Voting day in Ontario has come and gone, and Doug Ford’s PCs have won a majority government. Here’s what they have planned—and what the opposition wants, too
Doug Ford, Ontario PC Party leader. Chatham, Ontario, April 20, 2018. (Photograph by Cole Burston)
On June 7, Doug Ford was elected the next premier of Ontario, with a resounding majority. Here’s a look at what Ford promised during the campaign and what the opposition will be pushing for.
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In contrast to his opponents, Ford was the only leader campaigning on a promise to quickly balance the books and keep them that way.
The PCs under Doug Ford have vowed to shrink government and cut taxes along with the following:
Doug Ford said he’d fire the CEO of Hydro One. Since the utility’s privatization, however, that power no longer rests with the provincial government. Other highlights:
On the health care front, Ford and the Ontario PCs’ platform are promising to:
Doug Ford previously said he’d consider privatizing the sale and distribution of weed and alcohol but later softened his stance:
Doug Ford said he wants to “review the curriculum in all core subject areas thoroughly“:
Ford has said his platform will have neither a cap-and-trade system nor a carbon tax (despite the $10-billion hole it would leave in the Tory fiscal plan). Highlights:
Doug Ford laid out his infrastructure promises which include:
Now, here’s what the other parties had promised:
The party projects multi-year deficits with its heavy investment in healthcare and social services.
The Liberals have pledged a bevy of increases to social services, healthcare, and childcare—all of which will send Ontario into the red again after briefly balancing the province’s books:
The Greens say their projected deficit will be almost one-third of the one projected by the Financial Accountability Office for the 2018 Ontario budget, with increased taxes on corporations, top one per cent earners, housing speculation, parking, roads and gas, among other measures.
The NDP says its projected deficits from its budget will be partially paid for by tax increases:
In their most recent budget, the Liberals:
The Greens are pledging to raise large corporation taxes by 1.5 per cent, implement a one per cent increase to the top one per cent of earners, lower payroll taxes for businesses and non-profits earning under $5 million, raise resource royalty rates for companies making money from mining, reduce property speculation by taxing vacant properties, add a surtax on quick turnaround real estate sales and expand the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The NDP says its plan would cut hydro bills by 30 per cent. Highlights:
With the decision to sell off 60 per cent of Hydro One and rising hydro costs, the Liberals face an uphill battle to impress voters. Highlights:
Cancel the Liberals’ hydro plan, transition to revenue-neutral carbon fee-and-dividend system, commit to a 100-per-cent renewable energy supply by 2050, return pollution tax revenue to people who conserve more energy, oppose the rebuilding of the Darlington Nuclear station and buy lower-cost hydro power from Quebec.
The NDP has promised an overhaul of drug and dental care as well as a massive boost to hospital care and adding a new ministry of mental health and addictions.
Kathleen Wynne is heavily showcasing her plans for this area in the 2018 Ontario’s budget. Highlights:
Implement universal dental care, invest $4.1 billion over 4 years into mental health services, create an umbrella organization to consolidate mental health and addiction programs, push for a federally funded Pharmacare program while extending the provincial system, increase the number of midwifery and birthing centres, expand the number of abortion clinics—particularly in the north—and increase funding for Local Health Integration Networks especially in rural areas.
The NDP has remained relatively mum on this issue, but what Horwath has said so far is:
The Liberals are pushing full-throttle on the federal plan to legalize recreational pot by this summer.
Enact a pilot project to test the private retailing of cannabis alongside the LCBO-run dispensaries for two years.
The NDP has rolled out a 10-year, $16 billion capital plan which would delve into:
Highlights from the Liberals’ laundry list of education promises include:
Restrict class sizes to 22 students for grades four to eight, scrap standardized testing, revamp special education funding, expand funding to high schools in lower-income communities, provide interest-free loans for post-secondary students in financial need, enhance funding for adult education and learning tools and fund post-secondary education with public subsidies with the goal to eventually guarantee fully public tuition for all Ontarians.
The NDP plans to use revenue from Ontario’s cap-and-trade program to fund part of its environmental platform, including:
The Liberals say that the province is moving towards a more “competitive and low‐carbon economy.” To that end, the Liberals would:
The Greens are promising a $4.2-billion program to pay for energy retrofits for businesses and home owners, providing funding incentives for business to invest in low carbon equipment and products, supporting tax credits for research to create new clean technologies and services, expanding Ontario’s Greenbelt and setting “aggressive” green house gas targets for public buildings.
The NDP plans to invest more than $800 million in transit across the province. Highlights:
When it comes to transit and transportation infrastructure, the Liberals have promised to:
Phase out internal combustion engines so Ontario can be carbon neutral by 2050, increase funding for public transit infrastructure to $1.5 billion per year, fund half of the operating costs of municipal transit systems, support funding for the private and public purchase of electric vehicles and build better infrastructure for electric vehicles, including more charging stations on 400 series highways.