Midwestern Newspapers asked the Huron-Bruce provincial election candidates to answer seven questions. Below are the responses of Lisa Thompson, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
Tell us a bit about yourself and why you want to be Huron – Bruce’s MPP.
Over the last decade, I have appreciated the support of the residents of Huron-Bruce. I have and continue to make significant efforts to ensure everyone at Queen’s Park knows that Huron-Bruce matters!
This election is about building the right economic conditions to attract investments and growth, to ensure that our children and our grandchildren have a future full of opportunities. It is about growing our workforce and investing in infrastructure. It’s about building more homes so that families can live, work, grow and retire in this beautiful part of the province. And I, and the Ontario PC party, understand that.
I have been honoured to serve as the MPP for Huron-Bruce and as a cabinet minister. Huron-Bruce constituents can trust that in me they have a strong, respected voice at the cabinet table. If re-elected, an Ontario PC government will continue to put the growth and success of Huron-Bruce’s agricultural and small businesses at the forefront.
There is more to do and I will get it done
What will your party do to address affordable housing?
Everyone in Huron-Bruce deserves to find housing that is right for them. That’s why the Ontario PC Party is committed to delivering on the Housing Affordability Task Force’s target of building 1.5 million homes across Ontario over the next 10 years. That will mean more homes in our fastest growing communities like Kincardine and Saugeen Shores.
While other parties are talking about big ideas, it is a PC government that is actually getting it done. We have helped create the right conditions to get more homes built faster, with 2021 seeing the highest level of new housing starts in over 30 years. However, we recognize that more must be done.
If re-elected, a PC government will continue to reduce red tape to build more homes, make it easier to build community housing and protect homebuyers, homeowners and renters. We are committed to working with the municipal sector to develop a data standard for planning and development, so that new homes spend less time in municipal development offices and more time being built.
Many hospitals across southwestern Ontario have, at some point over the past year, reduced services and hours to the emergency department, due to a lack of staff, particularly in nursing. What will your party do to address the staffing shortages in health care, both now and long-term?
After years of underfunding by the previous Liberal government, Doug Ford and the PCs are planning to stay open by making significant investments in the health care system.
Ontario has built unprecedented hospital capacity since the start of the pandemic, including $5.1 billion to add 3,100 beds across the province. The PCs also launched emergency programs that have already added over 8,600 health care professionals to the health care system.
We are also investing $342 million over the next five years to add over 5,000 new and upskilled registered nurses and registered practical nurses as well as 8,000 personal support workers.
To help to retain nurses across the health sector and stabilize the current nursing workforce, we are investing $763 million to provide Ontario’s nurses with a lump sum retention incentive of up to $5,000 per person.
Huron – Bruce is a rapidly growing region, and in order to grow, land is needed. Much of the newly developed land was once agricultural land. According to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario is losing 175 acres of agricultural land to urban development every day. What will your part do to help protect agricultural land?
As Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, I understand the importance of protecting productive farmland. I understand that it is a key driver of Ontario’s $46 billion agri-food sector.
It’s why the Ontario PC government has upheld policies that protect prime agricultural land, while also encouraging in the infrastructure needed to support our growing population and keep our food supply strong.
We all have a role to play. The Provincial Policy Statement, which was recently updated by our government, continues to protect agricultural lands and encourages municipalities to implement the Agricultural System Approach, which is designed to identify and protect vital agricultural land and support a prosperous agri-food sector.
Finally, in part because of effective government policies and programs, we are seeing the number of acres of productive farmland increase. The recently released Census of Agriculture published by Statistics Canada indicates that productive farmland increased by 30,000 acres across Ontario.
If re-elected, a Doug Ford and Ontario PC government will continue to support farmland protection and ensure that farmers continue to determine how to best use their farmland.
With the COVID-19 pandemic in the rear-view mirror, economic recovery is an issue front of mind for many, including small business owners. What is your party’s plan for the province’s economy coming out of the pandemic?
While the Ontario Liberals and NDP have been constantly advocating for closing Ontario, Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs have a plan to keep Ontario open, giving small businesses the certainty they deserve. Not only that, but after years of job-killing policies imposed by the Del Duca-Wynne Liberals, Doug Ford and Ontario PCs are keeping costs down for businesses. Our plan has enabled an estimated $4.1 billion in cost savings for Ontario small businesses this year alone. Whether it’s reducing WSIB premiums by 47 per cent without any reduction in benefits, cutting the gas and fuel tax, or continuing to slash hundreds of millions of dollars in red tape, Doug Ford and Ontario PCs are getting it done for small businesses.
Adding to the difficult of economic recovery is what many are calling a labour shortage – our region’s unemployment rate was 3.3 per cent in April, second lowest in Ontario. How does your party plan on addressing the labour shortage?
Workers in Huron-Bruce are second to none, and some of the most highly educated and hardest working in the world. Through the leadership of Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs, we are welcoming all workers.
We have a plan to deliver better protections, bigger paycheques and greater opportunities for workers and their families.
We are providing workers with the opportunity to learn new skills that will lead to better jobs. Through the Better Jobs Ontario and the Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit, workers will have the support they need to help them upgrade their skills and retrain for the jobs of the future. And through our Skilled Trades Strategy, anyone interested din pursuing a promising career in the trades will now have that opportunity.
We have cut red tape so workers from other provinces in high-demand fields, including auto mechanics, engineers and plumbers, can come to Ontario and to Huron-Bruce and work. We have also removed barriers for internationally trained immigrants to practise their trade, while investing the Ontario Bridge Training Program to connect newcomers to in-demand jobs in their communities.
Ontario PCs stand with the hard-working people of this province, and our future will be made in Ontario, by Ontario workers.
Why should a voter in Huron – Bruce vote for you and your party in this election?
Over the last 10 years, I have worked hard to support local priorities and help Huron-Bruce grow. From the $21.5 million in infrastructure investments made, including projects like the new water storage project tin Lucknow, Teeswater and Hensall; refurbishing arenas in Ripely, Brussels and Huron Park; more homes throughout the riding; and improving access to hospice and long-term care.
However, there is more work to do and if re-elected, I will get it done for the residents of Huron-Bruce. There is still work to do to grow our workforce and attract more investments to grow our local economies as well as infrastructure, so that small business can thrive.
It is a fact that more families are attracted to this region so they can live, work, grow and retire right here in Huron-Bruce, so we must work on affordable and attainable housing.
If re-elected, I and an Ontario PC government will continue to offer targeted efforts to foster rural economic development, expand the agricultural sector, support businesses through modernization, and invest in strategic processing and agri-tech innovation. There is more to do and I will get it done.
I am the candidate with passion and pride in our local communities, and the persistence to ensure investments continues to be made throughout this amazing riding we call home.
