elow are the responses we have received from provincial election candidates from the four major parties at Queen's Park running in Brampton North. We will update this page as more answers come in.
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Aneep Dhade - Green Party Candidate
The Hoser: The federal government divested from a responsibility to build public housing in the early 1990s, downloading the responsibility to provinces and municipalities. If your party forms government, how many units of public housing can you commit to building in your first term?
Aneep Dhade: The Green Party has committed to building 60,000 permanent supportive housing units over the next decade through innovative partnerships with public, private and non-profit organizations.As well, the Greens will build 122,000 new affordable rental homes over the next decade. The Greens will also commit to restoring 260,000 existing community housing units over the next decade.
The Hoser: Bill 124 has frozen public sector wage increases at 1 percent since 2019. Inflation has climbed upwards of six percent in 2022. Will your government keep Bill 124 as provincial law? If not, will you legislate any limitations to public sector workers’ collective bargaining rights?
Aneep Dhade: The Greens support the repeal of Bill 124, and restoring and improving workers rights to collective bargaining.
The Hoser: Communities and advocates concerned with police violence have for years been demanding a defunding of police services, rerouting that money to public social services. Is this a policy your government would pursue? If so, how much money would you reallocate from current provincial policing budgets?
Aneep Dhade: The Greens are in favour of decriminalizing drugs which will take strain off the justice system, allowing funds to be freed up and re-directed to other areas including health and related social services.
The Hoser: Considering that COVID is airborne and cases are once again quite high, will your government make any investments in retrofits or building new hospitals, schools, public transit vehicles, or any other large-scale investments related to public health, indoor crowding and ventilation?
Aneep Dhade: The Greens will increase base hospital spending up to 5% year-over-year and increase nursing salaries. The Greens are also commited to increasing funding for public health preparedness and expanding Family Health Teams into all communities. The Greens are also in favour of establishing a clean, affordable, accessible intercity electric bus service to connect all communities accross the province, ensuring connections in small rural communities and dedicated bus lanes. The Greens will also work to address the repair backlog for Ontario schools.
The Hoser: As of 2021, the living wage in Toronto was over $22 an hour. In all major cities and towns in the province, the $15/hr minimum wage is below a living wage. Inflation is now upwards of six percent, and scheduled wage increases and cost of living adjustments are not keeping up. Is your government committed to getting minimum wage levels to a living wage? If not, why?
Aneep Dhade: The Greens are committed to increasing the floor of the minimum wage each year by $1, starting at $16 in 2022, with a top-up in cities where the cost of living is higher.
