Ontario party leaders squared off Monday for their first publicized debate leading up to June 7, but noticeably absent from the conversation was issues specific to the 905, or for that matter, anywhere else in the GTA that wasn’t Toronto.
The debate aired on CityNews Monday was in Toronto, so it comes as no surprise that issues affecting the city were discussed, but with 1.4 million residents living in Peel, you have to wonder when we’ll get our chance to hear about how the three front-running parties plan to deal with issues affecting the region.
Turns out, you probably won’t find out anytime soon. Local media group Brampton Focus has been working for weeks to arrange a leadership debate in Peel that would put the spotlight on issues affecting the area. But Wynne, Horwath, and Ford all declined. The only response came from Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner, who agreed to participate.
With no mainstream television or radio channels between Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, the debate would have been available via live stream online. But even though twelve of the province’s 124 seats are at stake in Peel Region, party leaders weren’t enticed enough by the prospect to get some valuable face time with local voters.
Despite the setback, Brampton Focus will move forward with the scheduled live stream on May 14 with Schreiner and plan to discuss regional issues.
Click here to schedule a notification about the live stream.
Feature Image – Brampton Focus