Questions for Kingston’s MPP Hopefuls
Last week, I asked our readers: if they had to vote today, which provincial candidate/party would they support? The poll resulted in a generous outpouring of support for Kingston’s local NDP candidate, who received 62 percent of the total votes cast. The Liberal party ended up in distant second, while the remainder of the parties and candidates netted endorsements in the single digits. Admittedly, the results are in no way scientific, official or representative of Kingston as a whole, therefore it’s difficult to interpret how accurate they are until the actual results are announced on the 12th of June. Nevertheless, at face value, the results could suggest that the long-standing Liberal seat in Kingston may be about to change colour. Or at the very least, that the NDP’s local base is connecting and engaging in political discourse moreso than the supporters from the other parties.
Going into any election, be it federal, provincial or municipal, it tends to get rather noisy when trying to sift through the rhetoric and unearth where each candidate stands. I would go so far as to say that a great number of voters do not go out of their way to engage in the process due to the flurry of words, deluge of promises and so on. Rather, a great number of us rely on traditional voting patterns and put off the decision until the last minute. Even so, as I look towards the coming provincial election, and in light of recent blunders made by a few of the key players, I’m trying to make up my mind in a timely manner. Key topics emerge such as the fate of Kingston’s secondary schools, the possible relocation of a gaming facility to the Limestone City, the necessity of a third crossing, as well as a host of meat and potatoes-type of issues. Do I vote strategically, or with my heart?
Kingstonist has once again requested interviews with all the local candidates. Accordingly, I’ve been trying to narrow down the list of key topics that are on my mind and deserving of being asked. Perhaps you can lend me a hand. In that respect, if you could ask Kingston’s hopeful MPPs one question, what would it be? Which questions need answering and will help you narrow down your decision to a single candidate? Submit your best questions, and I promise to read them all and consider them when crafting my queries to our local candidates.
Photo by marta … maduixaaaa.
All 4 #ygk candidates have stated that they support maintaining schools in both downtown and North Kingston. How will they accomplish this and why do they feel that it is important.
My question: what is your top priority to make Kingston better, and how will you accomplish that?
The cost of living in Kingston is unreasonable. If you make minimum wage, you can't afford to live here. What do you plan to do about that if anything?
My question of all Candidates would be:
Do you and your party support improving our democracy by allowing Citizens to use the Preferential Voting System that your political parties themselves use to democratically chose a winner? Would you work to accomplish this electoral reform by the next election?
How can you support the funding of the Catholic School System given the way decisions to close Kingston schools have made in isolation between the two boards with no consideration for neighbourhoods or urban planning?
Is there even the glimmer of a plan to index the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works with the cost of living? A 1% per year increase (with O.D.S.P.) is only mildly appreciated in as much as it simply isn't enough. And last time I checked, Ontario Works was still well under $600/month.
Electricity rates, especially, continue to increase, wiping out any true benefit a "raise" of that amount has. And topics like affordable housing are effectively useless for us lower classes if we cannot afford higher rents. We're stuck.
My question is: What are your thoughts about moving the OLG Casino from Gananoque to Kingston?