This week, Bob Hutcheson, a 98-year-old highly regarded resident of Huntsville whose family has generations of very deep roots in Muskoka, submitted a letter to Doppler about his belief that the commitment of two proposed new hospital sites in Muskoka would be in jeopardy if Progressive Conservative candidate Graydon Smith was not re-elected in this riding. His letter was polite and respectful and simply stated his opinion.
Some supporters of other candidates responded equally respectfully to Hutcheson’s opinion, but many more did not. Instead, they opted for mean-spirited attacks and character assassination in a manner that we believe other candidates would not have condoned. Some submissions were so hateful Doppler declined to post them.
In spite of that, it is our opinion that Mr. Hutcheson is absolutely right.
One of the harsh truths about politics is that ridings represented by the governing party tend to get more attention than those that aren’t. Parry Sound-Muskoka has benefitted greatly from this over the years because we have primarily had NDP, Liberal, and Conservative provincial members in the Legislature when their respective political parties were in power.
The Ford government has committed almost a billion dollars to new hospital sites in Muskoka, which when completed will have us punching above our weight in terms of health care.
It is Graydon Smith, along with Scott Aitchison, who got this going on the right track when they were mayors, and it is Graydon Smith as our MPP who has strategically managed the many differing viewpoints and arguments related to the hospitals and brought everyone together to achieve a single objective. It is also Graydon Smith who has worked tirelessly with the Ford government, of which he is a part, to see that this commitment is met and that it is near the top of the list.
Of the candidates who are running for election in Parry Sound-Muskoka, only two have a reasonable chance of being successful. The Liberal and NDP candidates have barely shown up, indicating that their parties consider this riding a two-way race. We agree with that.
Both Matt Richter and Graydon Smith are well respected in this riding, and both are running strong campaigns. The difficult question then is who can best serve the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka over the next four years?
We believe it is Graydon Smith.
Unless there is a last-minute February surprise (and that can happen), the Progressive Conservatives are going to form the next government in Ontario. 388 Canada, a major Canadian polling and research firm, predicts the Conservatives will win 86 seats, the Liberals 19 seats, the NDP 17 seats, and the Greens two seats. Polls are tightening, but Progressive Conservatives still remain 16.1 points ahead of anyone else, according to recent overnight polling.
Matt Richter has at the top of his five priorities for this riding, fighting to keep the province’s commitment to the two new hospital sites in Muskoka. We also agree that this is Parry Sound- Muskoka’s top priority in this election. However, the reality of politics is that, however much he may want to, Matt Richter cannot protect the hospitals.
The Greens will not have enough legislative seats to achieve official party status. That Party and its elected members will have no influence on the government of the day.
Again, the harsh reality of politics is that if Doug Ford remains as Premier of Ontario and if Parry Sound-Muskoka no longer has a member of the governing party, priorities and commitments will change, especially with at least 30 other communities in Ontario looking for hospital improvements. Some people have viewed this as a threat. But it is not a threat.
It was that way when David Peterson was premier, when Bob Rae was premier, when Mike Harris was premier, when Dalton McGuinty was premier, when Kathleen Wynn was premier, and it will happen again after the next provincial election. We may not like it, but that is the way politics work.
We endorse Graydon Smith and support his re-election for the following reasons, in part:
- In his three years as our Member of the Provincial Parliament, he has worked tirelessly for this riding.
- He is by far in the best position to ensure that the provincial commitment for two new hospital sites in Muskoka, one that he helped to obtain, will be honoured and fulfilled.
- Since his election, Graydon Smith has been responsible for investments in Parry Sound-Muskoka in excess of $520 million, not including the hospitals, which he was able to do as a member of the governing party.
- He has restored access to funding for our entire riding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, with a potential of millions of dollars for job creation and economic development. This was stripped from Muskoka by a previous Liberal government.
It is our view that Graydon Smith not only deserves re-election but that he is also the best candidate to effectively serve the interests of Parry Sound-Muskoka for the next four years.
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