Bay of Quinte candidates lay out their vision for the upcoming provincial election

By: Sam Franks

BELLEVILLE – Candidates for the provincial election in Bay of Quinte riding are talking about their plans to address some of the biggest issues in Ontario; including education, housing, and the stress on the healthcare system.

QNet News was able to speak with NDP  candidate Amanda Roberston and David O’Neil from the Liberal Party.  The Progressive Conservative’s Tyler Allsopp did not respond to calls and QNet News was unable to interview Green Party candidate Lori Borthwick before deadline. 

Roberston is running for the NDP in Bay of Quinte for the second time. She’s the vice-chair of the Hastings Prince Edward District School board.

Asked why she’s running again, Robertson said that she has seen many members of her community suffer from a variety of issues and wants changes.

“Communities all look a little bit different, and I think if we don’t have our voice represented strongly, we’re not going to see our self reflected,” Roberston said.

Robertson says her campaign will  revolve around health care, community involvement and making municipalities heard at a provincial level.

“I know we have an opportunity to elect a Premier who cares about all of us and cares about investing in us to make life easier for us to not only be comfortable, but to get ahead,” Roberston said.

David O’Neil of the Liberal Party says he was only recently approached to be the candidate.

“It’s my first time running. I never thought I’d have the opportunity. I was quite ecstatic when they asked me to consider. I hope, if I do get elected, I can represent the riding well,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, MPP Hugh O’Neil, who was a Liberal MPP for 20-years.

O’Neil says that his experience as a Quinte West councillor brings an extra insight to the communities needs.

“I understand what municipal governments need from the province and what we require. What would be some of those things that municipalities require,” O’Neil said.

Healthcare

On the health care issue specifically, Robertson said she thinks that the doctor residency program with Quinte Health should be improved to better retain the doctors training within the community.

“They’re (resident doctors) not opening practices because the overhead costs are too high and from a business perspective, it just doesn’t make any sense, and there’s very little support and acknowledgement for the work they’re doing,” Robertson said.

Robertson wants to change the nurse-to-patient ratios across the system and says the NDP have a plan to put forward legislation to make sure nurses aren’t overloaded with responsibilities.

“We have massive draining of our of our nursing staff into these private agencies which will pay them much more because it’s private, but it’s also costing the system, because they can bill OHIP two to three times what it would cost to just pay our nurses more in the hospital,” Robertson said.

That’s what the Ontario Nurses’ Association has been asking for.

On Jan. 29 there was a rally in Toronto to shed light on the nursing crisis and stress.

“Not only will nurse staffing ratios improve the quality of care, but they will also mean fewer emergency department closures, especially in smaller communities,” said ONA president Erin Ariss in a news release.

According to the release, hundreds of nurses gathered on Richmond St. in Toronto on Thursday to advocate the root problem of the healthcare crisis.  

O’Neil also wants to see changes in the healthcare in the Quinte region.

“I would like to see with the doctor shortage, a plan to address the doctor shortage by trying to get more doctors in training, more doctors, a plan to help with the waiting times. Right now, our municipality is trying to find doctors, and it’s competing with a lot of others,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil is confident in party leader Bonnie Crombie’s plans on healthcare.

While QNet was unable to speak with either Conservative Tyler Allsopp or the Green’s Lori Borthwick, the party’s respective websites lay out some health care plans.

The Conservative Party says it will address some of these issues by spending $764 million over two years to provide nurses with retention bonuses up to $5,000

The Green Party of Ontario’s website says that they plan on “expanding professional mental health services covered by OHIP, making them accessible, affordable, and comprehensive” if elected.

Housing

Finding affordable and liveable housing has also been a problem in Ontario for a number of years.

Belleville built just over 300 homes in 2023, almost a 50 per cent decrease from the previous year, according to Statistics Canada.

O’Neil said that since he has been a Quinte West councillor, he understands what municipal governments need from the provincial government.

“Funding for infrastructure. The costs have skyrocketed to municipalities, and if we’re going to do affordable housing, it’s pretty hard to do it with just what the funds we raise at the municipal level. We need help from both the provincial and the federal levels of government to help with our infrastructure costs,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil says while the Ford government has done some good, the controversies of the Greenbelt land sales show that the current government is mishandling finances.

Robertson said that housing is one of the main priorities of the NDP. She believes that Ontario’s issues are tied together and by addressing housing issues will reduce the stress on healthcare workers.

“We’re looking to double the supply of permanently affordable housing by providing funding and low-cost financing and public land for nonprofit and co-op housing providers,” Roberston said.

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There is nothing specific about housing  on the Conservative website.

The Green party wants to build more communities by “adding more affordable housing, electrifying transit, and connecting communities so people can work, live, and play in strong and sustainable neighbourhoods,” according to their website.

Education

Since the international student cap, many colleges and universities in Ontario are feeling the affects. There have been strains on all sectors of education.

Roberston was shocked to hear about the suspension of 24 programs at Loyalist College and thinks it could have been prevented.

“They (Conservative) cut funding in 2018 and then they froze tuition increases for domestic students in 2018. Then refused to come back to the table to look at how that might impact. So, this was a predictable tragedy, and it’s now playing out in real time. It’s completely indefensible by this government,” Robertson said.

Robertson said that the strains can be felt at the kindergarten to secondary school level.

“We can build all the nice new buildings we want, but if we’re not supporting the staff within them, we are going to have a big problem within our education sector. And we are seeing that, similarly to healthcare, where we have teachers burning out of all experience levels,” Roberston said.

O’Neil also said that the education system is underfunded.

“There’s not enough staffing to look after the people that’s there. Especially with all the mental health problems,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil said that teachers are having to deal with more behaviours and have to learn skills outside the scope of teaching taking away from their main job.

Roberston also wants to address the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms and that the government needs to be clear on their direction with the use of A.I. and education.

The election will take place on Feb. 27. Residents of the Bay of Quinte region who are eligible to vote can do so before Feb. 27 at the election office at 71 Adam Street in Belleville. The election office is open Monday to Saturday from 10a.m. to 8p.m. and Sunday from 12p.m. to 5p.m.

Advanced voting started Thursday Jan., 30 and continues until Feb. 26.