2018 Ontario election promise tracker: Here’s what the Liberals, PCs, NDP and Greens have pledged to date

The leaders of Ontario’s political parties are attempting hard to win your vote on June 7.

Within the lead as much as the election, we’ve heard the Liberals, the Progressive Conservatives, the Green Party and the Latest Democrats each claim they need to make life higher for Ontarians. They’ve all put forth policies on issues comparable to child care, health care, transit and far more. Lots of these guarantees, after all, include big price tags.

To assist make sense of all of it, Global News is tracking what’s been promised by the leaders of the preferred parties, and the way much they are saying these pledges will cost.

Here’s a running list of the entire campaign guarantees made to date.

Skip to guarantees made by the:

• Progressive Conservatives
• NDP
• Liberals
• Green Party

Progressive Conservatives

• May 30: The PCs released a platform-style document online that highlighted lots of the party’s previous campaign pledges — including their costs — without outlining a full fiscal plan. The Tories promised to upload responsibility for Toronto transit infrastructure onto the provincial government at a price of $160 million per yr, increase funding for kids with autism by $100 million over the course of their mandate and earmark $500 million for a series of environmental initiatives. The Tories said they might restore funding to guns and gangs police units in Toronto and Ottawa and dedicate $35 million for police to fight organized crime, human trafficking and medicines, plus one other $30 million per yr to rent more corrections officers. The plan also earmarked $30 million to fight a possible federal carbon tax. The party vowed to ban cellphones from classrooms, scrap the Green Energy Act and consider adding more lanes to Hwy. 401​, amongst other measures.
• May 27: Through the final televised leaders’ debate, Ford said the party would find cost efficiencies without cutting any jobs.
• May 26: The PCs said they might restore Ontario’s minimum price for a single beer to a dollar plus deposit.
• May 24: The PCs said they’ll introduce a “customer support guarantee” and reduce red tape for businesses. They vowed to streamline the permit process by introducing “single-window” access for provincial government agencies and departments. The PCs also said any permit decisions can be made inside a deadline of a yr under a Tory government. The party didn’t say what, if any costs, would be associated with the move.
• May 23:  The Progressive Conservatives unveiled a set of platform guarantees for rural Ontario, including a plan to extend the cap on an insurance initiative for farmers, the Risk Management Program, to $150 million by the third yr of their mandate if elected. The party also vowed a $100-million investment in rural high-speed web access, which can be paid for by cutting a natural gas subsidy and allowing private corporations to expand natural gas lines.
• May 23: PC Leader Doug Ford reiterated a commitment to release a completely costed platform.
• May 22: The PCs promised to maintain the Pickering Nuclear Plant open until its scheduled closure in 2024, after the NDP reportedly told the Ontario Clean Air Alliance they might would close the ability this summer if elected.
• May 18: Ford said a Tory government would permit the sale of beer and wine in any grocery, convenience or big-box store, as long as the retailers meet provincial rules surrounding the sale of alcohol.
• May 18:  Ford said in a press release a PC government would work as quickly as possible to wash up mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows.
• May 18: Ford vowed to chop healthcare wait times through previously announced initiatives on mental health, dental look after seniors and extra long term care beds.​
• May 17: Ford vowed to chop taxes on small businesses from 3.5 per cent to three.2 per cent at a price of $60 million annually. (Only the primary $500,000 of profits can be taxed at this rate). If elected, the party said the tax cut can be implemented in its first budget.
• May 16: Ford vowed to scale back the worth of gasoline by 10 cents per litre through eliminating cap and trade greenhouse gas emission auctions and reducing the provincial fuel tax to 9 cents per litre for each gasoline and diesel. The party said the move would cost $1.19 billion annually.  If elected, the party also vowed to fight on the Supreme Court of Canada any attempt by the federal government to implement a carbon tax. Ford also promised that a PC government would have a balanced budget by the tip of their term. ​
• May 15: The Progressive Conservatives said they might not roll back expanded rent control measures brought in by the Wynne Liberals. “In the case of rent control, we’re going to keep up the establishment,” Ford stated in a media release.
• May 14: The Tories have vowed to axe business grants provided under the Jobs and Prosperity Fund, but maintain regional economic development funds. A spokeswoman for the campaign confirmed the party’s position after leader Doug Ford made an appearance in Niagara Falls to stipulate the PC plan to draw business. Ford also vowed to erect a “big sign on the border” saying “Ontario is open for business.”
• May 12: Ford promised a Tory government would arrange a public dental plan for seniors earning $19,300 or $32,300 for a pair.  The initiative would cost $98 million annually, the party estimated.
• May 10: Ford promised a 20 per cent reduction in the speed of the province’s middle class tax bracket, which the party said would save individuals as much as $786 per yr.  If elected, the move can be implemented within the third and fourth years of Ford’s mandate, at a lack of $2.3 billion in revenues.
