Horwath launches platform for Eastern Ontario

OTTAWA – Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath says her new eastern platform will bring change for the better to area families, emphasizing affordability, regional job creation, and major investments in health, long-term, and home care.

“No matter where people live in this great province, they should be able to build a great life. That means being able to find a good, stable job; getting care when you need it, close to home; and being able to age in safety and dignity, with appropriate care and support,” said Horwath. “But after 15 years of Liberal governments, that’s just not the case for too many families. Our hospitals are overcrowded, stable, good paying jobs are harder to find, and the services we depend on most have been pushed to the breaking point.

“Doug Ford’s reckless plan to slash over $6 billion dollars from our services means laying off 28,000 nurses, and closing 780 schools, and many more painful cuts. His promise to ‘leave no stone unturned’ when it comes to privatization means our health care system is under threat.”

Chronic underfunding and cuts have hit Eastern Ontario hard, leaving local hospitals overcrowded, and residents facing the longest wait lists in the province for services like home care – with 2,800 people on the waiting list for personal support services. Over 400 jobs have been cut just at The Ottawa Hospital since Wynne took office. And in long-term care, a string of recent media reports revealed that “every one of Ottawa’s 27 long-term care homes … has been the site of either violence, sexual abuse or death resulting from improper care.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” said Horwath. “This time, we don’t have to settle. We can invest in our hospitals and in community-based care – including home care. We can fix seniors care so our aging loved ones can live in dignity. And we can make sure that every single Ontarian has access to drug and dental care.

“Together, we can build communities in Eastern Ontario and across the province that are more affordable, and where care is available when and where it’s needed.”

Horwath’s platform for Eastern Ontario includes five top priorities for the region:

• Ending hallway medicine
• Fixing long-term care and eliminating the wait list for home care
• Providing drug and dental care for all Ontarians
• Making life more affordable by lowering hydro bills 30 per cent, and ending price gouging at gas pumps
• Creating good jobs across Eastern Ontario using a cluster strategy that builds on regional strengths

The NDP’s fully costed platform for Eastern Ontario can be found at ontariondp.ca/eastern-platform.