As Ontario MPPs return to Queen’s Park here are 4 things to watch pre-election
Ontario’s politicians are set to return to Queen’s Park for the final legislative sitting before the Spring election, which could likely serve as a preview for their upcoming election campaigns.
Here are a few key issues to watch out for:
OTTAWA OCCUPATION
Even if the Ottawa occupation is resolved before the legislature returns, Premier Doug Ford could face tough questions about the province’s actions during the early days of the truck convoy demonstrations, which evolved into an illegal occupation.
The NDP and Ontario Liberals have repeatedly called into question the premier’s leadership, and his choice to go snowmobiling, as the city pleaded for help from multiple levels of government.
The Ford government, meanwhile, will table legislation that will make it illegal to prevent the flow of goods on international border crossings, block the 400-series highways and other critical infrastructure such as hospitals and airports.
- MORE: Ontario NDP and Liberals say criticism of Ford amid truck convoy protests 'not about politics'
Here too, the government could face criticism for not passing two pieces of legislation – including one tabled by NDP Leader Andrea Horwath – that would create safety zones around hospitals and prevent the harassment of public health-care workers.
AFFORDABILITY
The high cost of living in Ontario – from gasoline to groceries – will likely become a key pre-election issue as parties pitch their ideas for how to make life more affordable in this province.
Last November, Ford promised to follow through on a key election promise to cut the provincial portion of the gasoline tax by 5.7 cents per litre before the budget is tabled by his finance minister.
Cutting the tax, however, would leave municipalities with a multi-million dollar transit funding shortfall, as a significant portion of the gas tax is sent to municipalities.
This year, 107 municipalities received $375 million in total funding from the gas tax, $185 million of which went to the City of Toronto.
HOUSING
The Ford government is also expected to table new legislation to deal with the low supply and high cost of housing – which one real estate brokerage estimates will reach an aggregate cost of $1.2 million in 2022.
Earlier in February, the government received 55 recommendations from a housing task force to increase density in residential neighbourhoods, while limiting consultations and appeals, with a goal of building 1.5 million homes over the next decade.
BUDGET
The crescendo of the legislative session will come when Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tables the 2022-23 Ontario budget, which will also serve as the Progressive Conservative platform to the June election.
The province’s budget deficit now stands at $13.1 billion, a dramatic decrease from the $38.5 billion budget deficit the government ran at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The budget will likely reveal more financial details about key pre-election promises such as eliminating the fees for licence plate renewals, removing tolls from Durham-area highways and potential income tax breaks that the PC party pledged in 2018.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.