Ontario Liberals will transform mental health response
May 12, 2022
Training more than 3,000 new frontline mental health workers to help clear waitlists
SCARBOROUGH – Steven Del Duca was at Strides Toronto to announce that an Ontario Liberal government will transform mental health frontline response so more people living with mental illnesses, addictions, and disabilities can access compassionate care instead of languishing on waitlists.
“Ontarians are resilient, but people are hurting right now. The Conservative plan is always to slice and dice public health care services, opening the door to private companies looking to make a quick buck,” said Del Duca. “Right now, there’s a major gap between wanting mental health help and finding it.”
Ontario Liberals will transform mental health services through a $3 billion increase in funding for mental health and addictions services, helping clear a dangerous backlog for support. This investment will help train more than 3,000 new mental health and addictions workers, 1,000 of which will be dedicated to working with at-risk youth.
“Ontario has to be a province where people care for one another, and where anyone experiencing a mental health crisis gets the help they need to weather the storm,” said Del Duca. “Sadly, the Conservatives are leaving our neighbours with a mental illness to struggle on their own. That is not the choice Ontario Liberals would make. We will transform mental health frontline response to get care for anyone in crisis.”
Ontario Liberals will also make sure that more mental health workers are ready to respond to low-risk emergency calls, transforming the way our province helps people in crisis by staffing emergency rooms and the 9-1-1 hotline with mental health workers trained to help people in a mental health crisis.
As part of our plan for mental health, Ontario Liberals will:
Have mental health professionals in emergency rooms and ready to respond to emergency calls;
Train 3,000 new mental health and addictions professionals, including 1,000 mental health professionals for children;
Ensure no child waits for critical mental health help;
Reverse the Ford Conservatives’ cuts to mental health and addiction services, investing an additional $3 billion;
Provide free ‘mental health first aid’ and guided online supports;
Guarantee access to mental health services for all health professionals;
Require private employer benefits include mental health services;
Build 15,000 more supportive homes for mental health and addictions;
Make mental health first aid training available to school staff;
Fund women’s health needs such as postpartum mental health, abortion and reproductive services – including covering one cycle of egg freezing;
Invest in Indigenous-led mental health supports and long-term care;
Divert people with addictions, disabilities and mental health conditions away from the justice system and to appropriate supports;
Ensure police training includes deescalation, anti-racism, cultural sensitivity and mental health ;
Redeveloping Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, SickKids, Sunnybrook and St. Joseph’s Health Centre; and Expanding Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s mental health and cancer services.
Ontario Liberals will bring back rent control for everyone
May 13, 2022
Doug Ford deliberately misled tenants four years ago, helping line pockets of the Conservatives’ wealthy landlord donors
SCARBOROUGH – Steven Del Duca announced that an Ontario Liberal government will bring back rent control for every building in Ontario, helping protect the very people Doug Ford and his Conservatives have spent four years ignoring.
“In the last election, Doug Ford broke every promise he made to Ontario tenants. He said he would protect rent control and “maintain the status quo”, instead he gutted rent control allowing his wealthy landlord donors to jack rents up as much as they want,” said Del Duca. “It was dishonest. There’s no other way to put it. He’s left the people that need protection most to suffer skyrocketing rents.”
Shortly after he was elected, Doug Ford cut rent control for all new buildings, creating a two-tiered rental market where some are protected, and many are left with zero protection from rent and facing double digit rent hikes. Two months ago, some Ontario couples were reporting rent increases of $500 per month. Ontario Liberals will end this, bringing back rent control to all homes across Ontario and providing much-needed stability to renters.
“So many people in Ontario are still hurting from the last two years of chaos and confusion. Seniors can’t afford to see their rents skyrocket with no protection,” said Del Duca. “Ontario Liberals will ensure every rental unit in Ontario has protected rents that landlords can’t jack up as much as they want. Ontarians have a clear choice between real rent protections and more Ford lies.”
The Ontario Liberal plan will add 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years, including truly affordable homes like new social and supportive housing for people who need it. To help double the pace of homebuilding, the Liberal plan will create a new Ontario Home Building Corporation (OHBC) to finance and build new, affordable homes with a focus on helping first-time homebuyers. Ontario Liberals will also provide renters with a pathway to home ownership, creating a legal framework that provides protections and certainty for owners and renters to opt into rent-to-own agreements.
Doug Ford during the 2018 Election: “I have listened to the people, and I won’t take rent control away from anyone. Period. When it comes to rent control, we’re going to maintain the status quo.”
Doug Ford right after the 2018 Election: Ends rent control.
Ontario Liberals will make life more affordable across Ontario
May 14, 2022
$1 transit, eliminating HST on more meals will help families and workers get ahead
MILTON – Steven Del Duca spent the morning speaking with voters in Milton about the Ontario Liberal plan to make life more affordable for families.
“Game 7 tonight is a great reminder of how many people use GO trains and buses to head into the city or travel across the region. With buck-a-ride, we’ll save someone heading downtown from Milton more than $22.50 on a round trip,” said Del Duca. “Once they’re downtown, they’ll be able to grab a quick bite to eat—HST free.”
The Ford Conservatives want to waste $10 billion on a 60-kilometre highway that will only save a handful of travellers just seconds on their commutes. Ontario Liberals will make life more affordable by:
Removing the HST from prepared meals under $20;
Slashing transit fares to $1 per ride;
Boosting the Old Age Security by $1,000 per year;
Increasing the minimum wage to $16 an hour and consulting on the implementation of a living wage that reflects the cost of living in its design.
Making child care discounts retroactive, giving parents an average of $2,750 per child; and
Delivering $10 a day before and after school care by September.
Ontario Liberals have made dozens of trips to public transit stops and restaurants, speaking with thousands of Ontarians about our plan to make life more affordable.
