{"id":113684,"date":"2022-05-29T08:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T12:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=113684"},"modified":"2022-05-28T09:24:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-28T13:24:22","slug":"provincial-election-2022-candidates-on-municipal-autonomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/provincial-election-2022-candidates-on-municipal-autonomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Provincial election 2022: Candidates on municipal autonomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As candidates wrap up campaigning for the June 2 provincial election, we invited all seven who are vying to represent Parry Sound-Muskoka to answer five questions of local importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their answers are listed in randomly generated order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Municipalities have often been referred to as “creatures of the province”. Do you believe municipalities should have greater or lesser autonomy, and in what way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Erin Horvath, NDP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Municipalities need a stable partner in the provincial government while empowering them to use their local expertise to carry out planning and delivery in a way that meets the needs of their citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike this Conservative government, the NDP would not interfere in municipal elections. The NDP respects municipal planning processes and will not use Municipal Zoning Orders to override municipal planning, which this government did an unprecedented 43 times, 19 of which were to build on prime agricultural or wetlands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will restore powers of the environment commissioner, and ensure conservation authorities have the tools, funding, and authority they need to lead integrated watershed management and enforce watershed development regulations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NDP will work with municipalities, industry, and Stewardship Ontario to improve and expand the producer responsibility model of waste diversion to include more sectors and set higher recycling targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NDP will reverse cuts by the Conservative and Liberal governments by reinstating the 50 per cent operating funding costs to municipalities to run municipal transit which would be entirely converted to electric by 2040.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provincial governments have dropped the ball of leadership for funding affordable rental housing. The NDP will build 250,000 new affordable rental units over 10 years which will be geared to income or below market rent.  In addition we will build 60,000 new supportive housing units. We will repair 260,000 social housing units that are in desperate need of repair, supporting the District in delivering this service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the NDP platform here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Brad Waddell, Populist Party<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Municipalities are another level of government and red tape for people to wade through and increase their taxes. I believe they should have less autonomy and be reviewed regularly to determine their effectiveness and usefulness to the taxpayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the PPO platform here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Matt Richter, Green Party<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot we can do to support our municipalities and the work they do. For example, when it comes to housing, we need to empower municipalities with a consistent framework for evaluating the minimum size of a home in order to allow for more tiny communities. Let\u2019s work with municipalities to implement a province-wide vacant home tax to make it harder to use vacant homes as a lucrative place to park cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also calling on municipal leaders to support and bring back passenger rail to Parry Sound-Muskoka. Let\u2019s immediately restore the Northlander passenger rail service between Toronto and Cochrane and provide upfront capital to ensure its sustainability for the long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we respond to extreme weather events can also come down to how and whether we support municipalities with the resources they need. Just recently, the Ontario Greens announced a $2 billion per-year Climate Adaptation Fund that will support municipalities with more resilient infrastructure when major wind or other storms roll through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the Green Party platform here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Doug Maynard, New Blue Party<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Municipalities should have more autonomy. New Blue advocates less government interference and controlling that municipalities as well as individuals should be subjected to. Government has consistently demonstrated that subjecting everyone and all municipalities to the same rules and regulations just doesn’t work. The people of Parry Sound-Muskoka have a lot of different needs and wants than the large metropolitan areas that the established big government parties cater to. As an MPP I would always push to promote Parry Sound-Muskoka interests over catering to the larger cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the New Blue platform here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Andrew John Cocks, Ontario Party<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ford\u2019s PC party likes to say Ontario is \u2018Open For Business\u2019, but these are just words when not accompanied by the development of municipalities, and communities, particularly in Northern Ontario, that will be capable of attracting and supporting businesses who want to set up shop here. Municipalities should have greater autonomy when it comes to making decisions that directly impact the best use of land, resources and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Ontario communities must be able to attract business and employment opportunity by having all the amenities, like health care services and schools. The communities must also be made more accessible by highway and railway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ontario Party will take all measures necessary to open up Northern Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Ontario Party government will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n