Rural and Northern Ontario Communities Need investment Not More Liberal Cuts: Horwath

NDP Leader pledges support during her address to the ROMA/OGRA conference

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath addressed the Ontario Good Roads Association and Rural Ontario Municipalities Association combined conference. She talked about the impact of Liberal school closures and nursing cuts on rural and northern Ontario families, and the need to build strong communities through investment and support.

“Liberal cuts are hurting our communities, and I firmly believe that we cannot nickel and dime our way to stronger rural communities,” said Horwath. “We must listen to local experts and make the right investments in infrastructure.”

Horwath also discussed the need to spend public resources wisely unlike the Wynne Liberal government, which continues to support the wasteful public-private partnership model despite warnings from Ontario’s Auditor General that P3 infrastructure projects have cost the Province at least $8 billion more than they should have. Instead of listening to the Auditor General’s advice the Liberals have doubled down on their commitment to P3s by appointing P3 advocate Bruce Bodden to the board of Infrastructure Ontario.

“The Liberal government has wasted $8 billion with their P3 giveaways. That money could have gone a long way in rural and northern Ontario towards tight municipal budgets,” said Horwath. “It could have been better spent on roads and bridges, on water mains and culverts, on long term care beds, on updates to social housing stock, on repairs to our crumbling public infrastructure, on keeping schools and hospitals open.”

The NDP Leader stressed the need to listen to local voices and to respect local decision making rather than saddling rural and northern Ontario municipalities with a cookie cutter approach that doesn’t recognize or acknowledge their unique challenges.

“New Democrats believe in a vibrant and strong rural and northern Ontario,” said Horwath. “We will work hard to help build stronger communities, and to build a bright future for the hard-working families who live in the north and in rural Ontario.”