PelhamToday has reached out to candidates running to represent Niagara West in the Feb. 27 provincial election to tell voters, in their own words, about themselves and what issues they think are important to Ontarians. Here is the NDP candidate's reply:
Name: Dave Augustyn
Age: 54
Where are you from? Fenwick
Party affiliation: Ontario NDP
Why have you decided to run for office?
Ontario should be a province full of opportunity. But after seven long years under Doug Ford’s Conservatives, life is harder for everyone. I’m running to hire doctors and save the Welland Hospital emergency department, to build homes that are affordable with our “Homes Ontario” plan, to fix schools and give kids the support they need to thrive, make life more affordable from monthly bills to property taxes, and to protect jobs, workers and families. It’s time to choose a better Ontario. It’s time to choose Marit Stiles as premier because the Ontario NDP are always on your side.
What do you bring to the table that sets you apart from other candidates?
I’m known as a dedicated community leader with impressive track record of delivering results and my unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others. As Pelham’s mayor for 12 years, I worked with Town Council and the community to build the Meridian Community Centre — on time and under budget — revitalize downtown Fonthill and Fenwick, construct two new firehalls, revitalize the Maple Acre library branch, improve the Town’s parks and other public facilities, protect the Fonthill Kame, donate land for Wellspring Niagara’s regional cancer centre, get new housing built, and keep our property tax increases under the rate of inflation.
Having previously raised millions for Gillian’s Place women’s shelter, Niagara’s children’s aid society, and local hospitals, I currently work to prevent human trafficking in the Niagara Region. My wife, Carol, and I and our two children live in Fenwick and regularly attend church in Fonthill.
In 750 words or less, what do you feel are the top three issues facing Niagara residents (and Ontarians in general) and how would you address them beyond simply providing more funding?
People in Pelham and across the riding tell me that their top three issues include reducing the cost of living, improving public health care, and solving the housing crisis.
Cost of Living - A More Affordable Life: If you work for a living, you ought to make a living. Prices are rising across the board -- groceries, rent, property taxes, utilities. Many families are stuck living paycheque to paycheque and struggling to afford essentials. Meanwhile, corporate profits are soaring while working people are falling behind. We can change that. Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP will:
● Raise wages and protect workers: We’ll ensure wages keep up with the cost of living, and we’ll make it easier for all workers to join a union.
● Cap rent increases: Provide real rent control to protect families from predatory rent hikes.
● Cut energy costs: Provide relief on heating bills and help families make their homes more energy efficient through renovations and a heat pump rebate.
● Lower daily expenses: Eliminate junk fees and crack down on predatory pricing, from hospital parking fees to ticket sales.
● Deliver on the promise of $10/day childcare: Increase available public and non-profit childcare spaces and simplify enrollment.
● Monthly grocery rebate: To help families offset the rise in grocery costs, we will provide a recurring monthly grocery rebate based on household income and family size.
● Stop price gouging: We’ll bring transparency to grocery prices by forcing big retailers to publicly post when they raise prices more than two per cent in a week. We’ll crack down on price fixing and other unfair practices by establishing a new watchdog to enforce competition laws and keep food prices fair.
● Reduce property taxes: By funding more of the Provincial programs administered by cities and towns – including public health, ambulance dispatch, and housing – we will allow municipalities to reduce their property taxes.
Health care -- A Doctor When You Need One: You deserve to see a doctor when you need one and get the care you need close to home. But after decades of Conservative and Liberal cuts and underfunding, people are stuck waiting for care as ERs close, hallway health care is worse than ever, and millions of Ontarians can’t find a family doctor. We can change that. Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP will:
● Expand primary care access: Connect every Ontarian to a family doctor or nurse practitioner by recruiting and supporting 3,500 more doctors, and recruiting more healthcare professionals into community-based primary care teams.
● Cut wait times: Create a centralized referral system to reduce wait times and open underused operating rooms on evenings and weekends to clear surgical backlogs.
● Fair wages for health-care workers: Establish wage parity and fair working conditions for Health-care workers, and stop for-profit staffing agencies from exploiting the system.
● Grow the workforce: Increase residency seats and licensing opportunities for internationally educated doctors and healthcare workers.
● Cut red tape: So doctors spend more time with patients, not paperwork.
● Save the Welland ER and Port Colborne UCC: stop the planned downgrading of the Welland Hospital and save the emergency department, and save the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre from closing.
Housing -- A Home You Can Afford: Whether you’re renting or paying a mortgage, you should be able to afford a good home in the community you want to live in. But Conservatives and Liberals have let costs skyrocket while the construction of new and affordable homes has stalled. More people than ever are living on the streets. We can change that. Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP will:
● Get back into building with Homes Ontario: We’ll double the supply of permanently affordable housing by providing funding, low-cost financing, and public land for non-profit and co-op housing providers.
● Build homes where people want to live: We’ll legalize fourplexes and increase density around transit to create stronger, accessible, affordable, and connected communities.
● Protect renters: And we’ll protect renters by bringing back real rent control, stopping unethical evictions, and ensuring families don’t face unfair rent hikes.
These are the top issues for people in Pelham and across the riding. Only an Ontario NDP government and I will address their concerns and deliver these results.