Members of the provincial New Democratic caucus will be in Windsor-Essex on Wednesday, as part of a caucus retreat.
Leader Marit Stiles and the official opposition are getting together to prepare for the upcoming legislative session amidst swirling rumours about a potential early election.
On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford ruled out calling an early election this year but left the door open to calling one in 2025.
The province’s next fixed election date isn't until June 2026.
For Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky, she says this week is an opportunity to come together after the summer and start talking about the important issues facing people in the province ahead of the legislature resuming.
Gretzky says she's especially excited for the next couple of days as its the first time a caucus retreat has been held in Windsor-Essex.
"Top of priorities and top of mind for us are our publicly funding, publicly delivered not-for-profit healthcare and building on the healthcare system. We're always talking about public education and access to public education. The cost of living in general, the cost of housing and how we need to be building more supportive and affordable housing. And how the government needs to get back in the business of actually building that housing," she said.
She says the NDP will make the case that a decline in access to healthcare, losing healthcare workers, ER closures, longer wait times, bigger class sizes in schools, and the worsening opioid crisis are all a result of decisions and policies put in place by the PC government.
"The Ford government has already shown who they are, and we'll continue to do what we've always done which is stand up and fight for the supports and services that people in Windsor-Essex need and all across the province. We don't always take the Premier at his word, but we are preparing, if there's going to be an early election then we will be ready for that."
Gretzky says some politicians think they have all the answers and know it all, but they don't, and for her it's about getting out into the community and hearing what's working for people and what isn't.
"And advocating for those changes in the legislature, I think that's really, really important. I think people get tired of the political potshots and things like that, I think they want politicians who are going to take about the real issues. Really listen to what the public are struggling with, what solutions are out there, and focus on that," she said.
This week the New Democrats announced raising $1.1 million from June 2 to September 3, from 20,000 individual contributors from across Ontario, which Gretzky believes shows working people are getting behind what the NDP is fighting for.
MPPs will return to Queen's Park on September 25 this year, a few weeks later than usual.