TORONTO — Next Thursday, voters in the provincial riding of St. Paul’s will choose their new MPP.

The Sept. 17 byelection came as a result of former Liberal incumbent and attorney general Michael Bryant’s April decision to leave politics.

Bryant had held the mid-town Toronto riding for the liberals since 1999.

The four major parties are all vying to fill the vacant seat, and the Liberals, Greens and Conservatives have all fielded rookie candidates – respectively, they are Eric Hoskins, 48, a family physician and co-founder of the nonprofit War Child Canada; Chris Chopik, 37, a realtor and environmental activist; and Sue-Ann Levy, 52, the Toronto Sun’s Queen’s Park columnist, who is on leave during the campaign.

Perennial provincial NDP candidate, Julian Heller, is campaigning for the third time to win the riding.

Chopik, Levy and Heller are all Jewish.

All four candidates were interviewed last week on topics of interest to both the community and the riding. The candidates’ answers are in no particular order.

The candidates’ full biographies can be found on their respective campaign websites.

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The CJN: Why did you decide to run in this byelection?

Levy: “During the garbage strike, I became very disillusioned with the way our provincial and municipal politicians handled things. I just thought the residents of this city deserved much better. I would like to be the kind of politician that I would like to write about.”

Heller: “The causes that are important remain. Having run twice before, [the NDP] is even more prepared to bring our message to Queen’s Park on behalf of St. Paul’s.”

Chopik: “I think there are opportunities for the Ontario government to make stronger decisions to improve the quality of life in the province today and in the future. Specifically, I feel passionate about green economy and energy issues.”

Hoskins: “For the last 25 years I’ve been involved in community service and development as a family physician, a public health specialist and through my work strengthening communities around the world. To some extent, I see this [opportunity] as a natural extension of that work. That there are very important issues facing all of us, whether it’s the quality of our schools, the health care system, environment and the economy.”

The CJN: What issues are you speaking to in your campaign?

Levy: “The number one issue is the Harmonized Sales Tax [HST]. Next July, if [Ontario Premier] Dalton McGuinty has his way, when he harmonizes the GST and PST, he’s going to try and sneak in an extra eight per cent tax grab on a whole list of goods and services – from your morning coffee, to gas at the pumps, to all kinds of accounting and legal services. People have been taxed to death in this city. Being a resident of St. Paul’s, I feel the same tax burden they feel.”

Heller: “[The HST]… is the wrong tax at the wrong time. The last thing [St. Paul’s residents] need is a tax which will increase their rent, gas, hydro and [costs on] things all the way to coffee, newspapers and doughnuts. Also, examples like the e-health and [Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation scandals], where there’s either a failure to manage these government agencies or a lack of concern about this type of inappropriate behaviour with taxpayers’ money, the people I’m meeting are saying there’s no one speaking for them.”

Chopik: “Ontario has invested significantly in some clean-tech companies with respect to their research and development, and innovation. We’ve got about 40 clean-tech companies with robust technologies ready to go to market. What they need now is some assistance to take our taxpayer investment and commercialize it… and get those products to market and start turning a profit.” As for the HST, Chopik said, “We’ve seen the negative impacts of our municipal land transfer tax. And I don’t think it’s prudent to add to that. I think it’s a poor decision.”

Hoskins: “Explaining the HST. Many people want to understand this tax better. They’ve heard, from my opponents… just one side or a partial description of the reforms that are going to be put in place. There’s the sales tax reforms, but there’s also very substantial, almost unprecedented income tax reform, permanent tax cuts, at the provincial level. For example, 93 per cent of families in Ontario will see a permanent cut in the provincial tax that they pay, averaging about $250 per individual. Couples and families will receive transitional payments in the order of $1,000 as they work their way through the system. Many people haven’t heard that part of it.”

The CJN: During the 2007 provincial election, members of the Jewish community and others raised the issue of equitable funding for faith-based schools. Where do you stand on this?

Levy: “The issue is dead, because the voters spoke loud and clear on this in the last election. But I’m a strong advocate of a good solid, publicly funded system, and I would be very happy to look into things to improve it, public or private. I know the issues around private schools not being permitted to participate in some of the publicly funded programs… and I think that should be looked into.”

Heller: “This is not the time to be talking about one school board versus another. It is the time to be investing and restoring funding to all our schools so that they have music teachers, full-time librarians, gym teachers… because this McGuinty government, after promising to fix the funding in 2003, six years later has done nothing to change the funding formula.”

Chopik: “The Green stance is that funding for schools should be universal. The Catholic school system comes with a problematic depth. It’s been around for a long time and we’re sort of stuck with it. I’m not a subject-matter expert on education… generally speaking, our policy is that education should be treated in a universal way. Everybody should be receiving the same access and benefits.”

Hoskins: “I think it’s unfortunate that the issue of funding to faith-based schools became a lightning rod in the last [provincial] election. I think it set back the discussion and the debate by about 15 years. It’s important that discussion continue. I’ve met with [the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee], the Canadian Jewish Congress and a lot of leaders and rabbis in the Jewish community over the past weeks, and have had the opportunity to gain a fulsome understanding of issues of specific concern to the Jewish community in the riding, this being one of them.”

The CJN: Is there anything you’d like to say specifically to the approximately 15,000 Jewish residents of St. Paul’s?

Levy: “My wife and I are very strong on Israel, as is [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper. With the rise in anti-Semitism in Toronto and Canada, the fact that we have a prime minister that is so pro-Israel makes me feel very good. I can’t stress enough… that the Jewish community have a critical voice inside Queen’s Park, whether it be [on] taxation, Jewish issues or gay rights issues.”

Heller: “As a member of the Jewish community in St. Paul’s… I understand the needs and concerns of the local community. We share the concerns over schools, transit and health and government accountability. In addition, we come with a unique perspective and pride in our particular cultural community. So I understand where [Jews] are coming from and am committed to serving that community, as well as other communities in the riding.”

Chopik: “[God] is represented in nature. And there is, I believe, a strong impetus for observant [Jews] to pay attention to the changes that are happening in our natural environment and to take personal action, where possible, to protect that environment.”

Hoskins: “I want [the Jewish community] to know that [fair funding for faith-based schools] is an issue I want to discuss very seriously going forward. And if the good people of St. Paul’s see fit to elect me, I hope we can make some progress on this.”

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An all-candidates debate has been set for Sept. 10 in Sunderland Hall at the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto (175 St Clair Avenue West).