The Mayor of the township of Hornepayne, Progressive Conservative candidate Cheryl Fort, is challenging New Democrat incumbent Mike Mantha, now seeking a fourth term as the MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin.
Also on the ticket in the June second provincial election is Liberal Tim Vine, the newly-minted vice-president finance at St. Joseph's General Hospital in Elliot Lake and former treasurer of the City of Elliot Lake.
As Premier Doug Ford dropped his writ Tuesday making the race for next month's vote official, Ms. Fort sat down with ElliotLakeToday to talk about some of the issues in this campaign.
ElliotLakeToday: Who can best lead the province at this time, and why?
Doug Ford is best to lead the province. Mr. Ford has faced the uphill challenge of the pandemic, stayed informed and pivoted as needed to protect people's lives. Premier Ford and the Ontario PC government need the opportunity to help Ontario recover and rebuild our economy to bring health and prosperity back to our province.
As a mayor through this pandemic, I know firsthand the stress and work that was happening behind the scenes in communities and all the work that health units, hospitals, pharmacies and all people on the frontline, from doctors to cashiers had to deal with.
It was a difficult and challenging time for everyone. It is the challenging times that show us the character of a person and through this pandemic, I applaud Premier Ford for not only his resilience and for continually keeping us informed but listening to those at the science table and making balanced decisions. Premier Ford has a plan to get it done for our province with an action-packed plan to rebuild Ontario's economy and improve people's lives.
ElliotLakeToday: Healthcare is always a dicey topic. For all its economic wealth, Ontario spends less than the Canadian average per capita on health care. Why are we being so cheap, especially at a time when we have a huge aging population?
The Ontario PC government has invested more in health care than any government in Ontario's History. The plan is to stay open and get this done by saying yes to $27 billion over 10 years for hospital projects that will create 3,000 new beds.
The government raised base funding and flowed hundreds of millions into home and community care. We have been able to bring outdated home care legislation from the 1990s into the 21st century.
It is time that we address mental health and the $3.8B over the next 10 years to support the Roadmap to Wellness - the support we need in Algoma-Manitoulin. Since the release of the Roadmap to Wellness, the Ontario PC government has invested over $40M in new annual funding to address mental health and addiction needs across northern Ontario. We need Doug Ford's plan for our great province.
ElliotLakeToday: Where does the Ford government stand on transportation upgrades, industrial support and expansion and infrastructure investment?
Hundreds of millions of provincial government dollars have been doled out in the last two months, largely in Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, but not in Elliot Lake. Any theories?
We can applaud the Ministers who work hard for their ridings and have spoken out for northern Ontario. Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney produced the Northern Ontario Transportation Plan and had open consultation from Dec. 10, 2020, to Mar. 10, 2021.
As a mayor, I invited minister Mulroney to a Facebook Live on Women's International Day, 2021 to discuss the great initiatives that the Ontario government was taking notice of in Northern Ontario. We need to be informed of the areas where we can get our voice heard and participate in building Ontario.
It has been a pleasure to work alongside this government as a municipality, and as your elected official I have a background in municipal politics.
This experience and understanding of the inner workings of municipal government is a benefit for an MPP. I would work hard to help Elliot Lake and all of Algoma-Manitoulin see the fruition of Doug Ford's plan to Build Ontario and Get It Done for our riding!
ElliotLakeToday: What are you hearing at the door?
People are receptive to me and happy with Doug Ford and the government. People recognize the challenge that it was to lead through a pandemic and want to stay open and invest in our province. The plan that Doug Ford has put forward is the plan we need for northern Ontario, it is the plan that will improve the economy and health of our province. Let's build! Let's get It done!
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