Below is a special report from the Oakville News staff, interviewing all six candidates in the Oakville riding for next week's provincial election. Ramona Leitao, Tyler Collins and Lukas Bernasiewicz all contributed reporting to this story.
With just over a week until Ontario's general election, Oakville voters will be casting their ballots with key issues in mind: housing and development, health care, the greenbelt, the cost of living and more.
To help voters make an informed decision, Oakville News reached out to all six candidates running in the riding to ask where they stand on these pressing issues.
They include (listed alphabetically):
- Stephen Crawford, of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
- Shereen Di Vittorio, of the New Blue Party of Ontario
- Diane Downey, of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP)
- Alison Gohel, of the Ontario Liberal Party
- Sandor Kornay, of the Ontario Moderate Party
- Bruno Sousa, of the Green Party of Ontario
Without an all-candidates meeting scheduled for Oakville, our news team set out to ask the same set of questions addressing leading issues to all six of the candidates.
While not all candidates provided answers on every subject, each candidate did provide at least partial responses to some of the questions.
Here are their answers - and when you're ready to cast your vote, don't forget to read Oakville News' guide to Ontario's Election 2025 here.
(Editor's note: some answers below have been edited for length and clarity. Candidates were asked to keep answers to under 60 words. Some answers also include some fact-checking from Oakville News staff. Answers have been updated as of Feb. 24, 2025 at 12 p.m.)
What, in your opinion, is the greatest challenge facing Oakville in 2025?
Diane Downey, NDP: Affordability. It affects our ability to create good homes, jobs and a future here in the town of Oakville. Based on data in 2022, Oakville and Milton have the most expensive housing market, even above Vancouver and Toronto. Prices have only been rising since. (Downey provided this link as source.)
Bruno Sousa, Green: The biggest challenge facing our Oakville community is infrastructure-deficient expansion and forced provincial planning. We are facing rapid development that risks eroding our community’s character, autonomy, affordability, and natural environment.
The pace is exceeding the growth of essential services like transit, healthcare and schools, exacerbating congestion and making our community less livable. Growth should enhance rather than burden our community.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: From working in Oakville as business owners and active citizens, our party sees the following issues:
- Traffic congestion
- High housing costs
- Development and urban sprawl
- Public transit efficiency and accessibility
- Environmental concerns such as protection of Oakville’s Natural Assets
- Wildlife management (and coyotes specifically)
- Social Issues, such as Oakville Trafalgar School
Alison Gohel, Liberal: For me the greatest challenge facing Oakville in 2025 is the Doug Ford and Stephen Crawford approved Midtown Transit Oriented Community. Rushing ahead with Midtown, a proposal that ignores parks, community centres, schools and the infrastructure needed to support thousands of new residents is just bad policy.
On top of that, so many residents are already without a family doctor, and OTMH is beyond capacity. How is adding more residents without any additional healthcare allocations a good idea?
Stephen Crawford, Conservative: Since being elected in 2018, I have fought to protect Oakville’s unique character, ensuring responsible growth that reflects our community’s needs.
From leading the charge to save Glen Abbey Golf Course from development to stopping the forced amalgamation of Halton’s municipalities, my commitment has always been to Oakville’s residents.
Shereen Di Vittorio (New Blue Party) did not respond to this question as of the original time of publication.
Housing/Development: What is your stance on the current slate of construction projects both in Oakville and province-wide?
Bruno Sousa, Green: Our strategy is to build two million homes across Ontario in 10 years, focusing on nonprofit, cooperative, and missing-middle housing.
We will mandate the inclusion of affordable units in new developments, reapply rent controls, and introduce speculation taxes to temper inflation. Finally, we will always advocate for sustainable growth that is community led and centred around transit and green spaces.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: Squatting, high interest rates on mortgage and landlord’s inability to evict non-paying professional tenants needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: By cutting the HST and development fees, we’ll make housing construction affordable and lower overall building costs.
New Blue opposes urban boundary expansions to protect farmland and open spaces. Instead, we support denser, market-driven development — building up, not out — to use land efficiently. I aim to balance housing needs with farmland preservation and sustainable community growth.
Alison Gohel, Liberal:
Development needs to be responsible, and sensible. Taking a cookie-cutter approach to development is not how you build communities, because ensuring municipalities have a say in their own development is crucial to successful outcomes. Building partnerships is better than creating division.
