Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath speaks to the media before visiting communities across the GTA, at Queen's Park in Toronto, on May 4.Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press
The Ontario NDP is promising free or low-cost dental care for all low- and middle-income families if elected next month.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says people should not have to worry about how much a necessary dental procedure will cost.
The party says Ontario households earning less than $90,000 would pay nothing and households with incomes of between $90,000 and $200,000 would co-pay on a sliding scale that goes no higher than half of the bill.
The NDP says the plan would save a family of four $1,240 a year on basic check-ups and filling a cavity, and if both kids need braces, the plan could save them more than $13,000.
The party says the plan would be in place before promised federal dental coverage is fully developed, and once the national program is up and running, the provincial plan would “mesh” with it.
An NDP government would invest $680 million this year to pay for their plan and once full, annualized funding flows from the federal government, the Ontario NDP would maintain its program with $380 million a year.
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