With the Ontario election just days away, NDP leader Marit Stiles is gearing up for a fierce competition.
In an insightful interview with Now Toronto last week, Stiles opened up about her vision for the province, highlighting her platform’s key policies and priorities within the first 100 days if elected as premier. Stiles dived into the opposition she faces with Premier Doug Ford’s leadership, which she believes has failed to put Ontarians first.
But the conversation stretches beyond politics; Stiles also shares a glimpse into her personal life, revealing what fuels her passion, her hobbies outside of her job, and the moments that keep her grounded.
According to Stiles, here’s what an NDP Ontario would look like.
STILES CRITICIZES DOUG FORD’S ‘BAD DEALS’
Stiles slammed Ford for his multiple “bad” deals that she says has cost Ontarians. From the Greenbelt scandal to the multi-million dollar Therme spa project headed to Ontario Place, she criticized the PC leader for putting his “eggs in the basket of big developers.”
Calling the mega spa deal “outrageous,” Stiles said as premier, she would cancel it.
“There might be a penalty fee… it’s not gonna cost as much as this terrible deal that he’s negotiated,” she said.
“Most people won’t be able to use [the spa] because it’s going to be expensive, and nobody asked for it. And, it’s going to be a 99-year lease. For goodness sake, it’s ridiculous! It’s a terrible deal. So, we’re going to tear up that deal.”
She also accused Ford of announcing massive transit projects that he’ll never commit to opening, pointing towards the Eglinton LRT which is entering its 14th year of construction.
After recently announcing his plans to build a tunnel under Hwy. 401 to combat traffic gridlock, Stiles calls it another one of his “terrible ideas.”
“I think it’s another fantasy project of his at our vanity… I’ve talked to engineers who specialize in these things who say this is just the worst idea. It’s not possible,” she said.
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HOW STILES WILL MAKE ONTARIO MORE AFFORDABLE
Moving from Newfoundland to Ontario more than 30 years ago, Stiles says Ontario is not the same province that it used to be. With rising costs affecting the daily life of residents, she says her first order of business would be to bring back rent control, in places where rent has increased between 38 per cent to 50 per cent over the years.
She also said the NDP is proposing Homes Ontario, an initiative that aims to build 1.5 million units in the province over the next 10 years. According to the plan, 350,000 of those units would be truly affordable housing, focussing on affordable rent geared to low-income earners, which she says is what’s really missing in Ontario.
About 60,000 units would become supportive housing, she says, to help get people living in encampments off of the streets.
“The solution to homelessness is housing,” she said.
“The problem is there isn’t a lot of that supportive housing with wraparound supports for people who are suffering as well with things like mental health and addiction challenges or disabilities. So, we need to build that kind of housing as well.”
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Stiles also said she would introduce a grocery rebate program, a plan to tackle the food insecurity crisis she says she’s witnessed first-hand across Ontario, describing it as a “real game changer.”
“If you’re in a lower-middle income bracket, which a lot of people are, you’re going to qualify to get some money back every month to help you,” she explained.
“A family of four would get about $120 in the mail a month, a cheque to help offset the cost. So, that’s really money in your pocket that you can spend on food.”
The NDP leader also said she would look into lowering car insurance premiums by cracking down on postal code discrimination, a tactic insurance companies use to increase prices depending on where the applicant lives, as well as cell phone charges.
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To keep everything in check, Stiles says the NDP would implement a consumer watchdog in Ontario to keep tabs on price gouging by the big retailers, which would disincentivize companies from raising their prices.
STILES’S PLEDGES TO HIRE MORE DOCTORS
Stiles says the growing health-care crisis is an issue she holds close to her heart, after witnessing her parents fall victim to hallway health care on multiple occasions. It’s a story many Ontarians face, she says, one that is preventable.
“I find it tragic to think, not only are the people being treated there in the hallway, being treated in a hallway with little to no privacy, but also, those health-care workers have to go and deliver some pretty awful news to people in those situations,” she said.
“That’s just devastating for everyone. And it shouldn’t have to be like this.”
Stiles proposed that the NDP will invest in public health care by hiring 3,500 doctors, and ensure that everyone in Ontario has a family doctor within the next four years.
She also said the NDP will work towards modernizing the workspace for doctors, who often complain about the burden of administrative paperwork.
Nurses will also benefit from Stiles implementing better nurse-to-patient ratios, meaning that a nurse would only be expected to see a certain number of patients per shift.
“Things like that bring back some respect and better work balance for nurses and for other health-care workers,” she said.
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STILES WANTS TO PROTECT ONTARIO
With eyes on the U.S. administration threatening to enforce tariffs, Stiles describes President Donald Trump’s actions towards Canada with one word: hurtful.
“Everything he does is aimed at hurting someone… like hurting people that are already pretty vulnerable,” Stiles said.
“I think we will be impacted by a lot of this. I think it’s selfish what he’s doing… he’s throwing a lot of policies and things out there that are very hurtful all at one time to kind of shock everyone, so that those of us who want to maybe help people or stop some of this don’t know which direction to go in first.
Stiles shares that her course of action to protect Ontario wouldn’t necessarily involve the U.S. at all.
“We have to have a good trade relationship with [the U.S.], but I think we have to look at other friends. I think we have to look at our other Democratic allies around the world, get a little closer to those relationships… I think it’s really, really important that we not be as reliant as we are on the United States in the future,” she said.
“I want to look at, what I call it, tariff-proofing Ontario.”
GET TO KNOW MARIT STILES
Outside of politics, Stiles loves some good old-fashioned entertainment.
She says on the campaign trail, her team has been keeping the playlist Canadian, listening to loads of songs from The Weeknd and Shania Twain.
Many might not know, but Stiles dabbles in karaoke from time to time. Her favourite artist to grab the mic to? It’s Eminem!
But admittedly, she says her two daughters aren’t fans of her tunes.
“They say, ‘Mom, you don’t listen to good music.’ And I think it’s true,” she laughed.
“I probably listen to more podcasts and stuff, especially the last few years, than I do music.”
With her kids, however, she loves kicking back to watch reality television shows like Canada’s Drag Race, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and Love on the Spectrum.
While travelling on the road for her campaign, Stiles revealed that an Ontario city she adores is Paris, which she describes as “really pretty.” But no city comes close to Thunder Bay, she says.
“I kind of find it interesting to go to the big industrial towns… I also really love the location of Thunder Bay. It is so beautiful on the shores of Lake Superior. And then you have this big mountain, the Sleeping Giant… it’s pretty amazing.”
If she got the chance to take another party candidate out for a drink, Stiles initially said she would choose Green Party leader Mike Schreiner. She said they share many things in common.
But, she then decided to change her answer.
“I would take Doug Ford out for a beer or drink. I don’t think he drinks actually, but I’d take him out,” she said.
“There’s a lot of things I’d like to talk to him about, actually. And I think he needs to sit down and listen a little bit to what we’re hearing from people in Ontario.”
In all, Stiles said her motivation for running as leader of the NDP was due to the low voter turnout in the last provincial election (a total of 44 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots), which she attributed to a voters’ lack of faith in the politicians. She assures this time around, there’s hope, and she urges Ontarians to head to the polls.
“Don’t give up on the process and the potential here, because your vote matters in this election. Doug Ford called this election in the middle of winter thinking people weren’t going to vote. Your vote matters. It has a lot of power,” she stressed.
“We can change things, and we can elect a government that’s on your side and a premier on your side, and I’ll be on your side.”
