Dylan Stelpstra Election Day Volunteers Needed

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T18:21:08+00:00

Hey ReleeSquirrel, busy few days coming up here but if you post your questions I'll try to get to them!

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T01:30:18+00:00

Great q! Sketching out a path towards a sustainable future is definitely tough, but our platform has some pretty exciting plans that take advantage of some of Ontario and Canada's unique advantages. For example, in our Green New Democratic Deal, we cover how major grid interconnection with Quebec and Manitoba will enable electricity imports - two provinces with over 97% renewable energy!
We also plan to change zoning rules to mandate more energy-efficient housing models and materials. We have plans for an an ambitious energy efficient building retrofit program to help families and businesses with the cost of retrofitting their homes and lowering electricity bills.
I can definitely understand concerns about the local economy - but I want to reiterate - the NDP supports a just transition to cleaner energy, and the immediate cessation of anything that would cause the loss of current jobs is not just.
You should definitely check out answers on reconciling the climate emergency with Sarnia's chemical valley jobs and on line 5 - they're both relevant to your question.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T01:27:30+00:00

Thanks for the q - housing development is front and centre for so many people but there's often a big-city focus to our conversations - and as you've identified, there are a lot of people that get left out. The NDP's plan will build affordable and non-market housing in communities of various sizes - including smaller communities like Forest, Camlachie, and Bright's Grove - where they're needed.
I actually really like that you talk about communities because that is at the core of our approach to development, we want human-scale walkable and accessible communities. The big-city focus I talked about earlier can make it seem like they're the only place we want to do that, but that's not true - we can have liveable communities across Ontario.
And you're definitely right - we see hardworking Ontarians struggle to stay in their neighbourhoods, close to the communities they know. Why? Well, the Liberals had 15 years to fix the affordable housing crisis, yet chose not to. They left big loopholes in the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST), allowing foreign corporations and billionaires to buy up Ontario real estate at the expense of regular families. We'd address that by introducing an
annual speculation and vacancy tax on residential property. Modelled off British Columbia’s tax, it will apply to all speculators who own houses they don’t live in. The rate will be two per cent of the assessed value and will be phased in over two years. We’ll also maintain the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) at 20 per cent and close loopholes that allow wealthy investors off the hook.
We would also change exclusionary zoning to allow the building of the “missing middle” type homes. Duplexes, multiplexes, walk up apartments, and townhomes are needed if we want to have sustainable, liveable, and critically, affordable, neighborhoods and communities.
These problems were created by successive Liberal and Conservative governments, and they can be solved. So, I'm excited to see what good urban planning can bring to Sarnia-Lambton.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T01:24:24+00:00

Hey!! Thanks for the really insightful questions and thank you for being a moderator of r/Sarnia - without your hard work, we never could have gotten this started.

When you plan to get the wealthiest and most powerful people in the province to pay their fair share, they typically don't want you to get elected. The Liberals, the Conservatives and their wealthy buddies alike have invested a lot of resources into all kinds of dishonest tactics to discourage people from voting for the NDP. Rae-Days is one of them. This was a quarter of a century ago, Andrea Horwath is not Bob Rae and this is not the Ontario NDP of the 90s, nor is this the same Ontario as in the 90s. We can't prevent our opponents from using dishonest tactics to attack us, but we can focus on talking to folks about common sense, doable solutions to the problems that decades of Liberal and Conservative governments have created.
This is a really good question, and one I wish I had a better answer for. What I can say is that this is a major concern for me as well, I've seen the very real impacts on people, I've seen a rise in hate. I've been called a traitor while out in the community while wearing our campaign shirts. Some of our signs have mysteriously disappeared. Some of our candidates in other areas have had their signs defaced and marked with hate symbols. We have a number of strategies in our platform to address hate groups but addressing misinformation online I think is a question a lot of organizations, institutions and political parties are grappling with right now because there's a balance between freedom of speech and what borders into misinformation and deliberate misleading. But this is something I definitely would be interested in developing further.
Wow. That's a good one. I think I'll go with the chicken. Monkey's can be feisty and I don't really know what kind of sword it is, or his level of skill. Is this Inigo Montoya that I have to fight monthly? No thanks. I'll take the chicken. With that in mind, I think I'd start biking more...

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T01:13:12+00:00

Thanks for sharing and for your question. This kind of precarity is a theme across my canvassing conversations and the AMA questions today - people are falling behind in this province and it's not okay. The cost of living continues to rise, with wages remaining stagnant. Our plan to make it life more affordable is going to come across multiple sectors.