We need to ensure appropriate funding for infrastructure, we need to ensure healthcare allocations increase with development, and that education funding and schools keep up with potential demand too.
We also plan to make housing more accessible and affordable for more people. We'll eliminate the provincial Land Transfer Tax for first-time home buyers, seniors downsizing, and non-profit home builders.
Stephen Crawford, Conservative: Oakville is known for its well-planned neighbourhoods and green spaces. While growth is important, it must be balanced. The proposed Midtown Oakville Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) raises serious concerns.
If implemented as currently planned, it would introduce extreme density without proper infrastructure, threatening Oakville’s charm and livability. We all want a sustainable future for Oakville, but not at the expense of what makes our town special.
I will continue advocating for a balanced approach—one that respects our community and enhances our quality of life.
Diane Downey, NDP: The ONDP promises to build 1.5 million homes in 10 years, including 300,000 permanently affordable rentals by investing in nonprofits and co-ops. We will legalize more housing types, restore full rent control, including vacancy control, and ensure community input in developments. Mid-rise apartments will be allowed along transit corridors to increase housing supply.
Education: What are your goals for improving public schools and private colleges/universities in Ontario?
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: Education levels are gradually plummeting in the province. The only reason many international students are still coming here is to use it as an opportunity to stay, and a majority of them never complete the course.
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: The New Blue Party advocates reducing administrative costs and promoting parental school choice through alternative schooling tax credits.
We aim to end 'woke' activism by removing critical race and gender identity theory from schools. We support a Parents' Bill of Rights, free speech immunity for education stakeholders, and replacing the high school lottery system with a merit-based approach.
Alison Gohel, Liberal: The Ontario Liberals plan to support students by making it cheaper to get a post-secondary degree. We will eliminate the interest on OSAP loans and delay repayment until young graduates earn at least $50,000 per year.
We’re also going to launch Ontario’s first Post-Secondary Housing Strategy, which will aim to guarantee accommodation for all first-year students by providing post-secondary institutions with capital grants and low-cost financing as well as work with the CMHC to develop easily replicable student housing designs.
We plan to cap international student enrolment in every publicly-funded college and university to a maximum of 10% annually and phase out the public college-private partnership model for publicly-funded colleges.
Diane Downey, NDP: Four points on this subject:
- Fix our schools. ONDP will invest an additional $830 million a year to clear the repair backlog within 10 years.
- Hire more staff. Smaller class sizes means each student gets more support and teachers, staff and custodians can do their jobs.
- Feed students. Create a universal School Food Program.
- Support every learner. We’ll make sure our public education system gives students with disabilities the support they deserve. We will review the funding model to focus on actual student needs, and not numbers of students, to support vulnerable students.
Bruno Sousa, Green: Our party is committed to increasing funding per student, reducing class sizes, and addressing the deteriorating infrastructure of our schools, colleges and universities.
We aim to bolster teachers, special education and enhance mental health services for all students. At the post-secondary level, we will reverse harmful tuition and OSAP grants cuts, and support training in trades, healthcare and educational professions.
Stephen Crawford (Conservative) did not respond to this question as of the original time of publication.
Healthcare: What proposed changes would you support, if any, for our healthcare system?
Alison Gohel, Liberal: There are more than 20,000 Oakville residents in need of a family doctor, and OTMH [Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital] has the fifth worst average E.R. waiting time of any hospital in the province.
Our plan begins with making sure every Ontarian has a family doctor. We plan to invest $3.1 billion to attract, retain, and integrate 3,100 family doctors to ensure everyone in Ontario has access to the healthcare they deserve. We will invest in two new medical schools and expand capacities at existing schools, doubling the number of medical school spots and residency positions.
Next, we plan to build out the Ontario Health Team Network to ensure residents throughout Oakville, and across Ontario, have access to more care closer to home when it’s needed. We also plan to accelerate the integration of at least 1,200 qualified and experienced internationally trained doctors over four years through the Practice Ready Ontario program.
**FACT CHECK** - Oakville News (with update, Feb. 23, 2025): According to the auditor general's December 2023 report, OTMH actually has the sixth worst average among hospitals listed in the report.
An updated version of this response, noting the correction was sent to Oakville News with updated information by the candidate. An earlier version of this news story incorrectly noted Oakville's average wait at 2.2 hours, when the accurate number is 3.3 hours for an average wait.
