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Promises made on key issues in the 2025 Ontario election

This tracker will be updated daily throughout the 2025 Ontario election campaign as parties unveil their platforms and new promises.

Affordability

Progressive Conservative

The PCs have not unveiled any specific affordability measures yet but have made related promises on tax and tariffs (see taxes and tariff sections below).

Liberal

The Ontario Liberals are promising, if elected, to double the Ontario Disability Support Program and index it to inflation. The party has also made related promises on tax and tariffs (see tax and tariff sections below).

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New Democratic

If elected, the Ontario NDP is promising to double the Ontario Disability Support Program.

The NDP is also promising to create a monthly grocery rebate for households in Ontario based on their income and family size. The party  says it will make grocery chains post publicly when prices rise more than two per cent in a week.

The party has also made affordability-related promises if tariffs are levied on Ontario (see tariffs below).

Green

The Ontario Greens have promised to increase the minimum wage to $20 per hour and then index it to inflation. The party would introduce legislation to ensure minimum wage, EI and CPP rules apply to gig economy workers.

The Green Party also pledged to phase in a universal basic income plan. The first step would be doubling the Ontario Disability Support Program and increasing Ontario Works rates.

Crime and safety

Progressive Conservative

The PCs have not announced any promises in this area yet.

Liberal

The Ontario Liberals have promised to hire 300 special constables for transit systems around the province (see transportation).

New Democratic
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The NDP has not announced any promises in this area yet.

Green

The Greens have not announced any promises in this area yet.

Education

Progressive Conservative

The Progress Conservatives haven’t made any promises on education yet but they have made retooling and skills announcements (see tariffs).

Liberal

The Ontario Liberals are promising, if elected, to eliminate interest on OSAP loans and raise the threshold for repayment to $50,000.

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The party says it would cap international enrollment at Ontario colleges and universities at 10 per cent. The Liberals said they would change government funding to reduce college and university reliance on international students.

New Democratic

The NDP has promised to spend an extra $830 million per year on school repairs and maintenance. The party says that will clear the repair backlog within 10 years.

The NDP is also pledging to hire more staff in Ontario’s schools, although it has not published a cost or number for that promise. The party would also expand school meal programs but hasn’t defined how much.

If elected, the Ontario NDP is promising to end academic streaming in schools and to “review” the funding model to ensure it takes into account higher-needs students, not just the raw number of people in a class. The party said it would also update the school bus funding formula.

For language schools, the Ontario NDP is promising to increase francophone education in French school boards and French immersion in English boards.

On post-secondary education, the Ontario NDP is promising to keep domestic tuition fees frozen, eliminate interest from existing student loans and turn student loans into grants.

Green

The Greens have promised to increase per-student funding by $1,500 and to establish an independent review of the province’s school funding formula, including a focus on the cost of remote and rural schools.

The party would cap Grades four to eight at 24 students and kindergarten at 26 students. The party plans to double the number of students that can access school meal programs.

The Ontario Green Party has also pledged to eliminate EQAO testing.

On colleges and universities, the Greens would waive tuition in certain, in-demand programs. The party would also convert student loans to grants for middle and lower-income students, eliminating interest on debt.

The Ontario Greens promised to immediately increase per-student university funding by 20 per cent and tie the measure to inflation.

Environment

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are pledging to buy six new waterbombers at a cost of $530 million to be phased in over 10 years.

The party has also made related promises on electric vehicles (see tariffs section below).

Liberal

The Liberals have promised a rebate to purchase electric vehicles.

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New Democratic

The NDP has not announced any promises in this area yet.

Green

The Greens are promising to safeguard watersheds in rural Ontario and work with Indigenous communities to conserve 30 per cent of natural areas by 2030.

The Greens are proposing to create public sector purchasing guidelines that prioritize locally grown food and create a fund to support food and farming innovation. The party is also proposing a provincial program to pay farmers for environmental foods and services.

The Green Party, if elected, is also promising to protect farmland by creating an Ontario Foodbelt, similar to the Greenbelt. The party said it would also expand the Greenbelt to include a Bluebelt made of protected rivers and waterways.

The Greens have promised a rebate to purchase electric vehicles.

Energy

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are promising that, if elected, they will ban Chinese components from all future energy procurements. The pledge extends to banning state-owned Chinese companies from buying equity in Ontario government energy, major infrastructure or critical minerals, the party said.

Liberal

The Liberals promised to waive HST from heating and hydro bills (see taxes).

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New Democratic

The NDP hasn’t yet unveiled any energy promises.