• May 9: Ford said he’s “100 per cent committed to Ontario’s public health care system” after an Ottawa candidate got here under fire from the Liberals for past comments on two-tier health care.
• May 9: Ford released further details on a plan to fund transit, including $5 billion for Toronto subways. He also vowed that he would support two-way, all-day GO Transit service to Niagara and Phase 2 of the Ottawa LRT, in addition to regional transit projects in Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London and Kitchener-Waterloo.
• May 8: After facing criticism that he’s betrayed social conservatives after dropping controversial Mississauga candidate Tanya Granic Allen, PC Leader Ford vowed to overhaul Ontario’s sex education curriculum. He also said he’d scrap the maths curriculum and “make sure that publicly funded universities defend free speech for everyone.” He didn’t explain how he would tie university funding to a free speech requirement.
• May 7: During a debate with Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne and the NDP’s Andrea Horwath, Ford pledged $5 billion for subways, relief lines and two-way GO Transit service to Niagara Falls. He said this funding is on top of what the provincial government has already allocated for transit.
• May 1: Ford said he’ll establish a system for sharing resource revenues in order that Ontario’s northern communities can get a greater profit from the mining projects in their very own backyards.
• May 1: Ford backtracked on an earlier plan to open up the Greenbelt to housing development attributable to negative public feedback. The party promised it will as a substitute work to generate more supply of inexpensive housing.
• April 30: Ford vowed to open up the protected Greenbelt in some areas for housing development to generate recent supply within the GTA housing market.
• April 30: Ford committed $1.9 billion over 10 years for mental health and addiction services. An analogous pledge was made within the party’s old platform, the People’s Guarantee, launched by former leader Patrick Brown.
• April 28: Ford vowed to ascertain a tax rebate of as much as $6,750 per child for families with child care expenses at a price of $389 million per yr.  
• April 27: Ford committed to additional help for hydro customers, promising to scale back rates by 12 per cent or a median of $173 a yr, on top of the relief offered within the Liberals’ Fair Hydro Plan, which he vowed to review. Ford also said he would also place a moratorium on recent energy contracts and renegotiate existing deals where possible.
• April 26: On the heels of a scathing report from the Auditor General that criticized provincial government accounting practices for obscuring the deficit by billions, Ford announced that if elected premier, he’ll seek a commission of inquiry into Liberal spending.
• April 26: Doug Ford promised he’d provide a costed election platform that may outline how he’d fund all of his campaign pledges. (As of May 8, no such document has been released).
• April 23: Ford promised to eliminate the province’s cap-and-trade carbon pricing program. He said the move would cut back the worth of gas by 4.3 cents per litre. He also vowed to fight the federal Liberal plan to implement a carbon tax.
• April 20: During a pre-campaign announcement in Sarnia, the PCs committed to creating 15,000 longterm beds inside five years, and 30,000 over the subsequent 10 years. Ford’s campaign didn’t say what the proposal will cost.
• April 17: Ford promised an independent audit into spending by the Ontario Liberals.
• April 18: Ford visited a producing plant in Cobourg to announce a campaign promise to scale back corporate taxes by a percentage point, to 10.5 per cent from 11.5. He also said he’d take measures to scale back “red tape and stifling regulations” he claimed were barriers for businesses.
• April 16: After a previous commitment to not follow through with the Liberals’ planned minimum wage hike to $15 in 2019, the PCs committed to eliminating provincial taxes for minimum wage earners at a price of about $500 million per yr.
• April 12: Ford put Hydro One in his crosshairs, promising to fireplace the partially privatized utility’s CEO and board over their compensation packages. The move would cost not less than $10.7 million in severance.
• April 12: The Tories promised they might let London select its own transit plan. The Liberals have committed $170 million, but specifically for the region’s proposed bus rapid transit plan, which might see transit vehicles occupy dedicated lanes.
• April 4: In a tweet, Ford said as premier he would “cut taxes, put a reimbursement in people’s pockets and put a giant sign on the border that claims Ontario is open for business.”
• April 3: In Hamilton, Ford vowed to let the general public determine find out how to proceed with a proposed billion-dollar LRT line. He said in the event that they’re against it, provincial money will go toward other infrastructure needs in the town. He made a pledge to return to the town to be held accountable for his campaign guarantees.
• March 16: Ford made several commitments regarding northern Ontario. He promised to bring roads to the Ring of Fire mining development even when he has to “hop on a bulldozer” himself. A press release from the party said he also touched on reducing hospital crowding/wait times and “making the north open for business” in a call with northern Ontario media.
• March 12 (and possibly before this): Media reports say Ford vowed to avoid wasting 4 cents on every dollar of presidency spending through “efficiencies.”

