Six candidates running for Huron-Bruce MPP in June 7 provincial election
Six people are running for the post of Huron-Bruce MPP in the June 7 provincial election. Besides incumbent Lisa Thompson of the Progressive Conservative (PC) party, the candidates include Jan Johnstone of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Don Matheson of the Liberals, Ron Stephens of the Libertarian Party, Gerrie Huenemoerder of the Alliance Party, and Nicholas Wendler of the Green Party.
ALLIANCE PARTY
Gerrie Huenemoerder (right) of Seaforth owns and operates a jewellery store, Avelina Jewellery, on Main Street in Seaforth.
The Ontario Alliance Party platform consists of seven points, with the top one being a balanced budget.
The party objects to a carbon tax and the sex education curriculum, and aims to improve accountability on health care; labour management relations; and intergovernmental autonomy.
NDP
Jan Johnstone (left) of Kincardine has lived in Huron-Bruce for more than 30 years. She is vice-chairperson of the Bluewater District School Board and chairperson of the program work team for the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.
She said she is “ready to bring change for the better with NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s plan to fix seniors care and provide drug and dental coverage for everyone.”
The NDP platform also aims to cut hydro bills by 30 per cent by bringing Hydro One back into public hands; take on student debt by converting loans to grants and creating student jobs; and protect middle-class families by having the wealthiest people and profitable corporations pay their fair share.
LIBERAL PARTY
Don Matheson (right) of Southampton teaches at Saugeen District Secondary School in Port Elgin, and is a Saugeen Shores town councillor.
His focus is on helping families thrive, creating strong partnerships and developing healthy local economies.
The 2018 provincial budget shows an investment into a dental and prescription drug plan, increased minimum wages, free preschool child care, updating hospitals, and mental health funding.
While the Liberal party is investing in several services, its 2018 budget runs a $6.7-billion deficit.
LIBERTARIAN PARTY
Ron Stephens (left) of Kincardine is a contractor in the area and also works in online media. He ran in the 2007 provincial election as an independent candidate, and had planned to run again as an independent but liked what he saw in the Ontario Libertarian Party platform so decided to join the party in 2018.
He said the Libertarians ask a lot of questions, seeking answers about why the province runs the way it is.
The Ontario Libertarian Party wants to cut hydro bills in half; put parents back in charge of their children’s education; end health-care rationing; make Ontario a job magnet; and limit government involvement with property rights.
PC PARTY
Lisa Thompson (right) of Teeswater has been Huron-Bruce MPP since 2011 and has held additional roles, including caucus chairperson, and critic for international trade, indigenous relations and reconciliation.
She was also selected to represent the province on a steering committee for Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, for a three-year term.
The PC Party platform supports a $14-dollar-per-hour minimum wage; the removal of smart meter charges on electricity bills; scrapping the Green Energy Act; and cutting gas taxes by 10 per cent.
GREEN PARTYNicholas Wendler (left) of Huron-Bruce ran as a Green Party candidate in the 2015 election in the Kitchener Centre riding. He is again campaigning for the provincial election with the Green Party of Ontario, but this time in the Huron-Bruce riding where he grew up.
Before his 2015 campaign, Wendler did data entry for the Green Party of Ontario during the Kitchener-Waterloo byelection. He was born with a physical disability and has had the opportunity to be regularly involved in the health care system as a patient.
The Green Party wants to create jobs in the clean economy; lower payroll taxes on local businesses; improve access to mental health services; protect air, water and farmland; and set the province on a pathway to 100-per-cent renewable energy.
Four of the candidates attended an all-candidates meeting held Thursday, May 17, in Port Elgin. It was sponsored by the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce, Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Federation of University Women.
Speaking on a wide range of subjects, were Thompson, Johnstone, Matheson and Stephens.
One question asked if the candidates supported a carbon tax.
Johnstone said no, but she supported Cap-and-Trade.
Matheson said yes, because it protects the environment. Excess carbon taxes can be sold off to Quebec and California to provide revenue.
Stephens said no, because it’s a fraud, stealing money from everyone’s pocket.
Thompson said no, because Ontario produces less than one-half of one percentage point of carbon emissions at the global level. "When the Liberal government is cash-strapped, that’s when we see schemes like this. We also say no to the Liberals' Cap-and-Trade."
Another question asked how the candidates would reduce the $300-billion debt.
Matheson said it's just part of doing business and has to be paid down over time. "It's care before costs,"he said. "You have to take care of social programs, and then balance the budget."
Stephens said the debt should not exist. "It goes back to the NDP, the Conservatives and the Liberals, they are all equally involved in pushing up the debt. We have to streamline government and reduce the size of the bureaucracy."
Thompson said the PCs would realize efficiencies, saving four cents on every dollar. "If you listen to the auditor general, in reviewing 14 groups, there were savings of $1-billion," she said. "There is government-owned property that is a wasteland, sitting idle - vacant buildings to the tune of $19-million. We would focus on getting rid of the waste."
Johnstone said the NDP is one of two parties that has presented a fully-costed platform. "The wealthiest individuals and profitable corporations have to pay their fair share of taxes," she said. "We would close the loopholes for big companies, and give small businesses tax exemptions."
The provincial election runs Thursday, June 7, with the main polling station for Kincardine, at the Davidson Centre, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern Time)
For more information, contact the returning office at 1-866-325-6244 or E-mail: info@elections.on.ca
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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