Niagara This Week's questions for St. Catharines candidates in the 2011 Federal Election

Niagara This Week asked all St. Catharines candidates to answer two question in 150 words or less each

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1136705--questions-for-st-catharines-riding-candidates-1

What election issue have you been hearing about in your riding that you plan to act on?

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1136738--questions-for-st-catharines-riding-candidates-2

From a provincial standpoint, what do you think can be done to jumpstart Niagara’s struggling economy?

Here are my answers to both questions:

#1 (the election issue I've been hearing about and what I will do about it)

Health care: we’re dying needlessly from hospital infection outbreaks because staffing cuts don’t give enough time to clean; emergency rooms are moved over half-an-hour away in favor of a P3 (public-private partnership i.e. for profit) hospital that costs more in ambulances; and bed cuts are so bad that when a 21-year old St. Catharines man got sick abroad earlier this year he was blocked from getting treatment here because there wasn’t even one bed available.  He later died.  The solution: restore the beds, staffing, and services that were cut in favor of corporate tax-cuts which created only record profits and not jobs.  What little money was left is being siphoned off into private profits for outsourcing.  I am the only candidate who says we must hold elected officials accountable for these preventable deaths because the nurses and unions have been warning us this would happen. Voting communist says this loudest.

#2 (how to jump start Niagara's economy provincially)

Ontario has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world but companies sit on record profits instead of investing or creating jobs.  We must reverse these cuts so corporations pay their fair share. Use the money for public investment in re-building industry and the energy and public transportation infrastructure.  Corporations don’t invest when the economy is depressed, only the government will do this.  This is how our industry was built earlier and we can do it again.  Instead, the big business parties shift the tax burden from those who can pay to working people who cannot, and cut our public services too, which hasn’t worked.  Stop the job hemorrhage.  If companies want to close a plant, hold a public tribunal and if the plant is profitable (many closed plants here were!) we’ll run them as a crown corporation instead of layoffs and pulling machines out of Canada. 

PC, Communist leaders to visit Niagara (Niagara This Week)

https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3259706-pc-communist-leaders-to-visit-niagara/ 

With less than a week until the provincial election, two more party leaders will visit Niagara this weekend.

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak, the incumbent MPP for Niagara West-Glanbrook, has scheduled several stops throughout the region on Saturday, visiting St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne and Fort Erie. The leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario), Liz Rowley, will also be coming to the area, making a stop in St. Catharines.

Hudak will be visiting area candidates for several photo opportunities at spots including Market Square in St. Catharines, Ripley's Believe It or Not in Niagara Falls, the Port Colborne Hospital and more.

Rowley will be visiting the St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church St. in St. Catharines, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, where she will be speaking in support of St. Catharines Communist candidate Saleh Waziruddin. Rowley is travelling the province to the various ridings to support the nine Communist candidates representing the party this election.

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner and NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited the region last weekend. Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty has not yet came to Niagara during the campaign.

Questions for St. Catharines riding candidates (Niagara This Week)

Saleh Waziruddin, Communist 

Health care: we're dying needlessly from hospital infection outbreaks because staffing cuts don't give enough time to clean; emergency rooms are moved over half-an-hour away in favor of a P3 (public-private partnership i.e. for profit) hospital that costs more in ambulances; and bed cuts are so bad that when a 21-year old St. Catharines man got sick abroad earlier this year he was blocked from getting treatment here because there wasn't even one bed available. He later died. The solution: restore the beds, staffing, and services that were cut in favor of corporate tax-cuts which created only record profits and not jobs. What little money was left is being siphoned off into private profits for outsourcing. I am the only candidate who says we must hold elected officials accountable for these preventable deaths because the nurses and unions have been warning us this would happen. Voting communist says this loudest.

#2

Saleh Waziruddin, Communist 

Ontario has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world but companies sit on record profits instead of investing or creating jobs. We must reverse these cuts so corporations pay their fair share. Use the money for public investment in re-building industry and the energy and public transportation infrastructure. Corporations don't invest when the economy is depressed, only the government will do this. This is how our industry was built earlier and we can do it again. Instead, the big business parties shift the tax burden from those who can pay to working people who cannot, and cut our public services too, which hasn't worked. Stop the job hemorrhage. If companies want to close a plant, hold a public tribunal and if the plant is profitable (many closed plants here were!) we'll run them as a crown corporation instead of layoffs and pulling machines out of Canada.

