By Emily Stonehouse
In light of the snap election called by Premier Doug Ford on Jan. 28, candidates across the province have been scrambling to get their political ducks in a row leading up to the Feb. 27 poll date.
While it may seem rushed from a voter perspective, Green Party candidate Tom Regina says that rumours of the abrupt, wintery election have been in the works since last September.
“It is a quick decision, but we’ve been getting ready for it,” he said. “You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but there were signs. And people aren’t happy about it.”
Regina has called Haliburton home since 1990. Over his years as a teacher at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, he was given an immersive look at the socio-econonomic build of the community.
Upon his retirement from teaching, Regina dove into the world of politics, deeply learning and navigating through the varying platforms, in an effort to understand who could best represent the needs of our local community. “I went from party to party,” he said, “and I was looking at all their policies, and the Green Party is the only party born out of the mandate for protecting the environment.”
In a world where climate change is on the forefront of many global disasters, environmental sustainability and protection was an absolutely crucial factor when it came to choosing someone to represent the needs of the people.
Regina began volunteering with Green Party, and realized that more and more of his values were represented within their beliefs; affordable housing, access to healthcare, environmental sustainability, and equity and compassion for all. “I really feel strongly about our Green values,” he said. “All policies are imbued with the central values of sustainability and concern for the environment.”
Regina now sits as the Central East Regional representative for the Green Party, and this will be his second election experience, with the first run in June, 2022.
Canvassing in the winter months versus the summer has come with its own wealth of difficulties. “I haven’t been able to go out and about the same way I did before,” Regina noted. He shared that going door-to-door – a common practice during election time – is challenging in frigid temperatures and blizzards. He also noted that adding signs around the community is next to impossible with snow drifts and plows barraging them from view, and he is concerned about the fact that poor weather could deter folks from showing up on voting days.
There’s a reason most elections usually take place during warmer months.
While Haliburton County has long had a conservatively-based voter turnout, Regina says that the polls could look different this time around. “In this riding, it always seems to be a foregone conclusion,” he agreed, “but there’s been a lot of unhappiness with conservatives.”
In the 2022 election, the local Green Party had over a 50 per cent increase in their popularity, and while the numbers were still small, it signified a shift in interests and priorities amongst the local population. “That’s showing us that a lot more people are aligned with climate and environmental priorities,” noted Regina.
In terms of the outcome for the coming election, Regina says there is uncertainty. While many are directing their attention to the political strife in the United States, the concerns for politics at a local level seems to be on the backburner.
“It’s a crystal ball decision,” said Regina. “But I don’t think it’s going to turn out the way Mr. Ford wants it to.”