Diane Downey, NDP: We will recruit and support 3,500 new doctors and cut red tape so doctors spend more time with patients, not paperwork. Fast-track solutions in the first 100 days include more family health teams, shorter specialist wait times, and flexible care options.
We will clear the path for 13,000 internationally trained doctors, establishling and legislating safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios to make sure that patients can get the care they deserve. We will also scale up our nursing workforce, starting with the hiring of at least 15,000 nurses over the next three years to ensure safe staffing ratios. Finally, we will end reliance on private, for-profit nursing agencies
Bruno Sousa, Green: We propose increasing investments in hospitals, family health teams, preventative care and community clinics to cut down on waiting times.
The Green Party is determined to ensure fair wages for nurses and PSWs, expand mental health services covered by OHIP, and oppose any moves towards privatization. Additionally, we will expedite the accreditation of foreign-trained medical professionals to alleviate staffing shortages.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: It does not matter how many hospitals we would build. It is not a solution and never will be. Instead ,we are promoting a moderate life style that will considerably reduce amount of sick people. It is similar to the Amish and Mennonites life style, but without a Christian doctrine and without some extremes like walking barefoot or riding horse-drawn wagons.
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: Bureaucratic inefficiencies and "woke" initiatives such as DEI quotas divert resources away from direct patient care. New Blue plans to eliminate administrative waste, oppose vaccine mandates that push healthcare workers out of their jobs, and enhance public-private partnerships to help decrease wait times.
**FACT CHECK** - Oakville News: There is no evidence in any public record Oakville News could find that shows any Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures (DEI) have diverted resources from patient care. When asked for clarification on what defines a "woke" initiative, no response was provided by the candidate.
Stephen Crawford (Conservative) did not respond to this question as of the original time of publication.
Environment: What are the key issues and solutions related to the Greenbelt and sustainability here in Oakville?
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: The New Blue Party emphasizes economic growth through practical, market-oriented solutions. I support eliminating the carbon tax to lower energy costs and ending subsidies for electric vehicles, ensuring taxpayer funds go to merit-based programs.
A robust economy supports sustainable resource management, allowing responsible use of Ontario’s natural resources without extreme 'green' regulations that negatively impact industries and hinder innovation.
Alison Gohel, Liberal: The Ontario Liberals believe that our natural environment is one of our most precious resources and needs to be managed responsibly. Let’s not forget that Doug Ford is actively under police investigation for allegedly selling off the Greenbelt to rich friends and Conservative insiders. We can’t trust him to protect our green spaces, which are the envy of the world.
Diane Downey, NDP:
The ONDP has stood firm against the Greenbelt grab. We will fight to restore the Ontario Science Centre and get rid of the spa in its place.
Our plan will save invaluable green spaces and farmlands — some of the highest agricultural qualities in the world — including the Niagara Escarpment. ONDP founded the Greenbelt Restoration Act to amend the Greenbelt Act, 2005 to protect the lands that the Ford government removed by regulation in 2022.
**FACT CHECK** - Oakville News: The 2005 Greenbelt Restoration Act was not exclusively founded by the ONDP. The entirety of that bill (BIll 135) can be viewed online here.
Bruno Sousa, Green: Recent policies have jeopardized Halton’s Greenbelt and Conservation Authorities, increasing risks of flooding, threatening farmland and endangering or displacing wildlife.
The Green Party will permanently protect the Greenbelt, safeguard wetlands, and halt Highway 413 construction. We will enforce strict development controls and pledge to invest in effective storm water management, renewable energy projects and infrastructure that is resilient to climate change.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: The key issue is an unbalanced Development and Protection of Oakville’s natural beauty, including its waterfront, parks and green spaces.
Stephen Crawford (Conservative) did not respond to this question as of the original time of publication.
Cost of Living: What will you do to address the rapidly rising costs of living, especially in Oakville?
Diane Downey, NDP: To offset the rise in grocery costs, we will provide a recurring Monthly Grocery Rebate based on household income and family size. When people are anxious about budgets, this will give stable relief to millions of households.
The ONDP will stop grocery price gouging by forcing big retailers to publicly post when they raise prices more than 2% in a week, cracking down on price fixing and unfair practices by establishing a new watchdog to enforce competition laws and keep food prices fair.
