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'That was just wrong,' Green Party Leader on MetroLinx decision

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner (l) chats policy with former federal Green Party Candidate Dr. Scott Daley (r). Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner kicked off his Northern Ontario Tour today with a stop in North Bay.

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner (l) chats policy with former federal Green Party Candidate Dr. Scott Daley (r).

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner kicked off his Northern Ontario Tour today with a stop in North Bay. Schreiner met with local residents and the White Owl Bistro on Lakeshore Drive to discuss the Green Party’s Platform.

Schreiner, a small business owner, says the current way of doing things at Queen’s Park by the big three political parties isn’t working and it is time to put the Green Party in.

“We’re really out building capacity for the party because we have a message that I think resonates with people,” he tells BayToday.

“And today in North Bay we’re essentially saying politics as usual is not working, Green MPPs are ready to work with citizens and communities to fix the problem at Queen’s Park. And we should start with the MetroLinx decision that awarded out coach refurbishment contract to an out of province firm.”

“That was just wrong. We need a complete overhaul of our procurement process to take the net benefit into account. When we look at government procurement in Ontario we need to look at are we sourcing things locally from Ontario firms, creating Ontario jobs, building Ontario’s tax base, and supporting our local communities like North Bay.”

Schreiner says he is also working to dispel the myth that there is a battle between the environment and the economy; in fact he says there will be a strong economic future in green technology.

“I see investing in green businesses, green technology, renewable energy, green buildings those are going to be the economic power houses of the 21st century. And the Green Party is putting forward the tax and regulatory forms to support our small and medium sized businesses and our Ontario firms so they can be competitive in a global economy.”

Another aspect of the visit to the Bay for the Green Party Leader was to iron out final details so the party can move forward in holding their nomination process and naming a candidate for the upcoming provincial election.

“We will be announcing out candidate very shortly,” he states.

“We have a strong person who’s putting their name forward and their nomination will be happening very soon. And we’re very excited about that because we think the Green Party’s message will resonate in Nipissing.”

He is quick to point out that a lot can happen between now and Election Day and the front runner is not always the winner.

“Anything can happen in an election campaign there’s a lot of time between now and October 6th. And I want to respect voters and give them an opportunity to listen to the platforms of all the political parties and listen to all the candidates and make a decision.”

“I don’t think you should pre-suppose things like that before the writ even drops.”