Ontario NDP promises new hospital, construction of 1.5 million new homes in 10 years

Ontario's New Democrats are promising to expandan urgent care centre in Brampton and build a new hospital in the city if elected to form government in June.

Party Leader Andrea Horwath says the growing Toronto-area community hasn't had its fair share of health facilities and her party wants to change that.

The NDP says it would pay for an expansion of Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness that would include a 24-hour emergency department.

Horwath says timelines and costs for various projects will be included in her party's costed platform, which she has repeatedly said is coming soon.

She pledged, however, that work on the projects would start"immediately."

Brampton residents 'ripped off,' says Horwath

"People in Brampton have waited too long and they've been rippedoff," she said at the Friday announcement hosted outside BramptonCivic Hospital, the city's only full-service hospital.

"We're not going to rip off the people of Brampton, we're going to get these things done because they deserve no less. They deserveto have their healthcare needs addressed."

Brampton, a city with a population of 656,480 as of the 2021census that's home to many essential frontline workers, was hitparticularly hard by COVID-19.

The impact of the pandemic has prompted renewed calls forgovernments to address the relative dearth of health-care servicesin the community.

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford also made several health-care focused stops in the city in the lead-up to the election call, including a promise to establish a new medical school in Brampton.

Navjit Kaur said her community's healthcare needs factored intoher decision to run as the NDP's candidate in Brampton West.

The registered respiratory therapist said she treated familiessick with COVID-19 during the pandemic who had to be separated dueto lack of local resources, with some people transferred as far away as London, Ont.

"It was devastating," she said after the announcement. "That's one of the things that motivated me to run, to make sure we're helping the people in Brampton and making sure this does not happenagain."

Kaur said she has also treated people in the community with long COVID who have severe complications after being infected with the virus, and said having more local health facilities would hopefully help those patients with their long-term needs.

Plan to make buying a home more affordable

Also on Friday, the New Democrats detailed their housing policyincluding a plan to spur the construction of 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years if elected.

Horwath said her housing plan, which would see a net cost of $3.7 billion over the first four years, aims to make it more affordablefor families to have their own home, not speculators wanting to make a fortune.

"I want you to hold onto your dreams of home ownership," she said. "We have a plan that will give you a lifeline, that will give you that chance to be able to own your own home."

Horwath's goal of 1.5 million homes is the same number recommended by a government-commissioned task force report earlierthis year, and she said it would include a mix of starter homes, purpose-built rentals and affordable housing units.

They also promise to establish HousingOntario, a body that would finance and build at least 250,000 affordable and non-market rental homes over 10 years, operated by public, non-profit and co-op housing providers.

The New Democrats also said they would provide help for first-time home buyers, including giving people from households with incomes under $200,000 access to home equity loans of up to 10 per cent of the purchase price to help with their down payment.