KAWARTHA LAKES-We contacted the 2025 provincial election candidates for a look into their vision for the province if elected. Here are there responses in the order received.
Gene Balfour, Independent for Less Government
I am a retired professional IT recruiter who moved from Toronto to Kawartha Lakes in 2016 with my wife and her parents. Today, I am a writer and a perennial Advocate for Less Government. My published work includes two Kindle ebooks on Amazon: “What to do about Climate Change” and “Digital Direct Democracy.” Since January 2022, I’ve also written over 360 essays which cover many of my interests including economics, Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence, health and physical fitness, political philosophy, and contemporary politics. These are all available on Substack.com under publication name “My Life Lens” and it the best way for a voter to learn about me and my views.
My political experience includes ten prior provincial and federal elections representing libertarian parties and the PPC. I now stand as an INDEPENDENT for LESS GOVERNMENT for certain advantages this choice offers. One disappointment came when I asked Elections Ontario to list me as an “INDEPENDENT for LESS GOVERNMENT”. I want all electors to know exactly what I stand for when they see my name on their ballot – a clear option for everyone. Unfortunately, this request was denied by the Elections Ontario authorities.
My core message is unambiguous. The #1 PROBLEM in Canada today is TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT. This problem extends across all four government levels: municipal, provincial, federal, and international entities such as the United Nations. Elections add to this problem because they showcase only the major political parties that consistently promote MORE GOVERNMENT through new spending and regulations. I represent the LESS GOVERNMENT ballot option as the logical alternative.
While poorly timed, the current election provides an opportunity to identify the most significant problems of today. The three top issues are:
1. High cost of living. The cause stems largely from excessive government interventions including high taxation, overwhelming regulations, unacceptable levels of public debt, and costly compliance to treaties and agreements signed with unelected global entities by our various levels of government.
2. Green energy policies must be repealed. Those policies unnecessarily restrict reliable and cost-effective energy options for consumers and businesses at the worst possible time, and with no reasonable justification. Energy demand is rising quickly from major technological and economic changes. In addition, most people now recognize that Climate Change Crisis Theory (CCCT) primarily serves special interests groups and that greenhouse gas emissions are not the serious issue we’ve been told for many years.
3. Education and Healthcare Reform. We need to learn from other nations that have successfully enabled competition to take place in these sectors between government and non-governmental service providers. Significant improvements are possible if the political will to do so will emerge.
Campaigning as an Independent Candidate has pluses and minuses. I enjoy the advantage of speaking truthfully without party constraints. Also, if chosen, I will be accountable only to the constituents in the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding. Unfortunately, though, I cannot compete with the big government subsidies that richly fund the election campaigns of the big parties. Instead, I use free social media (X, Facebook, and Substack) partly because I refuse to accept campaigns donations from constituents in return for campaign expectations that I cannot fulfill. The positive response I received from my Substack followers to the “CITIZENS CONSTITUTION of 2024” document, however, confirms my theory that an untapped public hunger exists for citizen-led democratic reform.
I expect voter turnout to be well below 50%. Current voter apathy reflects widespread distrust in politicians, institutions, and large corporations. Citizens feel helpless and hopeless in dealing with high living costs and most realize that traditional sources of help are now part of the problem. Voters are cynical about this early and unnecessary election called by Premier Ford. His decision appears to be driven by political opportunism: to take advantage of weakened Liberal and NDP brands in Ottawa.
Some folks want electoral reform and recall legislation. I do not see these as the answer to a failed political system. Elections have become “political theatre” to convince naïve citizens that they can still take part in an “electoral democracy.” I prefer the ideas in the Digital Direct Democracy eBook to replace our current system, borrowing from the approach Switzerland has taken over the past 400 years. Let’s imagine a future Ontario election scenario that elects 124 Independent MPPs, each directly accountable to their riding constituents with no party influencers. A responsive, decentralized government would replace the current centralized, expensive, slow, ineffective bureaucracy that now exists.
February 27 is coming fast. I hope some voters will learn that I represent their only LESS GOVERNMENT option. I have been an Advocate for Less Government since 1979 and I plan to remain committed to this cause for as long as possible.
Tom Regina-Green Party (No photo received)
Tom Regina is a Haliburton resident and retired Arts educator advocating for affordable housing, healthcare access and environmental protection with a vision for equity and compassion.
Putting people before profits is a central Green value that informs so many policies. Not-for-profit models to deliver essential government services such as healthcare, housing, childcare, and eldercare keep budget dollars on track and out of the hands of corporate speculators. It is essential to keep public money for the public good.