St. Kitts candidates talk health care (Niagara This Week)

Rosts, Scott. 

Niagara This Week; Thorold, Ont. [Thorold, Ont]. 26 Sep 2011: 1.  

Provincial election candidates in St. Catharines feel there are lessons to be learned from the Clostridium difficile outbreak in the region, but only two said someone needs to be held accountable. During an all-candidates debate about health care, hosted by the Retired Teachers of Ontario District 14 and the Niagara Health Coalition at Port Dalhousie Royal Canadian Legion last Tuesday, Communist Candidate Saleh Waziruddin said politicians should be held accountable for the combined 35 deaths at hospitals sites in Niagara. "Staff aren't being given the resources to do their job - they're being set up to fail," said Waziruddin. Waziruddin said that the Ontario Coalition of Hospital Unions had warned the Liberal government about the impact of cuts, specifically not providing the proper amount of time for cleaning. "The politicians weren't listening," he said. New Democratic Party candidate Irene Lowell said the private company responsible for cleaning hospitals should be held accountable. She said cleaning duties should be given back to hospital staff. "We need to have our own people cleaning hospitals. Good, eight-hour, unionized jobs," said Lowell, who later noted the NDP "is about putting people first." Other candidates were not prepared to lay blame, instead suggesting the government needs to use the crisis as an education. "We have to move forward and figure out where we went wrong," said Progressive Conservative candidate Sandie Bellows, who added that a PC government will disband the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) in the province and re-direct the funds - about $6 billion - to front-line care. "We have to really look clearly ... so hopefully something like this doesn't happen again," said Canadians' Choice Party candidate Jonathan Radick. Green Party candidate Jennifer Mooradian warned that as long as money is considered the bottom-line in health care, that there is the potential for such outbreaks to continue. She said that is the focus when a private company is contracted to do the task of cleaning in hospitals. "Quality health care should be put first - not money," Mooradian said to an applause from the audience of more than 50 people. Liberal incumbent Jim Bradley said he is deeply saddened by what has happened, and that there has to be work done to determine what happened, and how it can be prevented in the future. He said the cleaning of health care facilities needs to be improved upon, but said cuts to funding haven't been the cause. "The funding has increased dramatically - there has not been a cut in funding," he stressed, adding it's how the funding is utilized that is key. Bradley later added that his party's record is "one of continuing to make significant investments in health care" and that hospital funding will need to continue to increase. Other issues ranged from discussions on home care to mental health issues to the number of beds in the new St. Catharines hospital. Asked about the dramatic reduction in beds across the province, and in the region, over the past few decades, Lowell said the NDP would fight to save the St. Catharines hospital, and bring the capacity of beds up to 100 per cent. Bradley said there are other factors, such as the desire for patients to move out of a hospital setting towards home care. Some patients, he said, prefer to be in their own setting, receiving visits from health care professionals at home. Mooradian, whose party pledges to increase health care spending by two per cent each year, said more long-term care beds are needed, especially in St. Catharines where there is an aging population. Later on, the question of beds specifically focused on whether all of the hospital beds for the new facility should be available when the doors open, or whether it should be phased in. "The Tim Hudak team realizes the beds are important to the health care system," said Bellows, noting the elimination of the LHINs would give a PC government $6 billion to spend on front-line health care issues, such as ensuring full-capacity at the hospital. Waziruddin said his party would go above and beyond. "Instead of 80 per cent (capacity), we'd have a surplus," he said, adding his party would re-open emergency rooms across Niagara. Radick said the new hospital will have 375 beds, but it's not enough of an increase from the 357 at the current St. Catharines General Hospital site. "You're still going to have the same wait times," Radick said. Mooradian and Lowell said all of the beds should be opened to meet the community's needs, but Bradley did not commit to opening every bed right away when the new hospital opens.

"You may phase it coming in," he said, "but the ideal would be to use each one of these beds."

