The Belleville, Quinte West, and Prince Edward County Chambers of Commerce came together Tuesday night to host a Meet the Candidates evening.
Invited to participate were the NDP’s Amanda Robertson, PC Tyler Allsopp, Sean Kelly of the Liberals, and the Green Party’s Lori Borthwick. Only parties with elected members that hold a seat in the Ontario Legislature were invited. Not in attendance were New Blue Party of Ontario candidate Margaret Schuler, Libertarian Mark Snow, and Independent John Turmel.
Moderating the evening was chair of the Belleville and District Chamber of Commerce Chris Auger.
In total eight questions were asked of the candidates and the topics ranged from health care, small business and education, to the homelessness crisis.
OPENING STATEMENTS BY THE CANDIDATES
ALLSOPP – During his introduction Tyler Allsopp discussed his resume, which includes time as chair of the Belleville Police Board, years as a small business owner, and his tenure as a Belleville city councillor. Allsopp says the Doug Ford PC government is fighting for good paying jobs, supports local communities, and is dedicated to building new homes. The married father of three says he has a deep understanding of what issues are at the forefront for the people in the riding.
KELLY – Sean Kelly says as someone who has been in the Bay of Quinte for 30 years he knows the concerns people are facing. He says his experience includes time as a two term Belleville city councillor, a trustee with the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, and a career in broadcasting. Kelly stressed that the Ford Government has neglected the region, in health care, housing, mental health, education, and addictions.
BORTHWICK – Lori Borthwick began her two minutes stating that she is grateful for the environment and the Bay of Quinte region. She says she is blessed to be in this area. The 30-year Respiratory Therapist says as a mother of five children, with three grandchildren, she is concerned about the environment for generations to come, not just the next election cycle. She says she believes in people power and wants to be the representative at Queen’s Park
ROBERTSON – Amanda Robertson says she understands what people are going through. She says the Bay of Quinte deserves better than what the Doug Ford government has done over the last six years. Roberstson says they have neglected health care and the needs of the education sector, all while rent has soared. She says as a mother, spouse, a farmer’s daughter and a school board trustee, she knows what life is like in the Bay of Quinte region.
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The health care sector is seeing long hospital wait times and limited access to family doctors and long-term care. How does your party plan to improve the quality of public health care?
ROBERTSON – Robertson indicated that it the main issue she is hearing at the door is health care and the family doctor shortage. She says the NDP would invest in public health care, making real investment in the system. There are currently issues with capacity limits and the party’s plan is to work with those in health care to create the environment to improve the system and the patient experience. She added in her rebuttal that for every dollar that has been invested by the PC government, they have also removed funding through privatization to big corporations. Robertson’s husband is a physician in Belleville
BORTHWICK – She says she has worked as a Respiratory Therapist for 30 years, including time in Belleville, Trenton, and Picton. She says she has seen the issues firsthand, which include long wait times, with not enough support for physicians or nurse practitioners. She added that there is also a concern with massive paperwork backloads for doctors.
KELLY – Kelly blasted the Ontario Government for the wait times that emergency rooms are experiencing across the province.
“Wait times at BGH, second longest right now in the province, some are waiting 18 hours. There’s not enough doctors and this area has over 20,000 orphan patients without primary care.”
He says that the incredible health care staff we have are exhausted and there are not enough people in the system.
ALLSOPP – Allsopp says the PC government has invested $85 billion into health care, which is a 40 per cent increase over the former Liberal Government. He says that includes 12,500 new physicians and 80,000 new nurses registered to work in Ontario. He says there are 260 new seats for undergraduate degrees and 449 for post-graduate degrees, with 60 per cent of those earmarked for family medicine. Allsopp also pointed to the new hospital build in Prince Edward County, along with the funding for a new emergency room at Trenton Memorial Hospital. He finished by touting the government’s support of Quinte Health, with a 7.7 per cent increase in funding to their budget.
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Ontario has spent decades underfunding and or dismantling critical services such as health care, education and support, with many being downloaded to the municipalities. How is your party prepared to reverse the download of these critical services?
BORTHWICK – She says for a long time municipalities in the riding have had to beg for funding to support the mental health, addictions, and the homelessness crisis.
“As greens we know that our municipalities need support, so we would stably fund them, we would upload the cost back to the province in many cases and ensure and increase funding to 50 per cent for affordable housing.”
She reminded those listening and watching that the money being spent by the province is ours and we have a right to have it invested with us.
KELLY – Kelly says all 444 municipalities in Ontario have the same issues with funding. It is that they cannot do it alone. He says he spoke with Mayor Steve Ferguson in The County and they need $30 million to fix County Road 49, however, they are getting nothing from the province. He says it is not just for tourism, but for the residents of the region, in particular those in Prince Edward County.