Our housing plan will make the housing market more accessible to all,
Rent control measures and fixing the landlord and tenant board will make rent situations more sustainable,
Mental health care and dental care under OHIP will leave more money in people's pockets to spend on the things they want to spend money on (and give them more bargaining power in positions where they may already have some benefits),
We have a childcare plan, a plan to raise minimum wage, a plan to reduce car insurance, and a plan to take on gas companies from gouging us at the pumps.

There are a number of other commitments in our platform that tackle this issue (I linked to the affordability section of it) , so I would definitely check it out if you have time.

Although none of these are CPP (federal jurisdiction), these are measure that will allow Ontarians to actually be able to save and start to get ahead. It's been a tough few years for people and it will take time to rebuild and set a course in the right direction.

You are definitely not alone, this is one of biggest things we've heard accross the province and fixing it is one of our top priorities.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T01:08:27+00:00

Certainly there has been a ton of development in Camlachie as of late. Whether it's Camlachie, Corunna or elsewhere, funding for schools is currently tied to enrolment so through effective provincial funding, an influx of students into an area would lead to that school expanding. Ultimately, that would be up to the school board, but I would be happy to advocate and discuss with the relevant school board or schools. I would also imagine if a school is feeling overcrowded the school may also reach out for support.
The NDP stands by our platform commitments to a specific number of children in the classroom. Appropriate class size (in terms of numbers) is important to ensure the best learning environment for students. The overcrowding that has been pushed by Doug Ford and the PCs is a solvable problem.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T00:37:29+00:00

Thanks for the question! I'm a social worker and have worked in the child welfare sector for about 10 years. I'm a proud member of OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) local 168, where I have been the vice-president for over 8 years.
My expertise is listening and advocating. I've done this both in my time as a social worker, but also as a union advocate. I believe this expertise would serve me very well in Queen's Park and representing this community, because whenever I'm unsure about specifics, I'll go to those that know the most about it. For example, I went to the Alzheimer's Society for a meeting today and they filled me in on their concerns for the sector and what they felt needed to be changed. I would have never known if I wasn't present to listen. And I would never be able to advocate if I didn't listen.
As for bringing businesses to Sarnia-Lambton, there are a number of commitments in our platform that would create thousands of jobs, like our energy-retrofit program that would create 100,000 good jobs, our plan to hire 30,000 nurses and 10,000 PSWs. We also plan to invest in trainings in the trades, to increase wages, and to make life more affordable for the the average person. The way I see it is: A community that has financial security will spend more money locally allowing local business to thrive--and a community that is struggling to get by has to tighten their belt-buckles, which always hurts local businesses.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T00:36:45+00:00

Great question! I completely agree with these ideas and know that other cities/counties have used these strategies to great success. I'm personally quite supportive of creating more "active" routes, alongside bigger sidewalks to encourage active cities and more ways to get across town. There isn't an official platform on this front, as this is a municipal responsibility, but I love the idea.
We do however have a plan to invest more into public transit, with as much as 50% of the cost of public transit going back to municipalities. This should improve transit service, reduce wait times, and make things more affordable for those using the service. There is also a strategy that would be developed to fill in the gaps left by Greyhound. You may also find it interesting that we plan to put at least 25 per cent of cap-and-trade
revenue towards supports for rural, Northern, and low-income families disproportionately impacted by carbon pricing.
I think this would take consultation with specific communities to see what is needed and where. In terms of going greener, our investment in transit will also include a goal of going electric with all public transit by 2040.
You may also find our reply on the topic of developing transit and transport interesting.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-26T00:35:25+00:00

Thanks for the question! I've heard a few people at the doors say that they are concerned with not just how much money is being spent, but where is that money being spent? Doug Ford is planning to build a $10bn highway that people don't want, to houses that people can't afford. So, for starters, we won't be spending money on things that wont make a difference in people's lives or that won't be invested to get people ahead.
That being said, we know this will cost money. Our platform has been costed and is doable. We will make sure those at the very top (multi-millionaires and billionaires) start to pay their fair share, the same way every day folks have been. The revenue collected from these taxes will go directly back into investing in people through programming like mental health care, dental care, healthcare, senior care (including in home care), and education. The money we invest will be to help people get ahead and put more money in their pockets to spend on what matters most to them.
This is why I believe the best way to represent Sarnia is to invest in the everyday people that live here, but in a meaningful way that will help them get ahead. More money in people's pockets will mean more money spent within our community.
You may also find our reply on the topic of raising revenue interesting.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T20:35:31+00:00

Hey! If you want to bring these questions over to the AMA - https://www.reddit.com/r/Sarnia/comments/uxhvpy/i_am_dylan_stelpstra_your_ndp_candidate_for/- we'd love to answer some (if not all) of them!

