MyNorthBayNow.com reached out to candidates of the upcoming election to get their thoughts on important issues. Each week leading up to the election, we will publish stories online which include the candidates voices so the riding can hear what they have to say.
This week, we discussed opioids, mental health, housing and more.
Here is the question we posed each candidate:
Social services and municipal agencies have said that homelessness, opioids, mental health and addictions have all be intertwined into a major issue affecting communities and constituents right across the riding. What is your party’s plan, including concrete actions, to deal with this complex issue? Â
Greg Galante, People’s Party of Canada
Greg Galante says the current strategies to deal with these issues are largely ineffective, and mainly postpone outcomes, not change them. He says that ineffectiveness comes with an extremely large cost to the taxpayer and decreases the quality of life for our citizens, as well as core services that get stressed in the extreme. Galante’s opinions come from his 30 years of experience at the sharp end of care delivery and emergency response. He says mitigation of these issues are handled largely at municipal and provincial levels, though there is a key area where the federal government can help, meaningful and effective interdiction on the supply of opioids.
Scott Robertson, New Democratic Party
NDP’s Scott Robertson says these issues are one of the main motivators that have led him to run in the election. He says it’s a serious problem in the community and has been an issue since before the pandemic. He says we need a government that will put bold action and bold government investments into these issues. Robertson says the NDP will take a housing-first approach, which mirrors what he says local experts in our own district have recommended we do; 500,000 affordable units across the country. He’s calling it a massive investment in public housing from coast to coast, all while implementing a 20% foreign real estate buyers tax in order to address speculative aspects of the housing market, which he says will drive down housing prices. Robertson also says the opioid issue in our district is a matter of life and death, and the NDP will implement a national public health emergency, to keep people alive and into treatment.
Anthony Rota, Liberal Party Of Canada
Anthony Rota says there’s no question that these issues are all intertwined. He says over the last 6 years, the Liberal party has announced over 8 Canada Housing Benefit agreements totalling almost 3 billion dollars in cost match funding, supporting over 160,000 households. He also mentions the party’s investments in homelessness partnering strategy. Rota says homelessness is something we’re seeing more and more of in North Bay, and it’s an issue that all three levels of government will have to work on. Rota also touched on drug treatment for people who need it, when they need it. He says prison is not a place to go to get off drugs, and programs need to be there for people. He says moving forward, the Liberals will make it easier for people to get the help they need, which he says is essential during the opioid crisis.
MyNorthBayNow.com was unable to reach other party candidates prior to publishing, but will update this list when they do.
