Seaway News reached out to the candidates running on this week’s Provincial election.
We asked them what their top three priorities were. Listed below are their answers.
**Candidates are listed in alphabetical order**
Kirsten Gardner
Over the following 4 years, there might be many issues and concerns that may require strong advocacy for this riding. Through the campaign, no matter the difficulty raised, I heard directly from the people on this riding that there needed to be a robust voice that put people first, before politics. In any respect 3 debates there have been many concerns raised and these issues have also resonated during one-on-one conversations.
Healthcare on this riding must be championed. With the closure of one other walk-in clinic in Cornwall and the continuing problems with doctor recruitment throughout the riding, this might be a priority. We should be allowed the choice of opening more nurse practitioner clinics. The medical clinics that we do have should be fully supported and funded, this includes proactive programs. Access to mental health and addiction recovery supports must be funded properly and increased for our riding. We also have to have latest options for addressing all mental health concerns, but especially the mental health of our youngsters and youth and access must be right in our riding.
Housing while an advanced issue, we’re fortunate to have several organizations which have been working on what we want. The info has been collected however the provincial government now must support the plan. Municipal partners should be empowered in order that the problems could be addressed in a timelier manner. Waiting shouldn’t be an option. We want housing that’s protected and secure and addresses affordability levels and different family dynamics.
There are such a lot of issues that should be championed but my primary priority is to be sure that this riding isn’t any longer forgotten. The undeniable fact that this riding has been neglected of an Eastern Ontario Transportation plan is unacceptable. Addressing the problems of the 138 and other transportation arteries on this riding is obligatory, but first we now have to be included within the eastern Ontario plan. A lot of our municipal partners would require funding for giant infrastructure projects, long run care projects and items that support growth, we should be included and thought of within the funding envelopes fairly. We should be considered for pilot projects. We want to stop having our concerns dismissed or ignored. We want strong experienced representation, that might be my priority.
Kirsten Gardner
Candidate for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
Liberal Party
Jacqueline Milner
*My top 3 priorities as MPP are: *
– *To listen, represent, and advocate for the people in Stormont, Dundas, & South Glengarry. *Because all and sundry deserves to be acknowledged and represented by our riding’s MPP. Should our riding bestow upon me the privilege to try this, it should be my first priority to achieve this, with respect and care.
– *Increase and sustain housing inventory inside SDSG* with a view forward to support renters with rent controls. A housing first approach is totally obligatory to make sure the health and wellbeing of those in need with stable, everlasting housing solutions inside walkable communities where the needs of individuals (schools, healthcare, food, green space) are inside a 15-minute boundary. Inside the following few years about 20% of our population might be over 65. It’s critical that we assist the seniors who built this province with programs that allow them to age in place inside their very own homes, within the communities that they know and love, should they want to achieve this. When a Long-Term Care home is required, the Green Party and I would love to make sure there are non-profit, loving and caring environments, and full-time well-paid health care staff and staff in place to make sure all who enter the house are supported with locally grown healthy food, mental health supports inside a family first environment.
– *Bolster our public Healthcare supports.* The past couple of years have put an excessive amount of stress on our healthcare organizations and staff. A lot of our health care staff have left the career in consequence and we now have a backlog of surgeries, imaging, and other services because of the pandemic. The GPO of Ontario will address our shortfalls as follows:
-The Greens will ensure publicly funded mental health care supports are in place to assist our people, professionals, and students when and where they need them in a timely manner.
-We are going to Work with the federal government to offer surge funding to scale back this backlog.
-My party will rebalance the healthcare funding formula to make sure higher access in rural and distant areas.
-Expand the roles and scope of nurse practitioners as primary health care providers, especially in areas that lack primary care options.
-Use incentives to bring physicians and allied health professionals to Northern and rural communities.
-Provide cultural responsiveness training for all healthcare professionals across our system that’s trauma-informed and rooted in equity and anti-racism.
Kindly visit gpo.ca/platform to view the entire, costed Green Party Platform.
Jacqueline Milner
Stormont – Dundas – South Glengarry
Candidate Green Party of Ontario / Parti Vert de l’Ontario
Nolan Quinn
Housing can be the primary priority. This includes each reasonably priced housing and general housing units. As a community, we will not have the expansion we want without having homes for the brand new residents to live in. A part of the issue with housing is getting more people into the trades to have the option to expand the capability in order that we will grow. Lack of reasonably priced housing is a difficulty that has existed for a long time but has been forged in a highlight for the reason that starting of the pandemic and the inflationary crisis we’re all living through. Expanding reasonably priced housing will help the entire community. The availability versus demand is the true issue in terms of housing across our riding and province. Housing costs will proceed to grow until we now have the workforce able to helping with the capability we want. It will in turn help to scale back costs, not only for brand new purchases, but in addition for rentals.
Long Term care is one other pressing priority. After 15 years of Liberal government which only created 611 latest beds province wide, has put us behind on the aging demographic that’s needing to make use of these facilities. We want enough long-term care beds spread throughout the riding in order that our seniors can age within the communities they’ve called home their whole lives. Our PC government committed to more latest long-term cares beds in our riding alone, than the previous government created province wide! We now have a big aging population throughout all of Stormont, Dundas & South Glengarry and the necessity for more facilities to permit seniors the care and dignity they deserve and wish. Committing to more development of long-term care facilities is crucial for our community.