Bruno Sousa, Green: To mitigate the cost of living, we plan to reduce taxes for middle and low-income groups while ensuring that the wealthiest and speculators contribute a fair share.
The Green Party will enhance affordable childcare access, reduce energy costs, and support rent-controlled housing development. We will advocate for fair wages, robust worker protections, and expanded public transportation to lower everyday expenses.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: We will organize programs helping people understand financial planning starting with school extracurricular programs. Involve Seniors in educating kids what money is and how to use them wisely.
We will create Bank of Ontario and offer our own mortgage rates to the people of Ontario. We will stimulate investors to build more homes in Ontario by reducing the over two year time to evict bad tenants to just three months as it was before the Ford government.
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: The New Blue Party proposes targeted policies to lower the cost of living, including cutting HST from 13 per cent to 10 per cent and eliminating the provincial carbon tax.
I will advocate cancelling wind turbine contracts to reduce electricity costs. We also call to cancel the $500 million online gambling license awarded to the Toronto Star by the PC government, aiming to improve affordability and enhance government accountability.
**FACT CHECK**, Oakville News: Torstar Corporation, which owns publications like the Toronto Star and the Hamilton Spectator announced launching an online casino betting brand in Ontario in 2021.
Oakville News could not find sources indicating that the Ontario government provided a $500 million gambling license to Torstar Corporation. It was reported that the Ontario government, however, offered a loan of up to $500 million to temporarily support the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation during COVID-19.
Alison Gohel, Liberal: We plan to reduce the personal income tax rate for middle class Ontario families by 22% - it’s going to benefit almost half of all taxpayers in the province, and for an average household, will result in an average savings of $1,150 annually. We’re also going to eliminate the provincial component of the HST on hydro and home heating bills.
Stephen Crawford (Conservative) did not respond to this question as of the original time of publication.
What is the #1 reason an Oakville resident should vote for you?
Stephen Crawford, Conservative: Oakville deserves a representative who puts our town first, not an agenda that disregards local voices. If re-elected, I will continue to fight for responsible development and ensure Oakville remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
I have twice been honoured with the Keys to the Town in recognition of my advocacy for Oakville. I have consistently defended our community—whether by stopping the development of Glen Abbey, opposing amalgamation, or standing up for responsible growth. Together, let’s stand up for our community and protect Oakville’s future.
Diane Downey, NDP: I fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere of Oakville when I came as a student in 2016. The community we have here is precious and I am tired of seeing folks in power — that don’t live the actual realities of Oakville — making the decisions for what Oakville will look like in the future.
Families, workers, students, seniors, people with disabilities — everyone deserves a good life in the Town of Oakville and I am the person to make that happen. I am passionate about giving back to the community and will ensure your voice is heard in Oakville, from Oakville, for Oakville.
Sandor Kornay, Moderate: We, Canadians, are society of sick and lonely people. It shouldn’t be this way. We are the only political party in Canada promoting the real conservative lifestyle. We are promoting face-to-face social connections between people, family values, physical activity, and interaction with nature including gardening, fishing, hunting, rural living and much more.
Shereen Di Vittorio, New Blue Party: My focus on enhancing affordability, supporting local businesses, and investing in community services aligns with the priorities of Oakville residents. I am passionate about creating a vibrant, future for our town and fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. With my dedication, and vision, I am ready to work tirelessly for the interests of Oakville.
Alison Gohel, Liberal: As MPP, I plan to be a voice for Oakville at Queen’s Park, and not the other way around.
I’m the only candidate who is fighting to stop the irresponsible Midtown Transit Oriented Community. Not only is it going to change our community forever, but they’ve also got the nerve to try and stick us with part of the bill. It’s why I fought to speak against it at the Council meeting where the plan was rejected.
Oakville needs to grow, and I am wholly committed to making housing a reality for more people in our community, but we need to do it responsibly.
Bruno Sousa, Green: The Liberals originally perpetuated the problems in housing, healthcare and affordability. The PCs have exacerbated the housing crisis while crippling municipal autonomy, and the NDP failed in opposing the current government and proposing effective solutions.
We offer the only cost vetted platform that prioritizes affordability, sustainability, and robust public services. Voting for the Green Party means choosing actionable solutions over political rhetoric.
Advance polls are now open in Oakville. Provincial Election Day is Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
