Green Like Money

People in Ontario are working harder than ever before, but so many are still struggling just to get by. People are getting gouged on the cost of housing, groceries, fuel and more. Big corporations and billionaires are doing better than ever and Dog Ford is propping them up. Greens will put people over big profits to bring down the cost of living. In order to care for our citizens as a resource and enable them to contribute gainfully to our economy, we must ensure that we are supporting a Prosperous Population.

Greens will:

  • Introduce strict anti-gouging and collusion laws to stop grocery corporations from gouging people on their grocery bills.
  • Lower taxes for low and middle income earners and raise taxes on the wealthiest
  • Stop giving hydro rebate cheques to the wealthiest Ontarians and redirect that money to help low and middle income earners pay their bills.
  • Increase the minimum wage to $20 and index to inflation each year.
  • Phase in a Basic Income, with the first step being to at least double Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW) rates and get rid of aggressive and unfair clawbacks, including clawbacks from the Canada Disability Benefit.
  • End taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel companies and Pass the No Free Ride for Fossil Fuels Act to charge fossil fuel companies for using public land.
  • Provide a free heat pump program for households with incomes under $100,000 and zero interest loans for households over $100,000.
  • Remove red tape to make it easier for people, farmers and businesses to connect renewable energy to the grid and to make virtual net metering possible
  • Phase out expensive fossil gas plants by 2035
  • Focus on investments in renewable energy, like wind, solar and storage, which are rapidly becoming more accessible, affordable and scalable, and are the cleanest and cheapest forms of energy
  • Recognize that nuclear power will be part of Ontario’s energy mix for years to come, maintain existing nuclear generation at Bruce and Darlington – keeping nuclear waste onsite, which is the safest and most environmentally responsible approach

 

Trump’s Tariffs

Let’s take a moment to reflect on this unprecedented situation. When I think back to another unprecedented situation, COVID, I think about how hard Doug Ford fumbled. Is Donna Skelly SMART enough to protect local businesses from Trump’s fallout? Is Doug Ford LOYAL enough to say NO to a President he “100% supports”? Are Doug & Donna SAVVY enough to problem-solve in real time?

The Green Party wants to Protect Ontario – against both outside threats and bad actors within. We want to grow Ontario’s industries, supply chains and small-to-medium sized businesses. We will:

  • Immediately work to remove interprovincial trade barriers
  • Develop a Buy Ontario procurement process for government contracts and contractors
  • Create a Protect Ontario fund for businesses impacted by tariffs 
  • Make investments needed to build new supply chains and diversify our trade partners
  • Create a Tariff Taskforce to fight for Ontario in trade negotiations 

How do tariffs affect you? A tariff is an import tax. If you or your business requires anything imported from America, you’re at risk. If you export anything to America, you and your customers are at risk. Due to tariffs, US-made products will be more expensive, and American demand for our goods may drop. Ontario trades $500 billion across the US border annually.