Thornhill all-candidates' debate a 2-person fight
'I don’t think Doug Ford or the Conservatives have an answer to the hospital closures'

Yorkregion.com
May 22, 2018
Simone Joseph

The Thornhill all-candidates’ debate Wednesday night seemed more like a two-person rather than a three-person race.

The NDP’s Ezra Tanen and Conservative Gila Martow spent considerable time attacking one another’s party platform and history during this packed debate at Thornhill synagogue, Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation.

The Liberal party’s Sabi Ahsan wasn’t totally left out of the fight since his party’s record was attacked too but the jabs mostly seemed to be Martow vs. Tanen.

Martow is the incumbent, having served as MPP since 2014. Ahsan is a 45-year Thornhill resident and chairperson of the Toronto Muslim Cemetery Corporation.

Tanen is graduating from York University following study of Ontario's health-care system. Libertarian candidate Mike Holmes was not in the debate.

Martow criticized Ontario’s system of local health integration networks (LHINs), saying there is too much bureaucracy and waste.

“They are voting themselves huge raises. They are all executives on the Sunshine List”.

This year, the Liberals created more bureaucracy, called sub-LINS, Martow said. Forty cents on every dollar that’s supposed to go to homecare is going to this bureaucracy, she said.

Tanen shot back that LHINs only represent one per cent of Ontario’s health-care spending.

“I don’t think Doug Ford or the Conservatives have an answer to the hospital closures.”

Tanen blamed Conservative and Liberal governments provincially and federally over the last 20 years, saying they have not invested in rental units, affordable housing or middle income housing. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has a solution, he said. We are investing in affordable housing units and housing for middle income people.

He criticized Ford, saying that he hasn’t said anything about housing, just that the market will fix itself.

“I want to afford a house near a synagogue and a good school. If we all just sit waiting for this (the market) to happen, twiddling our thumbs I am going to wait my entire life”.

Ahsan pointed out that Liberals have introduced a fair housing plan and expanded rent control.

Martow said Conservatives want to help people invest by giving interest-free loans.

“We have to find a way to help people, yes, but not bankrupt the province.” The audience clapped.

Martow took aim at York Region’s express bus lanes. “We all know how great that’s going and how many people have lost their businesses and their quality of life”.

Doug Ford wants to have the province take over subway building -- we can do it better, we can do it faster, she said.

Martow mentioned trying to explain the rapid bus system to York University students, telling them they could catch a bus at the Promenade bus terminal and take it to the Vaughan subway. “They all looked at me like why would we want to do that? We have a great bus that goes from the Promenade to the university in 15 or 20 minutes”.

“They feel kidnapped, they feel like they’re being brought out to the Vaughan subway to justify why it went out there.”