Meet your Parry Sound-Muskoka candidates, round 2

With voters headed to the polls on September 20, Doppler invited the Parry Sound-Muskoka candidates from the five main national parties to participate in a Q&A. Each day this week, we’ll be posting their replies in random order.

Today’s question: What skillset or experience would you bring to the table?

Green Party, Marc Mantha
marcmantha.com

I have a professional record of taking on challenges with low expectations and turning them around with innovative approaches. It always involves collaboration and mutually sustainable benefits for everyone involved. Mitigating the climate crisis has outstanding possibilities for sustainable prosperity and the well-being of all Canadians and Indigenous communities.

Career politics might not be what we need more of. In my lifetime, the lack of continuity from one government to the next has not resulted in a real improvement in our quality of life. My friends and neighbours across party lines agree.

Liberal Party, Jovanie Nicoyishakiye
jovanienicoyishakiye.liberal.ca

Did not respond

New Democratic Party, Heather Hay
parrysoundmuskoka.ndp.ca

I have the vision and experience that is needed to chart a new and better way forward for Parry Sound–Muskoka.

Locally, I have advocated for age-friendly communities, represented clients at the Landlord Tenant Board and disability tribunals and coordinated a rural anti-poverty summit. I worked with the team at Muskoka Pride to get the pride flag raised in all six municipalities in Muskoka and coordinated an annual conference. It is hard to explain the rush of emotions I felt seeing the pride flag raised for the first time in the town I grew up in.

As the President for Fierté Canada Pride, I organized national summits for all sectors of the 2SLGBTQ community; prides, arts and cultural organizations and community centres. We developed a comprehensive proposal for the federal government and coordinated a lobby blitz with members of parliament in Ottawa that led to the creation of the $10 million LGBTQ capacity building fund.

People’s Party, Jim Tole
peoplespartyofcanada.ca/james_tole

The skills that I bring to the table are: listening, problem solving, strong organizational skills and empathy to people’s concerns. I’m well versed in both domestic and international issues.

Conservative Party, Scott Aitchison
conservativepsm.com

My best skillset is being able to work collaboratively with others to get things done. I am action-oriented, and very people focused in terms of my approach to politics. To me, the question is not whether something ‘can’ be done, but rather ‘how’ can we get it done in an efficient and effective way.

My municipal experience on Huntsville Town Council has given me good insights into the need to respect taxpayers, and tax dollars. As a life-long resident of Parry Sound-Muskoka, I have a good sense of the riding, it’s people and it’s future.

Having worked in real estate, I have a special interest in housing issues. Here in Parry Sound-Muskoka we have a housing crisis that is not only impacting on families, but it’s also affecting the ability of businesses to attract workers. So affordable housing is also a top priority for me.