As the Ontario provincial election fast approaches, many in the Quinte region were able to meet Ontario’s next potential premier.
Wednesday evening, a crowd at Lions Club Pavilion at West Zwick’s Park in Belleville heard from Ontario New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath.
Alison Kelly, on left, is the Bay Of Quinte riding’s NDP candidate for Member of Provincial Parliament, May 25, 2022. (Photo: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
During the rally, Horwath, alongside Bay of Quinte NDP candidate Alison Kelly, spoke on a number of the party’s priorities including improving mental health access to Ontarians. The Ontario NDP plans to provide universal, publicly funded mental health care by expanding access to counselling and therapy services across the province, and by bringing therapy services into the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, OHIP.
“Our mental health plan not only will make sure you can access services with your OHIP card and not your credit cards so that you never have to wonder if you have to put off a session to save up enough money to pay for it, but also it expands the system so that people have access to services when they need them and where they need them.”
Andrea Horwath is the member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton Centre riding, May 25, 2022. (Photo: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
As the prices of gas, insurance, and housing continues to increase Horwath was asked several questions on how her party plans to make the lives of people across Ontario more affordable. She says the NDP will focus on building more affordable housing with transit investments and updated zoning rules to enable the construction of more affordable “missing middle” housing. Horwath also plans to introduce an annual speculation and vacancy tax on residential property to deter foreign investors from mass buying of housing in the province.
“So it needs to be both, it needs to be housing that people can have access to because there is a tight supply but also those houses have to be houses that people can afford, so starter type homes for example, homes that are duplexes, that are semi-detached, town homes that are the more moderate type of home, it can help young people and other’s get into the market. But we also have to get the property speculation out as well.”
The Ontario NDP plans to build 250,000 affordable homes and establish a new public agency, Housing Ontario, to build affordable homes that are operated by public, non-profit and co-op agencies. As for renters, the party aims to provide more services to assist tenants who can’t afford their rent in addition to basic necessities for themselves and their families.
Andrea Horwath was in Etobicoke and Peterborough prior to arriving in Belleville on May 25, 2022. (Photo: Andrew Clarke / Quinte News)
Horwath also recognized the impact of climate change, the NDPs are hoping to reduce Ontario’s GHG emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The NDPs are also committed to creating around one million new jobs during a transition to a net-zero economy.
The Ontario Provincial election is set for June 2. To learn more about the Ontario NDP’s platform visit their website here.
