BELWOOD – An all-candidates meeting was held Feb. 19 at the Pine Meadows community in Belwood.
Of the Wellington-Halton Hills candidates invited, Ontario Liberal candidate Alex Hilson, NDP candidate Simone Kent, New Blue candidate Stephen Kitras and Green Party candidate Bronwynne Wilton attended the event.
Progressive Conservative candidate Joseph Racinsky was not in attendance.
Prior to opening statements, an announcement made by a member of the Pine Meadows homeowners association indicated Racinsky said he would not attend because he already “went to all of the homes” in the community.
Some members of the crowd could be heard refuting that statement.
Opening statements
Each candidate was given five to eight minutes to introduce themselves and speak about their platform.
All candidates raised similar issues in their opening statements, including health care, housing, cost of living, tariffs, education and climate change.
Kitras accused Wilton of thinking she is “above the rules”
“When I ran in the last election, I took a leave of absence for six weeks because it’s a rule that shows respect for taxpayers and constituents when you seek higher office,” said Kitras.
“Ambitiously pursuing higher office on the taxpayer dime is clearly stating that Mrs. Wilton thinks that she is above the rules and the common, ordinary candidates.”
This comment provoked a grimace and a head shake from Wilton and a faint murmur from the crowd.
Kent spoke of the NDP’s plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, as well as its plans to double Ontario Disability Support Program and social assistance payments in an attempt to help those receiving the funds to continue affording their homes.
Hilson, the candidate for the Liberal Party, joked to the crowd that he was “a little off brand” as he had brought a bright orange notebook with him.
Hilson criticized the Doug Ford government for “announcing a health care plan only two days before the election, after previously fighting nurses in court to keep wages down.”
Hilson also introduced Wellington-Halton Hills specific data, stating 46,000 individuals in the riding do not have a family doctor and an additional 15,000 are at risk of losing their family doctor due to retirement.
Last to speak was Wilton, who evoked laughter from the crowd as she returned fire towards Kitras.
“I know some of you know me so it [her opening statement] might get boring; I will try and keep it spicy,” said Wilton.
“I have a few remarks I could make to Mr. Kitras that might make it spicier so we will see how that goes.”
When speaking on health care, Wilton touched on emergency department closures at Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest last year.
Homeowners in attendance were invited to ask one question and one follow up.
Questions could be addressed to one or all candidates, however all candidates were given the opportunity to answer every question.
Doctor shortage
The first question came from resident Barbara Hodgeson, who asked how candidates would go about hiring more doctors. She noted, “I can’t imagine there are a bunch of doctors just sitting around waiting to be called.”
“We actually do have a number of doctors that are waiting around,” said Kent.
“They have left the practice, and they have left the province, and they have left the country, and we are going to incentivize them to come back and practice.”
Kent also spoke of the 13,000 international doctors in the province who are unable to practice due to the “red tape,” which she said the NDP would eliminate.
Wilton said, “The Green Party would recruit 3,500 more doctors in Ontario through more medical school positions and more residency opportunities for more international graduates so that every person has a primary health care provider within three to four years.”
Hilson told the crowd that if elected, the Liberal Party would create two more medical schools to facilitate more doctors.
He also mentioned encouraging doctors planning to retire to “stay on a bit longer” until the gap in health care is filled.
“As part of our tariff plan, we have a bonus to encourage Canadian doctors and nurses to come back from the United States and practice in Canada,” said Hilson.
Kitras said, “The New Blue will be hiring … all of the doctors and nurses that were let go during COVID because they wouldn’t take the [vaccine].”
“All of the spending programs that the other parties here are talking about … they haven’t seen the budget right now to know where we are in Ontario.”
Education, ‘woke mindset’
Kitras criticized the post-secondary institutions for “favouring foreigners” and stated that the New Blue party would focus on Canadian doctors.
The second question was posed by resident Sue Donald for Kitras, who asked him to define the word “woke” as he mentioned “getting rid of the woke mindset” in his opening remarks.
“I would like to know how you interpret that … and what you see that needs to be gotten rid of,” she said.
“The woke ideology is an ideology that is what you would call neo-Marxist, it’s cultural, it’s about changing and allowing for and confusing children about their sexual identity,” said Kitras.
His response evoked loud sighs and groans from the crowd.
Kitras continued to say parents are fleeing the public school system, a remark that NDP candidate Kent was quick to rebuke.
“I work in the education sector, and I have yet to see a family leave a school because of this issue, because of wokeness or whatever it is,” said Kent.
“We don’t find it an issue in my education career; I have been working with the school board for over 10 years and it has not come across my path.”
Hilson and Wilton both spoke of fostering inclusivity, kindness and compassion in a world already so divided.
Climate change
The next question came from Steve Graham regarding climate change.
“I’d like to know from everybody, what their party positions, or their personal positions are around climate change. It is an existential threat in my opinion, and I would like to know what each party is going to do in Ontario or locally on addressing climate change,” he said.
Kitras was the first to respond.
“Climate change has been happening forever, it’s reality, it changes, it’s been warming since the ice age,” said Kitras.
“The issue is what are humans’ part in that, and basically the data says that its cyclical.”
“The New Blue isn’t that concerned about climate change,” he added.
In response a crowd member shouted, “well, good luck to you.”
Kitras continued to say that climate change is “a tactic to control populations by fear,” which earned him boos from the crowd.
The other candidates affirmed they do believe in climate change, with all three candidates citing the need for sustainable and renewable energy sources moving forward.
“We will protect the Greenbelt, we will protect agricultural land, we are against the 413,” said Liberal candidate Hilson.
Both Kent and Wilton mentioned the need for more solar panels and cited the need to preserve agriculture land.
Tariff response
The next question was posed by resident Ted Gilbacher, who asked about tariffs.
“We know they are here, and we know they are going to stay,” said Gilbacher.
“But nowhere I heard amongst any of the four of you what the plans are to eliminate or put some sort of control on interprovincial tariffs.”
Wilton spoke of the Green Party’s plans to remove barriers, specifically in the agri-food sector to better strengthen the country.
She mentioned differences in meat packaging and other regulatory issues that currently prevent trading between provinces.
“The Ontario Liberals do have an eight-part plan to address tariffs,” said Hilson.
“All of us need to be looking at how to work together here because it will really benefit us as a country, but it is about working together. It’s not about one level of government or one party, it’s about putting our self-interest as a country first.”
Kent said, “We have a great momentum behind us, we have all the premiers talking, they are all in unison, they are all about breaking down these barriers between provinces and a lot of them are regulatory – differences in health and safety regulations, packaging and labeling.”
Kitras replied, “The New Blue is against all parts of tariffs inter-provincially but we are only in Ontario and it’s a federal issue to negotiate these inter-provincial tariffs and it needs to be coordinated by the federal government and that becomes a problem because each party has constituents in power for different provinces and so they need to back those provinces to stay in government and that has been the big problem with interprovincial trade barriers.”
Closing remarks
Candidates were given a minute or two to summarize their thoughts and give final remarks.
All candidates thanked the crowd for their attendance and participation.
Wilton criticized PC candidate Racinsky for his nonattendance saying, “It’s kind of like skipping your second interview for a job and expecting to still get the job by not showing up tonight.”
All candidates received a round of applause.