Credit: Scott Rosts, staff; srosts@grimsbylincolnnews.com

Word count: 798

Copyright (c) 2011 Metroland Media Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Candidates square off at chamber debate (Niagara This Week, protesting exclusion by Chamber of Commerce)

https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3260188-candidates-square-off-at-chamber-debate/ 

NEWS

Candidates square off at chamber debate

Niagara This Week - St. Catharines

Friday, September 23, 2011

The candidates for the four major parties running to represent St. Catharines at Queen’s Park squared off at a chamber debate last week, but not before a couple of uninvited candidates shook things up with a mini-protest.

The St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce sponsored the debate, held before a small crowd at the Quality Inn Parkway Convention Centre. However, before any candidates could deliver their opening remarks or answer questions, two of the three candidates who were not invited disrupted the proceedings.

Independent Jon Radick stood up and decried the decision by the chamber, noting that other chambers in the region welcome all candidates.

“I thought we lived in a democracy,” he said.

He was joined by Communist Party candidate Saleh Waziruddin, and both took to the stage, refusing to leave until hotel security was summoned.

Explaining the chamber’s policy was Kithio Mwanza, policy coordinator for the St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce, who explained that the board had decided only to welcome candidates or parties which received at least two per cent of the votes in the previous election.
Shouts of protest could be heard from the audience, though things quieted down quickly once the candidates left.

In her opening comments, NDP candidate Irene Lowell noted the local NDP office sent a letter to the chamber to decry the decision.
When she moved on to discussing her party’s policy, Lowell said it’s people-driven, with a focus on putting people back to work.

“We would like to have every person in Ontario work,” she said. “It’s not too much to ask.”

Progressive Conservative candidate Sandie Bellows told the audience about her past as a survivor of a violent attack by a convicted preditor. She said her party’s plan to require such criminals to wear GPS anklets would have helped her.

“Dalton McGuinty refuses to take action to protect our vulnerable citizens,” she said.

Liberal incumbent Jim Bradley, a veteran of provincial elections, noted his party has tackled tough issues and made the necessary decisions for the future — even if they weren’t popular. He then listed a number of infrastructure projects in St. Catharines for which his government has been a partner at the table.

“The list goes on, with the list of accomplishments in St. Catharines,” he said.

Green party candidate Jennifer Mooradian, meanwhile, tried to shrug off the popular conception of her party as being the granola-eating, marijuana-legalizing type. She said it has a broad platform that appeals to everyone.

“It wants to better the life of everyone living in Ontario,” she said.
The candidates were asked a variety of questions, with each directed first at one candidate and the others given a chance for rebuttal. Bradley was asked if he supported a new spectator facility and if provincial dollars should be made available, to which he replied the decision would need to be made locally.

“I will always work with my community when they put forward a proposal,” he said.

Bellows was asked if she supported a mid-peninsula highway, which gave her an opportunity to differentiate herself from the other candidates.

“If a business cannot efficiently ship their product from point A to point B, then how will they be able to keep their doors open, let along expand and hire?” she said.

The other three outlined their opposiiton, with Bradley noting businesses relying on traffic in St. Catharines would lose out with what would in effect be a bypass.

Mooradian, meanwhile, cited studies showing it wouldn’t lead to less congestion, at least not in the long term.

“More roads always equals more cars,” she said.

Lowell was asked her thoughts on a minimum wage commission which would take input from labour, employers and government. She took the opportunity to say the NDP would raise the wage to $11 per hour.
“We do not want anyone to live in poverty,” she said. “No one.”

Health care came up a few times during the debate, with all three taking aim at its current state under the Liberals. Bellows said her party would shut down the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), pouring the money saved into front-line care.

Lowell, meanwhile, brought up the C. difficile crisis and the lack of trust placed in the local hospital system.

“We deserve to walk into a hospital without being afraid we’re going to die,” she said.

For her part, Mooradian said there are certain basic services which should be available in all hospitals, referring to the closure of emergency rooms in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.

Bradley defended his government’s record, noting the NHS budget has been boosted by 56 per cent. He said health care already eats up 46 per cent of the entire budget, and will only be sustainable in the future if more elderly people can be supported in staying in their homes.

Voters go to the polls Oct. 6.