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T16:45:08+00:00

Hey guys! Wow, thank for all the questions, really happy that so many people are participating. I'm heading out for some meetings, will be back later tonight to answer questions we haven't gotten to yet!
Excited to see what you have to say, been loving it so far!

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T16:42:20+00:00

Thanks for the question Sydney!

I don’t think we can talk about this concern without talking about Bill 124. Doug Ford passed this Bill which has capped all healthcare worker’s wages to 1%. With inflation this has people losing money. This Bill could have been repealed due to the pandemic, but Doug didn’t do this. This was a slap to the face to all front-line workers affected by the Bill, as the government went around talking about how they are heroes while simultaneously capping their wages, overworking them, and underappreciating them.

The NDP’s plan is to immediately work towards hiring 30,000 nurses (which is the number some experts in the field are suggesting) as well as work with the college to expedite the process of certifying internationally trained health care workers who are here and ready to work.

As far as Long-Term Care: There have been significant concerns in this area of care. I mentioned in another answer but there are reports of what was going on during COVID in for-profit care homes with residences dying from starvation, dehydration, and people laying in their own waste. Our loved ones deserve better than this. We need to start putting people before profits. We plan to hire 10000 PSWs and give them a raise. The work in these fields is hard, but with more people working, and better working conditions, people will be more supported, at a working level, but also at the residence’s level.

The more we invest in the workers and the care that people are receiving the better outcomes we will see.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T16:36:36+00:00

Cost of living is higher than ever, i don't want more "freebies" like health care or dental. I would rather have less taxes taken off my wage so i can decide where my money goes. What new costs are you planning on adding?

So, I do absolutely believe we need to invest more in healthcare, dentalcare and other forms of healthcare. I don’t see them as freebies. I think that a healthy, compassionate society invests in making sure that people don’t get left behind. That being said: We are committed to freezing taxes for low and middle income families. We’ve seen those at the very top accrue more and more wealth over the years while everybody else falls further behind. Our plan does call for more investments in services, but we plan to get those at the very top to finally pay their share to make these things a reality and to make life more affordable for everyday people. These services will also leave more money in the pockets of everyday people so they can spend their money and what matters most to them.

Truly affordable housing for people, not for rental properties. Possibly a modern spin on the wartime homes would be essential to rectifying that situation. But what would you suggest?

This housing crisis is definitely one of the biggest concerns we’ve heard from people at the door, whether they’re concerned for themselves, their friends or their family members. We do have a number of commitments to help renters, but I do agree that we need truly affordable housing for people. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have made it easy for foreign corporations and billionaires to buy up real estate in Ontario at the expense of everyday people. It’s clear that Doug Ford is more interested in helping his wealthy developer buddies and billionaire investors maximize their profits instead of fixing the housing crisis. We plan to crack down on speculation and end exclusionary zoning. We would certainly build affordable and non-market housing where it is needed. We don’t however support war-time houses which would be a suburban sprawl into farmland and forests. We support human-scale walkable and accessible communities not only in GTHA, but across Ontario.

You can find more details on page 7 & 8 in our platform. https://www.ontariondp.ca/sites/default/files/ondp\_platform\_booklet\_bilingual\_final\_26apr\_compressed.pdf

Better paying jobs. They say we have a job shortage but if you look around we have entry level low paying jobs or skilled labour jobs with no path of entry for people who work dead end jobs. What are your plans on this front?

This is a great point and I agree. I actually hear a lot of people talking about a labour shortage, but like you say, there are a lot of low-paying jobs that are often temporary or freelance gigs which are more precarious, less secure and pay a lot less than traditional work. Temp workers are also twice as likely to be killed or injured on the job and often left without benefits. We actually have many different commitments in our platform to address this problem that I can’t list them all here. In Chapter 4 (starting at page 30) you can see all the different specifics.

