Grits promise gas price watchdog as part of northern platform

SUDBURY — Glenn Thibeault unveiled the Ontario Liberals' platform for Northern Ontario this morning during a press conference at Science North.

Standing on the Elements patio overlooking Ramsey Lake, Thibeault said only the Liberals understand the North.

"The Liberal government is the only party that truly understands the needs of the North, and how to invest in our communities and contribute to our prosperity,” Thibeault said.

In a news release, the party said a "one-size-fits-all approach" doesn't work in Northern Ontario and only the Liberals can provide "leadership that recognizes the realities of northern living."

Among the party's promises is one lifted from Thibeault's previous life as an federal NDP MP. When he was still an NDPer, Thibeault often called on the federal government to create a watchdog and questioning whether there was price-fixing in the retail gasoline sector.

Now, the provincial Liberals are promising — if they get re-elected, of course — to create just such an independent watchdog "to ensure there is no price fixing of tranportation fuels anywhere in our province."

The party is also pledging to invest in home care by adding 5,500 personal support workers, and prioritizing northern and remote communities for those positions. 

The Liberals vowed to increase the funding to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to $150 million in the next three years and better support infrastructure projects and large-scale investment opportunities.

In what has become a perennial election promise for the Liberals, the party again commits to complete the four-laning of Highway 69 between Parry Sound and Sudbury, promising permanent annual funding for the project "until the project is fully completed." A Liberal government would also call on the federal government to match the investment.

The Liberals are also reiterating their $1-billion Ring of Fire promise from the 2014 budget, which would fund a year-round access road and upgrades to existing highways and bridges.

Last week in Thunder Bay, NDP leader Andrea Horwath said, if elected, her party would reform how gas is sold in Ontario, including controlling prices and exploring why prices are higher in some regions, like the North.

— Sudbury.com