Podcast of CKTB 610 AM radio interview with Tim Denis in the Morning for St. Catharines Federal Election

 Listen to the 6 minute podcast of my interview Tim Denis, morning host on CKTB 610 AM News Talk radio, linked from CKTB 610's page:

http://www.610cktb.com/shows/tdenis/episodes.aspx

Candidates tackle health care at debate (2011 Ontario Provincial Election St. Catharines riding)

Candidates tackle health care at debate

C. diff and long-term care discussed

• The Standard (St. Catharines)
• 21 Sep 2011
• ERICA BAJER

BOB TYMCZYSZYN Standard Staff

Conservative candidate for St. Catharines riding Sandie Bellows holds a microphone as the other candidates — Irene Lowell (NDP), Jim Bradley (Liberal), Jonathan Radick (Canadians’ Choice Party), Saleh Waziruddin (Communist), and Jennifer Mooradian...

If there’s one thing most of the provincial election candidates in St. Catharines can agree on, it’s the need to learn from the Clostridium difficile outbreak to ensure it can never happen again.

Six of the riding’s candidates discussed health issues, including the deadly outbreak, and long-term care Tuesday during a debate organized by the Retired Teachers of Ontario District 14 and the Niagara Health Coalition.

More than 75 people turned out for the event, but there was little interaction between the audience and candidates, as questions from the floor had to be submitted in writing. There was also no confrontation among the candidates, who were strictly held to two-minute answer periods.

Moderator Marg Newby read a question from the audience asking candidates if they would demand accountability for the C. diff outbreak that has claimed 34 lives in the region, specifically in relation to hospital cleaning.

Liberal incumbent Jim Bradley said the outbreak is complex and issues including cleaning and the use of antibiotics need to be investigated to determine what can be done to prevent future occurrences.

“The cleaning of our hospitals and other institutions is an important component that I think needs to be improved upon,” he said.

Green party candidate Jennifer Mooradian said as long as money is the bottom-line in health care, problems similar to the outbreak will persist.

She said when a private company is contracted to do tasks like cleaning, its focus is making money.

“Quality health care should be put first, not money,” she said, garnering the first burst of applause of the night.

Instead of assigning blame, Progressive Conservative candidate Sandie Bellows said officials must learn from the outbreak and provide front-line staff with more resources and education. She repeatedly noted throughout the night that her party plans to do away with Local Health Integration Networks and re-direct $ 6 billion into other areas of health care.

Communist Party candidate Saleh Waziruddin said someone needs to be held accountable for the outbreak. He said the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions warned in May that cutbacks were making it impossible for hospitals to be properly cleaned and that staff simply weren’t being given the time needed to do the job.

“ People were predicting it (super-bug outbreak), but the politicians weren’t listening,” he said.

In response to questions about chronic and long-term care, candidates discussed the need to increase the number of beds and health-care options.

“ We are a senior citizens’ region,” said New Democratic Party candidate Irene Lowell, noting she would conduct a comprehensive review of home care and work towards making it better.

“I will fight to save our hospital here, I will fight for funding,” she said, noting hospitals are underfunded and experiencing 100% occupancy.

Bradley said with the aging population, long-term care beds and home-care strategies are a priority.

He said the Liberals recently announced a plan giving frail seniors access to doctors in their own homes and noted the government recognizes the importance of assisted-living facilities.

“ Long-term care beds are going to be essential in the future and we’re prepared to build them,” he said.

Canadians’ Choice Party candidate Jonathan Radick said he’s heard that people living in longterm care facilities have to sit in soiled diapers because there isn’t enough staff.

He said there needs to be a mandatory ratio of nursing staff to patients in long-term care facilities to ensure people are properly cared for.

St. Catharines residents Rowan Shirkie and Bob Hillier attended the debate to try and get a handle on where the candidates stand on health-care issues.

“ They are enormously complex and intimidating,” Shirkie said. “I don’t expect to hear any definite answers, but I’m listening for overall direction.”

Hillier was disappointed he didn’t hear more debate among the candidates, noting the way it was set up didn’t offer any opportunity for exchange between the politicians.

He said he attended Tuesday’s forum because it was open to all local candidates and he wanted to hear from asmany as possible.