Health care dominates Falls riding debate
MPP hopefuls for the Niagara Falls riding squared off on hydro, health care and the economy Wednesday night during an allcandidates debate in Niagara-onthe-Lake.
Hosted by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce at the town’s community centre, Liberal candidate Dean Demizio, Green candidate Karen Fraser, NDP MPP Wayne Gates and Progressive Conservative candidate Chuck McShane tackled 20 questions, and also challenged the policies and platforms of their opponents’ parties and the record of the incumbent.
Asked about the single-most important issue affecting the riding, which includes Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Niagara-onthe-Lake, health care was chief among responses.
“We have to stop hallway medicine. We have to have homecare for our seniors,” said Gates. “We have to make sure the (Niagara Falls) hospital gets built, and with local workers.”
McShane said Gates takes credit for the hospital being built, but criticized him for being part of a photo-op alongside Liberal representatives who made the announcement.
“I don’t believe he secured it,” said McShane, who also touted youth employment as a major priority. “Once that hospital is built we can get more long-term care beds built and fund seniors staying in their homes.”
Gates later countered that under the previous PC government, 28 hospitals were closed, 6,000 nurses lost their jobs and 7,000 hospital beds were closed. He said an NDP government would hire more nurses to aid the system.
Demizio said the “Liberal government is ahead of the curve” with its investments.
“The Liberal government is committed to building that new hospital,” said Demizio. “You think we have hallway care, (but) between the PC cuts that will come and once the NDP cuts $4 million like Bob Rae did, we’ll have parking lot care.”
He said more long-term care beds will alleviate the stress on hospital wait times and backlogs.
He also said ensuring daily GO train service is extended to Niagara remains a key issue, and that affordable housing and the concept of basic income are also important.
“The social services programs keep people poor. It’s just a revolving door,” said Fraser. “Basic income alleviates poverty, eliminates red tape, streamlines duplicate services.”
Fraser did note later, from a health-care perspective, the Green party pledges to add 15,000 long-term care beds over the next five years, and double that within 10 years, along with billions of dollars of funding to help the system.
Touching on hydro, Gates chastised the Liberals for the partial sale of Hydro One, saying it’s been “privatized” as a result.
“Your hydro bills went up 300 per cent the last little while,” he said, later adding it’s creating a burden for residents of Ontario who are facing financial challenges. He said the government did not represent residents by selling it off without including it in its platform ahead of the previous term.
McShane said Gates didn’t seem to fight for the people when he voted in support of a bill that would no longer allow the province’s ombudsman to take complaints about Hydro One.
“You can’t go to anybody to complain about hydro rates … you can’t change anything,” McShane said.
Demizio said the Hydro One discussion was “semantics,” telling audience members of the former PC government’s decision to sell Highway 407 to a private company. The province’s stake in Hydro One, he said, at least allows the government to fund projects.
“All of the money stays in Ontario to help with pharmacare and infrastructure,” he said.
Fraser said the Liberal government ignored hydro infrastructure for 10 years and sold a stake in Hydro One “to offset the expenses” when it finally started to recognize the need to improve poles, wires and other needs.
“(They) put the problem on somebody else,” said of the partial sale of the utility.
Asked about environmental protection under the greenbelt, McShane became a quick target, with his opponents pointing to PC Leader Doug Ford’s comments to developers about building on the protected green space. Ford later changed his stance.
“They’ll pave paradise and put up a parking lot,” Demizio said of the PCs. “Do you have a roller or an asphalt company? Doug Ford probably has invested in one.
He’s ready to go.
Gates said not only will an NDP government not develop the greenbelt, it also won’t develop environmentally sensitive wetlands, referring to the controversial Riverfront Community development around Thundering Waters in Niagara Falls.
McShane said Ford changed his stance after hearing from residents of the province. He said the province needs to enforce the grow south strategy that was identified as part of the Places to Grow document.
“(Instead) we are putting all our infrastructure right through the middle of the greenbelt. Does that make sense?” McShane asked, adding growth needs to be directed to south Niagara.
Fraser said the province and residents need to protect the greenbelt, along with other sensitive lands.
Other issues touched on before an audience of 125 people included physical and sexual education in schools, library funding and property taxes.
Also running in the June 7 election for the Niagara Falls riding is Libertarian candidate Shaun Somers.