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(CKTG Country 105) Acadia Ontario (CJUK)

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Confidence Gone For Gov’t To Solve Problems: UPEI Professor

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Thursday’s election saw the lowest voter turnout for a provincial vote in eleven years.

Photo of Political Science professor Don Desserud (UPEI)

Only 43 per cent of eligible voters came out to the polls in 2022, despite advance polling numbers being higher than in the 2018 election.

When discussing the numbers, Don Desserud, a Political Science Professor with the University of Prince Edward Island, says the public is losing confidence in the government’s ability to actually solve problems.

“People will say things like, ‘what exactly are you there for?’ and that means that your enthusiasm for voting is diminished a lot as well. Some common thoughts among the public include, are we going to get a better government? Oh well we may not, they are all the same,” added Desserud.

Just 28.66 per cent of those in the Kiiwetinoong riding cast a ballot while the number was 38 per cent in Kenora-Rainy River and almost 43 per cent in both Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Thunder Bay-Superior North.

 

With files from Katie Nicholls, Mike Ebbeling & Randy Thoms

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PC’s Steal Thunder Bay-Atikokan

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The Ontario PC Party makes history in Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

Kevin Holland, the Mayor of the Township of Conmee, is now a Member of Provincial Parliament for Doug Ford’s majority government after knocking off NDP incumbent Judith Monteith-Farrell.

“I was able to connect with constituents, voters at the doors, at the community centres and at the open houses that we were doing,” said Holland when asked about the win. “It was the grassroots style of campaigning that I think really resonated. It gave me a good opportunity to introduce myself to people one on one so they could get to know who I am and what I am all about.”

Holland has been in municipal politics for three decades and also owns a business.

A shortage of jobs in the riding is something he wants to address once he is sworn in.

“We need to diversify our workforce,” he said. “We have to start building our economy. With a strong economy, we can then sustain our healthy communities. If we don’t have that, then we won’t be able to afford the programs that help our communities.”

Prior to Monteith-Farrell being elected in 2018, the riding was held by Liberal Bill Mauro for 15 years.

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NDP Take Thunder Bay-Superior North

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It’s a first for the Ontario NDP Party in 22 years.

Lise Vaugeois avenges her 2018 defeat to Liberal incumbent Michael Gravelle and picks up the victory four years later in the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North.

Vaugeois told Acadia News Thursday that the people behind the scenes helped make the victory possible.

“We had a phenomenal team and so many people who stepped up to help volunteer,” said Vaugeois. “Because of that we were able to reach many, many people, probably more than we were able to interact with four years ago, and I think that really made the difference.”

Vaugeois served as a professor with Lakehead University and also owns a small business.

Once sworn in at Queen’s Park, Vaugeois wants to tackle housing.

“There’s a housing crisis across the entire region,” Vaugeois stated. “That is all types and levels of housing that we need. (In Northwestern Ontario) there’s nowhere to put up extra health care staff when they come up here.”

She also says healthcare funding will be a priority.

“I will be fighting to get health care funded properly,” she said. “We need public health care. I think it is appalling that there are moves to privatize our health care and education, we need well funded and strong public health care.”

PC Party candidate Peng You finished second.

Fellow Thunder Bay councillor Shelby Ch’ng wound up in third, but learned a lot in the short campaign.

“I definitely would appreciate more time next time,” Ch’ng told Acadia News. “There are always things that you reflect on following a campaign that you would do differently. The big takeaway for me was seeing how unique and different each little town and municipality is, and hearing everyone’s voice and ideas of what makes their community great. They were so proud to show them off and it was a very nice Northern pride moment.”

Shelley Wark-Martin was the NDP Member of Provincial Parliament in the riding, last elected in 1990.

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Rickford Wins Kenora-Rainy River Again

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Greg Rickford has won re-election in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding.

The Progressive Conservative candidate took just over 59 percent of the vote.

Rickford says he didn’t take the riding for granted.

“We ran this election from third place because I lost once and finished third,” says Rickford.

