to fend for themselves. That simply isn't right. An Ontario PC government lead by Doug Ford would replace the discovery math system to get back to basics.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
An Ontario PC government lead by Doug Ford will invest in 15,000 new long-term care beds in five years, and 30,000 new beds over the next ten years. Liberal cuts, again supported by the NDP, have created a hallway healthcare crisis in London. We now have the longest wait times in Ontario's history. That is completely unacceptable.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in southwestern Ontario?
An Ontario PC government will cut corporate income tax from 11.5% to 10.5% and enable businesses to create good paying jobs, and attract businesses back to London. There is no secret to creating good jobs right here in London and across Ontario. It all starts with lower taxes, cutting red tape and regulations, and reducing hydro bills for everyone. We need to attract businesses to London, not drive them away as the Liberals have done and the NDP will do.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
Your hydro bill will be reduced by 37%. Hydro bills have sky-rocketed at more than $1,000 per average Ontario family since 2003. That is completely unacceptable. An Ontario PC government will return all hydro dividends to hydro consumers - saving the average family $70 on their hydro bills; Stop the practice of burying the cost of conservation programs on hydro bills and instead move those programs to the tax base - saving the average family $43 on their hydro bills; and place an immediate moratorium on any new energy contracts while walking back and re-negotiating existing contracts where possible - saving the average family $60 on their hydro bills.
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Ontario New Democratic Party
Name: Terence Kernaghan
Terence Kernaghan (Photo courtesy of terencekernaghan.ontariondp.ca).
Profession: Teacher
Hometown: London, Ontario
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
The biggest issue in this election is healthcare. The Liberals have had 15 years in government to fix healthcare and many people I talk to have been let down by Kathleen Wynne. Doug Ford’s Conservatives are promising $6-billion in cuts and privatization. Andrea Horwath and the NDP have a fully-costed plan to address overcrowding and end hallway medicine starting with 2,000 hospital beds now. We will also expand our universal healthcare to include universal pharmacare and dental care, and give seniors the care that they need.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
As a teacher, I'm keenly aware of the challenges in our education system. Schools are still reeling from the last Conservative government’s cuts. Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals have let families down. My biggest frustration is when kids who have learning difficulties don't get the attention they need because Liberal and Conservative governments have made cutbacks. An Andrea Horwath NDP government will fix the funding formula so we are no longer using the same deeply flawed formula developed by PC Premier Mike Harris, hire more teachers and educational assistants, set special education funding finally based on student need, and invest $16-billion to repair crumbling schools. We will also hire 400 new mental health workers so every high school has access to mental health supports, funded through the elimination of EQAO testing.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
Andrea Horwath and the NDP will increase hospital funding immediately by 5.3% with a new $916-million additional investment, and ensure every hospital’s annual funding will be at or above inflation, population growth and include the unique needs of each community. We’ll put $19-billion over 10 years into hospital capital expansion to meet growing capacity needs. We will create 2,000 new hospital beds right now. New Democrats will end arbitrary caps on surgeries to shorten wait times. Andrea Horwath and the NDP will create 40,000 more long-term care beds, including 15,000 new beds over the next five years. We will set standards to ensure each resident is offered a minimum of four hours of hands-on care per day. We’ll hold a find-and-fix public inquiry into long-term care.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in southwestern Ontario?
An Andrea Horwath NDP government will make sure Ontario is the premier destination for auto and manufacturing and good auto-sector and manufacturing jobs — now, and in the future. Our drug and dental programs will help make Ontario attractive to startups and the talent they want to hire, giving them the ability to offer employees benefits from day one.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
Hydro and affordability are major issues in this campaign. I keep hearing from families that they are feeling the squeeze and life keeps getting harder. Kathleen Wynne lied and privatized hydro, and Doug Ford agrees with her plan – he has endorsed it and said he wouldn’t change it at all. The NDP has a plan to take back control of hydro by bringing it back into public hands instead of letting corporate executives give themselves raises. Andrea will bring down hydro bills by about 30%.
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Green Party of Ontario
Name: Carol Dyck
Carol Dyck. (Photo courtesy of Carol Dyck).
Profession: Community volunteer/Freelance Environmental Consultant
Hometown: Originally from Vancouver, but left in 1999 and ended up in London in 2007.
