1 — How would you improve highways in the north, especially during the winter months?
Given that this election is about Timmins, the answer was contained in the most recent Ontario budget tabled by the Doug Ford government. If re-elected, the Ford government is planning to spend $74 million to fix Highway 101 from Kamiskotia to Porcupine. This is transformational funding. It should be made very clear that the current MPP had nothing to do with this announcement. The current opposition MPP did not influence it in any way, nor was he part of any cabinet decision to allocate these funds.
2 — Do you think Northlander passenger rail service should be restored before 2025, even on a gradual basis, ramping up to full service?
The Ford government has committed $75 million to restore the Northlander train system that the NDP and Liberals took away from northerners over the past decade and a half. At my urging, the main hub of the Northlander will be located in Porcupine. Again, it should be made very clear that the current MPP had nothing to do with this announcement. The current opposition MPP did not influence it in any way, nor was he part of any cabinet decision to allocate these funds.
3 — Gas prices are high everywhere but the north seems to get hit the most, how would you go about changing that?
The Ontario PC Party has committed to reducing Ontario’s gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre effective July 1st, and will continue to push the federal government to remove the Liberal/NDP carbon tax. Families can’t afford more taxes. The Liberals and the NDP want to squeeze more dollars out of hard-working Ontarians by raising taxes. Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs are committed to doing the opposite.
4 — Most communities in our region are chronically underserviced by doctors. How would you improve this?
The Ontario government is expanding medical school education as it continues to build a stronger, more resilient health care system, especially in growing and underserved communities. Ontario is adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions over the next five years, the largest expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate education in over 10 years.
“As our province grows, our government has a plan to build a stronger, more resilient health care system,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We’ve already shored up domestic production of critical supplies like PPE and have added thousands more hospital beds. Now, building on our work to recruit and retain nurses and personal support workers, we’re launching the largest expansion of medical education in ten years.”
This expansion will support all six medical schools across Ontario, including the University of Toronto’s new Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health, the Queen’s-Lakeridge Health Campus, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Western University, McMaster University and the University of Ottawa. Medical seats will also be allotted to the new Ryerson School of Medicine in Brampton when it becomes operational.
5 — What will your party do to address rising housing costs in terms of building, ownership and rental?
Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs Will Build 1.5 Million Homes over 10 Years.
Getting shovels in the ground on more homes faster will help keep costs down for families
At a time when Ontario’s population is growing, only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs have a plan and proven track record to keep costs down for families by building 1.5 million new homes over 10 years.
“For 15 years, the Del Duca-Wynne Liberals let the housing crisis spiral out of control as they added mountains of red tape that made building homes impossible,” said Doug Ford. “The NDP and Liberals want more reports, committees and studies as they find any reason to say ‘no’ to building more homes, making the cost of buying one even more expensive for Ontario families.”
Under Doug Ford’s leadership, the PC government created the province’s first-ever Housing Supply Action Plan to cut through red tape and get more homes built faster. The plan is producing results: in 2021, Ontario broke ground on a record number of new homes with more than 100,000 new homes in only 12 months, the highest level of new housing starts in a single year since 1987. Last year, Ontario reached a 30-year record for new rental housing construction, the most units built in a single year since 1991. The PC government also made historic, multi-billion dollar investments to grow and enhance community and supportive housing services, working hand-in-hand with municipal and federal partners.
Building on this momentum, a re-elected Ontario PC government will build 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years to keep up with current and future demands of a growing province. To do so, a re-elected PC government will continue to work in partnership with municipalities to remove burdensome red tape to significantly accelerate the permitting and approvals of new home and rental construction. In close partnership with municipalities, a re-elected PC government will also update its Housing Supply Action Plan annually to identify and implement additional levers that will get more homes built faster. This will include continuing to advance the transit-oriented community program, which recently led to agreements to build nearly 50,000 new housing units in the Greater Toronto Area that will be connected to transit.
“The Liberals and NDP talk a big game about solving Ontario’s housing supply crisis, hoping Ontarians weren’t paying attention to the 15 years they spent creating it, ” added Ford. ” Our plan to get shovels in the ground to build 1.5 million new homes will help keep costs down for families by building the supply that meets homeownership demand. The Ontario PCs have a realistic plan to actually tackle the underlying problem of supply by building more quality homes, faster.”
A re-elected PC government will stand up for Ontario homebuyers by cracking down and punishing land and housing permit speculators who are artificially choking the supply of new homes and driving up costs. The PC government established the toughest, most expensive foreign buyers tax in Canada that closed Liberal loopholes and expanded it province-wide.
To protect Ontario homebuyers, the PC government massively expanded fines to punish unethical developers for new home contract cancellations, extended new home warranties and strengthened and empowered Ontario’s housing regulator to proactively investigate and stand up for Ontario homebuyers.
Today, Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs also welcomed an endorsement from one of the province’s leading voices on Ontario’s housing supply crisis, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON). RESCON is applauding the party’s commitment to addressing the province’s housing supply shortage by implementing a long-term strategy to build significantly more homes year-over-year, province-wide, including strategic investments in cutting-edge technology and education to support life-long careers in the skilled trades. This endorsement confirms that the Ontario PCs are the party of choice for workers in the construction industry who want to get the job done right.
Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs will get it done and address Ontario’s shortage of homes by building more than 1.5 million new homes.
Doug Ford is the only leader with a real plan:
- Rebuilding Ontario’s economy with good manufacturing jobs, more support for small business and a mining plan that will finally open up the Ring of Fire.
- Working for workers by encouraging apprenticeships and opening up jobs in the skilled trades, allowing colleges to grant three-year degrees and increasing the minimum wage.
- Building highways and infrastructure, including Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass while investing in the 401 East.
- Keeping costs down by lowering gas taxes, getting rid of license plate stickers and removing unfair tolls on Highways 412 and 418.
- Plan to stay open by hiring more nurses, doctors and personal support workers, allowing more seniors to stay in their own homes and producing more vaccines and critical supplies like PPE right here in Ontario.
Only Doug Ford will Get it Done.