Ontario opposition parties pitch policies about minimum wage, development as they gear up for election

Ontario’s main opposition parties have released major policy proposals targeting minimum-wage workers and land development as they look ahead to next June’s provincial election.

The Official Opposition New Democrats, led by Andrea Horwath, pledged Tuesday that, if elected, they would increase Ontario’s minimum wage to $16 an hour next year and by a dollar each year after that, to $20 by 2026.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party vowed to curb the excessive use of ministerial zoning orders, which override normal planning and environmental rules to spur development, with Leader Steven Del Duca promising to better protect the environment as his party looks to rebuild after a crushing loss in 2018.

At a news conference Tuesday, Ms. Horwath criticized Premier Doug Ford’s government – which holds a majority in the legislature – for its recent pledge to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour in January after scrapping plans for an increase when first elected in 2018.

Ms. Horwath said her party is taking an incremental approach to increasing the minimum wage so as not to harm small and medium-sized businesses. The NDP’s first increase would kick in Oct. 1 next year, followed by annual one-dollar increases starting May 1, 2023.

“We need to address the fact that people just can’t earn a living on the minimum wage as it stands here in Ontario,” she said. “We are the Official Opposition. We have every intention of running Doug Ford out of this province.”

Labour Minister Monte McNaughton told The Globe and Mail that his government is prioritizing workers, noting that his Working for Workers act passed with all-party support Tuesday. The bill brings in a number of changes to labour law, including recognizing foreign credentials and a ban on non-compete clauses. He said the minimum-wage increase proposed by his party would take effect each fall, tied to the consumer price index, to about $15.50 an hour by next October.

The NDP’s announcement was praised by the Ontario Federation of Labour, although other union leaders, such as Unifor’s Jerry Dias, have said a living wage is currently as high as $22 in Toronto.

Ms. Horwath, who has led her party since 2009, will face stiff competition from the Ontario Liberal Party in next June’s race. The Liberals were relegated to third place in the past election, which unseated Kathleen Wynne as premier in the party’s worst loss in history. Now, the Liberals are hoping to claw their way back.

Mr. Del Duca announced Tuesday that a Liberal government would scrap ministerial zoning orders, or MZOs, which Mr. Ford’s government has frequently used to fast-track approvals of development projects, as they cannot be appealed by residents or environmental groups. Since 2018, his government has issued 57 MZOs – more than triple the number the Liberals used in more than 15 years in power, Mr. Del Duca said.

Mr. Del Duca said a Liberal government would only fast-track provincial projects deemed “critical,” such as affordable housing, employment projects, not-for-profit long-term care homes or expansions to protected greenspaces. He said the Liberals would also add transparency measures, such as required consultations and judicial reviews, to make sure projects respect environmental protections “and aren’t being recklessly forced on communities like Doug Ford is doing now.”

“Doug Ford has weaponized MZOs and is abusing his power to attack our environment and reward the well-connected few,” he said.

The government immediately hit back, accusing the Liberals of ignoring a housing and long-term care crisis for 15 years. Zoe Knowles, a spokeswoman for Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark, listed 24 health and housing projects being built across the province as a result of MZOs. “Contrary to what Steven Del Duca claims, all MZOs issued on non-provincially owned lands come at the request of the local city council with a supporting council resolution – these are not forced on municipalities,” she said.

Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.