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
The talked about issues this election have most certainly been healthcare, energy and transportation. I would like to suggest that if we were to take a step back, we would see that all these issues are related to the environment. Our energy and transportation systems need overhauling and improvements so that we can firstly, cut down on costs, and secondly, so that we can honour our international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding healthcare, our environment -- from the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat -- absolutely affects our health. We are coming into the summer when temperatures can soar and increased particulate matter in the air can and does send many people to the hospital in respiratory distress.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
I have two elementary school aged children and I would say the biggest challenge in schools today is that they lack the funds and the resources they require to offer appropriate services for all children. In recent years we have seen a rise in autism, ASD and various forms of mental illness, stress, anxiety disorders, etc. These children require help so that their educational experience is positive, so that they can learn in a nurturing environment, but often the schools are not equipped with enough staff to adequately fulfill this need. I have witnessed several cases where parents regularly pull their kids out of school to provide one-on-one tutoring to help their struggling child, but this option is not open to every family. It would be preferable if schools could have the funds and resources they need to hire more staff, to purchase learning aids, and to better stock their libraries.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
The Green Party believes that the best way to address long wait times and overcrowding at hospitals is to shift the focus to preventing illness and promoting health. Specifically, we need to look at reducing poverty (a significant cause of illness), ensuring food security for our citizens and improving air and water quality. Solving those issues will go a long way to decrease some of the burden on our hospitals. We believe that primary health care is the foundation of any health care system, and we absolutely ensure that citizens have access to a primary healthcare provider. We would like to increase the number of nurse practitioner led clinics, and have more nurse practitioners in long-term care, mental health care and acute care facilities. We also recognize that for some patients, remaining at home through their illness is preferable, home-care does free up beds in long-term care facilities. We want to ensure that home-care givers receive the support they need to care for their loved ones.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in southwestern Ontario?
The Green Party sees Ontario becoming a leader in cleantech innovation and manufacturing. The Clean Economy is valued at $6-trillion and it will only grow as we recognize the need to transition away from polluting businesses and energy sources. The London area has lost many manufacturing jobs over recent years, but we could regain those jobs by building solar panels and other clean energy products. We would stop subsidizing polluting industries and redirect $3.1-billion per year to supporting emerging green industries. The Green Party also believes in the importance of supporting small businesses. To help ease some of the burden from the recent minimum wage hike, we would lower pay roll taxes and we would increase the exemption level for the Employer Health Tax from $450,000 to $1-million for businesses and non-profits with payrolls under $5-million.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
The Green Party would like to move Ontario towards being powered by 100% renewable energy. It makes the most economical sense for our province and is significantly cheaper than using out-dated nuclear plants. It makes the most environmental sense. We support bringing low cost hydro energy in from Quebec and building a power storage facility on the border with Manitoba to bring in cheap energy from that province too. We want to make sure that all sources of low-cost, low-carbon energy are considered when creating our province's energy plan. Another solution to our high hydro prices, is to help homeowners and businesses renovate and retro-fit their buildings to become more energy efficient.
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Ontario Libertarian Party
Calvin McKay. (Photo courtesy of Calvin McKay).
Name: Calvin McKay
Profession: Factory supervisor
Hometown: Kintore, Ontario
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
I would say that the biggest issue in the election is the economy. It may sound vague but the economy affects healthcare, hydro rates, education, jobs, and even the housing market. Our provincial debt is over $300-billion and growing daily. This is an unsustainable pace. The Ontario Libertarian Party is in favour of smaller government and more choices on goods and services to the public. I believe the role of the government is to protect property rights and liberties from domestic and foreign aggressors. The government should have no right to interfere with voluntary transactions between two individuals.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
I believe the biggest challenge in Ontario education is the lack of choices for students and parents. Ontario residents pay more towards education than any other province, and yet test scores are falling every year. We propose per student funding be attached to individual students, not schools. This would allow students/ parents to enroll in any school they choose, whether that be public or private.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
The Ontario Libertarian Party in in favour of allowing private companies enter the medical field in Ontario. We have first world medical providers and third world administration. Thousands of Ontarians leave this province every year and pay to get healthcare they should receive in this province. We would allow private medical insurance companies to compete with the public health sector. Ontarians would be able to choose to opt out of OHIP and pay for private insurance if needed. This would lower wait times drastically and allow Ontarians better, cheaper healthcare options.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in Southwestern Ontario?
