Hello to all my friends!

We are standing here in front of a beautiful water court. There are a lot of us here today in Heritage Park, and it's great to see so many of you. You know, I often come here, in this park, and in the surrounding areas to enjoy the beauty and the calm of the water. I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoys this beautiful city and its surroundings. Thousands of Ontarians travel to visit barrie, muskoka, kawartha lakes and haliburton every year, and I understand them. We are facing some beautiful scenery.

Today, I would like to talk about an issue that affects all Ontarians but affects this city even more. Barrie is one of the top 5 most expensive cities to live in Ontario, and more and more families are struggling to afford rent in Barrie. The New Democratic Party has a clear commitment to reduce the cost of rent. We propose to construct 250,000 affordable non-market

rental units over the next decade, but also to tax speculators, vacant units, and foreign buyers, we'll bring in a 10% tax on idle developers as well as a 5% annual vacancy and speculation tax on all vacant residential units. These measures will not only generate some revenue for the government, but will also ensure that we have affordable housing in our cities. The New Democratic Party is working for you, to put people first. In contrast, the other candidates support ideas that would increase rents. The Green Party support eliminating rent control, which will make barrie an even more expensive place to rent and make life harder for thousands of renters in the city. We understand the housing issue, and we are doing everything we can to help. The Green Party seems to be doing the opposite. The same is true for many other anti-inflation measures, where an NDP government would make sure to take concrete action to fight inflation and its effects on Ontarians, the exact opposite of the Green Party.

Inflation and the fact that many families can't make ends meet also affects the local economy. Many families and individuals come to visit our beautiful city and region. With inflation continuing to rise and its effect already being felt by Ontarians, the tourism industry, a major economic driver in the region, is already beginning to suffer. Ensuring that Ontarians have money in their pockets can help stimulate the economy while ensuring that situations are not precarious.

Now you understand what is at stake in this election. The new Democratic Party needs this seat to make this government work. You are the riding that decides the fate of the government that will govern Ontario for the next while. We need to choose a government that will put people first, that will restore confidence in our public institutions and services, that will fight rising rents effectively, that will tackle climate change: In short, it is up to you to choose a government that will represent your interests. That government, the one that wants to put people first, is the ONDP.

Thank you,