Kent-Middlesex are ready for the next provincial election.
The party has elected Todd Case as its candidate for the vote expected next spring.
Case is currently the mayor of Warwick Township in Lambton County. He says the provincial government has forgotten rural Ontario.
“It’s not just a disconnect, it is disrespect,” says Case.
He points to issues like funding of small rural municipalities as proof of the disrespect. Case says his municipality has lost about $700,000 from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund in the last five years. He says that makes a huge impact in a small community.
It’s an issue which lead him to become the NDP candidate.
Case has run federally for the Liberals but says he’s been a card carrying member of the provincial NDP for the last two provincial elections.
When the Liberal government started reducing funding to small municipalities, Case travelled to Queen’s Park to try to convince the government it was a bad idea.
At the time, he also met with the opposition leaders, including NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. And Case says he was impressed with her. “I align very well with Andrea Horwath’s platform,” he says adding the leader is “down-to-earth.”
“Every poll that’s put on out there, she’s the one leader people like – every time.”
Horwath was at the nomination meeting. “We know we can make life even better for families in small and rural towns,” says Horwath in a news release. “As the mayor of Warwick, Todd has a record of fighting for what the people in his community need – whether that’s good local schools, investment in local small businesses, lower hydro bills or health care that families can count on. He and I believe that families in the south-west need more services, not less.”
Case also likes the NDP’s pharmacare plan.
The Liberals recently announced people under 25 would have free medication, just weeks after the NDP introduced its plan to pay for hundreds of common medications with a plan to add more to the list each year.
“Frankly, the Liberal plan wasn’t a bad move but it didn’t solve the real problem in our aging population.”
And Case is also keen to find ways to bring power rates down and likes the NDP plan to lower hydro rates and buy back Hydro One shares the Liberals have sold.
But he says his main priority will be bringing fairness back to rural Ontario.
“Things need to change. Government needs to treat people equally.
“People talk about the GTA, I talk about the GWA – the greater Warwick Area. Everyone should be treated fairly.”
Case is the second candidate to be nominated for the vote, which is expected in June.
The sitting MPP, Conservative Monte McNaughton, has also been named a candidate. The Liberals have yet to hold its nomination meeting.