How Wellington-Halton Hills candidates plan to tackle affordability and the health-care crisis

Affordability and health care were among the top two issues addressed by Wellington-Halton Hills candidates as part of a panel discussion on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition on Wednesday.

Three candidates from major parties joined host Craig Norris for the panel discussion. CBC K-W invited the candidates from the four parties with MPPs currently sitting at Queen's Park.

There are seven candidates in Wellington-Halton Hills:

• Alex Hilson, Liberal.

• Simone Kent, NDP.

• Stephen Kitras, New Blue Party.

• Jason Medland, Ontario Party.

• Ron Patava, Consensus Ontario.

• Joseph Racinsky, Progressive Conservatives.

• Bronwynne Wilton, Green.

Three candidates — Hilson, Kent and Wilton — attended the panel. CBC reached out to Joseph Racinsky to extend an invitation to participate, but did not receive a response. More information about candidates from non-major parties can be found below.

LISTEN | Wellington-Halton Hills candidates on how they would ease affordability:

The Morning Edition - K-W15:52Provincial election candidates from Wellington-Halton Hills address some of your top issues

Liberal candidate Alex Hilson, NDP candidate Simone Kent and Green candidate Bronwynne Wilton sit down with CBC K-W host Craig Norris to talk about some of the top issues affecting Wellington-Halton Hills.

Affordability

Voters in Wellington-Halton Hills wrote affordability –in both housing and everyday expenses– as a top election issue when responding to CBC K-W's voter survey. Candidates were asked what their parties would do to ease the financial burden on Ontarians.

Kent said her government plans to introduce a monthly grocery credit based on household size and income. She said they would also establish a consumer watchdog for grocery stores.

She said that would "ensure fair pricing and have a requirement that retailers must post any price increases over two per cent."

She said her party would reestablish rent control and close any loopholes for units built after 2018, which she said would keep costs from climbing and eliminate renovictions and other tactics some landlords use to push people out of their homes.

In addition, Kent said her NDPs plan to deliver $10-a-day childcare and create 53,000 new public or non-profit childcare spaces, and double OW and ODSP payments.

Wilton said her government wants to eliminate the land transfer tax for first-time homebuyers as well as development charges on homes under 2,000 sq. ft.

"And we'll make sure we keep municipalities whole by creating an infrastructure support fund that will go along with that program," she said.

She said the Greens have a plan to cut taxes for low and middle income individuals making under $65,000 and households making under $100,000.

She said she would work toward strict anti-gouging and collusion laws "to stop grocery corporations from gouging people and their grocery bills."

She said her government would also work toward doubling OW and ODSP.

Hilson said his party is proposing a tax cut for people making under $75,000, as well as cutting the HST on home hydro and heating.

"That's going to put about $1,150 back in people's pockets," he said.

For housing, Hilson said his party has similar plans. His Liberals want to cut the land transfer tax on first-time homebuyers, seniors downsizing, and non-profit builders, as well as cut development charges.

He said his party plans to implement rent control measures on units built after 2018.

Hilson said he would work toward doubling ODSP payments and cutting interest on OSAP loans for students.

Health Care

Wellington-Halton Hills voters said health care was something they wanted to see local candidates address in Thursday's election. Candidates were asked what they think the barriers to health care are their riding, and what they need to do to break them down.

Wilton said Ontarians living in rural areas, like much of Wellington-Halton Hills, are losing their family doctors at a much higher rate than urban centres.

She said her government plans to recruit 33,500 more doctors, in part through medical school positions and more residency opportunities for international medical graduates.

Wilton said her party would increase the number of health-care teams.

"So we have more nurse practitioners and nurses coming into our communities and working together," she said.

As a solution to reduced hours in emergency rooms in rural areas, Wilton said she would look at building more walk-in clinics.

"If you're in a rural hospital and you get there in an emergency and find it's closed, you're in a 911 situation."

Hilson proposed his party's plan to connect every Ontarian to a family doctor in the next four years.

"We're also proposing Ontario health teams for wrap around care to get people out of hospitals," he said, adding that could help address recurring health problems in some individuals.

"We're talking about removing the administrative burden using technology better but also stop punishing doctors and patients when they go to walk-in clinics," said Hilson.

He said his party's plan costs $3.1 billion, "That's about the same cost that we saw provincially as those $200 checks."

Kent said her party is committed to expanding primary care by hiring 3,500 more doctors, as well as making it easier for internationally-trained doctors to practice in Ontario.

"We're going to grow the workforce by cutting red tape for the 13,000 internationally trained doctors that we already have, and increasing residency," she said.

She said her government wants to take the administrative work from the plates of doctors and so they can see more patients each day, as well as reduce wait times by establishing a centralized system for specialist referrals.

Kent said her party wants to eliminate the health-care system's reliance on private nursing agencies by providing "fair wages and working conditions for health-care workers."

Candidates from non-major parties

While only candidates running for parties with seats at the Ontario Legislature were invited to participate in the candidate panel, Wellington-Halton Hills also has three other candidates: Kitras of the New Blue Party, Medland of the Ontario Party, and Patava from Consensus Ontario.

CBC News reached out to the Ontario Party and Consensus Ontario to try to make contact with their Wellington-Halton Hills candidates, but did not receive a response.

In an email to CBC News, Stephen Kitras said his top priority for Wellinton-Halton Hills is address the myriad of issues he says voters are facing: the affordability of housing and every-day goods and a lack of provincial assistance with rural infrastructure.

Kitras said his government would work toward building truly affordable homes in collaboration with local developers and municipalities, a type of cooperation that he said has been lacking.

"Affordable housing is housing with lower cost parameters and no development charges with rent to own options," he said.

"It is an entry into the housing market. Housing ownership is the foundation of upward mobility and the middle class."

Kitras also said that his New Blue Party would address the health-care crisis and lack of family doctors which he said is a result of financial mismanagement by 25 years of Liberal and PC governments.

He added that he would work toward opening a new hospice location in Wellington-Halton Hills.

Kitras said that his candidacy provides voters with an option for a "real" conservative vote.

Voting

Advance polls closed Saturday and Wellington-Halton Hills saw 7,614 ballots cast over the three-day advance period, accounting for about 7.2 per cent of eligible voters.

People can vote at the Wellington-Halton Hills election office located in unit 55 at 280 Guelph St, Georgetown on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Election day is tomorrow, Feb. 27.