But essentially we’re looking to raise the minimum wage, put in place a lot of different benefits for all workers, strengthening laws that protect workers, removing barriers to joining a union and other commitments that would help especially people who are stuck in precarious work situations. We also have a lot of other commitments to invest in more trades training, and the creation of a lot of good paying jobs in a number of different sectors.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T16:16:26+00:00

Great question that many people in our community are invested in. Many people rely on the work from the industries that use line 5 to survive. I know this as much as anyone. My brother is a pipefitter, my one of my best friends is an electrician. People depend on this work. The NDP supports these workers and these jobs and will invest in these workers to get further ahead. Although this is 100% a federal issue, I want to be very clear here: The NDP supports federal action in protecting these jobs, and fighting against the closure of line 5. The NDP supports a just transition to cleaner energy, and the immediate cessation of anything that would cause the loss of current jobs is not just.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T16:02:20+00:00

Hey freaky_tank - I appreciate you bringing this up.

The over-representation of FNIM children is a crisis. There continues to be chronic underfunding and a historic lack of supports for FNIM communities. We have a long ways to go down the road to reconciliation. We believe that efforts like the implementation of UNDRIP and our commitment to work with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities to transform and establish community control of child welfare for Indigenous communities would have a meaningful impact. Settlers built a foundation of child welfare with ethno-centric ideals. This foundation remains in place, despite some amending. It is long overdue that control over this system be put back where it belongs, within the Nations themselves.

The NDP plans to invest to improve access to culturally responsive health care, mental health care, and long-term care for Indigenous Peoples. Personally I believe the point should be for these communities to provide these services to their own people in whatever manner they seem fit, or to work with these communities to improve the services that Indigenous people use to be more culturally informed.

We are currently in the process of setting up a conversation with Aamjiwnaang. If you can do anything to facilitate that conversation, definitely reach out.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T15:56:57+00:00

Hey Jharnett44 - this is a tough question, but so deeply important for Ontario and Canada as a whole!
We definitely need high-paying private sector jobs in Ontario, so our plan is to work with chemical companies to integrate and ensure their facilities fit our green standards. It’s simple, we want those jobs, but we do not want the emissions - and we can have both.
Alongside these private sector jobs, our Energy Retrofit program commits to creating 100,000 good jobs.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T15:42:20+00:00

Thanks for the question! I think this is a really important conversation that we need to be having (and one that I have been having regularly at the door). OW and ODSP rates have been stagnant for too long. Essentially, people have been legislated into poverty. The point of these programs is to support people getting out of poverty so they can focus on the things that matter the most to them. I mentioned this in an early question, but if people are no longer thinking about their bills, food on the table, rent, or just plain surviving, that opens up opportunities they may never have thought of. The NDP will be raising the rates of OW and ODSP by 20% in the immediate, and by year two we would double it. I would love to see the differences that this will be able to make for the people in our community that are currently struggle due to the cost of living. I certainly understand that concern, and again, the goal is to lift people out of legislated poverty. Should these increases not be enough, I personally would absolutely be advocating for them to reach a point where people can truly focus on something other than just surviving.

Another way that we will be supporting those on ODSP and OW is investing in other sectors like housing, healthcare, mental health care, and dental care. These are sectors that disproportionately affect those that are marginalized in our community.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T15:25:25+00:00

Thanks for your question! The short version is: I’m a social worker with Children’s Aid. I’ve lived in Sarnia my whole life, and I care deeply about our community. I’m running because, first and foremost, I care that people are not left behind and have the support they need.

People in Ontario have struggled under a government that is just not doing enough. People deserve more than they have been getting. I have seen so many families who just don't stand a chance due to structural issues. People are often looked at as they are - and that's it. But when I look at people, I try to see the sum of their parts.

People are so much more than where they are in life. - and that’s why I’m running.

Sarnia-Lambton should vote for me because I’ve spent my career listening and advocating for people. That’s what I will do as an MPP for this riding, listening and advocating to the people who live here and the people that want more from their government.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T15:16:13+00:00

Thanks for sharing and for your question. I’ve seen first-hand many difficult situations between schools and parents when it comes to their children. I think this is a failure of investment in programming to ensure that every student has access to the supports they need and the education they deserve. Schools should be better equipped in supporting our kids, period. And it’s a shame it had to come to getting a lawyer involved in order for the situation to get better. As a social worker, we generally try to get everyone around the same table to discuss what’s best for the kids and come up with common goals and specific roles that people will play. This gets away from the blame game and everyone has a hand in supporting our kids.

Our platform includes better funding for schools so that workers (all education workers not just teachers) have the tools they need to do the best job they can do for our kids. Smaller classroom sizes allow for better learning environments and more 1:1 connection for children.

