With the provincial election to represent Parry Sound—Muskoka at Queen’s Park just around the corner, Doppler reached out to the candidates, or their party headquarters, and posed five questions. Below are the questions and the answers we received.
Questions:
1. This riding has a rich natural environment, which is why many people live, vacation, and move to the area. How will you protect it?
2. What type, if any, economic development do you envision for the area?
3. How will you ensure the commitment to two new hospitals in Muskoka will continue?
4. What is your position with regard to freedom of speech?
5. How would your party respond to the threat of US tariffs?
Their response:
– Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Graydon Smith (incumbent)
– Green Party of Ontario, Matt Richter
– Ontario New Democratic Party, Jim Ronholm
– Liberal Party of Ontario, David Innes
Election Day is Thursday, February 27, 2025. Find out where to vote, the six candidates running in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, and the results from the 2022 provincial election HERE.
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Thanks to Graydon Smith for his services to Parry Sound Muskoka and as Minister of Natural Resources. I am sure he is doing his best to be a politician. Yet the 2024 Auditor General’s Performance audit found the Ministry showed deficiencies such as lack of transparency in how public feedback was considered, promotionally-biased wording ( re:government housing policy vs informative presentation considering changes to protections for wetlands etc) and failure to comply with the provincial Environmental Bill of Rights.All this was reported in the other Muskoka regional online news. I am guessing this is all just the effective manners of an experienced politician. The priorities of the current provincial government ignore the expressed and demonstrated crucial needs of Ontario people, so sadly the affordable housing, rental, mental health services, adequate health care and public school funding, get edged out by grandiose ideas about highway tunnels and European spas and the costs get downloaded onto municipalities and community agencies like food banks and rotary clubs.
I’m happy Peter you consider yourself an objective person. Election day results in Muskoka ParrySound will tell the tale of how many people paid attention to the local responses.
In my opinion more people are paying attention to health care & housing in Ontario, their still reeling over the $ 200 cheques, and many more poor judgement decisions that the Ford government have made and the poor planned judgement ideas for the future. Tax revenues are up , The majority conservative government have not prioritized health care or housing problems that we have today big time .
A spa at Ontario Place and an underground 401 and other questionable grandeur plans seems to be more important to Mr. Smith & Mr. Ford.
An objective person would in my opinion when tax revenues are in a healthy state for heavens sake address
the most important needs of Ontarioians.
Not sure how much wisdom one will gain from voting, especially since a lot of people vote the same party every time. I’m sort of that way. First voted Conservative, Gordon Aiken I believe, ’cause my grandfather and father did. Trusting their wisdom? Or because Mr. Aiken had been a soldier and was then a judge? Not so much anymore because I’m a lot more social Conservative and not the ‘conservative’ we have today. Even tried NDP once but then came ‘Ray Days’ and the whole study went south. And he ended up being a Liberal!!
But I’ll vote Green because they are closer to my idea of fairness than people who don’t have an opinion except the one from the party central. Be there! Be seen! Be seated! Be quiet!! No having or voicing opinions unless you want to sit way back there.
I find no problem with what Mr. Richter has said any more than what the others stated. Boiler plate rhetoric. Tourism will carry on here ’til you can’t see the lakes for the condos. Local manufacturing needs help and what a great time! Forestry isn’t what it was; but we cut a lot of firewood or bio-mass. The old subdivisions were built on the land of successful farmers who aged out. Small businesses still do their best and employ a lot of people. We build condos like nobody’s business.
We need doctors, nurses, medical support staff, educators, housing and affordable housing, long term care, environmental protection and hospitals. And we’ve needed these people and things for a good long while. Over many years and not just this election. And what’s the chances of our hospital(s) if the province has to support all those unemployed auto workers? I think Matt covered most of these points.
Just my views for sure. And while I’m at it, I too believe we need a good dose of electoral reform. Elected dictatorship is still dictatorship.
Mr. Earl, did you read the responses? No objective person could possibly come to any conclusion other than the fact that Mr. Richter is either substance-free, doesn’t understand the issues or doesn’t care enough to put in the effort. Maybe it’s a combination of the three.
The responses speak for themselves.
Reading the various comments shows to me and many others that in Muskoka Parry Sound the Conservatives are running scared of losing their hold . Their attacking and down playing the Green Party candididate Matt Richter at every opportunity, almost seems they are being coached with their rhetoric comments.
Graydon Smith won last election by a very slim majority. It’s quite understandable why his followers are grasping at straws to hold on to this seat.
Most voters will read between the lines and direct their vote in a respectful manner.
Comments like these have a tendency to back fire.
Good luck to all the candidates, thank You for putting names and energy on the table.
John Earl. Huntsville
I’d like to commend Mr. Smith, Mr. Ronholm and Mr. Innes for putting thought and effort into their responses.
Mr. Richter, what happened? Were these questions deemed unimportant, a waste of time or both perhaps?
Richter’s response to the question about economic development should concern all of us.. There’s nothing there. He has nothing to say about growing our economy?
I’ve long smelled a strong whiff of political opportunism from Mr. Richter. This confirms it.
The amateurish responses provided by Richter and the Green Party demonstrate that he is not a serious candidate and they are not a serious party.
To all those planning to vote Green as a protest vote against the PC’s – you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Matt Richter should be embarrassed by these responses. Talk about mailing it in. Jeez.
Listing a bunch of random sectors? C’mon, that’s a joke. Surely we deserve a little more effort from the Greens.
After reading these responses it’s so clear that Graydon is the best and only person for the job.
After six consecutive elections, that’s all Richter can muster? He clearly has no understanding of economics or job creation. His grasp of the issues is passing at best. His responses were lazy.
Graydon is thoughtful and thorough and hardworking.
Great format Huntsville Doppler..a fair representation of all parties. Please read; please consider; please VOTE.