Top issues in Brantford-Brant as local candidates get ready for provincial election

Candidates in the Brantford-Brant riding say there are three big issues for their voters this election: government transparency, housing and moving forward on building a new hospital in the region.

Liberal candidate Ron Fox has lived in Brantford for more than 30 years, and was a business owner for many of them, running a Tim Hortons franchise.

“Watching this Doug Ford Conservative government misspend our tax dollars, I had to put my hand up and say I was going to do something about it,” he told CHCH News.

Even in sub-zero temperatures this week, Fox was out knocking on doors and talking to voters.

“As we’re going door knocking, we’re hearing people angry about the fiscal mismanagement of this government. Right now, we’re in the middle of a $189 million election that didn’t need to be called right now,” he says. “It’s just mismanagement of funds and not taking care of the things we need to, like healthcare and education.”

Healthcare was also an important issue for Karleigh Csordas, who is running for the Green Party in Brantford for the second election in a row. She wants to see her riding’s representative be louder at Queen’s Park.

“We need a new hospital and we just don’t need Doug Ford to come to Brantford to say ‘we’re on it, ‘we’re going to do something.’ That’s the role of our MPP, is to make sure that we’re advocating for Brantford-Brant,” she said. “We need somebody who is going to make noise, who’s going to bring our issues to Queen’s Park, and that has to be a new hospital for Brantford.”

In September, Premier Doug Ford pledged $21 million to help the Brant Community Healthcare System upgrade the current hospital’s aging infrastructure. The province has also committed to helping Brantford build a new hospital to help meet the needs of its growing population — though there’s no date to have shovels in the ground.

“There’s been talk, there’s been announcements, there’s been studies. What we haven’t seen is the action that’s required,” NDP candidate, Harvey Bischof, told CHCH News of the promised new hospital.

“It’s a growing community and we simply don’t have the services. We have over 25,000 people in Brantford-Brant who don’t have a family doctor.”

Harvey Bischof is the former president of the union for Ontario’s public secondary school teachers. As an NDP candidate, he says his focus is on attracting more doctors and nurses to the area, and working to build more affordable housing.

“There’s a crisis here. There’s a homelessness crisis, but beyond that, trying to find affordable housing here in this area is extremely difficult,” he said.

Progressive Conservative MPP Will Bouma is also seeking reelection for a third term in the riding. He won the last election with 44% of the vote.

CHCH News reached out to Bouma’s campaign team multiple times for an interview and were told he’s not available.

Prior to Bouma’s election in 2018, the Brantford area had been a Liberal stronghold for much of the 20th century.

Over the next three weeks leading up to the provincial election, CHCH News is taking a closer look at the candidates in more ridings around our region.

Voters head to the polls on February 27th.