NDP will build new hospital in region
Horwath says a New Democratic government will hire 30,000 nurses and 10,000 PSWs
KITCHENER During a campaign stop in Kitchener Thursday, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said her party will bring back rent controls, hold a public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled in Ontario and build a new hospital in Waterloo Region.
“COVID-19 has shown how broken our hospital system is,” Horwath said. “COVID has shown us very clearly we have to fix the hospitals.”
Standing outside Grand River Hospital on King Street West in Kitchener, Horwath said 40 nurses were laid off from the hospital just before the pandemic because of cuts by the Progressive Conservative government of Doug Ford. She said the NDP will hire 30,000 nurses and 10,000 personal support workers.
“We can fix this,” she said. “All it is going to take is a government that is prepared to fix what is already broken.”
The NDP will help pick a site for a new regional hospital and provide the funds that can be invested and earn interest while the project moves toward construction.
“That way the funding doesn’t disappear in future budgets,” said Horwath.
Standing behind the veteran party leader were two NDP incumbents — Catherine Fife from Waterloo and Laura Mae Lindo from Kitchener Centre.
Party organizers believe Fife and Lindo will win their ridings, and at least one other riding in this region will go NDP in the June 2 provincial election.
Kitchener South—Hespeler NDP candidate Joanne Weston, Cambridge’s Marjorie Knight and Kitchener-Conestoga’s Karen Meissner also joined Horwath on her stops Thursday in Kitchener.
The Liberals are no better than the Progressive Conservatives on hospitals, and fired 16,000 nurses when they were in power, said Horwath.
“We had years of Liberal governments that squeezed the hospital system,” she said.
Horwath is reminding voters how badly Ford’s government bungled the handling of the pandemic. Ontario students lost more school time than any others in North America.
“What kind of leader cuts education in a pandemic when our kids need support more than ever?” she asked.
She said Ford did little to protect the 4,440 seniors who died in longterm-care homes during the pandemic.
“Absolutely, the way the Ford government handled the pandemic is worthy of criticism, and we are going to hold a public inquiry,” said Horwath.
As health-care workers put in long hours during the pandemic the Ford government capped their wage increases at one per cent, and Horwath said the NDP will scrap that legislation, known as Bill 124.
As the housing affordability crisis deepens, Horwath said the NDP will bring back rent controls.
“We will be building affordable housing, partnering with municipalities, with co-operatives, with not-for-profits. We will build or spur the development of 1.5 million houses.”
Ford “has no interest in fixing the problems with rent controls because his buddies are big landlords and big investors in the housing market,” said Horwath. Horwath also stopped at Food4Kids Waterloo Region on Washburn Drive in Kitchener. That organization provides school snacks and weekend meals for 1,000 children in this region. It is $125,000 short for its summer program to feed hungry children.