Heather Latter
Anthony Leek, the Liberal candidate for Kenora-Rainy River, hailed last week’s provincial budget as “balanced” but local NDP MPP Sarah Campbell and PC candidate Randy Nickle weren’t as enthusiastic.
“There are some good parts and there are some bad parts,” Campbell remarked.
“For me, one of the fundamental problems I’m having is that there is money being spent in these areas [such as home care], but there is no correlation between the money being spent and the outcome that we’re going to receive,” she said.
For example, Campbell indicated a five-day home care guarantee proposed by the NDP would have cost about $30 million.
“The Liberals are saying that they want to spend $185 million, but they can’t guarantee a five-day home care service,” she noted.
“So that’s really problematic.”
Campbell has the same issues with the proposed reduction of auto insurance rates.
“They say that a reduction of 15 is important, but we have no idea when they’re going to get there, if they’re going to get there,” she stressed.
She added one of the NDP’s key requests was for the Liberals to take a “balanced approach to balancing the books.”
“This doesn’t just mean preserving social programs,” Campbell said. “It means being financially responsible.
“So this kind of stuff, where they are going to spend five times more on home care and not have the results, that doesn’t really fly.”
In addition, Campbell said the Liberals did not look at any of the NDP’s proposals to generate revenue.
“In tough economic times, we all need to pay our fair share,” she reasoned. “And that means corporations.
“And they didn’t even look at that. They dismissed it outright.
“And as a result, their budget, as proposed, is going to add $2 billion to our provincial
deficit where ours wouldn’t have added anything,” she noted.
“These are important considerations that we need to make.”
Nickle, meanwhile, said he feels the budget fails to invest in the future of Northern Ontario and continues to drive the province into debt.
“It is great that the budget invests in northern and rural roads and bridges, but how sad that the new premier made that announcement from Barrie,” he remarked.
“Where was the investment in the twinning of the Trans-Canada highway from Manitoba to Kenora?” he wondered.
“Where is the support for our tourism centres that were closed down last year?
“I would like to ask where are the good jobs coming from and when?” Nickle added. “Where is the real commitment to get mines opened and the economy going here?
“Where was the leadership on northern concerns?”
He also noted the NDP “asks,” while noble in spirit, may not translate well here.
“My focus is Kenora-Rainy River and if auto insurance rates go up here to create saving in the south, then I think our MPP has some explaining to do,” Nickle said.
He added Ontario has all the basics in place to be the economic leader in Canada again.
“The Ontario PC Northern Plan makes real substantive change to the relationship that the north has with Queen’s Park and southern interests,” he explained.
“We will respect and reflect the north in our decisions.”
Leek defended the budget, citing several positives for people in Northern Ontario.
“I think what this budget really tries to do is find some sort of balance in trying to make sure the chaos is minimized to make sure that everybody can benefit from this budget in some way, shape, or form,” he said.
“Because in times of uncertainty, you have to try to create some sort of certainty,” he reasoned. “You have to continue to develop hope if good things are going to come in the future.
“And I think the budget continues to give us the hope that we need in order to be successful in the long run as a province, and in the north and our riding.”
Leek indicated some of the positive points include the continuation of the northern industrial rebate for electricity at 25 percent.
“That is something that local industrial businesses have appreciated it,” he noted, adding both the Ainsworth mill in Barwick and the mill in Kenora have benefited from it.
Leek said he also hopes the Youth Jobs Strategy of $295 million over two years to create jobs and mentorship opportunities will help those in the north, as well as the steps being taken to transform social assistance to help more recipients find jobs and improve their financial security.
“Even the 15 percent average on reducing auto insurance premiums is a good thing to aim towards,” he remarked.
“So I think there is a lot of good things in this budget, especially when there is a lot of bad things going on in the world.”
Still, Leek is hoping to see more specific plans and details for some of the budget items.
“It’s really going to come down to whether the opposition wants it to pass,” he said.
“We don’t know if the budget is going to be implemented at this point or not.”
Campbell said she still hasn’t decided how she’ll vote on the budget.
“I had done a lot of consultation leading up to the budget, but nothing prepares you for what the budget is going to look like,” she explained.
“There are things we didn’t factor in, like adding money to the deficit, spending more money, not having the targets, not having the accountability—that part is concerning.”
She said she wants to know what the people of Kenora-Rainy River think.
“Do they think we should still go ahead? And that’s fine,” she said. “Do they think no, this is not acceptable?
“Are people lumping it in with all of the other things that are going on? And do they think we should go to the polls?
“I’m not sure and I can’t answer those questions,” she admitted.
Campbell said she meet with people at the Kenora Home and Leisure Show this past weekend, and mailed out surveys to every household in the riding.
“I’m encouraging them to fill it out,” she urged, adding people also can contact her via e-mail, fax, Twitter, or Facebook, or by writing a letter or calling one of her constituency offices.
“I want to hear from people,” she stressed.