Green

The Ontario Greens have pledged to increase carbon pricing on large industrial emitters, a fee that would continue to rise. Fossil fuel companies would also be charged to use public land.

The party has also promised to provide a free heat pump to households earning less than $100,000 and give interest-free loans to all other homes.

The Ontario Greens would create interest-free loans and grants for energy retrofits for private households, co-op or non-profit builders and municipalities.

The party said it would phase out natural gas plants in Ontario by 2035 and end the moratorium on off-shore wind energy. It would maintain the existing Bruce and Darlington nuclear power plants.

The Greens would also remove HST from several energy-related items (see taxes)

Health care

Progressive Conservative

Before calling an early election, the Progressive Conservatives unveiled $1.8 billion to connect everyone in the province with a primary care practitioner based on their postal code.

Liberal

The Ontario Liberals have promised to connect everyone in the province with a family doctor within four years of the election. The plan relies on educating and attracting new family doctors and modernizing family medicine, including an end to fax machines and creating evening and weekend appointments.

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The Liberals have pledged to increase pay for personal support workers and nurses to a living wage. The change would apply to private and public settings as well as long-term care, home-care and hospitals.

If elected, the Liberals have also promised to accelerate the redevelopment of St. Mary’s and Grand River hospital in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

New Democratic

The Ontario NDP has promised to get all Ontarians access to a family doctor. The party plans to recruit 3,500 new doctors, with specific hiring targets for northern communities. The NDP also said it would work to reduce red tape and make it easier for internationally trained doctors to work in Ontario.

The party announced it plans to, if elected, create a nurse-to-patient ratio. The policy would also involve hiring at least 15,000 new nurses over three years to support the target ratios.

In the north, the NDP said it would double medical residency positions at NOSM University and expand locum programs. The party also promised to increase rates for the Northern Health Travel Grant.

Green

The Ontario Greens have promised to recruit 3,500 more doctors in Ontario and connect everyone to a primary care provider within four years.

The party also said it would increase nursing student enrolment by 10 per cent per year — aiming for an extra 2,500 nurses by 2030.

The Greens said they would aim to reduce surgery wait times with the creation of a centralized intake and referral system.

The Greens announced MPPs elected for their party would advocate for the building of new hospitals in Huntsville and Bracebridge and increase funding for rural health-care and hospitals.

The party has said it would legislate 10 sick days for all employees and ban employers from requiring sick notes.

The Greens said they would build 48,000 non-profit long-term care homes.

The Ontario Greens have promised to cover all mental health and addiction costs under OHIP, if elected. The party also plans to increase funding for community mental health services and increase pay for mental health workers.

The Greens said they aim to reduce the wait time to 30 days or less for children and youth looking for mental health support.

The party would reopen supervised consumption sites in Ontario.

Housing

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are promising that, if elected, they will add $2 billion to a fund to pay for water and wastewater near new housing projects in Ontario municipalities.

Liberal

The Liberals are promising to eliminate the provincial Land Transfer Tax for first-time buyers, seniors downsizing and non-profits, as well as promising to scrap development charges on middle-class housing.

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The party would also introduce phased-in rent control and promised to resolve landlord-tenant disputes within two months.

New Democratic

The Ontario NDP is promising to build 60,000 new supportive housing units to help people living in encampments find permanent housing.

The party is also promising to end a loophole that exempts rental units built after 2018 from rent control and crack down on renovictions and demovictions.

If elected, the NDP would allow fourplexes as of right in all neighbourhoods and allow midrise apartments along transit corridors as of right. It would limit short-term rentals like AirBnB’s to primary residences.

The party has pledged to build or acquire at least 300,000 affordable rental homes.

Green

Overall, the Ontario Greens say they would build two million new homes over the next 10 years.

The party would, if elected, build 310,000 affordable non-profit and co-op homes, including 60,000 supportive homes. The Greens would also develop 22,000 affordable homes built by Indigenous communities for Indigenous residents.

The Green Party has promised to allow fourplexes across Ontario and six units in larger cities. The party would allow six- to 11-storey buildings on transit corridors and main streets.

Single-family homes could also be divided into multiple units under the plan. Homeowners could borrow $25,000 from the government interest-free if they spent it building affordable rental units onto their existing homes.

The Greens also pledged to remove development charges on new homes that are 2,000 square feet or smaller. The party would remove the land transfer tax for first-time buyers if elected.

The Greens have promised to lease all public land that could host new homes to non-profit and co-op homebuilders at no cost for affordable housing.

