Candidate profiles for the Guelph riding
Whether you’re a veteran voter or it’s your first time out to the polls, it’s important to take some quality time to understand who and what you’re voting for when you cast your ballot on June 12th. With the provincial election fast approaching, The Ontarion profiled the four major candidates for the Guelph riding to learn more about their personal histories both in Guelph and in the political sphere of Ontario.
The upcoming election is certainly one filled with controversy. With attacks coming from all angles, many voters are left questioning what exactly is going on in Ontario. Read on for more information on the major party platforms, as well as the people who will be representing those platforms for the Guelph riding.
Mike Schreiner is both the Green Party of Ontario’s candidate for the Guelph riding and the leader of the party for the province. Despite dropping almost five per cent in holdings of the popular vote in Guelph last election, Schreiner remains optimistic for the party’s future – in Guelph and in Queen’s Park.
Born and raised in WaKeeney, Kansas, Schreiner only became a Canadian citizen in 2007, but he has been active on the Canadian political scene ever since. Schreiner was elected leader of the Green Party of Ontario in November of 2009.
This is Schreiner’s first time running in the Guelph riding, although he has been a big part of the Guelph business industry for many years: he is the co-founder of WOW foods, a local organic food distribution company, and Local Food Plus, a non-profit organization which works to bring farmers and consumers together to promote socially, environmentally, and locally sustainable food systems.
Schreiner currently lives in Toronto with his wife, Sandy, and their two daughters. The Green Party’s plan to merge the Catholic and public school boards, which Schreiner says will save $1.6 billion per year in administrative costs, has been a recent hot topic in the political sphere. However, the party stands strong on its platform, which also focuses on lowering payroll taxes for small businesses; funding local transit infrastructure; lowering energy costs; addressing child poverty; protecting farmlands and water resources; increasing royalties and levies for mining, aggregates, and water-taking; and creating the Social Innovation Fund, which would provide grants, loans, and mentorship to young entrepreneurs.
Liz Sandals is a current member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Guelph riding of the Ontario Liberal Party. Sandals is also the Minister of Education, appointed by Kathleen Wynne in February of 2013.
Born and raised in Guelph, Sandals received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph, and taught computer science there after receiving her master’s in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
Sandals was elected to the Guelph public school board in 1988 and was re-elected four times. From 1998 to 2002, she served as President of the Ontario Public School Boards Association.
In 2003, she ran for the nomination for the Ontario Liberal Party riding in Guelph, winning the Guelph riding in that election by 42.3 per cent. Sandals has been re-elected twice, winning with over 40 per cent of the vote both times. In her time in provincial parliament, Sandals has served as Parliamentary Assistant to several portfolios, including Education, Government Services, Health and Long-Term Care, Community Safety and Correctional Services, and Transportation.
Sandals currently lives in Guelph with her husband, David, and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
Several voices from other parties have criticized the Liberals’ “lack of honesty” about the true state of Ontario’s finances. However, the Liberal Party would move forward with their $119.4 billion budget proposed on May 1st. The budget would cover all of the party’s promises in their ten year plan for the economy, including: job creation; investment in transit and transportation infrastructure; retirement security; energy cost reduction; and the enhancement of the Ontario Child Benefit, as well as low-income health and social assistance benefits.
James Gordon is the two-time New Democratic Party of Ontario candidate for the Guelph riding. In a press release, Gordon promoted a campaign focusing on “economic fairness, sustainability, community strength, and overcoming voter apathy.”
In the 2011 election, Gordon placed third in the Guelph riding, holding 24 per cent of the vote.
Just last year, Gordon put on “Stephen Harper- The Musical” at the Guelph Little Theatre, featuring original songs and a puppet version of the Honourable Prime Minister. However, Gordon is no stranger to the musical world, and he is well-known across the city and the country, famous for songs centred on social justice and political issues and for his work with folk-trio Tamarack. Gordon also appeared for 12 years as the singer-songwriter in residence for CBC Radio’s “Basic Black.”
Passionate about bettering the Guelph community, Gordon is the Vice President of the Guelph Arts Platform, the Founding Artistic Director for the Hillside Music Festival, and the Founding Chair of the Family Mental Health Network. He received the Mayor’s Award for Community Service to Guelph in 2008.
The NDP recently received backlash from party supporters in a letter published in the Toronto Star, which criticizes party leader Andrea Horvath’s somewhat controversial decision to not back the “most progressive budget in recent Ontario history.” However, the party maintains their position on the budget and are focusing their campaign on rewarding job creators in the creation of a “strong middle class” and reducing energy costs; investing in local transit; making healthcare a priority; and creating an “Open Schools” fund, which would help stop school closures and increase the presence of local after-school programs.
Anthony MacDonald is the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s candidate for the Guelph riding. A prominent Guelph businessman, MacDonald’s many years of experience have been spent in the rural Ontario horse racing industry.
Born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI, MacDonald moved to Ontario in 1995 to pursue his career as an owner, trainer, and driver. He has competed in several large harness racing events across North America, winning multiple times in Stake races. MacDonald is one of Canada’s top-ranked drivers for purse winnings and number of starts, and in 2011, he was ranked third in Canada for number of wins.
MacDonald also actively participates in programs which support harness racing throughout Ontario, volunteering at youth and adult harness racing camps while taking every opportunity to be an ambassador for the sport and its influence on life in the province.
MacDonald currently lives in Guelph with his wife, Amy, and their two children, and he has cut back on his training and racing hours to run for the PC Party.
The Progressive Conservatives’ promises to lower taxes and reduce debt – which party leader Tim Hudak contends will create “a million jobs” – have come under major scrutiny in the past few weeks, with several economists and other influential voices speaking up to challenge the math behind the party’s Million Jobs Plan. However, the PC platform also promises a reduction in energy prices; an emphasis on training more skilled workers; increasing trade between other provinces and countries to put “Made in Ontario” on more shelves; and the elimination of “the red-tape that stands in the way of job creation.”