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Marando pitches northern investment in leadership bid
He would redirect funding from Highway 413 to northern roads and health care.
Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Dylan Marando says Northern Ontario should receive more health care funding per resident and more highway investment to meet needs he argues Queen’s Park is overlooking.
In an interview with the Miner and News, Marando outlined proposals he would pursue if he became premier, including a northern economic opportunity zone and a dedicated treatment centre in Northwestern Ontario.
The zone would offer lower personal and corporate income taxes, faster project approvals and higher per-capita investment in public services. Its boundaries and the details would be developed with northern communities.
“The north makes a unique economic contribution to our province, and that contribution isn’t always captured by the policy agenda of Queen’s Park.”
Marando said that consultation would include municipal leaders and representatives from the public and private sectors. He suggested communities north of the French River as one possible basis for the zone, rather than a settled boundary.
Northern highways
Marando would seek to twin as much of Highways 69, 11 and 17 as possible, while considering a 2+1 design where engineering challenges, costs or community concerns make twinning less practical.
He did not specify which stretches of Highways 11 and 17 would take priority or when construction would begin.
He said highway expansion would improve safety, access to services and the movement of goods. To help pay for it, he would redirect resources from Highway 413 and the proposed tunnel beneath Highway 401, neither of which he would pursue.
He also said major southern highway investments would wait until meaningful progress had been made on twinning the major northern routes.
“I’d rather start with twinning, twin as much as we can and then have 2+1 as the backup rather than the default.”
Marando acknowledged some communities may favour 2+1 as a faster or more affordable option and said he would be open to that approach where it meets local needs.
Health care and treatment
Marando said northern hospitals and other health care facilities need funding formulas that account for the higher cost of delivering services in northern and rural communities.
He would pair increased funding with provincial support for recruitment incentives and more opportunities to train health care workers through northern colleges and universities.
“Hospitals and other health care facilities in the north should expect an increase in funding.”
He said the workforce challenge extends beyond doctors and nurses to personal support workers, custodial and kitchen staff, clerical workers and other health professionals.
Asked about reliance on agency nurses and other temporary staff, Marando said the Ford government’s staffing and funding approach is hurting hospitals’ ability to recruit and sustain services. He did not outline a specific plan to replace agency staffing.
Marando also opposed the expansion of privately delivered, publicly funded health care and said he wants private, for-profit providers out of long-term care and seniors care.
“I would treat universality and public financing of our health care system as absolute bedrocks.”
According to the province, Ontario’s community surgical and diagnostic centres deliver OHIP-insured services outside hospitals and cannot charge patients for insured services. They may also offer uninsured services.
Marando’s platform calls for publicly funded psychotherapy, counselling, addiction treatment and other evidence-based mental health services under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
When asked whether he would support a dedicated treatment centre in Northwestern Ontario, he replied, “The short answer is absolutely.”
He said recruitment incentives and expanded northern training opportunities would help staff a centre, although he did not identify a location, opening date, or budget.
His addiction proposals also include banning online gambling, rather than only its advertising.
Housing and community safety
Marando said addressing homelessness requires more supportive, co-operative, non-profit and public housing, alongside mental health care and addiction treatment.
He would give Ontario municipalities revenue equivalent to one percentage point of the HST, describing it as permanent, predictable funding that would strengthen their ability to respond to local needs.
“There isn’t a neat and tidy answer to the challenge of homelessness.”
Asked about reducing crime beyond expanding jail capacity, Marando said his approach would focus on the opportunities available to young people, including keeping them in school, improving graduation rates and helping them move into post-secondary education and employment.
“Gangs don’t compete with other gangs. Gangs compete with our schools.”
He criticized government advertising promoting expanded jail capacity and said the province should work toward reducing the need for prisons.
Development and affordability
Asked to assess Greg Rickford’s performance as minister of Indigenous affairs and First Nations economic reconciliation, Marando declined to discuss his individual record. He instead criticized the Ford government’s focus on the Ring of Fire and its approach to consultation.
Marando said the province should pursue economic opportunities across the north and allow more time for Ring of Fire development if that is needed to build partnerships with First Nations.
The Ontario government says it has partnership agreements with Aroland, Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations as part of its Ring of Fire infrastructure plans, and describes First Nations as partners in northern development.
Marando said his proposal to speed up approvals would require more resources for consultation and regulatory review, not less.
“The speed that I’m talking about isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about devoting more resources to the consultative process and the regulatory approval process so that we can arrive at genuine partnership faster.”
On affordability, Marando proposes provincial income tax relief for Ontarians under 35 earning under $50,000. Asked what he would offer older residents, he pointed to extending rent controls to all buildings and sales tax relief on necessities such as internet and cellphone service.
He also proposed eliminating provincial corporate income tax for small businesses during their first five years of operation, saying he hopes they would pass some savings on to consumers.
Marando did not provide an overall cost or financing plan for his proposals during the interview. He identified cancelled southern highway projects as a source of funding for northern highway expansion.
The Ontario Liberal Party is scheduled to announce its next leader Nov. 21.
Copyright 2026, Kenora Miner & News. All rights reserved.
Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News.
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Ontario housing market set for modest rebound in 2027: Desjardins report
Ontario housing set for modest rebound: report
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
A new report says Ontario's housing market is expected to improve "modestly" next year as favourable economic conditions help push buyers off the sidelines, though higher borrowing costs could dull the extent of the rebound.
Desjardins senior economist Kari Norman calls the province's housing sector "weak" despite improved affordability, greater buyer choice and easing rental conditions.
