CITY OUTLINES PRIORITIES FOR PROVINCIAL ELECTION

MANY KEY ISSUES FACING BURLINGTON AND ONTARIO, WRITES MARIANNE MEED WARD

With the writ period having officially begun on May 4, ending provincial government business, the Ontario election is officially underway.

As we have done with previous federal and provincial elections, the City of Burlington and Region of Halton have outlined an election advocacy plan highlighting some of our priorities for all the candidates.

The region has also developed a candidate questionnaire that will provide information about these issues. Each candidate's response will be posted on halton.ca to ensure that residents can learn more about the positions of each candidate before casting their ballot.

The key issues outlined by Halton Region include:

• Support for affordable housing and homelessness;

• Delivering provincial infrastructure to support growth;

• Investments in longterm care;

• Immediate access to broadband delivery; and

• Stabilization of the child-care system.

The City of Burlington's key issues are:

• A long-term, stable, allocation-based, infrastructure funding framework, supported by both the provincial and federal governments, that provides municipalities with a steady flow of infrastructure dollars for municipally identified priority projects, including infrastructure renewal, transit and active transportation;

• A commitment to working together with municipalities and the federal government on innovative solutions and partnerships to increase attainable housing options for residents at every stage of life;

• Investment in broadband and high-speed internet services to expand opportunity, access and economic participation;

• Acknowledgment and support of municipal governments as key partners in Ontario's economic recovery and future prosperity;

• Increased funding for health care and hospital beds;

• Financial support of municipal efforts towards creating carbon neutral communities through community tax incentives/grants for deep home energy retrofit programs, funding to support alternative fuelling infrastructure for municipal fleets (EV/ hydrogen) and community tax incentives/grants to support EV vehicle purchase and charging infrastructure; and

• Continued supports for businesses and industries hardest hit by the pandemic.

I encourage everyone in our community to learn about all the candidates and their platforms ahead of Ontario election day on June 2, to help you make the decision that is best for you.