The Ontario Greens have pledged to build two million homes over the next decade, cut taxes for low- and middle-income earners, and protect farmland as part of their newly unveiled election platform. Meanwhile, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie has promised to address the province’s health care crisis by ensuring wage parity for nurses and personal support workers (PSWs) across all sectors.
The Green Party, led by Mike Schreiner, became the first party to release a fully costed platform on Wednesday. Schreiner framed the upcoming election as an opportunity to push for a fairer and more affordable Ontario, taking aim at Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford for what he described as prioritizing billionaires over working Ontarians.
The Greens’ platform includes a bold plan to address Ontario’s housing crisis by legalizing fourplexes province-wide and allowing mid-rise residential buildings (six to 11 storeys) in larger cities. The party also pledged to eliminate the land transfer tax for first-time homebuyers, a move estimated to cost $1 billion over four years.
To fund their initiatives, the Greens proposed a three per cent tax increase for top earners, expected to generate $2.5 billion annually. They also introduced new taxes targeting housing speculators, including a vacant home tax, an anti-flipping tax, and a multiple property speculation tax. The latter would start at 25 per cent on a third home and increase with each additional property.
Schreiner emphasized the need for generational fairness, stating, “We can’t continue to live in a province where a whole generation of young people are wondering if they’ll ever be able to own a home.”
On the same day, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie announced her party’s plan to end hallway health care by ensuring wage parity for nurses and PSWs across hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home-care services. Crombie argued that pay disparities have exacerbated staffing shortages, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It shouldn’t matter where that nurse or PSW is employed,” Crombie said. “Whether they are in the community, in a long-term care facility, or in the hospital, there should be parity in their wages.”
Dr. Raghu Venugopal, an emergency room physician who joined Crombie at the announcement, criticized the current state of Ontario’s health care system, describing it as “chair medicine.” He shared harrowing stories of patients, including a woman miscarrying and a cancer patient in severe pain, being treated in chairs due to a lack of hospital beds.
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford, who remains in Washington, D.C., to address potential U.S. tariffs, has yet to release his party’s platform. Ford has defended his government’s record on health care, blaming previous Liberal administrations for cuts to medical school seats and nursing jobs.
The snap election, set for February 27, has been criticized by opposition parties as unnecessary and costly, with a price tag of $189 million. Ford has argued that a stronger mandate is needed to navigate challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles had no public events on Wednesday, though her party has committed to releasing a costed platform soon. The Liberals have also promised to unveil their detailed plan in the coming days.
As the election campaign intensifies, the Greens’ focus on housing and affordability contrasts with the Liberals’ emphasis on health care reform, setting the stage for a heated debate over Ontario’s future.