On the move
New party that gained attention in last federal election sets up in Springhill
A new party that gained attention in the last provincial election but failed to find a seat in the legislature is moving its headquarters to Springhill.
The Atlantica Party announced its decision Nov. 6 to move from Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to the former mining town after holding its first executive retreat in the community over the weekend.
“We really, honestly believe the beginnings for the Atlantica Party are in rural communities, not HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality),” party events and media consultant Michael ‘Thor’ Lengies said.
The party elected a new executive over the weekend, naming Graham Brownlie president, 2017 Cumberland North candidate Bill Archer acting secretary, as well as 2017 Kings County candidates Bryden Deader and Joel Hirtle to the executive.
Lengies says the party will be active in the area, with Brownlie expected to be in the area five days every other week meeting with the public and getting familiar with the riding.
“One of the goals is to make the Atlantica Party a household name in Cumberland County,” Lengies said. “Cumberland will be the blueprint for the party in the rest of Nova Scotia.”
The location of the headquarters is still being finalized, Lengies said.
The announcement the party is moving its headquarters to the area comes just days after sitting Cumberland South MLA and Progressive Conservative Jamie Baillie will step down as leader of that party, but stay on as the Cumberland South MLA.
The Atlantica Party ran candidates in 15 ridings out of a 51 in the last provincial election. Party leader and founder Jonathan Dean was excluded from televised leaders debates but championed the party’s platform, which includes introducing legislation to recall MLAs, turning liquor sales in the province over to the private market and ending corporate subsidies while cutting business taxes.
The Atlantica Party was founded in 2005.
Online, the Atlantica Party can be found at www.atlanticaparty.ca.