Tom has chosen to concentrate on some of the issues most frequently mentioned by voters while out campaigning.
Basic affordability is slipping away for average Ontarians. It takes just 8 hours for Canada’s richest CEOs to make what the average worker makes in an entire year.
Greens will cut taxes for low and middle-income earners under $65,000 and households under$100,000. We will introduce strict anti-gouging and collusion laws to stop corporations from gouging people on grocery bills. Greens will increase the minimum wage to $20 an hour and index it to inflation. Greens will phase in Basic Income by doubling ODSP and put an end to legislated poverty.
Underfunding of healthcare is putting continued stress on the system and the Ford government is looking to rely on for-profit entities to pick up the slack. Diverting resources from the Health budget has increased the number of Ontarians without a family doctor. Greens will recruit 3500 doctors with increased enrollment in medical schools and work to reduce or remove roadblocks to certification for qualified doctors that come to Ontario from other provinces or parts of the world.
Greens will increase nursing enrollments by 10% every year for the next 5 years and address retention and recruitment issues by ensuring that wages are equitable and internationally competitive.
Greens believe that everyone should be able to afford to own a home, but it has become a dream that fewer people can realise. We will end the Land Transfer Tax for first time home buyers to make it more affordable for people to purchase their first homes.
Greens will lease all public land suitable for housing to non-profits, co-ops, and community trusts for permanently affordable housing at no cost and remove HST from affordable housing units delivered by non-profit providers.
Care homes for seniors should be treated as homes and not as another investment stream for private profits. Greens will build 48,000 non-profit long-term spaces by 2029 to meet growing demand and phase out for-profit care.
We will instantly create thousands of additional seniors supportive housing by adding healthcare and social services supports into existing non-profit seniors housing buildings.
For improved dementia care, Greens will create a plan to build small, person-centered homes, like the butterfly model, and to transition current institutional settings to the new model.
As the education system continues to face shortages and underfunding, so too, does the childcare system. Greens will ensure that every family in Ontario that needs it, can access affordable childcare. We will work with the federal government to ensure adequate continued funding for universal access to high quality $10-a-day childcare in all communities.
Greens will address shortages of ECEs by immediately increasing wages through the implementation of a publicly funded wage grid that ensures childcare providers have the funds to pay fair wages. We will help accelerate program expansion through access to funding and planning grants for non-profit centres that wish to expand in regions where more care is needed.
The Green Party is the only party that exists out of concern for climate and environment from the very beginning. Sustainability for our eco-systems informs our policies on all issues as we move toward creating sound, caring and achievable solutions to the challenges of building a fairer Ontario where we protect the people and the places we love.
Laurie Scott, Conservative
I was born and raised in the riding of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock and my family has been involved in public service locally for many generations. I continue to be a strong advocate for the rural community, especially in these ever-challenging times. Prior to entering political life, I was an RN and I remain passionate about improving local health care and adapting to the changing needs of our community including bringing long overdue health and long-term care investments to HKLB. Ontario is facing unprecedented and significant threats to its economy and Ontarian’s livelihoods. Threats of US tariffs on all things made in Canada will have profound impacts resulting in potential job losses and hardship for Ontario citizens and by extension, Canada. Doug Ford and a PC government will continue to stand up for Ontario to protect our economy, and jobs.
We will be fighting to ensure Ontario remains competitive, a place to invest and a place to grow. Instability being created by the US will create financial strain in the foreseeable future. Our PC Team will continue to address affordability and help ease the financial burden on Ontarians while focusing on finding ways to put money back into people’s pockets. We raised the ODSP rates by 5% and will continue to raise it yearly, tied to inflation. We doubled payments for low-income seniors and have provided them with a dental plan. We raised minimum wage and cut income taxes for 1.1 million low-income workers. We also cut the gas tax by 10 cents a litre, scrapped the licence plate sticker fee, and froze the costs of identification. We will continue to investment in the Skilled Trades to help people upgrade to better jobs. Additionally, every eligible Ontarian will receive a $200 rebate to further help with affordability challenges. Our PC Team will continue to find ways to reduce costs for Ontarians and make life more affordable as we have demonstrated during the last 6 years in which NO taxes have increased. Improving our health care system remains a priority for myself and the PC Team.
We are delivering better care through unprecedented investments, resulting in an all-time high of over $85 billion to enhance services and infrastructure and $1.8 billion to connect everyone in Ontario to a family doctor or primary care. Our PC Team has added 3,500 new hospital beds and is advancing 50 new hospital projects, ensuring greater capacity to meet growing demand. Pharmacists are also playing an essential role, with 99% now treating patients for minor ailments.
