HUNTSVILLE– This morning, Leader Mike Schreiner and candidate for Parry Sound–Muskoka Matt Richter announced the Green Plan for Parry Sound–Muskoka to make life more caring, inexpensive and connected for residents within the riding.
“Ontario Greens have latest solutions to the old problems facing the people of Parry Sound–Muskoka,” Schreiner said on the announcement in Huntsville.
“We’ve the leadership to construct the Parry Sound–Muskoka you wish,” Richter said. “We hear your concerns and we’ve got an actual plan to tackle them head-on.”
The Green Plan for Parry Sound–Muskoka includes seven key priorities:
1. Expand healthcare options
- Create three latest nurse practitioner-led clinics in Parry Sound–Muskoka
- Rebalance the healthcare funding formula to make sure higher access in rural areas
- Recruit 230 doctors to northern communities including in Parry Sound–Muskoka
- Immediately repeal Bill 124 and hire more nurses and PSWs within the region
2. Tackle the housing affordability crisis
- Construct 1,000 inexpensive rental homes in Parry Sound–Muskoka
- Increase housing supply by offering zero-interest loans of $25K for homeowners so as to add inexpensive rental units, akin to secondary suites, onto their primary residence
3. Help local small businesses thrive with a Essential Street Strategy
- Create and implement rent control guidelines for year-over-year increases that apply to all business tenants, including latest tenants
- Expand the Digital Essential Street program to supply fulfilment platforms that higher enable small, local businesses to compete with large online firms
- Change the regulations to permit boutique wine, craft beer and artisan spirit stores to open legally, including independent, off-site stores opened by craft producers
- Expand programs to assist Black, Indigenous and other racialized entrepreneurs start or grow their business
4. Make transit cheaper, convenient & reliable to attach Parry Sound–Muskoka
- Immediately restore and improve the Northlander passenger rail service
- Expand and improve inter-community Northland bus service
- Immediately cut all Northland transit fares in half for at the least 3 months to handle the soaring cost of transportation
5. Bring down the fee of utility bills
- Focus hydro bill relief programs for people in rural or distant areas, and people with low-incomes
- Help homeowners get monetary savings by saving energy with grants of as much as $15,000 to $20,000 to cover retrofits to enhance energy efficiency
6. Protect Parry Sound–Muskoka communities from expensive flooding
- End clearcutting of forests for development projects
- Work with Indigenous communities to conserve and protect at the least 25% of Ontario by 2025, and 30% by 2030
- Restore and expand wetlands and green infrastructure to wash stormwater and reduce flooding
7. Improve rural education & address student mental health
- Rebalance the education funding formula to have in mind the unique needs of rural schools
- Increase funding for kids’s mental health to scale back wait times to lower than 30 days and ensure students can easily connect with community mental health professionals at or near primary and secondary schools
- Create a Youth Wellness Hub in each major Parry Sound–Muskoka community
- Eliminate EQAO standardised testing to get monetary savings and reduce unnecessary stress on students
