Three of the six people on Simcoe North ballots gathered online for an all-candidates meeting Thursday night in hopes of winning over voters for the Feb. 27 provincial election.
Hosted and moderated on Zoom by Peter Kostiw, president of the Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce, the hour-long question-and-answer period was without tension or animosity as Liberal candidate Walter Alvarez-Bardales, Green candidate Chris Carr and New Blue candidate Dave Brunelle answered seven questions.
Three candidates not appearing at the debate – incumbent Progressive Conservative candidate Jill Dunlop, Libertarian candidate William Joslin and NDP candidate Jordi Malcolm — allowed for those attending to expand on their responses with little concern for exceeding the allotted time limits.
The absences also allowed some candidates to fire shots without retaliation at those not present. Alvarez-Bardales frequently threw shade on the Doug Ford PC government and policies while promoting Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, while Brunelle took aim at Liberal policies and outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Personalities also played into their responses. Carr remained quiet with short answers to the point, occasionally referring to Green party policies but speaking from the heart primarily.
Brunelle stuck almost entirely to directly quoting New Blue party policies as he read verbatim, only deviating to personal opinion once. Alvarez-Bardales spoke freely, frequently referencing his experiences as he related how they aligned with the Liberal party policies.
The following questions were asked:
1: Does your party support increasing, maintaining, or decreasing funding for harm-reduction programs, including safe-injection sites?
Brunelle said safe-injection sites “don’t work” and wanted to get to the “root cause,” noting his party would divert safe-consumption site funding (from Liberal and PC governments) for rehabilitation instead. Alvarez-Bardales spoke passionately as a health-care professional, promoting the Liberal plan of maintaining funding to address root causes such as poverty and mental health; Carr nodded to those speaking points, adding supportive housing was another link in the chain.
2: Do you think a carbon tax is an effective tool for reducing emissions; if not, what should we do instead?
Carr said it was important to lower carbon emissions with the carbon tax as a great start, but he chided the PC government for fighting it, calling it a waste of taxpayer money. Alvarez-Bardales said reducing emissions could be accomplished by providing incentives, with “high polluters” paying those taxes. Brunelle criticized Trudeau with an aim to cut the carbon tax and bring manufacturing jobs back to the province with the saved money.
3: What specific policies would your party implement to address teacher shortages and improve classroom conditions in Simcoe North, and their rural schools?
Alvarez-Bardales again referred to a comprehensive Liberal plan to address putting teachers and students first while expressing disdain toward Ford. Brunelle agreed, offering the New Blue party would reallocate climate change funding toward teachers, “removing ideologies” and making “classrooms safe again.” Carr said the Green party plan would reverse policies that cut student funding while he shared an anecdote of teachers paying for classroom supplies.
4: Does your party plan to increase, decrease, or maintain current provincial tax levels, such as income tax and sales tax?
Brunelle read statistics from his script, noting his party would cut out the HST over time as well as the carbon tax to address the high cost of living. Alvarez-Bardales agreed it was wasteful, attacking the PC government while saying the elimination of HST on base necessities would greatly save families money. Carr said his party would place higher taxes on the wealthy.
5: How would your party ensure timely access to long-term care, mental health care, and primary care in our region?
Carr stated his party would increase spending on preventative care, saying privatizing health care was a waste of taxpayer money. Alvarez-Bardales called the situation “grim,” chiding the government for being “neglectful on health care” and stating privatization would “perpetuate suffering” in the cyclic pursuit of profit. Brunelle disagreed on privatization, stating it would offer choices across the province.
A later question readdressed this topic — Carr and Alvarez-Bardales restated their views while the latter added health care was a “fundamental human right for all Canadians,” while Brunelle affirmed reallocating funding toward health care from green and climate change initiatives.
6: What concrete steps would your party take to improve access to mental health care and supportive housing in Simcoe North?
Alvarez-Bardales said his party would “add mental health care as an issue of health care” covered under OHIP, which drew approval from Carr. The question was the sole time Brunelle spoke off the cuff, admitting it wasn’t “a quick fix” and would hopefully be remedied “within one or two generations” while acknowledging transitional housing would help mental health care. Carr spoke to his party plan in working with not-for-profits in creating housing, reiterating a need for preventative care, to the nod of Alvarez-Bardales.
7: If polling data suggested that another candidate had a better chance of defeating the incumbent, would you consider stepping aside to avoid vote splitting? Why or why not?
Alvarez-Bardales replied he would if it meant the defeat of the Ford government, paraphrasing former U.S. president John F. Kennedy by saying, “We need not think what Ontario can do for us, but what we can do for Ontario.” Carr stated the Green party supported proportional representation where every vote counted. Brunelle stated a firm no as he promoted restoring democracy to the elected office.
The meeting concluded shy of the hour with closing statements by the candidates echoing party platforms that hadn’t been touched upon. It was recorded and is anticipated to become available on the Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce website.
Coverage of the 2025 provincial election, as well as all Simcoe North candidates including their profiles and platforms, can be found through Ontario Votes on MidlandToday.