Northumberland – Quinte West MPP Lou Rinaldi. (Photo: John Spitters / Quinte News)
Initial reaction is slowly trickling in from the Liberal side of the local political scale on the Ontario Progressive Conservative party’s 2018 provincial election platform.
The PCs, including Premier Patrick Brown and Prince Edward Hastings MPP Todd Smith, revealed their extensive list of plans Saturday at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Some of the ideas that are being planned are a $1.9 billion investment into mental health services, a 22% cut to provincial income taxes and a 12% reduction on hydro bills.
Northumberland-Quinte West MPP Lou Rinaldi admits he hasn’t had enough time to assess the platform, but notes that the PCs have big aspirations with what they are planning.
For example, Rinaldi says close to $400 million of dividends coming in from the cut on hydro should be given to other services.
He adds that the 22% cut to the income taxes will conflict with the minimum wage hike, set to go up to $15 an hour by January 1, 2019.
Other ideas revealed by the PCs are the 75% refund on childcare costs and the plan to build 100,000 new childcare spaces, as well as more money invested in rural broadband internet services.