Her report predicts existing home sales would rise nearly five per cent in 2027 compared with this year, remaining well below long‑term norms, while balanced market conditions should lead to average price growth of 2.4 per cent next year.
The analysis also says the interest rate backdrop will "likely remaining challenging," with two rate hikes by the Bank of Canada expected in 2027 that would limit affordability gains from recent home price declines and rising disposable incomes.
That would also raise construction financing costs, as the report projects housing starts to rise around six per cent to nearly 65,000 units in 2027 — still more than 30 per cent below levels seen in 2021 and 2022.
The report says rental conditions should remain relatively balanced, as new condominium and purpose‑built rental completions add supply at a time when population growth is likely to be weak.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Sammy Hudes | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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First Nations say Elections Alberta unprepared for referendum turnout
First Nations say Elections Alberta unprepared
First Nations in Alberta are celebrating the win for the pro-Canada side in Monday's referendum — but they're also raising concerns about a shortage of ballots in their communities.
About three in four Albertans said yes to Confederation on Monday, while about one in four said they wanted the province to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.
Siksika Nation says that while it's pleased with the outcome, the polling station in their community was understaffed and didn't receive enough ballots from Elections Alberta, leading to long wait times and "unnecessary obstacles."
Tania Cameron, who helped boost First Nations turnout in the vote, says she was proud to learn several First Nations polling stations had to request more ballots.
She also says Elections Alberta should have been more prepared.
She says not having enough ballots is a slap in the face to community members who wanted their voices heard.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Alessia Passafiume | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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7 «hacks» au IKEA que t'aurais voulu savoir avant pour économiser gros et refaire ta déco
Tu peux même recevoir plusieurs gratuités! 🤑
Rénovation, décoration, déménagement ou envie soudaine de boulettes à la viande, toutes les raisons sont bonnes pour faire un tour au IKEA. Le hic, c'est qu'avec tous ces produits à bas prix au design attirant, on peut très bien se retrouver avec un panier bien rempli qui fait grimper la facture.
Si tu penses bientôt te perdre dans les corridors de cet énorme magasin bleu et jaune, sache qu'il existe une tonne d'astuces pour obtenir des rabais et faire quelques économies. Narcity t'a répertorié sept hacks pratiques à savoir pour tes prochaines emplettes déco.
Remplacer ou réparer des pièces gratuitement
Comme ce TikTokeur l'indique dans cette vidéo, IKEA offre une garantie sur plusieurs articles en magasin. Ainsi, si ton meuble est brisé ou défectueux, tu peux en aviser la compagnie qui procédera au remplacement ou à la réparation du produit ou de la pièce en question.
« Prépare ton ticket de caisse et des photos de l'article et contacte l'équipe du service après-vente pour qu'elle puisse vous aider. Vous pouvez aussi vous rendre dans votre magasin IKEA local pour obtenir de l'aide », peut-on lire sur le site Web de la compagnie. Tu dois par contre t'assurer que la garantie s'applique toujours.
Acheter un meuble usagé
As-tu déjà remarqué que dans son gigantesque entrepôt, la multinationale suédoise possède une pièce spécialement pour les meubles usagés ou les meubles « tel quel »? Ça vaut assurément le détour puisque ces articles sont vendus beaucoup moins chers et peuvent ne contenir que de légers défauts. Tu peux facilement repartir avec un sofa beaucoup moins cher que si tu l'avais encore en boîte.
La carte IKEA Family
IKEA offre à sa clientèle une carte spéciale, la carte Family, qui te permet d'accéder à des offres et réductions de prix exclusives pour les membres. Tu peux aussi obtenir un repas gratuit (à toi les petites boulettes!) en achetant dix repas chez IKEA, et ce, seulement si tu détiens la carte. Tu peux t'inscrire à ce programme gratuitement sur le site Web de l'entreprise.
Utiliser l'application IKEA
Femme utilisant l'application.
IKEA | Site Web
Pratique, l'application IKEA te permet de magasiner beaucoup plus rapidement et de voir facilement si l'article de tes rêves est encore disponible en magasin. Tu peux aussi profiter de rabais spéciaux, créer une liste d'items coup de coeur et scanner un article directement sur ton app pour voir le prix s'afficher. Une façon efficace de sauver du temps dans ce gigantesque labyrinthe d'inspiration.
Revendre ses meubles pour des crédits en magasin
Savais-tu que tu peux revendre tes meubles IKEA usagés? Tu dois envoyer des photos de ton meuble à la compagnie qui s'affairera à évaluer celui-ci selon différents critères. Si ton article d'occasion est accepté, tu pourras le ramener en magasin et obtenir un crédit sur tes prochains achats.
Ce programme est, par contre, disponible pour les membres IKEA Family seulement, mais tu peux y adhérer gratuitement.
Les meubles réinventés
Une tonne de créateur.trices de contenu sur les réseaux sociaux, que ce soit TikTok, Instagram ou YouTube, présente des trucs ingénieux pour composer ou revamper un meuble IKEA pour beaucoup moins cher que si tu l'avais payé dans un autre magasin. Suffit d'avoir un peu de temps libre, de l'imagination et un esprit de « patenteux.euse ».
Obtenir un café gratuit
Besoin d'un peu d'énergie pour affronter la longue filée de gens aux caisses? Tu peux recevoir un café ou un thé gratuitement grâce au programme de fidélité IKEA Family. Prends-toi une tasse, fais couler le liquide chaud caféiné, puis scanne ta carte à la caisse. Ce sera ça de moins sur ta facture!