Thornhill: Richmond Hill: Your candidates answer our questions
YorkRegion.com
May 28, 2014
WE ASKED:
1. What do you see as key issues unique to Thornhill?
2. Why are you seeking election?
3. What fun activity do you do or which skill do you have that voters may not know about?
Gila Martow- PC
1. The ever-worsening gridlock. It is no longer just a problem for commuters - drivers, pedestrians and cyclists are all struggling with the worsening traffic. I would like to see the funding for bus lanes re-allocated to the Yonge subway expansion project, expanded GO train service and lots of parking at both. I recently asked representatives of the 407ETR to consider building multi-level parking directly accessible by 407ETR users with the transponder billing the parking fees at a future Yonge/Hwy. 7 subway.
2.Because I enjoy meeting new people, listening to their concerns and suggestions, and then advocating on their behalf. When I look at the direction that our current government has taken our province and our riding, it makes me want to stand up for the residents of Thornhill. Between hydro rate hikes, bumper-to-bumper gridlock, mismanaged gas plants and bloated bureaucracies, I believe that the residents of Thornhill deserve better and I know that I and my team at Queen’s Park are capable of bringing positive changes to the people of Thornhill.
3.I’m a social media maven and I love taking photographs. When Rocco Rossi hosted a small prostate cancer hockey “shoot-off” at Queen’s Park, I was the first to snap photos and get them up with lots of tags on Twitter and Facebook.
Sandra Yeung-Racco- Liberal
1. Transit, retirees and jobs. I want to make sure we continue building on the progress we have made in delivering better transit to Thornhill and the rest of the GTA. When elected, I want to advocate for the Yonge subway extension to Thornhill and beyond. We must do more to ensure that the middle class has adequate savings in their retirement years. Creating more jobs is key; our 10-year economic plan provides the tools for Ontario to seize opportunities in the changing economy.
2. I want to see this area continue to grow and prosper. Our representative at Queen’s Park should be an individual who is committed to building on the progress we have made here, such as the Spadina extension and the VIVA system, not someone who pledges to cut funding to projects that are already underway.
3. I am an accomplished pianist. After I graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, I taught piano to students of all ages for many years.
Cindy Hackelberg- NDP
1. Transit and healthcare. I commute daily to my job in Toronto using GO Transit from Langstaff station. Trains are overcrowded and service is infrequent. Transit infrastructure is stalled, which heightens the need for reliable transportation options. Healthcare is another important issue. Wait times in our hospital emergency rooms are very high. We have many seniors in our community with limited incomes, and services are continually being cut. These are some of the priorities I would focus on as MPP.
2. I care deeply about the community and believe it is time for positive change. We have seniors on long waiting lists for homecare. Our children deserve an education system that prepares them for success as adults. Despite Thornhill being an affluent community, many families struggle to make ends meet. The NDP has a solid plan for creating jobs throughout the province, making life more affordable (including reducing hydro and car insurance rates), and strengthening healthcare.
3. I volunteer as a TV journalist on York Region Living, a program on Rogers TV highlighting local people and organizations giving back to the community.
David Bergart- Green Party
1. My vision is to: get you home faster by paying for transit infrastructure; give young adults a chance to contribute to our world; focus on your job by lowering payroll taxes for small businesses; invest in your home to help you save money by saving energy; improve your children’s education by merging public and separate school boards; and, make good on our promises to address child poverty.
2. I want to help put Thornhill, and Ontario, on a new path that will see everyone in our communities thrive. We have extracted a lot of wealth from a mere 20 per cent of the economy. If it functioned to its potential, imagine the wealth that could be created. Everyone will be able to participate in the prosperity, not just the lucky few and that is what I would like to strive for as the Green Party representative of Thornhill.
3. I was the past president of the Golders Green Ratepayers Association and am a volunteer for Kosher Meals on Wheels, rhe Kidney Foundation, and the MS Society of Canada. I’m an avid reader, gardener and a not-so-good but honest golfer.
Gene Balfour-Libertarian
1. The major political parties have ignored a very important segment of Thornhill’s, and Ontario’s, working population — the citizen entrepreneurs. It is critical to everyone’s prosperity that we substantially reduce the government-imposed obstacles to our economic health such as excessive taxation and a tax code that is too complex, burdensome regulations and compliance paperwork; rising electricity costs due to its supply by a government monopoly; and excessive payroll taxes and labour policies.
2. Ontarians face many challenges today, and unfortunately, many of these find their direct root cause in failed Liberal government policies that have been supported by their near political twin, the NDP. Several years ago, as a voter, I realized that electing anyone from the Liberal, NDP, Conservative or Green parties would only maintain the status quo of big government policies, costs and operations in. Only a vote for the Ontario Libertarian Party is a genuine vote for positive change because it is the only vote that shouts “I want less government”.
3. I have been a lifelong health and fitness practitioner. I have played hockey since 1958 and I played varsity rugby for the University of Waterloo. I ran 13 marathons including Boston, New York, Buffalo and Detroit.
