Horwath says she doesn't like Wynne, but 'Doug Ford will be worse'

Municipal leaders from across northwestern Ontario wanted to talk about concerns in their communities when NDP leader Andrea Horwath and Premier and Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne dropped by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) conference in Kenora, Ont., on Thursday.

While those leaders got a chance to ask questions, the overarching theme from the two provincial leaders was how Doug Ford would do damage to Northern Ontario.

• Doug Ford visits Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association

Horwath said while she didn't like the leadership of the Liberals, she was concerned about what a PC government would do to the region.

"Doug Ford will be worse. He will be worse. He's a Toronto guy who doesn't understand the North."

Horwath said she's from southern Ontario, but her decade of provincial political experience means she at least understands the issues in the region.

Wynne wasn't much kinder with her analysis of Ford.

"On the Ring of Fire, he's said he'll drive a bulldozer to build that road. He'll just bulldoze through and build that road."

"A bulldozer will not get that done with a political leader on it. The reality is that you have to work in relationships."

Healthcare, bus service top of mind

Access to healthcare that could be provided in Manitoba was raised again and again by leaders who are much closer to Manitoba than cities in Ontario.

Jerry O'Leary, the mayor of Sioux Narrows - Nestor Falls, said physicians in the far western reaches of Ontario are frustrated their patients need to travel thousands of kilometres to Toronto for care, when a specialist in Winnipeg is only a few hundred kilometers away.

"What are you prepared to do to speed up the process so we can access care close to home, that is in Manitoba, but care close to home?" O'Leary asked.

Wynne said she is unsure as to why dialogue between the two provinces has stopped.

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield, who has long lobbied for an agreement between Manitoba and communities near the provincial boundary joked that if Manitoba premier Brian Pallister got a fishing lure caught in his anatomy, that he would still get served at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

"Although I didn't specify what part of the anatomy," Canfield quipped.

Municipal representatives also asked for equality when it came to transportation subsidies, noting the northeast has the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, while the northwest has only private carriers.

Some communities, like Fort Frances, have more limited bus connections than other areas of the province.

Although a local carrier does service the community, Coun. Ken Perry said it seems as if the northeast gets preferential treatment.

"We see a bus subsidy was implemented in Ontario back in November. We're wondering why you stopped at Sault Ste Marie."

Wynne said the subsidies available from the province will ensure private carriers deliver good service to all communities, although it will take time to have the system fully up and running.