Election Day in Ontario is fast approaching, and if you're unsure who to cast your ballot for, here is the list of candidates running in the riding of Chatham-Kent--Leamington.
CKNewsToday.ca and WindsorNewsToday.ca reached out to all six candidates running for the Member of Provincial Parliament seat in the Riding of Chatham-Kent--Leamington. Some candidates were reached directly. Communication was also attempted by sending inquiries to the political parties or the candidate's campaign manager.
Candidates were asked five questions. Each response is edited for clarity and brevity.
Rhonda Jubenville
1. Aging infrastructure continues to be a costly problem in Chatham-Kent -- especially with a push to build more homes and expand the local greenhouse industry. How would your party help to address the problem of skyrocketing development fees to pay for water and wastewater expansion?
If the New Blue were to form government and since I would represent a rural riding with the potential of expanded industry in the greenhouse sector, along with the much-needed expansion of affordable housing, I would petition our party to provide more funding to download to the Municipalities to deal with the rising costs of development fees so it is not transferred to the end user. If the New Blue were not able to form a government, I would petition the governing party to do the same. Since we are a smaller, grassroots party, we are not beholden to the party leaders or the party agenda, so we would have a "free voice" in the provincial legislature. Municipalities are creatures of the province and many service costs are downloaded to the Municipalities that are financially unattainable to deal with on their own like the development fees. Our Province needs to provide more financial aid to deal with issues like this and others, instead of spending wasteless dollars on government subsidies to wealthy corporations like the $52 billion given to the EV battery sector that is heading in a downward spiral direction.
2. Growers in Southwestern Ontario send a lot of their agricultural produce to the United States for processing. With tariff threats looming, what would your party do to open up new economic opportunities for fruit and vegetable growers in the region?
Acknowledging first that this is indeed a Federal matter and the Provinces have limited control over what the outcome will be regarding the looming tariff battle between the U.S. and Canada, I would continue to petition to our Premier (no matter what party wins), to band together with the other Premiers to lobby the Federal government to reach an amicable deal on this matter. Our Federal government needs to sit down and meet with the U.S. and develop a negotiation that would see a resolution to both sides' border concerns and dispel the imminent threat of tariffs being imposed on either side. No one wins in a tariff battle. Face to face meetings between Federal leaders (not Provincial) is imperative at this time. Unfortunately, our Premier Doug Ford has created a false belief that he (and the other Premiers) have control or authority over the tariff threats, but as we clearly saw in the recent meeting of all the Premiers in Washington, they don't. Premier Doug Ford with the PC government has called an unnecessary, snap election, under the guise of needing a mandate to fight the Trump administration. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that power and he already has a majority mandate from the people of Ontario.
3. What are some specific steps your party would take to address the ongoing housing shortage and encampments in the region?
Again, Municipalities greatly rely on the Province for financial support, but sometimes Chatham Kent Leamington is overlooked with the potential reason being that we are in the middle of more urban ridings in Windsor and London. I would petition either my own party or the governing party to provide much-needed funding or grants to tackle the affordable housing crisis. Regarding the encampments, we are dealing with most individuals who are facing addictions and/or mental health issues. Using the notwithstanding clause, as Premier Doug Ford has previously alluded to potentially using, will not solve the root of the issue facing these individuals. We must provide resources, treatments and transitional or supportive housing to help them to become functioning members in our communities again. HART Hubs that are being created across the Province will address these issues and help these vulnerable individuals in our communities. I would advocate for one to be built in Chatham Kent Leamington and I could be respectfully "persistent" to the governing party. As an independent MPP, I would not be beholden to the party leaders of the legacy parties or worried about a party Whip to keep me in line with the party agenda.
4. There is still a significant family doctor shortage in the region, what is your party's plan to address that?
We need to incentivize new and experienced doctors to choose Chatham Kent Leamington as their home. We also need a good retention plan so as not to lose them to other regions offering more. The only way to do this is through increased funding from the Province to the Municipalities and the Hospitals in order for them to develop productive incentive and retention plans. The New Blue will end the reckless spending of the Ford government (Eg. $52 billion to the EV battery sector, $3 billion for $200 gift cheques, $190 million for an unnecessary election, etc) and redirect these billions of dollars into our healthcare, where it is very much needed. We will also advocate for less regulations on the doctors and healthcare workers across the province. Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers that were "let go" during COVID 19 need to be re-hired. Many hospitals have already relinquished their Covid 19 vaccine mandates, but some hospitals are still imposing the mandate among doctors and healthcare staff. The New Blue supports ending COVID 19 mandates that still exist in hospitals across Ontario as well as in other healthcare sector workplaces. This would allow many qualified and deserving doctors, nurses and healthcare workers to return to work.
5. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says Ontario schools are underfunded and that has led to staffing shortages and increased violence at the local school boards. How does your party plan to address those concerns?
The New Blue Party supports reducing administrative costs in the education system which will allow for more funds to reach the classrooms. As previously mentioned, the Ford government and its reckless spending to subsidize corporations and voter incentives, instead of helping the good people of Ontario, must stop. These billions of dollars could be redirected into our two biggest ministries in Ontario, Health and Education. We will stop the teaching of ideological and age-inappropriate material which could be attributed to a rise in mental health issues and division amongst students, instead we will advocate for the instruction of reading, comprehension, maths, sciences, writing, health, life skills etc. in order to prepare our students to become healthy adults and good contributors in our communities. The New Blue also supports repealing progressive discipline in our schools and bringing back the Safe Schools Act.
For more details, visit the New Blue Party's campaign website at newblueontario.com.
Christian Sachs - Ontario NDP
1. Aging infrastructure continues to be a costly problem in Chatham-Kent -- especially with a push to build more homes and expand the local greenhouse industry. How would your party help to address the problem of skyrocketing development fees to pay for water and wastewater expansion?
Last year, the Ontario NDP put forward our plan to invest in strong and caring communities by delivering a new deal for municipalities, including a new deal for funding aging infrastructure. Our plan includes a commitment to reverse decades of unfair provincial downloads and funding cuts. This means reuploading provincial financial responsibility for affordable housing, shelters, and homelessness prevention programs, while maintaining locally focused delivery by municipal service managers. This also includes the restoration of 50% provincial funding for municipal transit net operational costs. We are committed to working in partnership with municipalities to build strong and caring communities and a stronger economy.
2. Growers in Southwestern Ontario send a lot of their agricultural produce to the United States for processing. With tariff threats looming, what would your party do to open up new economic opportunities for fruit and vegetable growers in the region?
The NDP is committed to protecting Ontario industries, such as the agrifood industry including fruit and vegetable growers. We have a plan to protect jobs and create a tariff-proof Ontario. This plan include promoting interprovincial cooperation and breaking down trade barriers, launching a Buy Ontario campaign to promote Ontario goods and direct Ontario government-funded agencies to procure locally. We will support farmers by removing the cap from the Risk Management Program. Furthermore, we are committed to negotiate a joint federal-provincial income assistance program to support people whose livelihoods are impacted by tariffs.
3. What are some specific steps your party would take to address the ongoing housing shortage and encampments in the region?
Our plan, Homes Ontario, is a massive expansion of permanently affordable public, non-profit, and co-op homes. This plan will build homes for those who don’t have a home, for middle and working-class families who have been priced out of the housing market, and for those struggling with skyrocketing rent. This plan will bring together municipalities, builders, non-profit developers, and the province to kick-start the most ambitious home-building plan that the province has seen in generations. In order to ensure everyone can find a home they can afford, the ONDP's plan will provide grants, low-cost financing, public land and other resources to help public, non-profit and co-op housing providers quickly increase the supply of permanently-affordable non-market homes. After seven long years, Doug Ford’s legacy is encampments in every single town and city in our province. To end chronic homelessness, the Ontario NDP will create 60,000 new supportive housing units, allowing people living in encampments or the shelter system to move into a safe, permanent home, while connecting them to mental healthcare, addiction treatment and other ongoing supports. The Ontario NDP has a viable plan to address the housing shortage and to end chronic homelessness.
