It might be a new riding with redrawn boundaries, but Ann Hoggarth says she plans to run on the experience gained in the last four years as Barrie’s MPP.
For the upcoming provincial election, set for June 7, the city of Barrie will be divided in two, with Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte to the north and Barrie-Innisfil to the south.
Hoggarth, who lives in south-end Barrie, is running for the Liberals in Barrie-Innisfil, where she is up against Andrea Khanjin (Progressive Conservatives), Bonnie North (Green Party) and Pekka Reinio (New Democrats).
Hoggarth has been out knocking on doors to hear what people have to say ahead of the election.
“We’ve been out a couple of days and this is going to be a close election, I believe,” she said. “We’re going to have to work hard and I intend on doing that.
“We’ve worked hard for these last four years for Barrie, and I intend to do that for Barrie-Innisfil,” Hoggarth added. “I believe very much that people who run for MPP positions should live in the area that they want to represent.”
The recent Liberal budget earmarked more money for child-care spaces, hospitals, health care, mental health, pharmacare and making post-secondary education more affordable.
Cynics might say a lot of carrots are being dangled by the governing Liberals ahead of the election.
“Well, I haven’t seen anyone else’s platform, have you? At this time of the year, at budget time, there are always carrots being dangled, there are always things being offered, because that’s what a budget does,” she said.
In talking to Ontarians both across the province as well as here at home, Hoggarth says health-care funding remains the top priority.
The Liberals have made several local health-care funding announcements, most recently to help alleviate overcrowding at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.
“The people of Innisfil also use those services and everyone needs good health care,” said Hoggarth, noting areas such as mental-health services and cardiac care.
Rapid growth is one of the biggest concerns facing Barrie-Innisfil in the coming years.
“Every riding up in this area, the challenges are with the very fast growth,” said Hoggarth, adding there's also an aging population with a growing number of seniors.
As with most services, Hoggarth said it’s important that seniors receive the proper care.
“They helped us build this great province and we want to make sure they’re as comfortable and stress-free as possible in their homes, in long-term care or wherever they may be living,” she said.
At the other end of the spectrum, growth also means more families and high school-aged children.
“We want to make that the south-Barrie secondary school is built as quickly as possible,” said Hoggarth, a former elementary school teacher and past president of the Simcoe County Elementary Teachers Federation. “It’s basically three years behind the other two schools in the county that were given the money at the same time.
“The people in south-Barrie and the Innisfil area deserve to have that up as quickly as possible and I’m working very hard to make that happen," she added.
Hoggarth said she has also been working with municipal officials in Innisfil to ensure the town’s growth plan is put in place.
“We have to make sure it’s implemented and also protect valuable green space and agricultural land,” she said.
Hoggarth says a riding with more rural areas won’t change how she’ll campaign.
“I’ve lived in this area all my life and have been with other candidates who had to campaign rurally,” she said. “It is different. We have to reach them in different ways. Walking the concession roads isn’t going to cut it.”
As parts of Innisfil become more urbanized, it shouldn’t be much different than walking Barrie’s subdivisions.
“Reaching out to the people of Innisfil is very important and that I know what their priorities are,” Hoggarth said. “I know they are very thankful that we’ve brought them a GO station that will help a lot of people get to and from their jobs in Toronto.
“We’re going to be improving the GO train service and I think that’s very important to families as well and widening (Highway) 400,” she added. “A lot of people go down that corridor from Innisfil and south-Barrie.”
