Waterloo Region Record

Compare the party leaders’ pledges ahead of the provincial election

All parties have made guarantees on issues such as pandemic management, health care and economic recovery

THE TORONTO STAR

What are the party leaders promising in the Ontario election campaign? We’ve picked some of the biggest issues of the campaign to help you zero in on the promises that are most important to you.

Pandemic management

■ The Tories, criticized for having longer pandemic lockdowns than most provinces and U.S. states, want to “stay open” by spending more on health.

■ The NDP wants a pandemic postmortem in the form of a public inquiry as well as additional investments in health.

■ The Liberals want to boost pay for health-care workers.

■ The Greens want to broaden the scope and powers of Public Health Ontario.

Economic recovery

■ The Tories want to boost mining and integrate “critical minerals” from northern Ontario into southern Ontario manufacturing supply chains.

■ The NDP want to help small businesses with grants.

■ The Liberals are cutting taxes on prepared meals as well as for pandemic-battered businesses.

■ The Greens are aiming for “net zero” emissions by 2030, believing this will create jobs.

Health Care

■ The Tories are spending tens of billions of dollars on new hospitals across the province.

■ The New Democrats want to scrap wage caps for health-care workers and others in the public sector.

■ The Liberals want to scrap wage caps for health-care workers and others in the public sector.

■ The Greens want to bolster OHIP services.

Long-term care

■ The Tories are promising to build or upgrade almost 60,000 nursing home beds — some in for-profit facilities.

■ The New Democrats want to eliminate for-profit nursing homes within eight years.

■ The Liberals want to eliminate for-profit nursing homes within six years.

■ The Greens want to phase out for-profit nursing homes.

Education

■ The Tories are promising to invest $14 billion to build and upgrade schools.

■ The NDP wants caps on class sizes.

■ The Liberals want to cap all class sizes at 20 students.

■ The Greens want more funding for schools.

The environment

■ The Tories are promising to jolt Ontario’s electric vehicle production.

■ The NDP would reinstate rebates for electric vehicles.

■ The Liberals are promising “buck-a-ride provincewide” public transit fares.

■ The Greens want to expand the Greenbelt and reduce carbon pollution through a slew of measures.

Hydro

■ The Tories want to stay the course on subsidized electricity rates.

■ The NDP want to expand green energy generation.

■ The Liberals want to reinstate energy conservation incentives.

■ The Greens want to wean Ontario off of fossil fuels.

Highways and transportation

■ The Tories would spend billions on Highway 413 and the Bradford bypass and expand public transit.

■ The New Democrats oppose the new Highway 413 and Bradford bypass over environmental concerns.

■ The Liberals, who are promising cheaper public transit, oppose the new Highway 413 and Bradford bypass over environmental concerns.

■ The Greens, who would slash transit fares in half, oppose the new Highway 413 and Bradford bypass.

Housing

■ The Tories are promising to streamline construction of more new homes.

■ The New Democrats would help first-time homebuyers.

■ The Liberals would bring back rent control.

■ The Greens would make it easier to increase housing density.

Labour

■ The Tories would increase the $15 minimum hourly wage to $15.50 in October.

■ The New Democrats would increase the minimum wage $1 a year to $20 in four years.

■ The Liberals would increase the minimum wage to $16 an hour.

■ The Greens are promising a “living wage” for all workers.

ONTARIO VOTES

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2022-05-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://waterloorecord.pressreader.com/article/282948158842234

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