Horwath in Hamilton

(Updated) After weeks of negotiation with premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberal government, NDP leader Andrea Horwath was back at home in Hamilton.

She talked to customers at the West Town restaurant on Locke Street before making a statement on her budget battles. Horwath admitted to getting some nicks and bruises in that process.

She said she heard a lot of both pro- and anti-budget sentiment, with many people wanting her to force an election and others saying this was not the time. Eventually she decided that the best thing to do was support the budget with as many concessions as she could get. She was especially proud of some of the concessions she got that will help Hamiltonians directly. Among them, some charges to auto insurance premiums.

“Hamilton is one of those communities, at least parts of Hamilton, that have rates that are much higher in average in Ontario. It’s the way that they geographically look at the auto insurance risks in the industry. It’s a practice that we think needs to be cleaned up quite a bit, but in the meanwhile the 15 percent overall reduction is going to help Hamiltonians who have a tough time paying their bills like everybody else to make ends meet.”

Horwath also said she was proud of wrangling some changes to the disability benefits in the province, and on the job training front. But she says the job now will be to hold the Liberal government’s feet to the fire to actually come through with the promises they’ve made.

Horwath’s media conference: