Liberal Candidate Terry Johnson Talks Sports and Health
Terry Johnson, Chatham-Kent-Essex Liberal candidate – Photo from terry4cke.ca
We also asked them to explain how their party will create a healthier, more active Ontario. Here is the written response from Chatham resident, and Chatham-Kent-Essex Liberal candidate, Terry Johnson:
Chandra and I have four children, and while our youngest isn’t old enough yet, the other three all play in Chatham soccer. We also take our children swimming frequently, and once they’re a bit older I will pass on my sailboat experience too. Together with our employees at our business, Scribendi, we regularly support local events like the Muddy River Run, and every year we work with the LTVCA to plant trees that improve parks around Chatham.
The Ontario Liberal Party recognizes the importance of sport and recreation. Providing choices that allow us to stay healthy isn’t just about having fun and improving our quality of life today, because every dollar invested in sport saves money in the long run by reducing healthcare costs in future.
We work towards creating healthy communities by strengthening opportunities to participate in sports and supporting our athletes. Since 2003, our government has invested over $753 million to support sport and recreation programs. Working in partnership with the federal government, over $634 million has been invested in more than 1,100 sport and recreation infrastructure projects around Ontario since 2006. We’re also supporting the creation and maintenance of walking and biking trails through our Ontario Trails Strategy. These investments are creating jobs, improving local sport and recreation facilities, and contributing to our health and quality of life.
In our schools, we have continued to invest in repairs and new facilities, including athletics facilities, and in hiring enough teachers and support staff to give our children a good start in life, including education about healthy lifestyles. We’re also providing breakfast programs to give students a healthy start to their day. The Ontario Liberal Party has set a long-term goal or providing students with the opportunity to participate in 60 minutes of physical activity connected to their school day.
Since 2003, our Liberal government has increased support for amateur sport by 167%. We provided $23.4 million this year to promote participation and excellence in sport across Ontario. This includes the Quest for Gold program, and support for provincial Sport and Multi-sport organizations. If re-elected on June 12th, we will continue to make these crucial investments.
By increasing investment in healthcare, cutting wait times, and moving healthcare management out of Toronto and into our communities, we’re helping people get the care they need sooner, and closer to home. We have hired 5,000 new doctors to address the shortage of family doctors and specialists, and invested in services like improved screening for babies to ensure health issues are detected and treated sooner. Thanks to these investments, 95% of citizens now have a primary care provider, and we are committed to achieving 100% primary care coverage by 2015.
If an issue comes up frequently on the doorstep, I believe that it is my responsibility to try to get something done about it. On top of a clear consensus for continuing investment in our healthcare system, I’ve found that many local families feel the lack of a twin-pad arena in our community. Some parents have told me that they have to drive their children to London or Windsor several times a week to reach adequate facilities. A better arena would support a wide range of sports, including ice dancing, power skating, and hockey. It could also host events that bring more visitors to our community. If I’m elected, I’ll be keen to work with other community leaders to build a solid business case for a new facility, with the proviso that there has to be a plan for maintaining it so those costs don’t become a burden on our local property taxes, because the Liberal infrastructure plan is all about taking responsibility for lifting infrastructure burdens from our municipalities.