Is there an “urban-rural divide” in Ontario today?
Premier Kathleen Wynne says no.
But the objective evidence suggests otherwise.
In the past three provincial elections, the Liberal Party’s electoral strength has been concentrated in Ontario’s cities, and in particular Toronto. At the same time, Ontario PC incumbent candidates have been re-elected with large pluralities in many small town and rural ridings. NDP support has edged up in some parts of the province, while receding in others.
Clearly, the Liberal agenda in recent years seems to have had more appeal for urban voters than rural ones.
The urban-rural divide was on display at the International Plowing Match near Barrie last week.
According to a story in the Toronto Star, the premier was heckled by a normally polite opening day crowd. Comments from plowing match visitors derided the Liberals for being too “Toronto” and criticized the government for their forced imposition of wind turbines in rural areas.
Other sources of rural discontent are easy to identify.
In recent years, the Liberals deliberately decimated Ontario’s horse racing industry, causing the loss of thousands of jobs in the countryside.
Under the Liberals, support for Ontario’s important agriculture and agribusiness sector has been more sporadic than consistent.
And the government virtually ignores necessary infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and waterworks and sewer treatment in rural municipalities. They even arbitrarily cancelled the Connecting Link highway program, a partnership which has existed since the 1920s, without any consultation with individual municipalities.
Is all of this a Liberal political strategy to polarize the province, driving a wedge between urban and rural voters? If so, it is an abrogation of responsibility on the part of a government that should be representing the whole province, not just the cities.
Either way, it’s no wonder that rural Ontario feels abandoned by the Liberals at Queen’s Park.
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The October holiday weekend originated as a time of thanksgiving for the autumn harvest.
Today, we sometimes forget how truly blessed we are to live in this province and country, where good food is plentiful and abundant.
Our local food banks, our churches, and our community service organizations all deserve our support, as they work to help people in our communities. Please give generously.
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Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott welcomes your comments. He can be reached at 1-800-265-2366. His website address is www.tedarnottmpp.com.