Big names running to represent Algoma-Manitoulin
Health care appears to be one of the bigger issues for voters along the North Shore as they get set to cast ballots in Algoma-Manitoulin.
Algoma-Manitoulin is one of the larger ridings in the province, stretching from Manitouwadge to Manitoulin Island. Michael Mantha has held the riding for the NDP since 2011.
Before 2011, it had flipped between the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals.
Mantha said health care challenges need to be taken seriously.
"We have to make the investments we need in health care, we have to get doctors in northern Ontario, we have to get specialists here, we have to get nurses, we have to RNs, RPNs, PSWs," he said.
"We're certainly not going to settle for anything less."
Mantha said he has seen problems first hand. In his own community of Elliot Lake, the hospital had to declare a 'code orange' just before Christmas because they didn't have enough staff to run the emergency department.
Emergency cases had to be diverted to nearby Blind River. Health care has also been an area of concern in Thessalon.
"We need primary care in northern Ontario and across Algoma-Manitoulin," he said.
"(We need to make) sure that our roads are safe to travel on and that winter road maintenance is properly servicing our roads. And we need to make absolute investments into mental health because this area is the worst opioid crisis across this province per capita."
Hoping to switch the riding back to red is Tim Vine, Liberal candidate and hospital administrator by trade.
Vine is no stranger to health care, having worked at the Manitoulin Health Centre. He said health has to be the No. 1 priority for Algoma-Manitoulin, given some of what the region has faced.
"There are so many communities that don't have doctors," Vine said. "They don't have access to needed primary care (and struggle) accessing specialists."
If elected, he said he would advocate for made-in-the-north solutions and convince Queen's Park to "buy in."
Vine said he's cognizant of the fact the Liberals are the third-place party and that they were decimated in the last election.
He's been telling voters the party has taken a good, long look in the mirror and learned from its past mistakes. The reception he's getting from the doors is positive, he added.
"I think there's a lot of people that don't understand how close the system came to the brink during COVID and it hasn't gotten better," Vine said.
"We're seeing burnout in nurses and burnout in doctors and frankly we're seeing burnout right across the medical community."
CTV News made several attempts to contact Progressive Conservative candidate Cheryl Fort since May 13. At one point, her office said the questions would have to be vetted in advance, which is against CTV News policy.
Another email was sent to her campaign and we were unable to accommodate her before the broadcast deadline.
CTV News also made multiple attempts to reach Green Party candidate Maria Legault, through her email and the party, and were unable to reach her.
Other candidates in the running include New Blue's Ron Koski and the Ontario Party's Frederick Weening.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.