4. There is still a significant family doctor shortage in the region, what is your party's plan to address that?
Every Ontarian deserves access to healthcare and care where and when they need it. We need to address the crisis in our healthcare system. The Ontario NDP will recruit and support 3,500 new doctors. We will expand healthcare in Northern Ontario by hiring 350 doctors, including 200 family physicians and 150 specialists. We’ll establish a Northern Command Centre to manage capacity across the North. We will cut red tape so doctors spend more time with patients, not paperwork. We will fast-track solutions in the first 100 days—in the form of more family health teams, shorter specialist wait times, and flexible care options. We will clear the path for 13,000 internationally trained doctors ready to serve Ontarians and we’ll increase residency spots province-wide. Ontarians deserve a government that will fix public healthcare and deliver real solutions. The Ontario NDP will invest $4.05 billion over four years to hire more doctors.
5. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says Ontario schools are underfunded and that has led to staffing shortages and increased violence at the local school boards. How does your party plan to address those concerns?
The Ontario NDP have a plan to fix schools, hire staff, feed kids, and make sure every single student has the tools they need to succeed. We’ll fix schools to give students a high quality, nurturing learning environment. We will invest an additional $830 million a year to clear the repair backlog within 10 years while keeping up with school maintenance needs. We will hire more teachers, educational assistants, child and youth workers, ECEs, custodial and trade workers – they make all the difference helping students get the one-on-one attention they need and maintaining a nurturing learning environment. We’ll create a universal School Food Program so that every child in Ontario is set up to succeed. We’ll make sure our public education system gives students with disabilities the support they deserve. We’ll end the practice of streaming and make sure we are using data to support more equitable schools. We will review the funding model to focus on student needs and not numbers of students to support vulnerable students. We have many plans to ensure children are getting the education they deserve!
For more details, visit Christian Sachs' Chatham-Kent--Leamington campaign website at christiansachs.ontariondp.ca or ontariondp.ca.
Trevor Jones - PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)
1. Aging infrastructure continues to be a costly problem in Chatham-Kent -- especially with a push to build more homes and expand the local greenhouse industry. How would your party help to address the problem of skyrocketing development fees to pay for water and wastewater expansion?
From protecting our economy to investing in critical infrastructure only the Ontario PCs have a plan to support Chatham - Kent - Leamington. While years of a Liberal government, propped up by the NDP, left our community with an infrastructure deficit, our PC team has taken action to improve infrastructure and build more homes.
Our PC team has introduced over $3 billion in new funding for municipalities to support housing-enabling infrastructure, including the Housing-Enabling Water System Fund to help municipalities develop, repair, rehabilitate, and expand critical drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to pave the way for more housing.
Our PC team recognizes that municipalities, community engagement, and local voices are essential in every decision we make—and no one has done more to support municipalities than the Ontario PCs.
Our community deserves a strong government that will listen to the needs of our community and continue to support our municipal partners by giving them the tools they need to build more housing for families in our community, and that is exactly what the Ontario PCs will deliver.
2. Growers in Southwestern Ontario send a lot of their agricultural produce to the United States for processing. With tariff threats looming, what would your party do to open up new economic opportunities for fruit and vegetable growers in the region?
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are designed to hurt our economy, undermine Chatham-Kent-Leamington’s industries and workers, and put hundreds of thousands of livelihoods at risk.
Only the Ontario PCs have a plan to do whatever it takes to protect our economy, workers, and businesses in the agri-food sector. We stand behind our agricultural sector and will continue to work with them to support growing export markets for Ontario-made products.
Our PC team has increased agri-food exports by 65% since 2018, to $26.2B making up more GDP exports than auto, tech, and steel and Ontario is 1st in Canada in agri-food output and exports. 54% of the food we eat is produced here in Ontario.
A re-elected Ontario PC government will continue to invest millions in this critical sector to protect Ontarians and strengthen the supply chain.
3. What are some specific steps your party would take to address the ongoing housing shortage and encampments in the region?
Our community is one of the fastest-growing regions in the province and we want to be ready to build affordable homes to welcome families not just now, but for years to come. We need to build homes—fast—and get shovels in the ground. We need affordable homes, attainable homes, modular homes, and more density around transit.