Latest Democratic Party

• May 24: The NDP pledged to fund 1,500 recent long-term care beds east of Toronto in Whitby and Oshawa as a part of their plan to open 15,000 beds across the province inside five years.
• May 24: The party promised to rent 4,500 nurses in the primary yr of their mandate. The party didn’t indicate how much this might cost.
• May 24: NDP Leader Andrea Horwath committed to “fully implementing” the recommendations of a report on the health impacts of mercury contamination on the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• May 23:  The NDP vowed to convert Ontario student loans to grants if elected.
• May 22: Horwath pledged $57 million to create recent opportunities in expert trades. She also vowed to create 27,000 recent co-op placements and paid internships for college kids.
• May 20: Horwath promised to stop long-weekend “gouging” on the pumps by stopping corporations from changing the worth of gas within the week leading as much as a vacation.
• May 18: Horwath made a campaign stop in Grassy Narrows. The party has vowed to wash up the mercury contamination within the English–Wabigoon River and work with First Nations to make sure drinking water is protected. She also plans to speculate $209 million immediately in a First Nations-focused health plan.
• May 17: Horwath said an NDP government wouldn’t implement road tolls, saying that access to transit shouldn’t be equal across the GHTA. She also said that as a flat tax, tolls impact those with lower incomes essentially the most.
• May 15: The NDP released its platform for southwestern Ontario, which included pledges so as to add all-day train service to the Kitchener-Toronto GO Transit route, implement a transportation plan for the region, restore funding for municipal transit operation to 50 per cent, open 2,000 hospital beds, expand the mandate of the Elizabeth Wettlaufer inquiry in the course of the party’s first hundred days in office, and implement a moratorium on rural school closures.
• May 14: Horwath ruled out a coalition with the Liberals, saying she had “no interest” in partnering with the party.
• May 14: Horwath vowed an NDP government would construct one other hospital in Brampton. She also promised to expand Peel Memorial Centre right into a full hospital.
• May 4: Horwath announced a series of policy planks for northern Ontario, including a billion dollar investment within the Ring of Fire mining development, a vow to maintain schools open and a pledge to finish higher northern and rural hydro delivery costs.
• May 2: As a part of the party’s broader plan to supply dental care coverage, Horwath said the NDP intends to ascertain seven mobile dental clinics and 70 recent public dental suites.
• May 1: Horwath vowed to expand GO transit service in Hamilton and fund 50 per cent of municipal transit if elected premier.
• April 30: The NDP announced a plan to fund prescription cancer drugs for those without coverage at a price of $42 million per yr.
• April 18: Horwath outlined in a campaign pledge to provide tax revenues related to mining operations to First Nations in northern Ontario. She told the CBC the windfall would amount to about $41 million.
• April 16: The NDP launched a costed campaign platform that features a five per cent boost to hospital funding, free childcare for those earning under $40,000 (otherwise $12/day), pharmacare and dental plans, a commitment to spice up taxes for those earning greater than $220,000 by one percentage point and people earning greater than $300,000 by two percentage points. The plan can be paid for through five years of deficits, starting with a $3.3 billion in 2018-2019.
  Other highlights: billions to extend Ontario Works and Ontario disability payments; a 30 per cent reduction in hydro bills, the addition of two,200 recent mental medical experts over five years; 15,000 additional long-term care beds, a 3 per cent surcharge on vehicles over $90,000; a promise to chop auto insurance rates by 15 per cent.
• April 12:  The NDP committed to restoring a 50 per cent provincial funding commitment to transit agencies.
• April 11: At a debate organized by black community leaders, Horwath said the NDP would ban the police street checks practice generally known as carding. The party also announced a plan to launch a $20-million anti-racism fund to support community organizations tackling the problem.
• April 10: Horwath tweeted that an NDP government will fund the Pay Equity Commission, to place “more women in public service leadership roles, and implement the Equal Pay Coalition’s 12 recommendations.”
• March 19: Horwath pitched a public dental plan that may extend coverage to 4.5 million Ontarians at a price of $1.2 billion.
• March 17: At a celebration event, Horwath provided a preview of the NDP election platform, saying it will de-privatize Hydro One, offer universal pharmacare and dental coverage, and abolish student loans.
• March 12: Horwath told teachers that as premier, she would scrap the Education Quality and Accountability Office standardized testing in favour of a random sample testing system.
• March 9: Horwath vowed to overhaul mental health and addiction services through the creation of a dedicated ministry. She also promised the NDP would fund hospitals, at minimum, to the speed of inflation.
• April 22, 2017:  A yr ahead of the campaign, the NDP guarantees a provincial pharmacare plan if elected.

