'Gas tax' to fund transit OK, Liberal Thornhill candidate says

Toronto Sun
February 6, 2014
By Antonella Artuso and Christina Blizzard

 

 

An Ontario Liberal candidate says she would support a new gas tax if the money is used to build transit.

Thornhill Liberal candidate Sandra Yeung Racco said she wants the “fairest” option for funding transit.

“I would support a gas tax if it becomes a dedicated transit fund,” she told an all candidates’ debate organized by the CAA Thursday evening.

PC candidate Gila Martow said she believes the government can pay for new infrastructure through available transit funding.

NDP candidate Cindy Hackelberg says she would support a corporate tax increase if needed to put into transit.

Voters in Niagara Falls and Thornhill go to the polls in byelections next week.

At Queen’s Park Thursday, all three parties traded barbs over gas tax, minimum wage and right-to-work issues.

Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi, who is raising the minimum wage in June to $11 from $10.25, said New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath should reveal her own minimum wage policy.

“It is very difficult to understand why Andrea Horwath, being the Leader of the New Democratic Party, would not take a specific position on minimum wage,” Naqvi said. “What it clearly shows is a lack of leadership, lack of any policies, lack of any ideas from her and her party and Ontarians are wondering as to where they stand when it comes to helping everyday Ontarians.”

Naqvi said Horwath needs to say now whether her party will support his legislation to raise the minimum wage and index it to the cost of living.

Hackelberg said she supports an $11 an hour minimum wage and tying the rate to inflation but said there needs to be a “phased” approach to increases.

Meanwhile, Naqvi said PC leader Tim Hudak is under pressure from his own party on his controversial right to work legislation.

Naqvi said Hudak is on a “crusade against hard-working Ontarians through his Wisconsin-style right to work for less policy.

“Even his own party is trying to seek some clarity and asking him to come out clean as to what kind of damage he is going to do our economy by bringing such right to work for less policies which will drive down wages and weaken health and safety policies,” Naqvi said.

Hudak retaliated by saying Horwath and Premier Kathleen Wynne have no jobs plan and are plotting to combine forces to keep the Liberal government in power.

“They’re more interested in getting a budget passed to preserve their own paycheques,” he said. “My plan? Create more paycheques for Ontarians. They just want to save their own skins.”