The Liberals will provide Ontario's low- and middle-income seniors with a property tax grant of up to $500 a year if the party is re-elected, Dalton McGuinty says.
Seniors earning less than $35,000 annually would receive the full $500, the Liberal leader said in Toronto on Friday while campaigning for the Oct. 10 provincial poll.
Couples who own their own home would qualify for a grant if their income is less than $60,000; those under $45,000 get the maximum of $500.
"Everything we do today is only possible because of what our seniors have done before us, and for us," McGuinty said.
"We have a shared responsibility to ensure our seniors can lead healthy, active lives and, when they prefer, independent lives in their own home."
McGuinty's chief rival, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory, is promising a five per cent annual cap on property assessments to protect seniors.
Tory said seniors are being punished by skyrocketing assessments.
Earlier in the day, McGuinty told Toronto radio station CHUM-FM he would like to see some of the huge federal surplus spent in Ontario to improve public transit and to create jobs.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that his Conservative government has put all of a huge $13.8-billion surplus towards paying down Canada's debt.
Ottawa has been running "some pretty big surpluses" for eight years now, McGuinty said.
He said Ontario could use some help with a $17.5-billion investment the provincial government wants to make in public transit. McGuinty said traffic gridlock not only inconveniences families, it hurts the economy.
McGuinty also said he would like to see some of the federal surplus used to help create jobs in the hard-hit manufacturing sector, which is facing "real challenges."
Harper said Ottawa is passing the savings on interest payments to taxpayers in the form of continued cuts to personal income taxes.
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Ontario Votes 2007 »
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District Profiles
More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
