Vote against food tax relief prompts protests aimed at Brampton MPPs

Voting against a bill that would have given Ontario residents a tax break on food has put Brampton’s Conservative Members of Provincial Parliament in the sights of protesters.

On Saturday, dozens of protestors are again expected to descend on Brampton City Hall for another demonstration in a running campaign of activism against Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party.

This week’s event will highlight how all of Brampton’s MPPs voted against a Bill 113 – a piece of legislation put forward by the NDP and supported by the Liberals and Greens which would have removed a portion of the harmonized sales tax on some food items and non-alcoholic beverages.

Brampton-Centre MPP Charmaine Williams, Brampton-West MPP Amarjot Sandhu, Brampton-North MPP Graham McGregor and Brampton-East MPP Hardeep Singh Grewal all voted “nay” to the bill along with the entire PC caucus – a move NDP leader Marit Stiles called “shameful.”

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy has said the government already acted to help make life more affordable in Ontario, like by cutting personal income tax for the lowest brackets.

Brampton MPPs aren’t the only ones being singled out for the vote by the “Fight Ford” activists, with some 60 demonstrations planned across Ontario on Saturday.

Protesters also held demonstrations in Brampton in March and April, with grievances including doing away with rent control for new unit builds in 2018, recent changes to OSAP that will lean more heavily on loans as opposed to grants, a province-wide ban on automated speed enforcement cameras, and healthcare under-funding.

Other issues include the Ontario Place redevelopment, the Greenbelt scandal, and the proposed amalgamation of the Niagara Region.

The protest is planned for Saturday at 1 p.m. outside of Brampton City Hall.