NDP leader Andrea Horvath attended the Ottawa West-Nepean ride on Monday just hours after progressive leader Conservative leader Doug Ford attended the ride.
Horvat ended his day in Ottawa with an announcement at the Beachconers ice cream shop near Britain’s Beach.
NDP candidate Chandra Pasma lost the ride in 2018 by less than 200 votes and is once again vying for former PC member Jeremy Roberts.
Ford visited the capital to announce a plan to widen Highway 417; however, he was irritated by his actions after the May 21 storm in Ottawa.
Pasma introduced Horvat to the crowd on Monday night. She was joined by NDP candidates Brian Double, who is running for Nepean, and Gabe Bourdon, who is running for Orleans.
Horvat thanked the crowd of supporters for showing up.
“I really wouldn’t be talking about a certain person at the top of a building,” Horvath said, referring to a Ford press conference on the roof of the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun offices earlier in the day, “but I have to. I say that I much prefer to be right here on earth with all of you.
Horvat spoke for a few minutes against Ford and the previous liberal government. She did not make any specific policy statements or answer questions. Instead, she gathered support among the crowd in the final days of the campaign and thanked the party’s volunteers and donors.
The NDP leader is due to address the crowd on Tuesday morning on the same ride near the Ron Kolbus Lakeside center on Greenview Avenue before traveling to Kingston, Bloomfield, Whitby and Scarborough.
Ford was irritated by the storm’s reaction
At an event earlier Monday, Ford said he was on the phone “every day”, making sure Ottawa had the resources to clean up the storm.
The leader of the Progressive Conservatives visited Ottawa nine days after a powerful and deadly storm that left tens of thousands without electricity.
He was faced with questions from reporters as to why he did not visit the capital immediately after the storm.
“I was on the phone every day to make sure we had the resources here,” he said. “I’m not here to take pictures, as other politicians may have been. I was on the ground, making sure we had the resources here, and I will continue to make sure.
Ford said the CEOs of Hydro One and Hydro Ottawa spoke to him “every day”, along with the mayor of Ottawa and other local officials.
“I just want to make one thing clear: I will always keep my back to the people of Ottawa,” he said.
Ford spoke with Roberts, who is running for re-election in Ottawa West, Nepian, on the roof of the Ottawa City Building on Baxter Road, overlooking Queensway. He announced a plan for computers to expand Highway 417, announced earlier this year. This was the first visit of the PC leader to Ottawa by the campaign, with election day approaching Thursday.
In a statement, Ottawa Citizen said he had not been informed in advance that Ford would speak at the top of the building where his offices are located, noting that the newspaper did not own the building and reporters worked virtually throughout the pandemic.
“Credible news organizations such as Ottawa Citizen take the utmost care to remain neutral and present information in a way that does not benefit one country over another,” the statement said. “So you can imagine the shock and anger in our virtual editorial office when we found out that the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario was giving a press conference on the roof of the building where our offices are located.
Ford “disappointed” with MPP driving allowances
Ford was also asked about the Nepean MPP by Lisa MacLeod, who received $ 44,000 for three years as an MPP allowance from the local riding association.
“When I found out about something like this, I was disappointed, to be honest with you,” he said. “But everything was according to the law … he went to the Ontario elections.”
Ford reiterated that he wanted to reconsider the practice.
“I think all three or four parties should come together and talk about this after this election. I want to end this.
McLeod was not at the announcement with Ford and Roberts on Monday.
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