Candidates take on issues, and each other
Niagara West was only YourTV event where the Progressive Conservative candidate attended
Three political veterans squared off in the Niagara West provincial riding debate hosted by YourTV.
Incumbent Progressive Conservative Sam Oosterhoff faced New Democrat Dave Augustyn and Liberal Doug Joyner in a wide-ranging debate covering such things as housing affordability, gas prices and who had the best plan to educate Ontario’s youth.
Oosterhoff, 24, is the group’s elder statesman in terms of provincial politics. He is taking part in his third election for a seat at Queen’s Park, having won the riding when it was called Niagara West-Glanbrook in 2016 as a 19-year-old.
Augustyn served four terms as mayor of Pelham, while Joyner served two as mayor of West Lincoln.
“At the end of the day, the choice before Ontarians and before the voters of Niagara West is very clear,” Oosterhoff said. “They can choose a government from either of these two parties here, the NDP or the Liberals, who will complain, talk about things, strike committees, write reports and then debate endlessly about the pros and cons of each and every project.
“Or they can have a government that gets the job done and says no to excuses and yes to opportunity,” he said last week.
“Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs have a clear plan, a five-point plan to rebuild our economy and ensure that we have strong manufacturing jobs across our province to build up key infrastructure — such as the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, where we got shovels in the ground just two weeks ago. We are also supporting workers by getting them access to the skilled trades and keeping Ontario open.”
Augustyn said there is plenty of work to do in the riding as constituents are finding it harder to pay bills, even when they have a good job or solid pension.
“Many are seeing their dreams of owning a home or starting a small business slip between their fingers,” he said. “We worry about our kids’ chances at good schooling because they don’t have the support they need to learn and thrive.”
Augustyn also took on Oosterhoff over the state of health care.
“We are watching a loved one in pain because the surgery they need has been backlogged for months and months. The last two years have been a long, painful battle, and we’re still in the final rounds of fighting.
“These problems didn’t start with COVID. They started years ago, and as we finally leave this pandemic, we can’t go back to these problems. We need to reinvest in our kids’ education. We need to take the profit out of long-term care and fund and invest in health care. We need to fight climate change, and we need to make life more affordable. We need a government that puts everybody first, and as your MPP, I will fight for you, and I will work for you every day to put you first.”
Joyner also set his sights on Oosterhoff.
“The PC government wants you to believe that our health-care system is managing, and it is business as usual behind hospital walls,” Joyner said. “The reality is Ontario’s health-care system and the people behind it are stretched to the limits. They are physically and mentally burnt out.
“They (the Progressive Conservatives) want you to believe that the mental health of our children, our teachers, our seniors and our frontline workers is somehow going to fix itself miraculously. It’s not. These workers are quitting at an all-time high.”
Joyner also called out the government for believing that building highways over wetlands and farmland will save the economy.
“I can think of better things to do with $11 billion,” Joyner said. “I can think of building safe schools and hiring more nurses, and I will tell you that a strong Liberal government, led by Steven Del Duca, will rebuild what’s always been unmistakably strong.
“We’ll build a stronger education system. We will hire 100,000 more nurses and continue to support our most marginalized residents. Our Liberal government has a balanced and a fully costed plan to help every Ontario family achieve the economic dignity they deserve.” The show can be seen on YourTV Thursday at 7 p.m. It will be repeated Saturday at 3:30 p.m., May 24 at 8:30 p.m. and May 28 at 11 a.m.