Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne laid out the Liberal party's official campaign platform on Sunday. Here are some highlights from the plan:
-- balance the budget by 2017-18.
-- create a 10-year $2.5 billion Jobs and Prosperity Fund to partner with industries poised for growth. Measures include $10 million for a nine-month paid community work and service program to help graduating high school students, and $5 million in grants for the next two years for new small-scale manufacturers.
-- invest $15 billion in transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, including the electrification of GO Transit commuter trains and a downtown Toronto subway relief line.
-- invest $14 billion in roads, bridges, highways and other transit projects outside the GTHA including $1 billion to support the development of the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario with or without financial help from the federal Conservatives.
-- provide up to $230 million to expand access to natural gas in underserved communities, including agricultural communities
-- increase taxes for individuals earning more than $150,000.
-- increase the minimum wage to $11 on June 1, 2014 and index it to inflation after that.
-- create an Ontario retirement pension plan which could be integrated into a CPP expansion in the future.
-- guarantee that every Ontarian has access to a primary care provider.
-- continue to reduce health care wait times, focusing on referrals to specialists.
-- provide health care that's more "culturally appropriate," such as food and better translation services
-- fund 20 more hospices
-- cap or cut hospital parking fees for those who visit the facilities frequently
-- continue to expand the scope of practice for nurses and pharmacists.
-- improve math scores and help kids be more active through 60 minutes of physical activity connected to their school day.
-- provide wage increases to child care workers outside the public school system.
-- continue the 30 per cent off tuition grant for post secondary education.
-- promise to build new campuses and create spaces for 15,000 more post secondary students in Ontario.
-- increase the number of apprentices training in Ontario.