Tories & NDP selling “hope”

There were only two party leaders out on the campaign trail on Saturday, May 17th, as the Premier took the day off,  but both Tory leader Tim Hudak, and the NDP’s Andrea Horwath were selling “hope” to voters.

Tory Leader, Tim Hudak rolled out a slick new video; hoping to change his image from a nay-saying nabob of negativity into something more positive.

To get there, the Tory leader has promised to increase class sizes, cut the number of ECE teachers in kindergarten classes and slash 97,000 non-teaching positions, from the province’s education system.

The schools within that system, however, were the topic of the day, for NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

NDP have pledged $60-million a year to renovate, and re-purpose established schools, and open them more to after-hours public use, rather than tear them down.

One of the schools currently facing demolition is Hamilton’s Parkview Secondary, so you might think that the parents fighting to keep it open, would be thrilled by Horwath’s promise. Instead, they are skeptical.

“it is election year,” Tracy Berka, a Parkview parent said.

Laurie Hazelton is one of the Parkview Parents co-chairs — and for her, it’s not about bricks and mortar: it’s the special programs and teachers inside.

“I don’t even care about the building,” Hazelton believes the amount of money promised will not support the whole province “it’s not near enough, that would maybe be enough for Hamilton.”

By comparison, the Liberals have already promised $11-billion in the next budget to build or repair schools, but they haven’t announced and education policy, that would deal with the issues faced by Parkview. With the Premier making no campaign appearances on Saturday, there were no answers to those questions.