By Emily Stonehouse

The blustery storm that hit Haliburton County over the weekend resulted in a last-minute decision to host a Zoom meeting for the progressive candidates representing Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, and Brock townships on Feb. 16.

The meeting – presented by the grassroots Save the Minden ER group – was originally slated for the Minden Community Centre, but a declaration of significant weather put out by the township forced the meeting online. Despite the shuffle, the event was attended by over 50 interested viewers, who took the time to watch candidates.

Barbara Doyle for the NDP, Alison Bennie for the Liberals, and Tom Regina for the Green Party were present. It was noted that Conservative candidate Laurie Scott was invited to the discussion, but declined attendance.

Each candidate had two minutes to answer their questions, and were offered a one minute rebuttal following each answer. After relaying the rules of the online forum, the moderator, Ken Trinka, kicked off the conversation, allowing each candidate to form their opening remarks.

Regina was selected to go first. “I feel very strongly that we need more Green in opposition,” he opened. “Green values are people values.”

Bennie, a new face for the Liberal Party, opened by saying that she had just recently stepped into the role just last week. “This is my first time doing anything like this,” she shared. The Brockville resident noted that while she may be new to the scene, she does have ties to the Haliburton Highlands, with her parents retiring to the Wilberforce area, before a lack of accessible rural healthcare drove them farther south.

Doyle shared that she is a lifelong resident of Lindsay, and has been involved with the NDP since 2018. “This election has never been more important,” she noted. “There’s a lot of opportunity for our riding to be better than it is.”

Due to the fact that the meeting was hosted by the Save the Minden ER group, it is no surprise that the questions kicked off with the candidates thoughts around healthcare. The three candidates were posed with answering which specific actions they may take to restore emergency services to the area, and to aid in the healthcare crisis that is sweeping the province.

Bennie noted that Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie “wants to address” the healthcare concerns, while Doyle dove in with a clear-cut plan. “The NDP and Marit Stiles tried to stop the closure,” she said, sharing that this is their “number one priority.” Doyle noted that it is not a solution that would happen overnight, due to changes in legislation and funding, but action-items would be put in place to re-open the Minden ER, including fair wages to healthcare workers.

Regina answered that healthcare should be publicly funded, and publicly driven, but noted that the future of the Minden ER is uncertain. “We can’t really say one hundred per cent that the ER is going to be re-opened,” he answered honestly. “The re-establishment of funding is needed.”

This was the only question throughout the duration of the candidates meeting that drew a rebuttal. Doyle of the NDP piped up once the opportunity was presented, and addressed Bennie of the Liberal Party. “Isn’t your leader on record saying we’ve been spending too much money on healthcare,” she asked.

To this, Bennie noted that she hasn’t heard that, but noted it may have been something Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie had said in the past. “I want to live in the present,” said Bennie. “And I totally agree with everyone who spoke on this healthcare issue. I have no beef.”

The candidates were then asked about governance and transparency, and how they intend to ensure transparency to the people. Doyle noted that there was a lack of transparency from the current Conservative government and their constituents, and directly referenced Laurie Scott’s absence at the meeting. “Having a government where you can access your leaders is very important,” she noted.

Regina agreed. “I can only address my own willingness to engage with the public,” he said.

Bennie shared that she was interested in offering regular newsletters to the constituents, and running town halls in an effort to get more engaged.

When it came to affordability and cost of housing, the three candidates were largely on the same page, all agreeing that it is one of the largest issues faced in our province. Regina noted that the Green Party intends to eliminate the land transfer tax for first time homebuyers, while Bennie took a focus on long term care, and reducing taxes for lower and middle income families. Doyle spoke on the importance of rent control, and offering stability for the unhoused in rural communities. She also noted that it would be beneficial to work directly with municipalities, to understand the needs of the individual rural communities within each riding.

The environment was at the forefront of many initiatives from all three parties, and when asked about rural sustainability and balancing growth with environmental impact, Doyle noted that step one would be to “clean up the damage that has already been done.” She also urged the importance of ensuring proper protections are taken at manufacturing levels. “We have to make sure more problems aren’t happening moving forward,” she said. “We have to understand that tourism is an incredible economic driver, and a smart investment.”

Bennie noted that she believes farmland and greenspace are the biggest assets of the riding, and is interested in extending the cycling paths around the region.

For the Green Party, Regina shared that they hope to reinstate powers to conservation authorities, and create a blue belt to protect waterways, and a food belt to protect farms.

For education, the three parties were once again aligned, focusing on ensuring rural schools are properly funded and staffed. Regina and Bennie noted that adding mental health services to OHIP would be beneficial to school systems, considering the challenges faced by school-aged children. “I’m going to totally agree with my colleagues,” said Doyle. “Schools have been chronically underfunded, and student transportation has been slashed.” She added that the NDP would offer a universal school food program, and $830 million a year to dedicate to school repairs.

Once the moderator went through the questions, the floor was opened up to respectful dialogue and questions from the viewers. While the topics of long term care and passport funding were broached, the elephant in the room was about the pending tariffs from US President Donald Trump.

Bennie simply noted that she did not know the answer. Regina shared that the Green Party would form a tariff task force to tackle the issue, while Doyle put forward an “Ontario-first” solution. “We need to look for income assistance for those who are hardest hit by this issue,” she said. “So we can ensure our families and our workers are protected with income support.”

With the absence of Conservative Party representative Laurie Scott, the three candidates of the major parties were largely aligned on nearly every issue put forward, with one viewer noting that this may split the left-leaning vote.

To understand the policies and individual beliefs of each party, it is highly recommended to visit their websites, or contact each candidate individually to seek clarification on potential concerns.

All three representatives encouraged everyone to go out and vote. “When we go to the polls, we need to think about what issues are top of mind,” closed Doyle. “You all need to get out and vote and be heard.” 

Advance voting is available Feb. 20 to 22, with election day landing on Feb. 27. For more information, visit www.elections.on.ca.