On rental housing, the Greens said they would introduce rent control on all units and create rules around vacancies to control rent increases between tenants. The party would create a registry and strengthen rules governing bad-faith evictions.

The Greens have promised to add 311,000 households to those that receive financial support with a portable housing benefit

The party has also pledged to restrict short-term rentals in cities with a lack of rental housing options.

Municipalities

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are promising to put $300 million toward building new rinks, arenas, sports centres and other community projects in the province’s 444 municipalities.

The PCs are also promising to upload the cost of the Ottawa LRT (see transportation).

Liberal
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The Liberals are promising to upload the cost of the Ottawa LRT to the provincial government and extend the Kitchener-Waterloo LRT (see transportation).

New Democratic

The NDP is promising, if elected, to take over the cost of operating homeless shelters from municipalities across Ontario while still allowing services to be coordinated locally.

Green

The Greens have promised to create an inter-ministry working group to coordinate Ontario’s response to homelessness and encampments in towns and cities. The party, if elected, would also work to build a data system that could measure and predict underlying trends around housing needs.

Temporary and permanent modular housing projects on provincial lands would be used to house people, the party has said.

The Ontario Green Party has promised to allow cities to create new revenue tools if they choose and take on the costs of community housing, shelters and transit funding in a so-called New Deal.

The new deal would also include ongoing funding for mental health and addictions. The party would similarly create an annual, long-term funding stream for cities to build climate resistance infrastructure.

The Greens have promised to increase funding for libraries and community centres.

The party would also require minimum housing density targets along transit corridors for municipalities to qualify for transit funding.

Specifically in Toronto, the Greens have said it would cancel an agreement between Therme and the Ontario government to build a spa on the city’s waterfront.

 

Taxes

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are promising to make a 5.7 cent per litre cut to provincial gas tax permanent. The measure has been renewed every six months by the party since 2022.

The PCs have also made several tax promises related to the threat of U.S. tariffs (see tariff section below).

Liberal
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The Ontario Liberals are promising to cut the middle-class income tax bracket by 22 per cent. The party also promised to remove HST from home heating and hydro bills.

If elected, the Ontario Liberals are pledging to cut the small business tax rate in half.

The Liberals are also promising, if elected, to create 40,000 new paid co-ops, internships and apprenticeships by offering tax credits to employers who hire young people.

New Democratic

The Ontario NDP hasn’t yet unveiled any tax promises.

Green

The Green Party, if elected, has promised to raise the rate of tax for those in the top bracket and drop it for people earning less than $65,000 per year. It would also introduce a three per cent increase to the top tax bracket to bring in $2.5 billion a year in new revenue.

For business, the Greens have promised to increase the employer health tax exemption to $1.5 million.

The Greens are promising to add a property speculation tax for people who own more than two homes. The proposed tax would begin at 25 per cent for a third home and increase with each new property.

The party has also promised a province-wide vacant homes tax and an anti-flipping tax on homes sold shortly after they were bought.

The Greens have promised to remove HST from heat pumps, solar panels, EV chargers and energy retrofits.

The Ontario Greens also plan to remove the beer can tax, if elected.

U.S. and tariffs

An agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau means 25 per cent tariffs are paused for at least 30 days from Feb. 3 for the two countries to reach a deal.

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives have promised to keep and extend an electric vehicle manufacturing subsidy agreed upon during their last term in government. The promise could have disappeared after the U.S. walked away from its plan but, if re-elected, the PCs said they would continue up to $14 billion in incentives for electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants.

The PCs are also promising to spend $38 million on “action centres” to help people transition into other jobs if there are layoffs as a result of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

The party has also announced another $40 million for “trade-impacted communities,” money set aside for municipalities particularly reliant on U.S. trade and harmed most by tariffs.

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If elected and if tariffs hit, the PCs are promising to defer provincially administered taxes on Ontario businesses by six months, a measure the party pegs at $10 billion. It has also promised a further $3 billion in payroll tax and premium relief for small businesses.

The party would also increase the wholesale LCBO discount from 10 to 15 per cent to save bars and restaurants money — costing a PC government $120 million.

Another $300 million would be spent by a re-elected Ford government to expand a tax credit for domestic Ontario manufacturing. Separately, $600 million would go to the Invest Ontario Fund to attract manufacturing and life science technology.

If elected, the Progressive Conservatives are also promising to add $1 billion to a skills development program designed to help workers retool their abilities to new careers in the face of potential tariffs. Another $1.5 billion would also be earmarked to “urgently expand” training and employment programs in the province if tariffs hit.

