Ontario’s major political events pivoted to affordability measures Wednesday, as the specter of U.S. tariffs took a again seat on the marketing campaign path.
The NDP and Liberal leaders centered on housing and affordability points, with guarantees to finish homeless encampments and supply extra monetary assist for folks with disabilities.
The Progressive Conservatives pledged to make an ongoing tax minimize for gasoline and diesel gasoline everlasting and likewise take away tolls from the publicly owned portion of Freeway 407 east of Toronto.
The affordability disaster has dogged Doug Ford’s authorities over the previous a number of years and was set to be a significant marketing campaign concern earlier than Donald Trump received the U.S. presidential election.
Homeless encampments sprouted up throughout Ontario through the pandemic and have elevated in quantity since. There have been some 1,400 encampments within the province in 2023, the Affiliation of Municipalities of Ontario discovered.
Greater than 80,000 folks have been homeless in Ontario final 12 months, the affiliation stated in a groundbreaking report primarily based on provincial knowledge launched final month.
Stiles listed a number of steps she would take to finish encampments in communities throughout the province, calling their presence Ford’s “best failure.” However she wouldn’t say how a lot her plan would price, saying solely “that can all come” later.
The affiliation of municipalities has stated $11 billion over 10 years could be required to finish persistent homelessness.
In the meantime, Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie vowed to double funds beneath the Ontario Incapacity Assist Program, which presently maxes out at $1,368 monthly for a single particular person. She stated the enhance could be everlasting, pegged to inflation and phased in over two years.
“It is going to be costed and a part of the platform once we launch it,” she stated throughout a marketing campaign cease at a meals financial institution in Hamilton, including that the pledge goes “hand-in-hand” together with her key precedence to seek out everybody in Ontario a household physician in 4 years.
Shortly earlier than Ford known as the snap election, his authorities introduced it was giving municipalities as much as $75.5 million to finish encampments by creating extra emergency shelter areas and inexpensive housing items.
Individuals are merely transferring from one encampment to a different, and the last-minute pot of cash won’t remedy the issue, Stiles stated in Toronto on Wednesday.
“After seven years of Doug Ford, encampments are the brand new regular,” Stiles stated. “Seeing tents in parks is a stark reminder of how totally Doug Ford has failed. He has failed on housing, he has failed on well being care, he has failed on creating good jobs and he has didn’t make life inexpensive.”
Stiles stated an NDP authorities would create 60,000 new supportive housing items, have the province pay for shelter prices as an alternative of municipalities and double social help charges. She didn’t point out how a lot the guarantees would price.
“Initially, that can all come, however I’ll let you know this, we will not afford not to do that,” she stated.
Requested in regards to the NDP’s newest pledge, Crombie stated she does not “make feedback” on different events’ platforms however agreed that extra inexpensive and supportive housing is required, particularly for folks with addictions and psychological well being points. She, too, known as encampments a failure of the Ford authorities.
The federal government had additionally introduced $378 million to create 19 homelessness and habit restoration therapy hubs, with as much as 375 extremely supportive housing items, however Crombie known as them “a drop within the bucket” in comparison with the massive want for such providers.
At a marketing campaign cease in Pickering, Ont., Ford stated he’ll completely minimize the provincial tax on gasoline by 5.7 cents per litre and on diesel by 5.3 cents per litre, if re-elected. The province first briefly slashed the gasoline and diesel tax charges in July 2022, however has repeatedly prolonged the cuts since.
Tolls on the provincially operated 43-kilometre part of Freeway 407 from Pickering to Clarington, Ont., might be taken off completely ought to the Progressive Conservatives win the election, Ford added.
“Tolls are completely horrible,” he stated.
A Ministry of Transportation report in 2021 projected these tolls would generate the province round $72 million in income in 2024-25.
Ford disputed it was misplaced income, saying his pledge would put a refund in drivers’ pockets.
“It isn’t the federal government’s cash, it is their cash,” he stated.
Ford had beforehand mused about shopping for again the 407 ETR, which Mike Harris’s PC authorities bought off in 1999 for $3.1 billion.
Ford known as that transfer a “large mistake,” however on Wednesday appeared cool to the concept of shopping for it again.
Shopping for the freeway wouldn’t “add extra capability,” Ford claimed.
The NDP has pledged to take away tolls from everything of Freeway 407 and purchase again the non-public portion of the freeway.
On the 407 announcement Wednesday, Ford’s media crew abruptly ended questions despite the fact that extra reporters have been ready. Press secretary Grace Lee then knowledgeable media that going ahead, Ford would solely take questions from as much as six reporters at his marketing campaign occasions.
The transfer is harking back to Ford’s 2018 election marketing campaign, when his crew additionally restricted the variety of questions he would face.
After Ford’s Progressive Conservatives shaped authorities his crew continued to restrict media entry, with staffers clapping to drown out extra questions and creating their very own taxpayer-funded “information community” that was criticized as partisan propaganda.
Even earlier than the marketing campaign determined Wednesday to restrict the quantity of people that may ask Ford questions, reporters have been restricted to at least one query and one followup every.
Ford known as a snap election for Feb. 27, saying he wants a contemporary mandate to cope with Trump and his tariff threats. Stiles, Crombie and Inexperienced Occasion Chief Mike Schreiner have all stated the election is pointless, a waste of cash and nothing wanting an influence seize by Ford whereas he is forward within the polls.
Elections Ontario has stated the price range for the election is $189 million.
— With recordsdata from Sharif Hassan in Toronto
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Feb. 5, 2025.
Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
