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Vol. 9, Issue 20/Vol. 124, Issue 30
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Wednesday, June 6, 2018
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Chatham-Kent Leamington
Election Day Thursday, June 7
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The candidates for the upcoming election met with the people of Leamington on Thursday evening, May 31. From left to right: Jordan McGrail, NDP candidate, incumbent Progressive Conservative candidate Rick Nicholls, Liberal candidate Margaret Schleier Stahl, and Green Party candidate Mark Vercouteren. (Sun-Journal Photo)
Chamber of Commerce hosts Meet the Candidates night
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By Pat Bailey Local voters had a chance to meet Chatham-Kent-Leamington provincial candidates Thursday evening, May 31, and hear their stance on local issues prior to the June 7 election. The Leamington and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a Meet the Candidates event at the Leamington Half Century Centre, and according to Chamber general manager Wendy Parsons, it appeared there are still several undecided voters. Parsons was pleasantly surprised when more than 80 people turned out to get a feel for their Chatham-Kent-Leamington hopefuls. Corey Robertson, past Chamber president, served as moderator for the event which was attended by four candidates: incumbent Progressive Conservative Rick Nicholls, Liberal candidate Margaret Schleier Stahl, NDP candidate Jordan McGrail, and Green Party candidate Mark Vercouteren. Robertson spoke on the four pillars of the ‘Vote Prosperity’ platform for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Strengthen business competitiveness, foster job creation, build healthy communities, and improve government accountability are the basis for the platform he told the crowd. “Ontario has the foundation for sustainable and equitable growth,” said Robertson, “but bold action and leadership will be required of the newly elected government of Ontario — whether it is Liberal, PC or NDP.” A few local topics of interest seemed to strike a chord with those in attendance, including highway safety, especially with a rash of collisions on the bypass in recent weeks. McGrail told the crowd her party has pledged to twin the Highway 3 bypass. Schleier Stahl said the safety issue of Highway 3 was an issue she was definitely invested in. Traveling the roads for 30 years, along with her family, the Liberal candidate said she definitely will advocate for improvements. She said the Liberal government has already invested $50 million in
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the highway, named after the late Liberal MPP Bruce Crozier, and he has been in discussions with Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Transportation, who Schleier Stahl said is also committed to highway safety. She questioned the NDP and their promise to make those improvements within two years, but McGrail stood firm in that commitment. “We have committed to twinning Highway 3,” she said, “and it will be done in two years.” Vercouteren said the highway must be made more efficient for the transport of produce but he said they must look at all the options before moving ahead with twinning it. The incumbent said he has raised the issue of Highway 3 safety several times but it fell on deaf ears. Nicholls said the roads are vital, focusing most specifically on Hwy 3 and Hwy 401, and said his party is committed to improved safety in ‘Carnage Alley’ with the installation of concrete barriers on the 401 and the twinning of Highway 3. When it comes to the drastic increase in the minimum wage, Vercouteren suggested a decrease in payroll tax to help offset the increase to $15 in January. He said the increased minimum wage will benefit the economy. “The more we allow people to buy,” he said, “the more people can sell.” Nicholls said the increase from $11.60 an hour to $14 in January was “too much too soon”. And he said the increase in hourly wage would mean little to those whose hours were cut by their employer because of that increase. Nicholls suggested a gradual increase — like $14.25 or $14.50 in January. He said the initial hike was too harsh, especially for employers like those in the greenhouse industry. But Schleier Stahl defended the increase and said the increased minimum wage was necessary so people can be out there working and putting money back into the economy. (Continued on Page 3)
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