Schreiner sees green in Hamilton
Mike Schreiner says Hamiltonians are ready to see a “green wave” sweep through the province this election — including here in Hamilton.
Schreiner, the leader of the Green Party, swung through Hamilton Wednesday afternoon to highlight his party’s plans for Hamilton, including:
• Covering 50 per cent of LRT, HSR and DARTS operating costs;
• Introducing congestion charges for driving into Toronto; commercial parking levies in the GTA; and land value captures around transit nodes to raise $3 billion for infrastructure and transit;
• Introducing electrified all-day twoway GO service to Toronto, as well as improving regional transit (between Guelph, Kitchener and Hamilton, for example);
• Licensing and regulating private cannabis dispensaries to prevent underground sales;
• Expanding the Green Belt, and creating a “Blue Belt” to protect waterways;
• Creating “clean energy sector” jobs, while maintaining steel manufacturing jobs to support green energy initiatives such as wind turbines.
Schreiner also kicked off the campaigns of local Green candidates: Vince Fiorito in Burlington; Janet Errygers in Flamborough-Glanbrook; Jason Lopez in Hamilton Centre; Marianne Workman in Oakville North-Burlington; Brian Munroe in Hamilton EastStoney Creek; David Urquhart on the Hamilton Mountain; and Peter Ormond in Hamilton West-AncasterDundas.
“Our plans benefit Hamilton. They benefit Hamilton’s economy, and they benefit Hamilton as a community,” he said. “The three status quo parties have had their opportunities, and they haven’t delivered what the people of Ontario want. It is time to change the status quo and the only way we’re going to change the status quo is to vote for a new party with a new vision.”
Schreiner, running in Guelph, believes he has a shot of winning a seat in the June 7 election. The incumbent, Liz Sandals — president of the Treasury Board and the former minister of education — is not running for re-election, leaving the door open for Schreiner to take the seat.
He also points out that in the last election, he received 20 per cent of the popular vote and was only 200 votes away from a second-place finish.
“We want to increase our vote total, and we’re looking for breakthroughs in ridings across the province,” he said. “The Greens are putting forward honest solutions to the real challenges we face, and I think that’s what voters are hungry for.”