One other major issue and priority I keep hearing on the doors is affordability. The fee of living and inflation we now have seen recently has been astronomical. We want to make sure the provision chain is resilient enough to have the option to handle the pressures to maintain costs down. The fee of gas, child-care and goods basically has undergone the roof. We want to remove the bottlenecks in the provision chain to make sure smooth delivery of products province wide. It will help to maintain costs down. Our community is blessed in being a distribution hub for all eastern Ontario and might directly help the flow of products from warehouse to finish user. This enables for essentially the most efficient use of dollars and savings for the patron. Keeping taxes low and the price of life down is a staple for the Ontario PC Party.
Nolan Quinn
Candidate for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
Ontario’s PC Party
Wendy Stephen
Because the NDP candidate, my top priorities all come all the way down to respecting and investing in people.
We must fix our broken healthcare system, a system already weakened by Liberals and broken by Doug Ford. We are going to start by taking the profits out of long-term care and treating healthcare staff with respect. It’s the peak of hypocrisy how healthcare staff were called “heroes” throughout the pandemic, only to have their wages capped by the PC’s Bill 124, a bill that Jim McDonell voted for. The staffing crisis in healthcare is due largely to unbearable working conditions wherein caring professionals are set as much as fail their patients. We must ensure properly funded, strong public healthcare to make sure fair and timely access, top quality care, and equitable treatment of all people.
It is crucial that we address the underlying issue at the basis of our social problems: poverty. No person chooses poverty – it’s brought on by policies that protect the rich while doing little or no to lift up and dignify those less fortunate. Propping up this unfair system is what we call charity, which is designed to fill the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
A lot of essentially the most vulnerable people in Cornwall and the encircling counties are struggling to pay for basic necessities like rent and food. They don´t need charity. They need basic income and compassion. The PCs froze the minimum wage for 3 years while inflation got worse 12 months after 12 months, costing Ontarians on minimum wage about $6,000 in lost wages.
Most of the people I´ve met who’re struggling to afford life lately are also individuals with disabilities. Disability will not be a alternative and we want to stop treating it prefer it is one.
Finally, I believe it’s of the utmost importance that, if elected, I exploit my position as MPP to assist amplify the voices of those that have traditionally been underserved in our communities. This includes 2SLBGTQIA+ people, immigrants, Indigenous peoples, racialized people, those with disabilities, seniors, and ladies.
As your MPP, I’ll listen and can speak out when issues affecting us are being debated at Queen´s Park. I’m committed to the people of SDSG.
Wendy Stephen Pronouns: she/her
Candidate for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
Ontario’s Recent Democratic Party
Claude Tardif
As a Recent Blue SDSG MPP my 3 top priorities might be:
My priority primary might be to fight to finish all COVID-19 mandates by repealing Bill 195. This is able to include a ban on COVID-19 Passports and restitution for those harmed by emergency measures applied by the federal government of Justin Trudeau or Doug Ford. By doing so we might restore dignity and transparency in our health care system by expending early treatments for covid-19 and clearing the backlog of procedures by rehiring healthcare staff. We might also work on increasing the mental health portfolio to take care of all of the damages like depressions and addictions done by the lock downs.
My priority number two might be to grow the economy by 5% annually. How can we do this it’s possible you’ll ask? We achieve that by stopping wind turbines to scale back electricity rates leaving more cash in your pockets. We might also provide tax relief by cancelling the economic carbon tax levied by Doug Ford and at last lower the HST by 3%. These actions would depart money where it counts, in your pocket. This is able to have for effect to stimulate the economy from the underside up by helping small and medium size business within the local economy creating employment. By growing the local economy, we might even be in a a lot better place to proceed adding latest Long-Term Care (LTC) beds to existing facilities or to construct latest LTC near existing ones within the riding and my preference is that they be managed by non-profit or municipality. This growth within the economy would also give us the chance to extend ODPS profit to living wage and increase the supply of reasonably priced housing.
My priority number three might be to make use of the growing economy to finance a robust and healthy education system with all the suitable tools required on this latest technology intense education. This requires a considerable investment in web infrastructure (fiber optic) to each home in SDSG, and laptop/tablets in order that our youngsters stay up to the mark on education. Schoolboards in Cornwall have done an ideal job negotiating with one another for the wellbeing of their students and I’m sure this instance could be utilized in the remainder of the Ontario on how you can do business. I support the 4 schoolboards of the riding and can assist in any way I can to be sure that SDSG get the province’s support to be able to obtain top notch education to be able to retain and attract latest young families in SDSG.
Claude Tardif
Candidate for Recent Blue SDSG
Remi Tremblay
My first priority will housing affordability in SDSG. As you realize, prices have skyrocketed which is detrimental to first time buyers and young families. I’d subsequently engage all stakeholders in SDSG so to evaluate the chance to supply tax credits and other incentives to draw developers and contractors who’re prepared to extend the provision for reasonably priced houses. I’d further discuss the chance to remove the Ontario Land Transfer Tax for first time buyers and young families.
My second priority might be to draw more health professionals to SDSG. One possibility can be to draw latest immigrants to our area by offering to support their work permits and transition assistance to change into everlasting residents. We might take a look at the chance to cover all associated costs in exchange for a compulsory period of service in our area. Furthermore, I’d review the chance to cover relocation costs for health professionals coming from other provinces who have an interest to relocate to SDSG.
My third priority might be to enhance the standard of services provided to our senior residents This implies improving home care services in order that seniors can stay at home for the longest possible period, in addition to supporting financially natural caregivers. I’d also work hard to secure additional funding in order that we will make major improvements to our existing infrastructures, add more beds and personnel.
Remi Tremblay
Candidate for Ontario Party
