Affordability platforms
Here's what the candidates in District 17: New Haven - Rocky Point, and their parties, are promising.Cell & Internet services
Childcare
Green
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Increase the number of childcare spaces
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Negotiate with the federal government for further funding to reduce childcare costs
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Immediately increase wages for early childhood educators to at least a living wage
Liberal
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Add more spaces to existing facilities
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Build new facilities in rural areas
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Support training and professional development opportunities fro childcare staff
NDP
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Develop province-wide before- and after-school childcare programmes
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Increase wages of childcare workers
PC
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Create a $20M fund to provide grants to Early Learning Centres to expand
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Build childcare centres in all new public buildings, until wait lists are eliminated
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Designate six more early learning centres this year
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Create a pension plan for Early Childhood Educators this year
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Start a national recruitment campaign for Early Childhood Educators to live and work in PEI
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Give grants to private developers who build childcare centres into multi-unit buildings in under-served regions
Dental care and optometry
Food prices
Fuel and transportation costs
Green
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Support eliminating fees on the Confederation Bridge and Wood Islands ferry
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Reduce or eliminate fees for transportation services like Pat and the Elephant and Transportation West
NDP
PC
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Work with the federal government to reduce bridge and ferry tolls to $20
Minimum wage
Green
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Immediately increase the minimum wage to $15.20
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Increase the minimum wage by at least $1/year until it reaches a living wage
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Start a basic income pilot project, and advocate for financial support from the federal government for a full UBI programme
"A living wage was estimated a few years ago at around $19-$20 an hour. With recent inflation this is likely now around $21-$22 per hour.
Raising the minimum wage by $1 per year would be much more rapid than increases in recent years. It would likely be well ahead of inflation, thus closing the gap more every year. We would aim to have minimum wage catch up to the living wage in about 5 years.
One of their main challenges of minimum wage increases for businesses is that they have little time to adjust and plan for their labour costs. Currently, government gives businesses approximately 6 months notice for minimum wage increases. Having a clear plan on what minimum wage increases will be coming over the next several years will provide much more predictability for businesses and allow them to plan ahead for how they will meet their labour costs." — peigreens.ca backgrounder, 2023-03-10
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Liberal
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Review the annual minimum wage process
"Committing to reviewing the annual minimum wage process and developing a long-term strategy to create a transparent, fair, and predictable process that takes private wage trends into account" — Healthcare First: An Action Plan for Islanders, 2023-03-22
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NDP
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Increase the minimum wage to $17/hour, and tie it to inflation
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Create a plan for providing a guaranteed livable basic income
Poverty
Green
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Start a basic income pilot project, and advocate for financial support from the federal government for a full UBI programme
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Increase the Assured Income Allowance for Islanders with disabilities
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Increase social assistance rates and index them to inflation
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Raise income thresholds for accessing government programmes
Liberal
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Increase social assistance supports to counter inflation
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Increase rental subsidies for low-income Islanders
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Increase allowable income under social assistance programmes
NDP
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Create a plan for providing a guaranteed livable basic income
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Broaden eligibility and double annual support through the PEI Home Heating Program until 2025
Prescription drugs & pharmacare
Public transit
Green
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Add more urban and rural public transit routes
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Increase the operating grant to the Capital Area public transit system
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Renew transit subsidies to keep bus fares fares affordable
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Increase the frequency of buses
Liberal
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Increase investment in public transit
NDP
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Develop a regional and urban public transit network
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Offer free public transit for people with incomes under $40K
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Create a province-wide, publicly-owned transit system, run on renewable energy
PC
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Invest in an Island-wide transit system
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Add more routes
"Continue to make investments in the Island-wide transit system, keeping fares at $2 per trip and adding more routes, to make it more affordable to get to and from work." — peipc.ca, 2023-03-17
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Student loans
Tax measures and rebates
Green
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Create additional tax brackets for high incomes
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Index tax brackets to inflation
"PEI’s tax brackets are antiquated, having not been updated since 2008. A Green Government would make changes to PEI’s tax system to make it fairer for Islanders and in particular would:
● Raise the low-income tax reduction threshold from $20,000 to $25,000 over 4 years,
● Create additional tax brackets to better tax high incomes; and
● Index tax brackets to inflation to protect against bracket creep and keep more money in the pockets of Islanders." — peigreens.ca backgrounder, 2023-03-10
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Liberal
NDP
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Give back more of the provincial portion of the quarterly HST rebate to eligible Islanders
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Create a new tax bracket for the highest income earners
PC
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Roll back property taxes to 2020 rates
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Provide a $500 tax credit for volunteers with registered charities and non-profits
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Increase the Seniors Tax Credit to $6,510, and raise the threshold to $36K
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Increase the Basic Personal Exemption Amount to $15K over the next 4 years