Ahead of the release of the provincial budget Wednesday March 24th, Acadia Broadcasting reached out to local officials with the three main parties to get their thoughts on what should be in the 2021 budget.
Judith Monteith-Farrell
The NDP MPP representing Thunder Bay-Atikokan is looking for a provincial program for paid sick leave, especially with the coronavirus pandemic not going anywhere anytime soon.
“[Paid Sick Leave] was on the books at the end of the term of the Liberal government,” Monteith-Farrell remembers. “They had designated three paid sick days but as soon as Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives took power, they revoked those days.”
The provincial member of parliament has also had talks with Alstom about looking for a commitment to build cars in our city.
Michael Gravelle
The Liberal member of Thunder Bay Superior North has a pair of items he wants to see the government invest in.
“[I’d like to see] a commitment to the four hours of care per person in the long term care facilities. That’s going to cost significant dollars to make happen. We didn’t see it in the last Ontario budget, we hope to see that included in this budget,” said Gravelle.
Michael Gravelle feels the province needs to re-invest in a paid sick leave program. Premier Doug Ford maintains there’s no reason for Ontario to jump in and introduce its own initiative, even amid mounting criticism that the federal program doesn’t do enough to protect workers.
“That program doesn’t work for many, many people. That’s the problem, its not nearly adequate enough,” stressed Gravelle. “We see so many people who we fear are going to work sick because they can’t afford to take a day off. The paid sick leave is something we had in place when we were in government, the Conservatives cancelled it when they came into power. We’re asking them to bring it back in a way that would ensure that people would are not feeling well are able to stay home without fear of losing their jobs.”
Gravelle also will be keeping and eye out for any further funding for the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and the Northern Highways Program.
Derek Parks
The Northwest Regional Vice President for the Progressive Conservative Party understands how tough times have been for all during the pandemic, adding people are willing to put partisan politics aside and just get vaccinated and ensure everyone is safe.
“I think the government will be focusing on the health of Ontarians,” Parks notes. “While at the same time looking at job recovery because, as you know, a lot of people have suffered with the results of having to do a number of things including shut downs.”