ALLSOPP – The PC candidate says they are investing $190 billion over the next 10 years. He added that the province is ready to match funding for County Road 49, stating that whatever the federal government spends on the road, they are willing to spend. Allsopp also shot back at Kelly for being with a party that does not have official party status.
ROBERTSON – Robertson says both the Liberals and Conservatives have been in power for the last 30 years and they have had an opportunity to repair County Road 49 and have not. She added that under the NDP’s Building Strong and Caring Communities Program, work would get done. She also indicated that it was unacceptable that the PCs would need another level of government to step up before the province would.
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The Quinte region needs skilled workers in hospitality, manufacturing, the skilled trades and health care. How will you support the region economically?
KELLY – Kelly says there is a lot of talent in the area. He indicated he has seen it firsthand as chair of the Economic Development Committee for the City of Belleville. He says support needs to go to Quinte Economic Development and Loyalist College. He also applauded the work on the health file under Hastings County for those graduating from PSW and RPN programs. He finished in his rebuttal portion indicating that education is priceless. Focusing on a group such as the Quinte Home Builders, Kelly says he wants local jobs to stay local and not have a truckload of people coming down from Toronto to fill the roles.
ALLSOPP – Allsopp says the PC government has made record investments in education, which he says is up 30 per cent since 2019. He also pointed to $2.6 million in funding for the Elevate Plus program, which came from the province to support 1,200 workers for new careers in new industries.
ROBERTSON – Robertson indicated that since the province has grown in population year over year, she would expect nothing less than increased funding. She says for the region to continue to grow economically, more investment is needed in post-secondary education and training.
“The Blue Ribbon Report came out and it demonstrates that the government is underfunding our post-secondary education institutions by $1.3 billion. We currently have a crisis right now and the government is turning their back on our colleges and universities.”
BORTHWICK – Lori Borthwick says stable funding is needed, as Loyalist College is turning to international students in record numbers to keep the doors open, while Queen’s University is cutting programs. She added that it is funny that the government is bragging about extra funding for education, however, there has been a large growth in the population in the province.
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What policy or program will effectively increase the supply and availability of housing?
ALLSOPP – He says no one has done more in last 30 years on housing.
“We’ve done a number of things, whether it’s the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund, which we saw a grant of $18 million for Wellington the other day. We also have to look at the Building Faster Fund, which Belleville was a recipient of for hitting their housing targets. This is a very important part of building 1.5 million homes, is that it’s a measured approach, with targets for municipalities.”
He says reducing red tape for developers is also key.
ROBERTSON – She says housing policies have driven rent to untenable levels. Robertson added that the people most affected are young people, families and seniors on fixed incomes. She says there is also a chronic shortage of affordable housing. The NDP would bring in rent control measures and heavily invest in diverse types of housing and projects.
KELLY – Kelly blasted the current government, stating an example in Hastings County. He says the county is constructing a 32-unit affordable housing building in Trenton and the province has invested no money. He told Allsopp that he is not speaking with the people.
BORTHWICK – Borthwick indicated that the funding in Wellington by Doug Ford for water infrastructure on Monday was not nearly enough considering the scope of the project. She also stated that the houses currently being built across the riding and Ontario, are not homes that most people can afford.
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Our education system continues to be challenged by a lack of funding and an ever increasing lack of qualified teachers and education assistants. How important is it to your party to improve the level of support elementary students get within their schools?
ALLSOPP – Access to a quality education can make all the difference in a child’s life. He says the PC government is making education a priority in the Bay of Quinte riding, with $75 million in funding for two new schools, along with support for 1,500 new student spaces and more child spaces. Distractions in the classrooms such as vaping and mobile phones should be removed. He finished by showcasing that the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program is installed all the way back to Grade 9.
ROBERTSON – A safe space is critical. The NDP would partner with schools and school boards. Robertson says the government indicates they have invested, however, if you have been into a school in the last six years, the story does not paint the same picture. There has been a massive loss of education workers, with school boards being forced to increase funding to busing.
BORTHWICK – Supporting educators and students is critical. Any dollar you invest now will pay you back in the end. Borthwick says they would cap class size, and they have a plan to increase infrastructure spending to be brought up to standards.
KELLY – Education is struggling and in crisis. Teachers have not had a raise in a long time. Kelly pointed to the Hastings Prince Edward School Board recently pulling $2 million from their budget to invest in busing. He says that money could be used in the classroom.
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Other questions in the debate centred around the local conservation authority, support for small and medium business, and each candidate’s number one priority in the riding.
Those topics, along with their closing comments, and the entire debate can be heard below.