“I respect the electorate and I want to thank the candidates from the other parties. Kenora-Rainy River is one of the largest ridings. Its a tough slog, but I think tonight the folks of Kenora-Rainy River sent a clear message.”

Rickford adds that he has his marching orders for the next four years.

“First is the keep on doing the things that we’re doing. Clearly that was a measure of the success we had tonight. But the other was to listen to the people who answered their door. More than 17,000 people. That’s unprecedented as far as I know by any standard.”

JoAnne Formanek Gustafson finished a distant second with 20 percent of the vote, while Anthony
Leek of the Liberals was third with 11 percent of the vote.

(Percentages based on 83 percent of the polls counted)

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Ford PCs Win Second Majority Government

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The Progressive Conservative Party has won a second consecutive majority government.

Doug Ford’s PCs are leading or elected in at least 82 seats in the province. The NDP are leading or elected in 29 and the Liberals in eight.

In a speech at his riding headquarters, Ford said he’s focused on creating opportunities for workers in a variety of sectors, regions and walks of life.

“If you’re a miner in the north who is out of work, I want you to know we’re building that road to the Ring of Fire,” he said. “If you’ve had to worry about your job at the local auto plant, I want you to know we’re investing in the future of Ontario’s auto sector. If you’re a student who wants to work in the tech sector, we will have a job waiting for you. If you’re a newcomer with a degree who can’t get a job in your field, we’ll make sure you can get the credentials you need.”

The party won 76 seats to form a majority government in 2018.

Ford has also been re-elected in his home riding of Etobicoke North.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath won re-election in Hamilton Centre, but she did announce that she will step down as party leader.

Liberal Steven Del Duca could not regain his own riding Vaughan-Woodbridge, losing to PC candidate Michael Tibollo.

The Grits also lost official party status.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner was re-elected in his Guelph riding with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

“We are proving that Greens are here to stay,” said Schreiner at his riding headquarters. “We are building momentum across this riding and across this province.”

Schreiner won the party’s first-ever seat in Ontario in 2018.

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Voting Hours Extended In NWO

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Thunder Bay-Atikokan and Kiiwetinoong will have delayed election results.

Several reports indicate that Elections Ontario is extending voting at 27 locations past 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

In a statement Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa said due to a lack of staff in Kiiwetinoong, there is a special directive to allow people to vote even if they are away from their communities.

Counting can’t begin until all polls are closed.

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Decision 2022: The Autism File

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What will the next government do to support families with Autistic children?

It’s one of many questions on the mind of voters with election day set for Thursday, June 2nd.

Alina Cameron is a mom to a seven year old daughter on the Autism spectrum and shared with Acadia News that there were a few interim funding programs available to families.

“If you had applied by a certain date and had registered for the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), there was a patchwork of little programs that were very targeted to help with certain age groups and certain behaviours,” explained Cameron. “There was also the one-time interim funding, and some families were able to access the funds and use it on therapies. Other families didn’t have access to and for many families, like mine, the funding only covered a small portion of the expenses. But now the program is finished and everyone is waiting.”

Cameron is also involved with the Ontario Autism Coalition as well as the Northern Autism Families group.

The provincial program pledged funds to families if they registered before April 2021 for eligible services and supports.

The amount that a family received was based on the age of the child as of April 1, 2022.

When looking at the platforms for the major parties, Cameron noted the PC Party wants the OAP to remain the same with no mention of it in their platform.

Cameron likes what she’s heard and seen from the other parties, adding “We like that they are willing to work with and build on what exists already. Scrapping the program and starting from scratch would waste more of our children’s time… we don’t have time for that.”

Both the Liberals and NDP have said they will get rid of the current age caps that exist for the OAP, and will make the program truly needs based.

The NDP platform calls for an increase to the budget by $125 million by 2024-2025 and the decision making for the treatment in the hands of clinicians and parents, not bureaucrats.