We need to cut through the red tape to speed up approvals. That’s why we led the charge to remove the HST on purpose-built rentals and eliminated municipal fees on affordable and non-profit housing. We’ve introduced over $3 billion in new funding for municipalities to support housing-enabling infrastructure, including $1.2 billion for municipalities that meet or exceed their housing targets. We expanded this by providing $120 million to small, rural, and northern municipalities. Additionally, we’ve invested over $42 million to help enroll 5,100 new households into the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit this year.
We also share municipal leaders' concerns about the need to keep our children, families, and communities safe. That is why we are using every tool we have to clear encampments and restore safety to public spaces while enhancing mental health support and keeping the most vulnerable members of our society safe and housed.
Through the Homelessness Prevention Program, we are investing $700 million each year to support municipalities deliver programs to address homelessness that best meet local needs. We are also building 27 new Homelessness Addictions Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, to deliver responsive, comprehensive mental health services, addiction care, social services, and supportive housing.
As your MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington, I will continue to work with municipalities to ensure they have the tools they need to build more affordable and supportive housing to meet the needs of our communities for years to come.
4. There is still a significant family doctor shortage in the region, what is your party's plan to address that?
When the Liberals were in power, they admitted to “holding healthcare costs down.” They closed hospitals, fired nurses, and cut medical school spots.
Under our Ontario PC team, we have increased investments in health care by over 31 percent since 2018, and we are leading the country with the highest number of people connected to a regular primary care provider, and the largest healthcare workforce.
The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMs) shows students want to become doctors in Ontario, and that doctors want to practice in Ontario with 100% of Ontario’s residency positions filled. Since 2018, we have added 15,000 new doctors, launched the largest medical school system expansion in 15 years, and made historic investments to stand up more primary care teams, including connecting 6,500 more people in Chatham-Kent-Leamington to primary care. We have enhanced digital tools, and are breaking down barriers for new family doctors through the Learn and Stay which is supporting 1,360 students in family medicine to start practicing with a full roster, and the Practice Ready Ontario which is adding 100 new family physicians in rural and northern communities.
Through our Primary Care Action Team (PCAT) led by Dr. Jane Philpott, the Ontario PCs are connecting every person in Ontario to a primary care provider by 2029 by investing $1.8 billion to expand primary care teams.
5. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says Ontario schools are underfunded and that has led to staffing shortages and increased violence at the local school boards. How does your party plan to address those concerns?
Our Ontario PC team recognizes the importance of policing and supports school resource programs. That's why we introduced and supported a motion in the legislature encouraging all publicly funded school boards to partner with police services through community school liaison officer programs. An important step the NDP and Green parties voted against.
Our Ontario PC team has increased our education budget by $10.4 billion since 2018 and has increased funding for core education services by $5.7 billion over the same period. We’ve built and expanded 248 schools, adding nearly 100,000 student spaces and 8,000 childcare spaces. This includes investments like our brand new, nearly 600 student, St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School in Chatham that includes a daycare with 49 childcare spaces, and the St Louis Catholic Elementary School in Leamington where our PC government has invested in a $7.6 million expansion to create an additional 147 additional student spaces and 63 childcare spaces.
Our Ontario PC team recognizes the importance of policing and supports school resource programs. That's why we introduced and supported a motion in the legislature encouraging all publicly funded school boards to partner with police services through community school liaison officer programs. An important step the NDP and Green parties voted against.
As your MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington, I will continue to champion expanding and building our education system so we are ready to welcome new families to our growing community now, and for years to come.
You can read more about Trevor Jones' campaign by clicking here.
Matthew Davey - Green Party of Ontario
The Green Party of Ontario told CK News Today that Matthew Davey isn't available for media responses or appearances in this election.
You can find out more about the Green Party of Ontario's platform by clicking here.
Bill Kirby - Ontario Liberal Party
Bill Kirby has not yet returned answers to the questions or we were unable to reach a contact person for him. Once answers to the questions are sent to CKNewsToday.ca or WindsorNewsToday.ca, they will be added to this post.
You can read more about Bill Kirby and the Ontario Liberal Party's campaign by clicking here.
Phillip St. Laurent - Ontario Party
Phillip St. Laurent has not yet returned answers to the questions or we were unable to reach a contact person for him. Once answers to the questions are sent to CKNewsToday.ca or WindsorNewsToday.ca, they will be added to this post.
You can read more about Ontario Party's campaign by clicking here.