Horwath releases a platform for Southwestern Ontario

LONDON – Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s changes for the better in Southwestern Ontario will make life more affordable for everyday families in the region. The NDP will take action to fix the long waits and hallway medicine in health care, support good-paying jobs, put an end to school closures, lower hydro bills and improve transit.

“I’m inspired every day by hardworking folks who want a chance to build a good life for their families, but for far too long have been told to settle for less,” Horwath said. “The fact is, we don’t have to settle for a premier that keeps cutting services and making life less affordable. We can do something completely different.”

Southwestern Ontario has been hit hard by the hallway medicine crisis. London Health Sciences has been forced to run at double its capacity while Brantford General Hospital’s occupancy levels have been well over what is considered safe for nearly two years.

The Wynne Liberals have been underfunding and cutting in hospitals for years – and now Doug Ford and the Conservatives have vowed to cut $6 billion across the board, which would mean 28,000 nurse layoffs, cuts to seniors care and small business programs, cuts to roads and more. And Ford has also vowed to ‘leave no stone unturned’ when it comes to privatization, putting all services at risk.

“We can do better for the people of Ontario.” Said Horwath. “People deserve a premier that’s on their side, working to make life more affordable. They deserve a province where health care gets better and our children’s classrooms are built up. A province where families have more opportunity – especially when it comes to the kind of good jobs you can raise a family on.

“That’s the kind of change for the better we can achieve together.”

Horwath’s platform for Southwestern Ontario lays out a number of commitments, including:

• Ending hallway medicine and investing in Southwestern health care – including opening 2,000 new beds immediately, province-wide, and prioritizing programs like London’s Cardiac Fitness Institute
• Fixing seniors care so people can live with dignity, including building 40,000 new long-term care beds and ensuring more hands-on care every day for residents
• Supporting good jobs in agri-business, manufacturing and emerging high-tech industries with made-in-Ontario solutions
• Improving roads and transit with a Southwest Transportation Strategy, focused on improving services in Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph
• Keeping schools open with a complete moratorium on school closures
• Making life more affordable by lowering hydro bills by 30 per cent, and delivering drug and dental coverage for all

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