Ontario's main political parties shifted their focus to affordability measures, with housing and homelessness becoming key issues in the campaign. The NDP and Liberal leaders pledged to end encampments and provide more financial support for people with disabilities. Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservatives committed to making gas tax cuts permanent and removing tolls from a portion of Highway 407.
Ontario’s main political parties pivoted to affordability measures Wednesday, as the threat of U.S. tariffs took a back seat on the campaign trail.
Homeless encampments sprouted up across Ontario during the pandemic and have increased in number since. There were some 1,400 encampments in the province in 2023, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found. Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie vowed to double payments under the Ontario Disability Support Program, which currently maxes out at $1,368 per month for a single person. She said the boost would be permanent, pegged to inflation and phased in over two years.
“After seven years of Doug Ford, encampments are the new normal,” Stiles said. “Seeing tents in parks is a stark reminder of how utterly Doug Ford has failed. He has failed on housing, he has failed on health care, he has failed on creating good jobs and he has failed to make life affordable.” The government had also announced $378 million to create 19 homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs, with up to 375 highly supportive housing units, but Crombie called them “a drop in the bucket” compared to the huge need for such services.
Ontario Election Housing Crisis Homeless Encampments Affordability Progressive Conservatives New Democratic Party Liberal Party
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