DEBATE ATTRACTS 50-PLUS TO HEAR CANDIDATES

Only three out of six invited candidates for the 2022 provincial election attended the all-candidates' debate on May 11 at the Sundridge Strong Joly Arena.

Bill Atkinson, a member of the Retired Teacher's Organization, thanked the candidates that did show up for the event and noted the Liberal candidate would not be in attendance and the Progressive Conservative candidate,

Graydon Smith, chose not to participate.

"He was given an opportunity to send a representative on his behalf (and) he chose not to do that.

They were given an opportunity to send a message to be read by us and they chose not to do that either," said Atkinson to the crowd, to which a few individuals booed.

Over 50 residents of Almaguin were in the audience to hear what Matt Richter, Green Party of Ontario, Doug Maynard, New Blue Party, and Erin Horvath, New Democratic Party of Ontario, had to say on key topics.

" ... I'm going to fight for reducing the bureaucratic red tape, cutting some of the fees developers and builders have to pay because they are passing those fees onto the buyers," said Maynard.

" ... We have to crack down on speculators and shift that money to kick start the affordable housing that we need," said Richter, stating the Green Party's plan calls for 100,000 housing units and 60,000 units with wraparound mental health services to be built over the next 10 years.

" ... The NDP would remove the exclusionary zoning practices which would make it so there could be in every community duplexes, triplexes, granny suits ... all the things that allow us to house different types of people," said Horvath.

FUEL/TRANSPORTATION

"The NDP would look at a gas equalization strategy ... as a short term measure as how we're going to take this down to an affordable rate ... reintroduce cap and trade but specific to Ontario," said Horvath. "At least 25 per cent of that revenue can go to offsetting the costs for those who are more impacted."

" ... Tax reductions need to be happening now. Not in October, not next year ... we need to open up a discussion between both levels of government to come to an agreement to get those taxes down to a reasonable level," said Maynard. " ... We've taken truckers for granted for a long time."

"I recognize they want to bring our gas prices down," said Richter. " ... I want to get us not just relief at the pumps but relief from the pumps and it's going to take time ... it's going to take time to transition ... I want to invest in you, to get you into an electric

vehicle you can afford." CLIMATE CRISIS

" ... We do know that housing is a huge part of it ... to be net-zero by 2030 that's on the new builds and to work on the retrofitting program ... so we can begin to renovate our homes," said Horvath, also emphasizing the importance of listening to Indigenous leadership when it comes to the climate crisis.

" ... We need to fund the appropriate measures forward to deal with the climate

crisis ... when it comes to travel and carbon emissions ... we must get the Northlander back ... we need stops not just in South River but here in Sundridge and all the way down," said Richter.

" ... The New Blue completely supports Indigenous rights and let's face it they know how to take care of the Earth better than we've proven we can so we need to involve them on some level to teach us how to care for this Earth," said Maynard.