Saturday, June 18, 2011

Guelph's MPP candidates

Hey all! So, election time is around the corner once again. The upcoming provincial election should be interesting to watch, considering the Federal Conservatives swept the nation to take a majority. Also, consider the Conservative influence that has already permeated the ranks of municipal government. Toronto's Mayor, Rob Ford, screams about fiscal conservancy and halting gravy trains until he is red in the face.

Will Guelph be able to resist the temptation of a Conservative MPP?

Here is the current selection of Guelph's candidates:


Liberal: Liz Sandals












Liz Sandals is Guelph-Wellington's current MPP. She has served Guelph since 2003, and is currently the parliamentary assistant to the Health Minister Deb Mathews. This is interesting to note because Guelph's city hall has been butting major heads with the province, in relation to a proposed health clinic.
Sandals also leads the governments Safe Schools Action Team. They recommend legislation regarding gender-based violence, homophobia, sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behaviour in schools.
She is also really good at computers. Seriously, she used to teach computers here at Guelph.

NDP: James Gordon
James Gordon is a local songwriter/activist/play write/enemy of Nestle Canada. Currently, he is producing a play entitled, "Nastee Business". It is a social commentary on the role between activists and corporations. But don't take my word for it. Here is the website: www.jamesgordon.ca



Conservatives: To be Declared July 18th
Currently there are three candidates vying for the Conservative Party nomination in Guelph. Let's go through the list:
Rob Demille: Rob is 29 years old and sells insurance for State Farm. He is currently a member of the Property Standards Committee of Guelph. Yup, that definitely sounds like something a Conservative would want to volunteer their time towards.
Greg Shirk: Greg is a local business owner and certified metal mechanic. He used to own a glass company, Royal City Glass, and now works for PM Windows and Doors. He is involved in several glass related groups, such as the Siding and Window Dealer Association of Canada (or SAWDAC for short).
Bob Senechal: Bob is currently a senior accounts manager at a cleaning supply distribution company. He has been heavily involved in the Conservative Party, having served as the vice-president of the Conservative Riding Association in Guelph.

Green Party: Steve Dyck, president of Guelph Solar Mechanical and trained mediator, beat out former city counsellor Mike Salisbury for the Green nomination.

Steve Dyck. I think he resembles former Green MP candidate Mike Nagy, from the 2008 Federal election.