Ontario

Election Results: Dalton McGuinty of the Liberal Party has been re-elected as Premier of Ontario. The Liberals have won a minority government.

Nomination Deadline: September 15, 2011
Provincial Election: October 6, 2011

Currently, the Premier of Ontario is Dalton McGuinty of the Liberal Party.

In 2010, child care moved to the Ministry of Education and is currently part of an Early Years Division with Kindergarten. Ontario has universal kindergarten for four-year-olds called Junior Kindergarten, and Senior Kindergarten for five-year-olds.

Party platforms

Progressive Conservative Party
Leader: Tim Hudak
Platform: "Changebook" [1]
"...we will make [full-day kindergarten] fully operational for all four and five year olds in Ontario by 2014."
"We will increase spending on K-12 education by $2 billion by the end of our first term."
>>See pp. 20-21 of PDF [2]

Liberal Party
Leader: Dalton McGuinty
Platform: "The Ontario Liberal Plan 2011-2015 [3]"
"We'll make sure any family that wants their child to attend full-day kindergarten will be able to do so by 2014."
"Once full-day kindergarten is fully in place, we'll make sure all schools offer after-school programs for children aged 6-12."
>>See pp. 17-19 of PDF [4] [4]

New Democratic Party
Leader: Andrea Horwath
Platform: "The Plan for Affordable Change" [5]
"The New Democrat plan would provide licensed child care centres with $125 million in each of the next two years to keep spaces open and freeze fees."
"New Democrats are committed to moving ahead with full day kindergarten, but we won't let parents who need child care spaces fall through the cracks"
>>See New Democrats would freeze child care fees, keep spaces open [6]

Green Party
Leader: Mike Shreiner
Platform: "It's Time"
[7]
Communist Party of Canada
Leader: Elizabeth Rowley
Platform: "A People's Agenda for Ontario" [8]
"Fund one universal, quality, public, secular school system, open to all"
"Deliver a needs-based funding formula"
"Expand Early Learning to every school"
"Build an accessible, affordable, quality, public childcare system"
"Implement $7 per day / per child fees"

NGO positions and campaign materials

Take it Over Campaign [9]
Canadian Federation of Students, Sep 2011

A Call to Action On Poverty In Ontario [10]
Campaign 2000, Sep 2011

Political Platform Grids and Media Release [11]
Campaign 2000, Sep 2011

Ontario Election 2011 Report Card [12]
I Vote Child Care, 28 Sep 2011

See where the candidates stand on education [13]
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Sep 2011

ETFO Education Platform [14]
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Sep 2011

Party platfrom report card [15]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, Sep 2011

I Vote for Child Care video and brochure [16]
I Vote Child Care, Sep 2011

www.4outof5.ca [17]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, Sep 2011

Fact Sheet [18]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, Sep 2011

Sample Questions for Candidates [19]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, Sep 2011

Election Tip Sheet [20]
People for Education, Sep 2011

News articles

For parents on wait lists, daycare is a top election issue [21]
The Open File, 6 Oct 2011

Hudak defends controversial Tory flyer [22]
The Toronto Star, 2 Oct 2011

Raising the political profile of hunger [23]
The Expositor, 3 Oct 2011

Grits rule out return to 50% transit funding [24]
Toronto Sun, 2 Oct 2011

Thousands call for more public investment in child care in advance of the Ontario election [25]
Canada News Wire, 28 Sep 2011

A lot of questions remain unanswered on future of education [26]
The Sudbury Star, 26 Sep 2011

Liberal candidates lobby school board [27]
The Ottawa Citizen, 26 Sep 2011

Bluewater board organizes debates [28]
The Sun Times, 18 Sep 2011

Trustee urges politicians to debate on Education Day [29]
The Toronto Star, 17 Sep 2011

Ford calls on Queen's Park to pay for daycare [30]
The Globe and Mail, 15 Sep 2011

Parents call on politicians for child-care cash [31]
The Toronto Star, 15 Sep 2011

Committee wants votes for a poverty-free Ontario [32]
The Caledon Citizen, 15 Sep 2011

OECTA provincial election ads influencing few [33]
The Catholic Register, 14 Sep 2011

Daycare escape leads to calls for reform [34]
Toronto Star, 9 Sep 2011

Events

Election Forum: Poverty, Child Care and Education [35]
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, 28 Sep 2011