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Record as MPP

As MPP from 2022-2025, Ted fought for Kingston and the Islands. He's fought for more doctors, well-paying jobs, better supports in classrooms for our kids, building affordable housing, compassionate care for

mental health and addictions, and more. 

 

Read more about Ted's record as MPP below. 

Healthcare

Overview:

  • Repeatedly pressed the Minister in Question Period with ideas on how to make the family medicine system better. Advocated for keeping free well-water testing and keeping open our Kingston public health laboratory.

  • Kept in close touch with doctors and nurses to know exactly what to advocate for.

  • Helped an internationally trained family doctor get into the practice ready program to work in our system.

  • Worked with local clinics during rostering events

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A Little More:​

  • Used Question Period to pressure the Minister of Health on the Health Care Connect waitlist’s limitations. 

  • Asked the Minister about how family doctors are treated, their working conditions compared to other specialties, and how that encourages family medicine residents to leave family medicine.

  • Advocated for much more funding for new clinics than the timid penny-pinching plan offered by the Ford government. The Ford government responded just before the election call.

  • Met regularly with the Frontenac Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team and local doctors and nurses and clinics, to learn more precisely what to advocate for, and how my community connections can be put to use helping to get primary care for everybody.

  • Helped a local internationally-trained doctor get into the “practice ready program” to add to the number of family doctors in our region and advocated for the expansion of that program.

  • Advocated for continued free well-water testing, keeping open our Kingston public health laboratory and adequate funding for Public Health.

Critic Roles

Overview: 

  • As Ontario Liberal critic for energy, rural affairs, agriculture, mining, forestry, I met stakeholders across the province, and found allies who share Kingston and the Islands’ needs.

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A Little More:

Meeting Stakeholders

  • Bruce Power: discussed Ontario's current and future energy needs and Ontario's world-class nuclear power capability

  • Ontario Farmers: met with groups like the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Egg Farmer of Ontario, and more to discuss the need to protect prime farmland and increased supports for farmers in the face of increased risk. Also pushed for more abattoirs across Ontario, but especially in Eastern Ontario, where there is a severe shortage of abattoirs. 

  • Rural Ontario: advocated for better access to rural healthcare for Ontarian's in small towns and cities. Met with rural healthcare professionals to discuss staff shortages. Advocated for support to maintain rural municipal infrastructure

  • Ontario's Forestry and Mining Industry: Met with groups like the Ontario Mining Association and OPSEU to discuss Ontario's critical mineral industry and Ontario's forest firefighters' access to WSIB and Bill 124 back pay. 

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Example of shared interests: 

  • Rural areas of Ottawa and Hamilton are not eligible for the Rural Economic Program because they fall within the city limits of cities with population over 100,000, just like Kingston; 

  • the City of Timmins also has people coming into Timmins for help with addictions and homelessness; 

  • the City of Sault Ste. Marie was looking for assurances of electrical power to take advantage of federal and provincial funding for a new, cleaner, Algoma Steel electric-arc furnace.

Housing

Overview:

  • Introduced my Bill 179 to stop partisanship and reduce backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board

  • Advocated for more housing density in cities and against Highway 413

  • Advocated for more supportive housing and rules to create more housing, especially more modest and affordable housing.

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A Little More:

  • Advocated at Queen’s Park for more funding for supportive housing as a key part of the solution to homelessness related to mental health and addictions. Brought Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie to see the ICH and to understand its challenges.

  • Advocated for changes to rules so that more housing and more modest, affordable housing is built, e.g. allowing four-plexes as-of-right.

  • Put forward Bill 179 which would stop partisanship and prevent backlogs at the landlord and tenant board, benefitting both tenants and landlords. Bill 179 would have done the same for all Ontario Tribunals, to speed up disputes over accident claims and human rights complaints.

  • Advocated across the province for more housing density in cities to alleviate the housing crisis and prevent traffic congestion. Advocated against unnecessary highways, like Highway 413, which are not a solution to the housing and traffic problem.

Education

Overview:

  • Advocated for restoration of funding cuts to Queen’s and St. Lawrence College.

  • Fought Charter-abusing Bill 28

  • Advocated for better childcare funding, pay and pensions for Early Childhood Educators, Educational Assistants in classrooms

 

A Little More:

  • Advocated for a better funding formula for childcare operators, better wages and pensions for early childcare educators who staff them and are in short supply, more Educational Assistants to address classroom disruptions and violence and their negative effects on learning

  • Advocated for a stop to the underfunding of post-secondary education which has affected Queen’s and St. Lawrence College. The government only restored funding by half of what its own blue ribbon panel recommended.

  • Fought Charter-abusing Bill 28 which used the notwithstanding clause in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prevent CUPE education workers to go on strike, and which the Ford government was forced to withdraw.

Economic Development and Ferries

Overview: 

  • Worked with KEDCO and pushed IESO to re-evaluate the Kingston region’s electricity needs. Power is a major consideration of manufacturers looking to locate in our area and we need more.

  • Pushed MTO to communicate better about ferry service, reported on the Wolfe Islander IV and visited the company doing the Howe Island ferry refurbishment.

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A Little More:

  • ​Meeting regularly with KEDCO, talking to IESO about expanding the electrical power available to the Kingston area, for housing, for economic development, and for electrification. Helping to get IESO to review our region’s electricity needs and the opportunities we are giving up because we don’t have enough electricity.

  • Obtained briefings from MTO to press for better communications about the Wolfe Islander IV ferry, and let people in Kingston and the Islands know, on social media, what I found out. Visited the company that was refurbishing the Howe Island Ferry drive system to keep tabs on that project, and talked to MTO about plans for a new ferry.

Energy and Climate Change

Overview:

  • Leading voice in the Legislature, pushing the government to get ready faster for the clean energy transition

 

A Little More:

  • Told the Ford government to get ready, as early as possible, for electrification to replace burning fossil fuels. Advocated for upgrading local electricity grids, relying more on renewable energy, storage and conservation to save money and fight climate change.

  • Opposed Bill 165 which overruled a decision of the Ontario Energy Board, an independent board which has a mandate to protect consumers.

  • Proposed Bill 29, which gave municipalities the option to encourage new houses to not automatically have natural gas connections.

  • Led the Liberal caucus in debate on Bill 172 which finally set-up the resumption of long term energy planning in Ontario.

Disability

Overview:

  • Spoke up and presented petitions for better disability supports and caregiver respite

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In-depth:

  • Was the only MPP after the 2022 election speaking in the Legislature for an increase in the monthly income clawback threshold for ODSP recipients. Any income above $200/month faced a 50% clawback, reducing incentives to work and reducing the supply of labour that is sorely needed. In the fall economic statement that threshold was increased from $200/mo to $1000 per mo.

  • Kept track of how the Canada Disability Benefit would affect provincial disability benefits for my constituents, and asked if dentures would be covered by it (because it wasn't covered by ODSP).

  • Advocated for more resources for family (unpaid) caregiver respite.
     

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