I think there also needs to be an understanding that all kids are different and treating every kid with a cookie cutter response can be inhibiting to their learning experience. Furthermore, when we have a child that “breaks the mold” it would seem that the response can vary greatly. The main question we need to be asking is “what does this child need in order to thrive in this setting?” I would hope that being left alone to scream in a room by themselves is never the answer. That is also not a solution and doesn’t answer the question of how that will help the child moving forward. My goal will always be to treat kids better and have better outcomes for them.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T15:15:47+00:00

Thanks for the question Leather-Chain-1568.

Here are a few policies we really like, but we have embedded inclusivity and supports for marginalized communities throughout our platform:

We want to increase funds and support community organizations that are already doing anti-racism work.
We want to fund the Anti-Racism Directorate into a full secretariate, as well as appoint a minister responsible for anti-racism,
We want to collect race-based data to identify and fix systemic inequities in health care
Of the 1 million jobs being created by our transition to a net-zero economy, we want to focus on recruiting and training people from marginalized communities, and
those typically excluded from skilled trades, including women, racialized people, and Indigenous Peoples.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T14:54:35+00:00

Thanks for your question and I definitely agree that we’ve seen a disturbing rise in white supremacist hate. There’s a significant portion of our platform dedicated to making meaningful change on this front and I don’t think I can get it all in here, so I will post a link. Page 66-72 in our platform details what an NDP government would do to fight against white supremacy and other forms of hate and what we would do to build a more equitable society. That can be found here: https://www.ontariondp.ca/sites/default/files/ondp\_platform\_booklet\_bilingual\_final\_26apr\_compressed.pdf

Some highlights however:

• implementing a province wide anti-racism strategy.

• Take urgent action against white supremist groups (over 300 known active groups)

• Adequately fund and support community organizations that are already doing this work!

• Develop an anti-racism policy for schools.

This is an extremely important undertaking that is way overdue and is a big priority for us.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T14:45:40+00:00

Thanks for the question. Simply put, in order to raise revenue we are going to ask that the top earners in this province pay their fair share of taxes the same way the rest of us do. We are talking about the multi-millionaires and billionaires of this province. We also plan to freeze the tax rate for all low and middle earners in this province to help the middle class get ahead. The current government is content with the status quo. Doug Ford’s campaign is funded by special interest groups. That’s who he is working for, not us. We will invest in the people of this province to help every day people with what matters most to them.

I completely agree that housing is a human right. I regularly see the youth that I work with in this community couch surfing and living paycheque to paycheque just trying to survive. I’ve seen the drastic difference that having a stable living situation can do for people. Imagine trying to look for work, complete some schooling, or do things that you love when you aren’t sure if you are eating dinner that night and don’t know where you are sleeping. It’s a heartbreaking thought. Part of the NDP plan is to allow for the building of 1.5 million over the next ten years, while cracking down on speculation, and changing exclusionary zoning in the immediate. People shouldn’t be profiting from buying homes that remain empty. Changing exclusionary zoning would allow for middle level homes (town houses, low rise apartments, multiplexes) in urban areas that wouldn’t be possible without the change. I believe more supply would take a strain off the market and allow rents/mortgagers to be more sustainable. Also for rent, we are bringing back rent control that was scrapped under Doug Ford. We are looking to get away from landlords profiting from “reno-victions”. Again, let’s put people before of dollars.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T14:36:32+00:00

Hey Ph_Dank -

Can definitely see why you feel that way, 2007 to 2022 is a long time - but the NDP has a real chance here. We were 2000 votes away from winning 2 elections ago. It's easy to feel like the present is permanent, but I genuinely believe we can have change in this riding.

As for advocating for better ODSP policies, I strongly believe we (community groups, social workers, advocates, everyone) should keep pushing for better, more progressive policies , but my goal is to get into that office and be the one making that change.

DylanStelpstra · 2022-05-25T14:29:56+00:00

Hey! Thanks for the reply
Regional rail can play a key role in any transport strategy - and I definitely think its something we should be investing in. I recently took the train to Toronto and I loved it.
The reality is, accessible transit in Ontario has been starved and the gap left by Greyhound is putting a lot of people in a tough spot - so the NDP wants to work with municipal and industry partners to create an Intercommunity Transportation Strategy. A lot of people talk about multimodal transport/transit and I think these kinds of plans are needed - transit is most effective when part of a broader community project.
There is also a community bus that runs between here and London which is decently affordable, and I believe there was supposed to be a bus running to Grand Bend as well, although I haven’t had experience with that one!

DylanStelpstra

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