The Liberals

• May 28: Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne promised that if re-elected, her government would “swiftly” recall the legislature and pass laws to finish a months-long strike at York University.
• May 26: While the Liberals have mostly campaigned on measures outlined of their most up-to-date budget, the party released a small platform featuring additional measures they are saying won’t add further costs. They promised to introduce laws mandating that any surplus resulting from the province performing higher than its fiscal projections go directly toward its debt. The Liberals pledged to encourage the creation of portable pension plans and improve protections for renters and retirees. The Liberals also pledged to expand the Greenbelt protected area, establish a consumer watchdog to watch the worth of gas, and eliminate “geographic discrimination” in auto insurance pricing.​
• May 24:  The Liberals vowed to expand employer pension coverage, allow employees to more easily move their pension plans as they move jobs, and introduce an opt-in pension option for self-employed staff. The Liberals also said that if re-elected, pensioners would receive “greater priority” within the event their employer goes bankrupt.
• May 10: The Liberals promised that they might add 3,500 more nurses this yr if re-elected. A news release from the party didn’t state the fee of the brand new hires, but mentioned the $822-million boost to hospitals announced within the 2018 budget.
• May 7: Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne made an appearance to focus on a $62-million commitment to autism support that was included within the spring budget.
• May 3: At a Toronto transit announcement, Wynne said the federal government would partially fund the Downtown Relief Line, the Yonge North subway extension and the Waterfront light rail transit service. She said the funding was included in her spring budget however the document didn’t discover specific infrastructure projects the cash can be spent on.
• May 2: After Doug Ford’s flip-flop on opening up the Greenbelt for development, Wynne said her party would add to the protected area if elected.
• April 30: Wynne announced the Liberals would supply 500 recent long run care beds for Francophone seniors.
• April 19: The Liberals said they may construct 5,000 recent beds by 2022 and greater than 30,000 recent beds over the subsequent decade.
• April 11: Wynne made an appearance in Etobicoke and highlighted the party’s $3.3-billion, three-year commit for seniors that was a part of party’s latest budget.
• April 5: The Liberals announced that in 2019, GO Transit and Union-Pearson Express fares inside Toronto will match the TTC at $3 for Presto users.
• March 28: The Liberals unveiled the ultimate budget of their term, which got here with a $6.7-billion deficit. The $158.5-billion fiscal plan included several previously revealed commitments, including free childcare, the expansion of pharma and dental care, increased funding for hospitals, mental health and long-term care. More highlights might be found here.
• March 27: The Liberals announced their budget will include a $2.2-billion commitment for childcare that can provide free childcare for pre-school-aged children starting in 2020.
• March 26: The Liberals promised $300 million to expand special needs education. The cash would go towards eliminating the waitlist to have children with special needs assessed and to rent 2,000 recent teachers and education staff.
• March 23: Wynne and the Liberals pledged $2.4 billion to rebuild Toronto’s SickKids Hospital over 10 years.
• March 22:  The Ontario Liberals announced a 4.6 per cent, $822-million boost for hospitals for the 2018-2019 fiscal yr.
• March: 21 Wynne promised to overhaul mental health services with a $2.1-billion funding commitment over 4 years
• March 20: Wynne announced a plan to expand free pharmacare (OHIP+) to seniors by 2020-2021 at a price $575 million when this system is fully operational.
•  March 19:  A throne speech was delivered ahead of the budget. In it, the federal government pledged significant spending in health care to tackle hospital wait times and expand home-care and mental-health services, while reducing the general deficit.

Green Party

• May 14: Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner unveiled the party’s platform at Queen’s Park. Highlights include: creating green jobs; introducing a $4.18-billion, four-year fund to pay for energy retrofits for homes and businesses; cutting payroll taxes for non-profits and businesses earning under $5 million; a 20 per cent inexpensive housing requirement for brand new residential development; a plan to introduce mental health coverage under OHIP+ at a price of $4.1 billion over 4 years; increasing social assistance payments by $3.4 billion by 2018-2019 as a part of the essential income pilot project and phasing in a guaranteed basic income by 2021-2022 with a $6.4 billion investment;  a 0.5 per cent tax increase for giant corporations, a 1 per cent provincial tax increase for the highest 1 per cent of earners; a housing speculation tax; cancelling Kathleen Wynne’s Fair Hydro Plan; expanding the Greenbelt and raising water taking fees paid by corporations; developing a plan for Ontario to turn out to be 100 per cent reliant on renewable energy; increasing funding for public transit to $1.5 billion per yr and funding half  of the operating costs of municipal transit systems; introducing congestion charges, parking levies and land value taxes to pay for transit.

With files from The Canadian Press