Hydro costs, health care top list of Sudbury voter priorities
Common concerns include how Ontario's most vulnerable, marginalized, can afford to live, stay healthy
While Ontario's politicians and party candidates rattle off long lists of things they will do if elected in June, a few people surveyed in Sudbury say their lists of priorities are short — but deeply important.
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"I care about heath care," said Cecile McDonald, who works in the field. "Drug plans for the seniors and the working class. We have no benefits, and our prescriptions are so expensive and we can't get ahead."
Kathy Falardeau, who works in finance, echoed some of McDonald's concerns about health care and the costs of prescription drugs for seniors, but pointed to another big pocketbook issue.
"Hydro is definitely something of concern," she said. "For clients that have fixed incomes ... the increased hydro cost is a big concern to them. Everybody should be able to get hydro at a reasonable cost."
"We just pay too much for it," said Henry Bujak on the same issue. Asked if he feels his hydro bill would change or come down post-election: "probably not."
Dawn Raymond said child care, mental health funding and money for social services top her list.
"I work in the social service field ... and I'm afraid we're going to lose the small funding that we do have."
The youngest person surveyed by CBC Sudbury, 26-year-old Andrew Clark, said he's not voting at all.
"Mainly because the government doesn't really support my people, the Aboriginal and First Nations of this land."
Clark said that the health and wellness of all people is a concern for him, but "my biggest concern right now is the water," referring to the contentious Alberta-B.C. Trans Mountain pipeline project.
Clark said he's not hearing anything about First Nations issues or relations, nor anything about the environment from the three biggest parties — and that will keep him from the voting booth altogether on June 7th.