February 25, 9am: Dear Chamber Members, we sent an e-news last week with submissions from candidates provided by last Friday. We were unable to reach NDP candidate Jim Ronholm and he contacted us and sent us his submission after that e-news. We know you want to hear from all candidates possible, so please see responses below in alphabetical order as promised to the candidates from the 3 that responded. We asked two questions: a) to share platform points that may be of particular concern in Parry Sound-Muskoka; and b) by providing a brief response to the Ontario Chamber network’s “Ontario Competes” report.

Richter, Matt – Green Party | Ronholm, Jim – NDP | Smith, Graydon – PC

IMPORTANT: Please vote. You do not need a voter’s card. Just bring ID (preferably Drivers license) or other ID proving you reside in Parry Sound-Muskoka. Visit Elections Ontario to enter your postal code to find the voting location closest to you. FIND VOTING LOCATION BY CLICKING HERE to start the process.

Response from Matt Richter, Green Party of Ontario:

Thank you for the opportunity to connect with the Chambers and business leaders of Parry
Sound-Muskoka as we approach the February 27th election. Local businesses are the
backbone of our communities, and I deeply appreciate the work you do to create jobs, support
families, and strengthen our local economy.

a) sharing platform points that may be of particular concern in Parry Sound-Muskoka;
These platform points are of particular interest to the people of Parry Sound-Muskoka as I’ve
spent 17 years listening, at doors, kitchen tables, town halls, main streets, and homes. I have
heard from families, workers, business owners, scientists, and environmental scientists. These
are the things that I’ve found resonate the most with the people of our riding and I will fight to
make these a priority at Queen’s Park. I will be the independent voice that represents our
communities.
1. Investing in Rural Healthcare
● Fighting for two new hospitals in Huntsville and Bracebridge that truly serve each
community
● Recruiting more Family Doctors and Nurse Practitioners so the 20,000 people in our
region without one can get better care close to home
● Expanding healthcare options to ensure stable and predictable funding exists for
hospice, community health hubs, aging at home care, and our long term care homes.
2. Helping You Save Money
● Stop giving hydro rebate cheques to the wealthiest Ontarians and redirect that money to
help low- and middle-income earners pay their bills
● Cut taxes for low and middle income earners under $65,000 and households making
under $100,000, saving people up to $1,700 per year
● Make homes affordable for homebuyers by removing development charges on homes,
condos and apartment units built under 2,000 sq ft within urban boundaries. Implement
an Affordable Community Fund to reimburse municipalities for lost revenue
3. Protecting Our Environment
● Safeguarding our watersheds by supporting our municipalities and business sectors in
developing multi-disciplinary tools to maintain our high quality environment
● Reverse the Ford government’s attack on Conservation Authorities, Environmental
Assessments, wetland and species protection. Strengthen and uphold the Environmental
Bill of Rights
● Working with Indigenous communities to conserve our natural areas through
co-management and sustainable resource planning
4. Funding Rural Infrastructure and Municipalities
● Investing in roads, bridges, and transit so our communities can grow safely and
sustainably
● Supporting municipalities with stable, long-term funding—not short-term band-aid fix

● Expanding high-speed internet access so families and businesses aren’t left behind
5. Investing in Our Kids
● Clear the school repair backlog so every child learns in a safe, modern classroom.
● Fully fund special education and invest in programs like school food initiatives to ensure
kids can focus on learning.
● Expand OHIP to cover mental health care so every child and educator has access to
support.
● Strengthen public education funding to reduce class sizes, support teachers, and ensure
schools meet student needs.

b) by providing a brief response to the Ontario Chamber network’s “Ontario Competes” report.
https://occ.ca/wp-content/uploads/OCC-Ontario-Competes-4-Point-Plan.pdf
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Ontario Competes report outlines important challenges
and opportunities for business competitiveness. In Parry Sound-Muskoka, businesses face
unique pressures—from labour shortages to housing affordability and infrastructure gaps—that
require bold, practical solutions. My plan addresses these concerns head-on, ensuring a
sustainable, resilient, and competitive economy for our region.
Much of our 5 Point Plan for Parry Sound-Muskoka aligns with the goals within the Ontario
Competes report. I would fight for our communities to ensure that:
● Workers can live where they work – Building affordable housing and rentals that work
for real people, not speculators. Expanding regional transit options to address labour
shortages.
● Businesses have the infrastructure they need – Prioritizing broadband expansion and
critical road and bridge upgrades to support economic growth.
● Small businesses can thrive – Cutting red tape, supporting local entrepreneurs, and
investing in sustainable industries to strengthen our local economy.
● Education and skills training match workforce needs – Expanding skilled trades
programs, apprenticeships, and partnerships with colleges and Indigenous Institutes.
I want to see a thriving, resilient economy where businesses succeed, workers can afford to live,
and our communities grow stronger. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Response from Jim Ronholm, NDP:

