Hydro costs, health care top list of Sudbury voter priorities - Action News
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Sudbury

Hydro costs, health care top list of Sudbury voter priorities

While Ontario's politicians and would-be politicians rattle off long lists of things they would do if elected in June, a few people surveyed in Sudbury say their lists of priorities are short but deeply important.

Common concerns include how Ontario's most vulnerable, marginalized, can afford to live, stay healthy

These are just a few of the people CBC Sudbury spoke with on Friday, May 11. Dawn Raymond, Cecile McDonald, Kathy Falardeau and Andrew Clark share only one broad provincial election priority between them: quality, comprehensive health care for everyone. (Roger Corriveau/CBC)

While Ontario's politicians and party candidates rattle off long lists of things they willdo if elected in June, a few people surveyed in Sudbury say their lists of priorities areshort but deeply important.

"I care about heath care," said Cecile McDonald, who works in the field."Drug plans for the seniors and the working class. We have no benefits, and our prescriptions are so expensive and we can't get ahead."

Kathy Falardeau, who works in finance,echoed some of McDonald's concerns about health care and the costs of prescription drugs for seniors, but pointed to another big pocketbook issue.

"Hydro is definitely something of concern," she said. "For clients that have fixed incomes ... the increased hydro cost is a big concern to them. Everybodyshould be able to get hydro at a reasonable cost."

"We just pay too much for it," said Henry Bujak on the same issue. Asked if he feels his hydro bill would change or come down post-election: "probably not."

Dawn Raymond said child care, mental healthfunding and money for social services top her list.

"I work in the social service field ... and I'm afraidwe're going to lose the small funding that we do have."

The youngest person surveyed by CBCSudbury, 26-year-old Andrew Clark, said he's not voting at all.

"Mainly because the government doesn't really support my people, the Aboriginal and First Nations of this land."

Clark said that the health and wellness of all people is a concern for him, but "my biggest concern right now is the water,"referring to the contentiousAlberta-B.C. Trans Mountain pipeline project.

Clark said he's not hearing anything about First Nations issues or relations, nor anything about the environment from the three biggest parties and that will keep him from the voting booth altogether on June 7th.