The Progressive Conservatives are also promising that, if elected, they will add $100 million to the Better Jobs Ontario program to boost workers’ access to training for in-demand jobs to help people retrain if there are tariffs.
The party promised to spend $50 million to expand the Ontario Provincial Police’s Joint-Air Support Unit with two new H-135 helicopters to support border town police services.

Liberal

The Liberals have promised to create a “fight tariff fund” if elected, which would give Ontario businesses lower interest rates and work to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers.

The party said it would also offer a $150,000 bonus for Canadian nurses and doctors working in the U.S. to move to Ontario.

New Democratic

The Ontario NDP said it would “partner” with unions and employers to protect jobs and work to find new supply chains in industries that rely heavily on the U.S. The party also said it would “support” the auto sector.

The NDP said it would launch a Buy Ontario campaign and direct government agencies to procure locally. The party would also create a task force on the economy and support local farming by removing the cap from Ontario’s Risk Management Program.

The NDP also said it would implement a federal-provincial income support program.

The NDP promised if elected to invest in retraining opportunities in post-secondary education and the skilled trades. The party also promised to accelerate infrastructure projects to keep jobs if tariffs hit.

The party has not put a price tag on any of its tariff response promises.

Green

The Ontario Greens have promised to create a tariff task force to tackle the issue. The party said it would also create an investment tax credit and a Buy Ontario strategy.

The Greens also said they would create a Protect Ontario Fund to support businesses disproportionately impacted by tariffs and work to diversify Ontario’s trade partners.

Transportation

Progressive Conservative

The Progressive Conservatives are promising, if elected, to remove tolls from the public portions of Highway 407 — between Brock Road in Pickering and Highway 115 in Clarington.

The PCs are also promising that they would upload the Ottawa LRT and make it part of the provincial transit agency Metrolinx. That promise would extend to the second- and third-stage expansions of the line.

The Progressive Conservatives promised to widen the Queen Elizabeth Way between Burlington and St. Catharines. The party is also promising to add $8 billion to the Building Ontario Fund, which pays for projects, including transportation. Those promises were announced in the context of tariffs — and the party has not clarified if they will continue if tariffs don’t hit.

The party also promised to build a freight rail bypass along the Highway 407 corridor in Peel Region.

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If elected, Doug Ford’s PCs say they will tunnel a new expressway under Highway 401, stretching from Mississauga in the west across Toronto to Markham.

In northern Ontario, the Progressive Conservatives have pledged to widen Highway 69 from two lanes to four between Sudbury and Parry Sound, Ont.

Liberal

The Ontario Liberals would install platform doors at all Toronto subway stations and hire 300 special constables to work on Toronto, Ottawa and Metrolinx’s transit systems.

The party would also create a stream of funding for transit services to add safety equipment like cameras and double spending on mobile crisis intervention teams, which operate on transit systems.

If elected, the Liberals are also promising to upload Ottawa’s light rail system and extend LRT connections to Kanata and Barrhaven.

The party also said it would upload Highway 174 to maintain and potentially expand it. The party is promising to build a dedicated bus/HOV lane to Rockland and better connect east Ottawa.

The Liberals are promising, if elected, to deliver all-day, two-way GO Train service between Kitchener and Toronto. The party also plans to expand the Kitchener-Waterloo ION light rail system by 17 km into downtown Cambridge.

New Democratic

On the eve of Ontario’s early election call, the NDP announced a plan to buy back Highway 407, if elected, and cancel tolls on the route. The party said it would immediately remove tolls for commercial truckers before beginning negotiations to buy out the route’s 99-year private lease and remove all tolls.

The Ontario NDP have promised to widen Highway 11, Highway 1 and Highway 69 in northern Ontario as well as build the Cochrane Bypass. The party would improve training for truck drivers who have to drive on northern roads in winter conditions.

The NDP also pledged to end private highway maintenance contracts and create a Northern Rail and Bus Strategy.  The NDP has also promised to fund upgrades at northern airports.

The NDP also promised to accelerate infrastructure projects, including transportation, to keep people employed if tariffs hit.

Green

The Greens have promised all-day, two-way GO service across the train network.

The party has also promised to create dedicated truck lanes on Highway 407 and remove tolls on the private route for transport trucks.

The Ontario Greens have said they would cancel Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass. They have also pledged to ban 400-series highways in the Greenbelt.

— with files from The Canadian Press

Graphics by Deepak Sharma / Global News

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