Residents of Ontario will soon start heading to advance polls and filing mail-in ballots, but generally most will wait to attend a polling booth on June 2.
Those looking for answers during the leaders’ debate this past week were left wanting. The format wasn’t conducive to constructive debate and certainly starting that performance during the dinner hour didn’t help. Instead, prospective voters got another dose of talking points amidst banter that made it difficult to hear answers.
One bit of phraseology that resonated, with us at least, was the use of the word investment. Arguably, failure to invest in the right programs at the right time is what got us to where we are today. If these top leaders were sat down in a chair and asked specifically, in order of ranking, what their investment choices would be, there may have been more choice for voters last night. That ended up glossed over and no one really knows what their priorities are.
On the question of affordability, there is little these leaders can accomplish in the short term. Instead, it is a situation where the market must right itself. Operating, as the country has, in a low-interest environment for too long exacts a toll and the cost for not taking care of business in recent years is now due. There are no magic wands, despite what politicians might tell us.
A further source of angst in this election cycle is the repeated idea that the private sector should have no role in the delivery of public services like health and education. That to us is simplistic and short-sighted. Bureaucracy has a cost.
Tune in next week for our questions and answers with local candidates and make the most of your vote.