The Liberal platform doesn’t mention an increase to the budget but does indicate a plan to implement direct billing to families.

The Green Party wants to increase funding and implement the Ultimate Wait Time benchmark for diagnosis and access to services.

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Decision 2022: Del Duca Visits Thunder Bay

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Making Highways 11 and 17 a Class 1 highway in Ontario.

That promise coming from Ontario Liberal party leader Steven Del Duca, who made a few stops in Thunder Bay on Sunday to support Thunder Bay-Superior North candidate Shelby Ch’ng and Thunder Bay-Atikokan candidate Robert Barrett.

“What I learned in my time at the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is that we need to do more to support highway and road safety and maintenance throughout the province, including here in and around Thunder Bay, across the North, across the Northwest,” said Del Duca.

“That’s why we’ve made this decision as part of our platform.”

When asked why he didn’t make the move while he was the Minister of Transportation (2004-2018), Del Duca only said he’s running for Premier and not a senior cabinet member.

A Class 1 designation allows snow removal equipment to be deployed as soon as 2.5 centimetres of snow has fallen and also calls for inspections three times every seven days.

Del Duca began the day at Goods & Co on Red River Road, and then had a private meeting with Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins.

Liberal leader Steven Del Duca arriving at Goods & Co on Sunday, May 22, 2022

Del Duca, when discussing the Indigenous portfolio, said under an Ontario government, there would be a minister dedicated to Indigenous reconciliation.

“I think it was a horrible mistake on the part of Ford Progressive Conservatives to get rid of that exclusive and stand alone responsibility given how serious the challenges are,” he said.

Del Duca added that the Liberal plan also promises to build new units of off-reserve Indigenous housing and to include more teachings in history classes on topics like the residential school system.

Before heading to Sudbury, the leader also pledged that residents would pay less at the pumps.

“Ontario Liberals, come July 1, will take 5.7 cents a litre off of the gas tax and 5.3 cents a litre off of the fuel tax to give people immediate relief at the pumps,” said Del Duca.

The Ontario PC Party also vowed a 5.7 cents a litre drop in the gas tax on July 1, while the NDP wants to see the price of fuel regulated through the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) on a weekly basis, instead of gas companies.

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NDP Want To Regulate Gas Prices With OEB

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A promise to regulate the price you pay at the pump.

In a virtual call Friday, NDP leader Andrea Horwath stated that both the PC’s and Liberals want to have short term and unsustainable plans of cutting a portion of gas and fuel taxes.

Horwath is continuing the campaign on Zoom after announcing on Thursday that she had tested positive for COVID-19.

The plan, if her party forms government, would see the regulation happen through the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) on a weekly basis, instead of gas companies deciding the price for buyers, which rolls down to consumers filling up at the pumps.

The Ontario PC’s have vowed to bring in a pump reduction of 5.7 cents a litre for six months, beginning July 1st.

Del Duca’s Liberal plan is to reduce prices by 11 cents per litre on the gas and fuel tax (five cents respectively).

Horwath also addressed the ongoing water crisis in the north as well as the growing housing crisis.

She noted it’s been “a game of ping-pong” from recent provincial governments to the federal government, and back again on who’s responsible for improving living conditions for rural communities.

The NDP leader spoke about being able to provide a level living dignity to those living on First Nation’s communities as well as in the larger urban areas of Ontario’s north.

Advance polls are open this weekend with election day set for Thursday June 2nd.

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Recall: Eye Drops From Pharmasave/Compliments Brands

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Eye drops by two brands are being recalled because some ingredients are missing on the labels and bottles.

Sold under the Pharmasave and Compliments brands, the Advanced Relief drops may contain ingredients that aren’t listed on the label which could pose health risks to those with allergies.

Teva Canada issued the recall after a complaint about the Pharmasave brand of eye drops.

Contact Teva Canada Ltd. at Teva Canada Customer Care by calling 1-800-268-4129 if you have questions about the recall.

Click the picture for more details on the recalled items through Health Canada’s website.

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