Job creation is one of the simplest answers to any issue this election. Reduce the size of the government and allow the free market to do what it does best, make money for everybody. The Ontario Libertarian Party will repeal the cash grab that is cap and trade, end corporate taxation (companies would still pay HST), end grants and loans to corporations, end mandatory insurance with WSIB, and end mandatory registration with the college of trades. We want small businesses to flourish once again in this probince, not just corporations who pay current governments for preferential treatment.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
The Ontario Libertarian Party is committing to cutting hydro bills in half if elected. We will repeal the green energy act, eliminate time of use billing, and end discriminatory delivery charges that especially hurt rural residences. We will remove subsidized power from the grid, and try to lower regulations on solar power, making it more affordable. Finally, we will terminate all subsidized contracts and terminate all liberal appointees from the hydro boards. We want cheap, affordable hydro for every Ontarian.
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Freedom Party of Ontario
Name: Paul McKeever
Paul McKeever. (Photo courtesy of freedomparty.on.ca).
Profession: Employment Lawyer
Hometown: Born in Oshawa, educated and articled (at Cohen Highley) in London, where I lived for years in Historic Woodfield (Old North). Currently residing in the GTA.
1. What is the biggest issue in this election?
For London, the Bus Rapid Transit plan poses the biggest threat to automobile travel and quality of life in the city.
I oppose the BRT plan and, if elected the MPP for London North Centre, I will work toward withdrawal of provincial funding for the plan. I am the only candidate in London North Centre who is opposed to the $170-million in provincial funding pledged by the Wynne Liberals. By reducing the number of lanes available to cars, the BRT plan would make traffic congestion even worse. An even bigger negative impact is what the BRT would do to destroy the quality of living in London. The BRT vision is not for a canopy of trees, but for towers of concrete. The BRT plan includes plans to force people into densely-packed apartment-style units in buildings up to 22 storeys high, with little or no parking available in the Downtown.
2. What is the biggest challenge in Ontario education?
In a nutshell: Moving back to a system that teaches children how to think and choose, not what to think and choose. Even in elementary school - before children have any ability to collect and evaluate evidence - students are expected to accept as gospel a wide variety of beliefs about climate, gender, sexuality, morality, and politics. In many cases, students are expected to treat all beliefs as merely subjective; to treat all opinions as possibly true and equally worthy of being taken seriously and respected.
3. How would your party address the challenges in our health care system, particularly long wait times and hospital overcrowding?
The answer to shortages and delay is to end the government's deliberately-imposed limits on the number of physicians and introducing competition into the ways in which patients pay for services. Freedom Party has long suggested that the province look at either ending the current government-imposed limit on students who can study medicine and become physicians, or opening OHIP to competition (i.e., each person in Ontario would pay premiums - equal to the current per capita price of OHIP.) With a greater supply of medical services, and with patients being free to decide how they pay for their own health care, there would be no need for rationing, and there would be no delays or overcrowding. Health services would be obtained as readily as dental services.
4. How would your party address the need for job creation in Southwestern Ontario?
In truth, the only job that a government ever creates is a government job. We do not need to increase the number of government jobs. Instead, Freedom Party would address the need for job creation in Southwestern Ontario by putting an end to the things government does that that place unnecessary limits on job creation. Specifically, we would lower taxes (to encourage businesses to stay in the province), eliminate government-imposed monopolies (e.g., the foreign-owned Beer Store monopoly; the taxi licensing system), and eliminate special advantages that the Ontario government currently grants to some players and not to others.
5. How would your party bring down hydro prices?
Freedom Party is proposing a considerable number of changes that will put an end to artificially inflated hydro prices, including: repealing the Green Energy Act, pulling the plug on already-existing, over-priced, Liberal green energy deals/subsidies, repealing the provincial ban on incandescent lightbulbs, ending electric car subsidies, and restoring the competitive price system to allow consumers to purchase the power they want.
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BlackburnNewsLondon.com is awaiting a submission from Communist Party candidate Clara Sorrenti.