Questions and answers: Steve Pinsonneault, the new MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex – London

The riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex remains blue as voters stuck with Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives in Thursday’s byelection.

Elected MPP Steve Pinsonneault easily took victory in the rural riding, finishing 9,441 votes ahead of his Liberal rival and Lucan-Biddulph Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson. NDP candidate Kathryn Kathryn Shailer came in third place.

The victory for the Chatham-Kent councilor and businessman continues the PC’s dominance in the riding, which began in 2011 when Monte McNaughton was elected. It was McNaughton’s resignation last fall that sparked Thursday’s byelection.

After his victory, Pinsonneault spoke to 980 CFPL The Morning Show with Devon Peacock to discuss his goals in Queen’s Park, his time as a civic politician and what’s next for the elected MPP.

The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Congratulations on the victory. He has been a councilor in Chatham-Kent for 17 years. How do you think working as an MPP will be different?

It’s at a higher level, of course, but, you know, I hope to bring my grassroots municipal approach to everything in Queen’s Park, I’m looking forward to the challenge. Monte left a very good legacy here. I want to build on that and I want to continue doing the good things that he’s doing and keep moving forward.

What were the issues you heard during the campaign that were important to the people of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex?

The most important one was the cost of living. I mean, every other door you went to people were frustrated. That flat 23 percent increase, again, is the carbon tax. They have seen their fuel increase by 15 cents per liter, supermarket purchases increased and more costs to heat their home. They are upset. I don’t think the Liberals understand how much this carbon tax is affecting rural Ontario.

So what do we do to make life a little more affordable for people?

Well, the Ford government cut 10.7 cents per liter from the cost of a liter of fuel. They removed the sticker fee from their cars, saving the average family $240 a year. They introduced a tax credit for low-income families for child care. This government is doing things to ensure we can make life more affordable for Ontarians.

What is your focus beyond affordability once you are sworn in as an MPP?

I want to improve a little in the skilled trades. Monte took that to another level, I would like to continue with that. There are infrastructure needs along the entire route that I want to consider. We’re building the new hospital in Wallaceburg, I’m going to continue with that. We made an investment in Strathroy Hospital. Health care is very important. We are investing in family doctors. We know that’s a problem now and we’re trying to get ahead of that curve.

One of the issues that has been on our radar for a while is these lockdowns, especially in rural areas, that can really have an impact. What can we do to reduce these emergency room closures so that people in all parts of Ontario have the access they deserve if an emergency occurs?

We’re definitely working on that. We are investing a lot of money in healthcare. We are hiring many doctors. We are hiring many nurses. We are putting all the pieces in place so we can improve this. Rural Ontario appears to be bearing the brunt of the doctor shortage a little bit more, but we are working diligently to move that forward as well.

For the people of the province, you are a new face. But to the people of Chatham-Kent, you have been a councilor there for 17 years. What led you to politics?

Seventeen years ago, there was talk of closing a library in Thamesville, the town where I live, and I thought, “You know what? If you want to be part of the solution, you have to be in a position to have a say,” and that’s exactly what I did. It’s hard to believe that 17 years ago, the closing of a library launched my entire political career.

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How do you see the rural-urban divide? Do we talk enough about rural issues at the provincial level?

I think that gap is closing. The same thing happens here in Chatham-Kent. We have a large rural area and urban areas everywhere, basically the same as Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. I’m quite familiar with the issues, concerns, wants and needs of the communities and I’m going to address that in Queens Park.

It’s a big ride. I think it’s pretty similar to Prince Edward Island, the overall size is an indication of how small PEI is, but also how big the island really is.

It’s a big riding, I’ve personally canvassed every community in the riding, for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to get familiar with each community and, precisely because of that, I wanted to see how big the riding was. As soon as I won the nomination on February 1, I started and covered 17,000 kilometers in my car driving to all the communities every day to do my canvassing campaign. It’s a big journey, but I’m up for the challenge.

What comes next? She has been on leave from Chatham-Kent City Hall. What happens there and do you know when you are going to take the oath?

It’s all pretty new, so I don’t know when I’ll be sworn in. I have to resign from my position on Chatham-Kent Council. I am on unpaid leave; I thought it was only fair to the taxpayers here in Chatham-Kent that they didn’t pay me for my time pursuing my new adventure here. I don’t know the exact timelines for any of that, but I’m looking forward to the next step.

Any mixed emotions leaving Chatham-Kent and moving to the provincial side of things?

I’ve had a really good run here in Chatham-Kent. I have done many good things for my community and Chatham-Kent as a whole. I have really fulfilled all the achievements I have achieved and I hope to do so at a higher level at Queen’s Park.

Well, I’m sure we’ll talk again in the future and congratulations once again.

Thank you very much for inviting me.

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