The province has also welcomed 15,000 new physicians and 100,000 new nurses to strengthen care across the board. At the same time, we are also making significant investments in medical education, with the largest expansion of medical school spots, of which 60% are dedicated to family medicine. Additionally, paramedicine services are being expanded to treat patients in their homes, while funding is directed toward vital hospital infrastructure to support ongoing growth and enhance patient care. I will continue to support our local hospitals through expansion projects in the Ross Memorial Hospital ER Department and new diagnostic imaging for Haliburton Highlands Health Services and by advocating for further with funding increases for operational budgets. These measures underscore Ontario’s dedication to improving health care access, capacity, and quality for all residents. Our PC Team has and will continue to be at the forefront of addressing Ontario’s housing crisis by implementing strategic measures to make housing more affordable and accessible to all Ontarians.
By removing the HST on purpose-built rental units, we are incentivizing the construction of much needed rental housing. Additionally, municipal fees on affordable and nonprofit housing have been eliminated, making it easier for developers to build homes that serve the most vulnerable. Ontario has provided municipalities with over $3 billion in funding through the Building Faster Fund and the Housing Enabling Water System Fund, accelerating the development of new housing and the necessary infrastructure. Locally, I continue to work with municipalities to further support the building of affordable housing. As well, supporting local infrastructure with the building of 2 new schools and 2 community health centres.
If I am successful, I will continue to use my strong voice and serve the wonderful people of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.
Barbara Doyle, NDP
Growing up in Lindsay, and through my work as Managing Director of the Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives, I have deep connections with my community and work collaboratively with neighbouring communities, investing in the local economy through heritage and tourism.
I know how important strong health care is for everyone – I co-founded the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition and fought locally against privatization and harmful cuts to local services people depend on. I am committed to supporting our local hospitals, reopening the Minden ER, and ensuring that more family doctors are able to serve our communities.
As a mother and grandmother, I remain committed to investments in quality education in healthy and well-supplied schools, while also providing those supports that families need most through school meal programs, monthly grocery rebates, and excellent child care options.
I am determined to fight for an Ontario where education, affordable housing, good jobs, and excellent health care are accessible to everyone.
Healthcare, education, housing and daily life affordability – has Ford’s government made any of these sectors better? Has Laurie Scott actively and fiercely fought to save our hospitals and improve our local economy?
We are in a bad relationship with the current government. So many red flags, so many expensive broken promises. It’s time to end it and find a new relationship with a government that cares about you, your family and your communities. For seven years, Doug Ford has failed on the cost of living, housing, education, healthcare and more. Ford’s failures and bad deals have left Ontario’s economy weaker, and the families who live here vulnerable. We need to make Ontario stronger and more resilient so we can withstand this crisis and move beyond it. Vote for change because you and your family deserve a good life.
I am ready to commit, along with the NDP, to ensure every family has an opportunity for quality healthcare, education, housing and daily affordability because our families deserve better.
OUR COMMITMENTS:
Healthcare: Standing up for public healthcare by hiring 3500 more doctors over the next 4 years and connecting every Ontarian to community-based primary care teams, while cutting wait times and surgical backlogs. Reopening Minden ER and supporting our hospitals.
Education: NDP has a plan to fix schools, hire skilled staff with fair wages, feed kids and make sure that every single student has the tools they need to succeed.
Affordability: Families are trying to keep up with the rising cost of groceries so the NDP will help offset those costs with a monthly grocery rebate, as well as a plan to tackle price gouging and building a more tariff-proof economy. Our communities’ most vulnerable citizens, about 7% of the population, aren’t meeting their basic needs, so NDP will double the rates for ODSP and OW recipients.
Housing: Whether you are renting or paying a mortgage, you should be able to afford a good home in the community you want to live in. We will double the supply of non-market subsidized housing by 2031, bring back real rent control and work through a variety of initiatives at all levels of government to get truly affordable homes built in our communities.
Every day I am talking with voters. I want them to ask me the tough questions and I won’t hide from the hard topics. Nothing will change here unless we vote differently. I am for better health care, education, housing and making life more affordable. People know how deeply committed I am to improving daily life for families here. I think that goes a long way to persuading people to trust me with their vote this time around. If I don’t do a great job, people can vote me out in 4 years.
See more information on our platform at barbaradoyle.ontariondp.ca
We did not receive a response from some other candidates. Click here for a full list of local candidates: https://voterservices.elections.on.ca/en/election/candidate-search
Election Day is February 27th
