Brampton is an important voting bloc in Ontario for provincial politicians, especially the party leaders who have appeared on Brampton Focus. It will be an interesting lead up to next year’s provincial elections as none of the parties appear to have secured public confidence. Back for a second time in our studio is Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, MPP for Hamilton Centre who is working to share her vision for Ontario and set herself apart from Premiere Kathleen Wynne and Conservative leader Partick Brown.
We speak with Ms. Horwath about transit and highways and her call for the other levels of government to help with the transit system and the operating costs. Ms. Horwath says that flat taxes and user fees, including tolls are not the best way to provide public services. She proposes a progressive tax as income increases.
Ms. Horwath advocates for keeping hydro public and wants the province to assess private contracts, traditional energy generators, and green energy generators to get better value. She wants to involve the auditor general, financial accountability officer, and industry experts to overhaul how the system is working. She also adovocates doing the same  in regards to the privatization of e-health records, which Ms. Horwath wants to be publicly owned and operated with oversight and accountability.
Many residents from Brampton commute on the extended 410 to drive to work in downtown Toronto, where they don’t have a choice. If the transit system is not convenient and if it’s too expensive, it takes a toll in the long run.
Ms. Horwath wants to leave medical marijuana dispensaries to experts and says that a lot of work needs to be done by a federal task force before it can reach the provincial government. She acknowledges that the LCBO has experience in the distribution of alcohol, however, adding marijuana distribution may not be best solutions.
We discuss priorities for Brampton should the NDP form the provincial government and assess how the current Liberal government is performing. She says that citizens also need to decide if they really want a Progressive Conservative government, led by leader Patrick Brown, adding that the PC’s are no different from the Wynne government.
