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is id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 2 9, 2 01 8 | o o OPINION ■ EDITORIAL ■ Ontario voters are facing stark choices in coming vote Heads up voters - the 2018 Ontario provincial election campaign has unofficially begun. As warbling robins heralded the start o f spring, last Monday's Liberal speech from the throne, the NDP's weekend prom ises o f new social programs and the daily cries for spending cuts com ing from newly-minted Pro­ gressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford are undeniable signs the race is on. Sure the legislature is still sitting and not every can­ didate has been chosen for the June 7 vote. But the ma­ jo r parties aren't just revving up at the starting line, they're o ff and running. And while they're providing voters with clear and distinct choices, it appears that in this era o f growing polarization the middle ground in Ontario has shrunk as fast as February's snowdrifts. Far from being a political necessity, the government's latest throne speech sounded more like the first draft o f the Liberal platform presented in a way to guarantee the party maximum exposure. Summed up in two words, it's "new spending." But it's also new spending with some appeal. There w ill be more cash for prescription drugs and dental coverage for m ore Ontarians - promises that, by no coincidence, par­ allel what's in the New Democrats' playbook. Premier Kathleen Wynne's Liberals also pledge new m oney for m ore child care and more home care for the elderly The NDP's top priorities include full dental cov­ erage for all Ontarians, a universal pharmacare pro­ gram to provide prescription drugs and funding to con­ vert the provincial portion o f post-secondary student loans into non-repayable grants. To help pay for all this, leader Andrea Horwath envisions a corporate-tax hike. The political outlier in an election campaign already brim m ing with baskets o f goodies is the PC's Doug Ford. His main pledge to date is cutting four per cent from provincial government spending, which would mean deleting $5.6 billion from the province's $141-billion an­ nual budget. Ford also opposes carbon taxes and would scrap Ontario's sex education curriculum . O f course, these are just the initial, most visible planks o f the ma­ jo r parties' platforms. So far, voters are dealing with first impressions the way they'd try to make out the appearance o f three ships emerging from a fog. What we do know is that Ontarians face dramatically different options. Moreover, each option is imperfect, as it stands. Ontario may well be rich enough to afford enhanced, even universal social programs. As we head full-throttle into uncertain econom ic times in a world buffeted by shifting technological and political winds, there's a com pelling m oral argument that everyone should be properly cared for. But it's also reasonable to worry that running multi- billion-dollar deficits and piling up debt in good times as well as bad will lead to econom ic hardship when, inevi­ tably, the next econom ic recession hits. Can we not elect a caring government that embraces fiscal rectitude? Ontario deserves that option, too. The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. o ° O m etro lan d rn ed ia ® Con ne cted to your colum n nity* The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca RPC Aocna NewsMedia Council lnsideHalton.com editoi@oakvillebeaver.com El facebook.com/OakvilleBeav Q1 @OakvilleBeaver Enhance your stargazing abilities at spring scope clinic Amateur astronomers club offers variety o f workshops, writes Mario Carr Spring is here and warm er nights for com fort­ able stargazing are just around the corner. A great way to prepare for the upcom ing observ­ ing season is to attend the Hamilton Amateur A s­ tronom ers Spring Scope Clinic on April 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Hamilton Spec­ tator Building, 44 Frid St., Hamilton. The event is free. If you're curious, new to CARR Column the hobby or an experi­ enced observer there's something for everyone. Many types o f telescopes will be on display and members will be on hand to answer your astronom ical questions. There will also be a vari­ ety o f beginner level work­ shops, including types o f telescopes, eyepieces and accessories, polar align­ ment, astrophotography and the astronomer's li­ brary. Here are April's stargaz­ ing events: April 2 - Saturn and Mars pair up for a close en­ counter at dawn; April 7 - The M oon is above the pairing o f Saturn and Mars at dawn; April 13 - The Hamilton Amateur Astronom ers meet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Spectator Building. Free admission, door priz­ es. A ll welcome. Free-will donation o f non-perishable goods for the food bank ap­ preciated. Guest speaker is John Percy, who will dis­ cuss the astronom y o f civi­ lizations past; April 17 - The crescent M oon is below Venus at dusk; April 18 - The crescent M oon is in the Hyades star cluster in the evening sky; April 22 - The Lyrid me­ teor shower peaks and best seen just before dawn; April 23 - The M oon is close to the Beehive star cluster after midnight; April 24 - Venus is close to the Pleiades during the evening; April 29 - This month's Full M oon is called the Pink M oon due to the first appearance o f spring flow ­ ers. It's also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg M oon or Fish Moon; April 30 - The M oon ris­ es close to Jupiter at sun­ set. For m ore information, visit www.amateurastro- nom y.org or call 905-627- 4323. The club offers a basic astronom y course for members. - Mario Carr is the club's director o f publicity and can be reached at mario- carr@cogeco.ca. 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