By: Laura Steiner
Milton Chamber of Commerce hosted a breakfast for Milton’s candidates in the 2018 provincial election. Attending were Indira Naidoo-Harris of the Liberal party of Ontario, Eleanor Hayward of the Ontario Green Party, and Parm Gill of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party). New Democratic Party (NDP) Candidate Candidate Brendan Smyth was unable to attend for personal reasons.
Candidates took part in a Question and Answer session moderated by Cogeco TV’s Mark Carr. Questions were a mixture of submissions from the audience, and moderator.
Issues tackled included Transit, the deficit, and the contentious CN Intermodal facility.
Deficit: Naidoo-Harris says the provincial Liberals have recorded a balanced budget. Some critics dispute that, predicting the deficit is as high as $12 billion. Gill pointed out his party will look at the province’s budget line-by-line to find efficiencies. The Green Party estimates their deficit to be 1/3 of the Liberals’ according to their platform.
Transit: The Town continues to struggle for all-day Go Service. “When it comes to two-way, all-day GO we’re absolutely on track,” Naidoo Harris said. Metrolinx initially had scheduled it for 2031. Last year, it was announced it had kicked back to 2041. Naidoo-Harris has gotten additional trains, and parking for the station, as well as a refurbished building. “Should I be elected as MPP June 7 as part of a PC government, I’ll be a voice for all-day transit.” The PC’s have promised transit expansions for Bowmanville, Kitchener, and Niagara, as well as support for regional transit. The Green party promises an increase of funding of $1.5 billion to help municipalities with 50% of the transit costs.
CN Intermodal: In February the Region of Halton announced it was taking CN Rail to court over jurisdictional issues as the company attempts to build an Intermodal facility. Naidoo-Harris announced that the province has filed for intervener status. “People are coming to me, and asking me what the province is doing about this, even though it’s a federal matter.” PC candidate Parm Gill was the only candidate to attend a Town Hall on the issue. “Should I be elected, I will be your voice on this issue,” he told the crowd. Green Party Candidate Eleanor Hayward voiced support for the Town, and Region’s actions. “I support the Town and the Region when it comes to higher judicial oversight to make sure that local health and safety regulations are upheld. I support the community in wanting to save our community,” Hayward said.
Ontarians will head to the polls Thursday June 7, 2018. More videos on this event can be found our Facebook Page.
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