PC Leader Doug Ford is responding to allegations he was involved in the sale of bogus party memberships in 2016, before he was party leader. At that time, Ford was supporting a former staffer in his late brother Rob Ford’s administration at Toronto City Hall who was running for a Tory nomination. The Liberals played audio recorded 2 years ago at a news conference Thursday,  that they allege is of Ford trying to sign up people to vote for Kinga Surma, but telling them they don’t have to pay. Ford is fighting back telling reporters this is nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Liberals to discredit him. The Liberals played audio they allege is of Ford trying to sign up people to vote for Kinga Surma, but telling them they don’t have to pay.

Memberships to the Progressive Conservative party cost $10 for one year and must be paid by the individuals who sign up. Ford says he did not pay for anyone else’s membership, but didn’t deny that he told potential members they wouldn’t have to pay if they signed up to vote for his preferred candidate. It wasn’t all bad news for Doug Ford on Thursday. He’s getting  support from a former high profile politician, former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion who posted a video online. In in, she says Ford can be trusted, and he’s committed to fixing Ontario’s finances. Elswehere on the campaign, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne says if elected, her party would increase access to retirement pension plans for Ontario’s private sector workers. The Liberals say just a third of all Ontario workers are part of a pension plan, while only a quarter of young workers, aged 25 to 34, are part of one. Wynne says her party would support the creation of portable pension plans that workers could retain and take with them when moving between jobs in the same field. And NDP leader Andrea Horwath said today an NDP government would hire 45 hundred new nurses in the first year. And would create 2 thousand new hospital beds, and put a moratorium on layoffs of frontline health care workers.