TORONTO – POLITICS – Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has unveiled a plan to harness Ontario’s building trades in an economy-rebuilding infrastructure program that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and kickstart Ontario’s recovery.
Speaking to the Ontario Building and Construction Trades Friday, Horwath outlined the plan, which creates good-paying and unionized trades jobs by building affordable homes and long-term care homes, engaging in a massive green retrofit program, and repairing municipal infrastructure and schools.
“The days of governments cutting to save a buck on the backs of everyday Ontarians have to end,” said Horwath. “It’s time to invest in people. It’s time for a government that’s here for them — that knows igniting Ontario’s recovery starts by creating good jobs and investing in people.”
The NDP’s infrastructure program includes:
- Creating 50,000 long-term care spaces in new modern, smaller facilities
- Tackling the school repair backlog
- Launching one of the world’s largest green building retrofit programs, creating 100,000 jobs alone
- Constructing 69,000 new affordable homes and 30,000 supportive living spaces
- Delivering more laneway homes, allowed through the NDP’s plan to change the rules
- Bringing municipal infrastructure into a good state of repair
The pandemic laid bare how badly the Liberals and the Conservatives allowed long term care homes to become outdated. The Kathleen Wynne and Steven Del Duca government also created a $15.8-billion backlog of school repairs, which Doug Ford let soar to $16.8 billion. And because of a lack of provincial investments, nearly half of all municipal infrastructure is not in a state of good repair.
“Doug Ford was cutting before the pandemic, and he’s already gone right back to cutting. I don’t think that’s going to help people,” said Horwath “We should be investing to create jobs, and investing in communities — and with our plan, we’re also going to get better health, greener and more sustainable buildings and communities, and a better quality of life for our families.”
