Essex voters say deficit, gun control are their top election issues. Here's what candidates said

Essex voters have sent the NDP's Taras Natyshak to Queen's Park for the past three provincial elections, but they'll be sending a new face after June 2.

This year'sballot will be the first since 2011 that won't have Natyshak's name on it after he announced he would not seek re-election late lastyear.

The following candidates have announced they will run in Essex (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Manpreet Brar, Liberal.
• Frank Causarano, Ontario Party.
• Anthony Leardi, Progressive Conservative.
• Ron LeClair, NDP.
• Kevin Linfield, None of the Above Party.
• Danielle Sylvester, New Blue Party.
• Nicholas Wendler, Green.

CBCWindsor asked voters to weigh in on issues facing their ridings and in Essextheir focus was on the budget and gun control. CBCWindsor reached out to the candidates for their talk on the issue.

CBC News reached out to all the candidates for comment. The New Blue and Green candidate did not respond.Leardiwas not available for an interview,according to his campaign manager Armand Anderson.

Budget concerns top of mind

Frank Di Pasquale said he's noticed the way people are struggling through life right now with the increased cost of living.

He wants to know what the candidates mandate is for handling the deficit.

WATCH| Frank Di Pasquale ask about the plans for a balancedbudget:

Essex riding voter wants to know how candidates plan to balance the budget

2 years ago

Duration 0:48

Frank Di Pasquale, who lives in Amherstburg, says he worries for his grandkids future and wants to know how parties plan to balance the budget.

"There's many that believe the tax payers dollar is there to solve all the problems but it has to be wisely spent," said Di Pasquale.

How the candidates responded

Both Brar and LeClair said their parties would scrap plans to build the highly contentious Highway 413 project as a way of dealing with the deficit.

"We do have a plan to get to a balanced budget but it's down the road," said LeClair, who's party plans to run larger deficits than the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals if elected.

"We need to invest in fixing our healthcare and education first before we get to that. We have to fix those things that were broken."

Brar's Liberal government has promised to balance the budget in 2026 while running a higher deficit than the Progressive Conservativeparty plans the year after the election.

"We do have a very strong plan put together," said Brar, adding that part of the plan isto meet atarget that wouldincreasetaxes by 2 per cent for people earning more than $500,000and an additional per cent for people earning more than $1,000,000.

Causarano said the Ontario Party would look toward job creation to help balance the budget and is proposing an energy corridor between Alberta and Ontario.

"Balancing the budget means creating value in the Ontario marketplace and with that creating greater revenues that we could tax responsibly," said Causarano.

"Oh, definitely won't be balancing the budget," replied Linfield of the None of the Above party when asked how he'd handled the deficit.

"Just like the federal and provincial governments have been doing since the dawn of time, we don't need a balanced budget. We need to make sure we have the proper social programs for everybody."

Ontario last had a balanced budget in 1999.

Gun control and public safety

Mike Jenner is also worried about the deficit and what it will take to balance the provincial budget.

"We have got to ratify that, we have got to bring that to a balanced position," said Jenner.

WATCH|Mike Jenner talk about what matters to himin the lead-up to the election:

Essex riding voter wants to know the candidates plan for gun control

2 years ago

Duration 0:35

Mike Jenner, an Essex riding voter wants to know the candidates plans for public safety around guns.

The other questionhe had for candidates was about public safety around guns.

"Do you have a real plan for public safety... because it's top of mind with what's going on in the United States."

How the candidates responded

Brar pointed to her party's proposal to ban handguns in Ontario as one way of addressing public safety in the province.

"We are in favour of banning the guns because this is for safety of every single resident in the province."

LeClair said that this is a federal issue and the NDP don't have a provincial policy in place.

"I'm not even sure or convinced that the Liberal plan is even viable at the provincial level," said LeClair, a former inspector with the Windsor Police Service.

The Ontario Party candidate said that "guns don't kill people, people kill people" when asked Jenner's question.

Causarano said that what's happening in Ontario with illegal guns is a by-product of the drug culture in the province.

"We believe that the problem is mental health and substance abuse, desperate people do desperate things," said Causarano.

None of the Above candidate Linfield said that legal owners of guns should be left alone with the focus instead on taking illegal guns off the streets.

"We definitely need better police action on smuggling guns over the border and crack down on gangs," said Linfield.

Voters head to the polls June 2.