THUNDER BAY – Each of the three main party’s visions for Thunder Bay-Superior North continue to come into clearer – and contrasting – focus one week before the provincial election.
At a Wednesday candidates’ forum hosted by the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, long-time Liberal Incumbent Michael Gravelle sat alongside PC challenger Derek Parks, the NDP’s Lise Vaugeois and Trillium Party hopeful Louise Ewen – three candidates looking to take his seat at Queen’s Park.
One of the most significant differences between the Progressive Conservatives and the rest of the parties came during a question when the candidates were asked whether they would publicly commit to supporting NextBridge to be given the go-ahead to build the East-West Tie despite a late competing push from Hydro One.
“I’m going to speak as a candidate, which is that I believe NextBridge should be given the leave to construct,” Gravelle said. “There’s been a tremendous amount of work that’s been done, a lot of money invested into this already. Some incredible partnerships have been put in place.”
Vaugeois and Ewen also both backed NextBridge.
Parks noted the project had originally been awarded to NextBridge based on an estimated $420 million cost, but the price tag has since skyrocketed to $777 million.
This could be an example of the PCs pursuing an efficiency and Parks said the party would likely go with the most cost-effective option.
“If the province of Ontario had control of Hydro One they could have told Hydro One to negotiate with the local Indigenous communities and come up with a work plan to twin it. They did not,” Parks said.
“We’re in this mess because the Liberals hadn’t pulled the trigger on their own accord and Hydro One based on costs is saying it’s a competitive disadvantage and can build it cheaper.”
Parks, who was asked directly about Doug Ford’s comments during the leadership race to hop on a bulldozer to build a road to the Ring of Fire, chalked it up to the leader being “very enthusiastic,” adding Ford understands the process to develop the Ring of Fire will involve the communities.
“Any of these processes that are underway will be supported by the Ontario PC party,” Parks said.
“In the 2014 election, the Liberals said we were waiting for a federal partner for $1 billion. We have that change to red and we haven’t seen that money invested into the Ring of Fire at this point in time. It’s eight years later and we’re still talking.”
Gravelle made it clear Ford’s lack of regard for the process didn’t sit well.
“When Mr. Ford made those comments about bulldozing it was pretty shocking and it was pretty disrespectful to the Indigenous leadership,” Gravelle said.
“This is a project we need to do right. This is a major resource-based project in a remote part of the province that’s never seen development before.”
Vaugeois, as she did on multiple occasions during the forum, took square aim at the PCs for lack of a detailed plan.
“In my conversations with First Nations leadership in various communities they’re quite excited about the opportunities,” Vaugeois said.
“With the PCs there is verbal commitment but there is not actually a platform or a budget. Because they keep talking about various tax cuts they want to make, I want to know where’s the revenue going to come from to sustain the project.”
Ewen cautioned that negotiations with individual communities would not lead to long-term success.
“Until you can get all communities on board you’re not going to get it done,” Ewen said. “You can promise all the money in the world to this project but if all communities aren’t on board it’s not going to happen. It’s going to be another conversation for another eight years.”
Vaugeois, who during opening statement said it was 25 years of cuts to core public services under the PCs and then Liberals that drove her into politics, blamed those two for current uncertainty around winter highway maintenance contracts and said it should be a public service.
“I would like to reiterate it was the Conservatives that started the process of privatization of winter highway maintenance. However, the Liberals have let it run for 15 years and have only just added it into their platform,” Vaugeois said.
“It’s very much part of the NDP commitment to bring those contracts back under public ownership, public control, as soon as the contracts are up for renewal.”
Parks said the party would not go ahead with increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour next year, a position opposed by both the Liberals and NDP. Vaugeois said she is in support of the raise but said it should have been implemented more gradually.
Organizers of the debate only invited candidates of parties that had representation in Queen's Park prior to the provincial legislature being dissolved.