I’m Jim Ronholm and I’m a professor, father, coach, union leader, and veteran of the
RCAF. I bring with me a rural life and farm upbringing, but also urban experience having
lived in Ontario’s second largest city. With the leadership and management experience
from being an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, and an education in technology
and science, I believe that all problems being tackled in Ontario need to keep a focus on
people – not just CEOs and stock holders.
The Ontario NDP believe that an essential part of helping the residents of Parry Sound
– Muskoka includes helping local employers to ensure that those jobs remain in our
area. We would work with those employers, especially those most exposed to economic
threats from our southern neighbour, to open new markets for them both within Canada
by eliminating inter-provincial barriers and by using a Team Canada approach to find
new external markets. We would also introduce a “Buy Ontario” program to boost the
local market as well.
In northern Ontario we have made proposals to increase the provincial infrastructure
including a focus on highway safety and partner with municipalities to tackle their
backlog of infrastructure remediation.
We also want to tackle the glaring problems in affordability, housing, education, and
healthcare. A healthy, educated, and housed population is a source of labour for our
local businesses that might be struggling to attract employees. Today there might be
some resistance from the under-employed to move into the region and we want to
remove those barriers to make it easy for them to accept jobs in our area.
A brief response to the Ontario Chamber network’s “Ontario Competes” report.
The Ontario Competes 4-Point Plan to Support Business Competitiveness resonates
strongly with me sharing many of my own perspectives on strategies we can use to
improve the landscape for business in Parry Sound – Muskoka and the rest of Ontario.
All four of the pillars presented echo ONDP platform proposals.
In the pillar of “Competitive Business and Trade Development” the calls to remove
interprovincial trade barriers, create a Team Canada approach to find new markets and
“safeguard Ontario’s key industries” are both aligned with the ONDP platform. Ontario is
the manufacturing capital of Canada but we mustn’t lose sight of the other important
Ontario economic engines such as agriculture and forestry. Forestry in particular has
been severely impacted in the last few years and is quite exposed to US trade actions.
Ontario agriculture has the capacity to replace our reliance on US sources for food.

The ONDP recognizes the impact that our severely underfunded education system at
both the post-secondary level (of which I am intimately familiar) and also the public
school system. We propose to add money to the public school system to catch up on
deferred maintenance and to return (at a minimum) the $1500 per student cut that the
schools have been struggling with. Proper funding will allow them to bring back under-
subscribed programs and we can help channel more students into well-paying jobs in the trades
by getting them started younger. Ontario funds post-secondary institutions at the lowest level in
all of Canada. We would need a 50% increase in base funding just to catch up to the second lowest
province (Alberta). Colleges need to re-focus on programs aligned with Ontario employment needs
– but the current underfunding leads to decision making related to marketing and program
consolidation instead.

The need for “Healthy and Sustainable Communities” should be self-evident and yet
we’ve seen record numbers of hospital and ER closures, we’ve seen the homelessness
epidemic skyrocket, we’re living through a time that reliance on foodbanks is the highest
it’s ever been. Those most affected by this – precarious and low-income workers need
help. They need help to survive and they need help so that they can be even more
productive in this great province. Ontario is a rich jurisdiction – we need to help
everyone in the province benefit from that.

The last pillar of “Ontario Competes” relates to infrastructure. Besides infrastructure
being important on its own to provide a foundation for economic engines: roads and
transportation to bring materials and supplies in and products out, high-speed digital
infrastructure so that Ontario communities have access to the world’s information
economy, a reliable and sufficient electrical supply, etc. – improving our infrastructure is
also an industry of it’s own providing good jobs and reliable income for many of our
citizens for years to come.

 

Graydon Smith, Progressive Conservative

a) sharing platform points that may be of particular concern in Parry Sound-Muskoka;
and,

Since taking office in June of 2022, and during my time as a Mayor, I’ve advocated
strongly for Muskoka to be returned to the service area for the Northern Ontario
Heritage Fund. This $110 million economic development fund is critical in providing
businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities with important funding. I was
successful in achieving this goal and am thrilled to know that Muskoka businesses are
already applying for funding to help with their growth, expansion and job creation.
Members of the Muskoka Lakes Chambers of Commerce will now be eligible to apply
for funding under the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. This is a game changer for local
businesses and not-for-profit organizations across Muskoka. Only the PCs were
committed to making this change and able to get it done.
We’ve overseen the creation of 850,000 jobs in Ontario since we took office in 2018,
including nearly 200,000 this year alone. By cutting over 500 pieces of red tape and
lowering costs across the board, our government has created the conditions for
businesses to succeed and add good- paying jobs for communities across our province,
including right here in Parry Sound-Muskoka.
The PC Party is the only party in this election committed to supporting small
businesses. Our efforts to reduce red tape, cut taxes and support businesses with
critical funding support have enabled small businesses to thrive. We’ll continue to have
the backs of small businesses in Parry Sound-Muskoka and across Ontario.
We’ll continue to ensure the conditions are there for businesses to invest, expand, and
create good-paying jobs in every sector and every region of our economy.
b) by providing a brief response to the Ontario Chamber network’s “Ontario
Competes” report.

The PC Party has a plan to invest over $190 billion into critical community-building
infrastructure projects. Our government made historic investments into the skilled trades
to enable the training and certification of more tradespeople. We’re fighting back hard
against President Trump’s tariffs to protect Ontario small businesses and jobs.
Our government is investing $190.2B in infrastructure over the next 10 years, including
$26.2B in 2024-25 to build highways, transit, hospitals, long-term care homes, schools,

child-care spaces, and other critical infrastructure necessary for keeping Ontario strong.
Through partnership with the federal government a total of $10.2B has been invested
through the ‘Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP)’ in transit, green,
community, culture and recreation, rural and northern and other priority infrastructure
under this program. We recognize that these communities are facing urgent critical
infrastructure and rehabilitation needs to address the housing supply crisis and safety
concerns associated with Ontario’s dated infrastructure.

Over the coming decade, Ontario is expected to grow by more than two million people.
We need to build the infrastructure to keep up with our growing province. That’s why
we’re also saying YES to building more transit. We’re investing nearly $28 billion to get
drivers out of gridlock and keep goods and people moving by building more highways.
I’ll continue to work side-by-side with our local chambers of commerce to ensure I’m
hearing directly from local business owners about the things that matter most to them. I
was a small business owner myself and appreciate how critically important they are to
our local prosperity.