The election campaign in Ontario is not taking a break, despite the approach of the Victoria Day holiday.
New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath, who has COVID-19, made a few virtual announcements to offer new details on the NDP to address the shortage of nurses in hospitals. The party pledged to hire 30,000 nurses to help the healthcare system. Approximately 7% of these positions are in the Niagara and Scarborough regions.
Mike Schreiner also participated in virtual press briefings to unveil the Green Party’s plans for urban green spaces and presented its strategy for agriculture and local food. He also participated in a panel discussion on farmland protection on Sunday morning.
We need to support local food producers and farmers. Otherwise, life will cost even more and the economy will be affected.
Mr. Schreiner said in a statement.
For his part, Liberal Steven Del Duca toured Northern Ontario to visit Thunder Bay and Sudbury on Sunday. He took the opportunity to address his party’s plan to combat the opioid crisis.
It can’t go on. The people, first responders and families who have been impacted by the opioid crisis can no longer be abandoned
says Mr. Del Duca.
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford was in Bracebridge on Sunday to meet with citizens.
Pledge of support to hospitals in the South
the NDP committed to hiring 1,386 and 850 more nurses for the Niagara and Scarborough regions respectively. Ms. Horwath recalled that the shortage of nurses caused many problems during the pandemic.
We can help nurses, who constantly face burnout, by ensuring there are enough nurses for each shift
she said on Sunday.
The party points out that there are 186 vacancies in Scarborough and 50 in Niagara. To fill them, he promises to speed up credential recognition for 15,000 foreign-trained nurses and create new jobs for late-career and recently retired nurses who can mentor and supervise.
There is a lot of work to be done to recruit, retain and return nurses to Ontario’s health care system
according to Ms. Horwath.
the NDP also wants to strike out Bill 124 and raise wages for health care workers through negotiations. This $632 million recruitment and retention plan would be spread over three years.
In addition, Ms. Horwath promised to support and fund certain projects in the Niagara and Scarborough regions, including the construction of the Niagara South Hospital and the renovation of Birchmount and Centenary hospitals. The goal is to shorten waiting times for patients.
The Greens do not want the 413
In a new strategy for agriculture and local food producers unveiled on Saturday, the Green Party notably indicated that we must cancel plans for Highway 413 immediately, which will cover more than 2,000 acres of farmland
.
This strategy aims to make the province more affordable and climate-ready
. Chief Mike Schreiner has been critical of the Ford government’s plans for the 413.
This will only further increase the price of our grocery baskets
he said in a press release.
The proposed Highway 413 would cross the regions of York, Peel and Halton, northwest of the Greater Toronto Area. The Green Party is committed to protecting high-quality farmland and providing financial assistance to farmers, including $1 billion for environmental services and regenerative agriculture.
We must support local food producers and farmers to ensure our baskets are not at the mercy of global supply chains and geopolitics
continues Mr. Schreiner.
The Green Party has also expressed its commitment to work with municipalities to allow Ontarians to have access to green spaces within 10 minutes of their homes by 2030. This would include providing funds to cities to plant trees in neighborhoods lacking greenery.
The Opioid Crisis Concerns Liberals
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca took advantage of his visit to Northern Ontario on Sunday to discuss his plan to tackle the opioid crisis. Among other things, the Liberals are committing to invest $3 billion in addiction, addiction and mental health services.
This includes hiring 1,000 new health professionals to support at-risk youth in schools
said Mr. Del Duca.
The Liberals are also promising new investments to support organizations across the province, lift the provincial limit on supervised injection sites and financially support sites in communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis.
Over the next four years, we will invest $300 million […] to help with treatments and interventions for people in need
he continues.
Network ACCESS Network, which operates Sudbury’s first supervised consumption site, is one of the entities targeted by the Liberal plan. Greater Sudbury is one of the areas hardest hit by the opioid crisis in Ontario.
With information from Christophe Simard
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca