Guelph families simply can’t afford Ford

GUELPH – Doug Ford has vowed to cut more than $6 billion from the services that Ontarians count on and with no costed platform just ten days before election day, it’s clear that Guelph families #cantaffordford.

Ford’s massive cuts would only result in squeezing more patients at Guelph General Hospital, where officials were forced to sound the alarm over emergency room overcrowding. The ER is seeing 20,000 more patients per year than it was designed to handle. Ford’s cuts will mean 153 fewer hospital beds for Guelph area hospitals, 143 fewer long-term care beds in Guelph, and 120 fewer education workers at Upper Grand District School Board.

“My plan will bring change for the better to families in Guelph, and across Ontario,” said Horwath at a visit to a local brewery with Guelph NDP candidate Aggie Mlynarz. “I’ve been up front about what I’ll do and how I’ll pay for it. I’ll ask the wealthiest among us to contribute a bit more, so we can provide the services that families need – like universal pharmacare, dental care for everyone and relief from overcrowded hospitals and hallway medicine.”

Ford wants to cut taxes for people making over $200,000, but what’s in it for a person in Guelph who makes $45,000?

“Doug Ford is offering everday families $18 a year - not even enough to cover the cost of a family dinner. That’s just insulting,” said Horwath. “I want families in Guelph to know they don’t have to settle for bad or worse anymore. The NDP will deliver change for the better that’s focused on everyday families here, and across the province.”

Horwath’s plan means that individuals that earn more than $220,000 will pay one percentage point more, and there will be two extra percentage points on income earned over $300,000 to make life a more affordable for the hard-working families who have been left behind by 20 years of Conservative and Liberal governments.

An NDP government would make life better for families in Guelph and across the province, by:

• Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all Ontarians – and tie future increases to inflation
• Bringing Hydro One back in to public hands and reducing bills by about 30 per cent
• Introducing truly universal pharmacare and dental care for everyone, so every Ontarian can get the care they need, while taking pressure off our hospitals
• Introducing affordable childcare for all Ontarians – free for families earning under $40k, and an average of $12 for families earning more
• Converting all future OSAP loans to grants that don’t have to be repaid, and pay back any interest on existing loans