TORONTO — Two of four major party leaders in Ontario said they hoped to make their way to Northwestern Ontario for a weekend in the great outdoors.
Thunder Bay and Lake Superior came up during Monday's provincial leaders debate, in response to a softball question asking all four party leaders where in the province they would go on a weekend off.
"My family are very physically fit and we're a little competitive about it, so my destination is going to be Thunder Bay because they have great rock climbing in Thunder Bay. And I can't wait to go out and see it," said Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie, who was in the city earlier in the month.
NDP leader Marit Stiles said she likes to spend her weekends swimming in Ontario's lakes. "I have yet to, I will say honestly, ever swam in Lake Superior. So that is my next try," she said. "Although I hear it's pretty cold, so I'm going to wait until the summer, obviously." Stiles also made a recent visit to the city.
Although Green party leader Mike Schreiner said he'll be spending his weekends hiking the Niagra Escarpment, he chimed in to endorse Lake Superior as a swimming destination.
"Maybe we'll all meet up there," said debate moderator David Common, wrapping up the topic.
The desirability of the region as a weekend destination wasn't the only thing the NDP, Liberal and Green leaders agreed on. Most of the debate was focused on a range of serious issues, with all three challenging Doug Ford's record on health care, affordability, housing and more.
A family doctor within four years
Asked how long it would take for every Ontarian to have a family doctor under their healthcare plans, Crombie, Stiles and Schreiner all said they would do it within four years. Ford did not give a number.
Rural healthcare was a focus for Scheiner and administrative work for Stiles who committed to addressing the paperwork burden for family doctors within 100 days of taking office.
"People in the north have to drive 4 or 5 hours to see a family doctor," said Crombie. One item in a list of healthcare issues she blamed on a lack of investment in public healthcare by the Ford government.
She pledged to increase pay for doctors, nurses and personal support workers and bring in more internationally trained doctors.
"There's no government in the history of this country that's invested more," Ford responded, in defence of his record on health care, touting a $1.8 billion dollar investment in primary care, and $50 billion to build hospitals and hospital extensions.
"By your own admission Doug, you put $1.8 billion in to your plan for healthcare. You put more into the spa at Ontario Place at $2.1 billion" charged Crombie.
"Yeah, you might build hospitals but you're not recruiting doctors."
Stiles also raised the closure of 10 safe consumption sites across the province, which included Path 525 in Thunder Bay, when she was asked about her party's plan to handle addictions and mental health.
"The answer to addiction is healthcare," she said. "That means you do not take resources out of communities without actually putting back more and better resources."
Doubling disability rates
Ford found himself facing a united front again in the debate on affordability with all three other party leaders saying they would double rates for the Ontario Disability Support Program.
"People are living in legislated poverty," said Scheiner. "And I wonder if Mr. Ford thinks it's okay, in a province as wealthy as Ontario, that people would be forced to live in legislated poverty on $1,300 a month when average market rent in this province is $1,600 a month and over $2,000 in Toronto? How can we sleep at night knowing that people with disabilities can't even afford to pay the bills?"
His government increased ODSP rates with inflation, Ford responded, "but you can't pay people on ODSP if you don't have an economy. And all you three believe in is simple, just tax the people to death."
Countering that Ford has had seven year to cut taxes, Crombie criticized Ford's $200 tax rebate cheques while Stiles challenged him to reverse the provinces investment at Ontario place, calling it public subsidization of a luxury spa.
The debate also touched on U.S. tariffs, homelessness, education, the courts and public safety, housing and the landlord tenant board and the environment. It can be seen in full online.
Conservative leader Doug Ford, incidentally, said he would head to his cottage if he had a weekend off.
