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Shelburne Free Press https://shelburnefreepress.ca/?p=7814 Export date: Tue Jul 23 10:21:20 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Jones Conservative campaign backed by aggregate donations Incumbent Conservative MPP Sylvia Jones ran into optics issues at the all candidates' debate hosted by the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce in Shelburne May 29th. Audience member Carol Traintrek asked all the candidates to divulge corporate campaign donors to insure voters there were “no strings attached.” Sylvia Jones would not name corporations, insuring the audience that there were no limits to who could contribute because “there were no strings attached.” As her allowed question time ended, Traintrek called out, “What about the aggregate industry?” MPP Jones suggested voters visit the Elections Ontario website if they wanted to know specifics. Not an easy task. Following the debate, it took a computer expert and some time to come up with the on-line contributions to the Dufferin-Caledon PC candidate from 2011: bit.ly/Jones2011 including the aggregate names of James Dick, Holcim Canada, Lockyer, Greenwood, and Armstrong. This is a legitimate, but uncomfortable revelation in a riding known province wide for its grass roots “Food and Water First” campaign focused on fighting aggregate development on prime farmland and is likely to follow Jones into the next debate. Dufferin voter, Richard Byford, called it, “A disaster for Sylvia.” At Glenbrook Elementary School, Thursday night in Shelburne, it did not matter what your party affiliation was, there was no denying that Green Party candidate Karren Wallace, walked away the hometown favourite. Supporters applauded Wallace throughout the night for keeping her campaign promise to answer every question in “a straight up manner,” fully supported with Green Party Policy. Her lone ceramic cup in the midst of the other candidate's bottled water was symbolic of her attention to detail and solidarity with her community which continues the fight to protect the headwaters. The debate focused around the first time Green Candidate Wallace who has 20 years of Municipal policy experience and Conservative incumbent MPP Jones who has held the Dufferin-Caledon office for two terms. Wallace was on the offensive presenting the Green Party platforms on agriculture, water, energy, economy and education giving many voters in the audience their first taste of Green policy, “This is the most important vote in Dufferin-Caledon in decades,” Wallace told the voters, “protecting our ability to feed ourselves is as important as developing our economy.” As incumbent, Jones stood in defence of her record, as well as Conservative Leader Tim Hudak's proposed 100,000 job cuts, and in criticism of Premier Wynne's Liberals in Queen's Park, “I want young people to have the opportunities I had,” said Jones, “that's why I support the Progressive Conservative Million Jobs Plan.” The command of party policy demonstrated by the Green and Conservative candidates appeared to be understandably lacking in first time candidate New Democrat Rehya Yazbek. Both Yazbek and the Liberal Bobbie Daid stressed the urgency to protect farmland, but relied heavily on personal conviction, often without solid specifics of party policy to back their enthusiasm. Daid, the youngest of the candidates, presented herself as somewhat of a farm girl, but when she ran in the Ward 5 Mississauga City Council by-election in 2011 she was quoted as calling herself “a product of Ward 5” where she and her family had lived for over 25 years. Daid says she currently resides at the family's second home, a farm in East Caledon, which she says inspired her personal passion to protect agricultural land. Prime farmland protection is a top issue in the riding, yet Daid neglected to mentioned Kathleen Wynne's recently proposed Farms Forever program designed to help support young farmers and local sourcing of food as well as help protect farm land from development. As the incumbent, Jones proved she was a seasoned master of the Conservative platform, able to tie policy to her answers without hesitation. She was equally adept at political sleight of hand, redirecting challenging inquiries away from the direct issue, but the audience was having none of it, muttering and calling out “you didn't answer the question” on several occasions. Misdirection may have worked in Dufferin-Caledon in the past, but the trials and tribulations of the mega quarry have left behind a much more politically savvy riding; many of the questions targeted at the incumbent were more statements of discontent over her absence in the quarry fight and as a committee member of what is seen by Food and Water advocates as a flawed Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) review. Wallace too came under attack, from voter Steve Cavell who accused her of being a hypocrite for accepting a (stop the mega mine) donation from Michael Danhier, former front man for the Highland Companies. Cavell unknowingly gave the Green Party candidate a good opportunity to remind her base why they support her so enthusiastically. She recounted confronting Highland's Daniher at the door of a quarry information meeting, and insisting that since it was his company's fault that residents had to go to the expense of renting the facility and amenities for the anti-mega mine meeting, he could not enter to record the meeting without making a donation; Daniher handed over $20. Carl Cossack, Chair of the North Dufferin Agricultural Community Taskforce (NDACT) challenged the incumbent Jones at both the Orangeville and Shelburne debates over allegedly having early knowledge of the impending quarry application without informing the public. MPP Jones denied any early meetings with lobbyists and reprimanded Cossack for his line of questioning, calling it “beneath him,” leaving an opening for Wallace to insure voters that “as your elected MPP no question would be beneath me.” Cossack later noted that questions at the May 27th Orangeville debate “centered on serving the community, rather than serving the system.” He referenced the lack of representation regarding aggregate zoning issues, highlighted by the Mega Quarry, the Melrose Pit and the Greenwood purchase in North Mono as the main topics in Orangeville, as well as hydro costs and Tim Hudak's plan to fire 100.000 people. These topics “raised the ire of many people at the Orangeville debate,” Cossack said. The same could be said for Shelburne; in fact, Sylvia Jones made a very pointed comment that she saw many of the same faces at Shelburne as at the Orangeville debate. Despite being on the defensive for much of the debate, Jones portrayed a kind of stalwart calmness that embodied confidence and ‘political correctness.' For an audience whose mood was one of pent-up urgency it may have worked against her. Voters' questions for the candidates more than hinted that folks who might have scoffed at the idea of voting Green even four years ago were looking at the party in a whole new light. At the end of the night, Moderator Ron Munroe Project Leader of Dufferin.biz had the unpleasant job of informing a long line of voters they would not get the opportunity to ask their question. Melancthon resident, Merv Parker said it “looked like they were not expecting such an involved audience.” Even the Mayor of Shelburne, Ed Crewson was left holding his questions on which candidates would fight for Go Bus service to Shelburne and whether or not they supported continued funding through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund. In the debate still to come, Conservative Sylvia Jones will continue to deflect criticism over Hudak's 100,000 job cuts as well as the PC aggregate contributions, but she has the advantage of riding the rails of status quo in a traditionally Conservative riding; Liberal Bobbie Daid can count on the push back against Hudak's plan to bring her some favour; Rehya Yazbek will have to overcome public perception that the NDP's budget refusal caused an unnecessary, early election; and Shelburne's Karren Wallace, who has taken The Green Party along way at 25% in the polls, will have to continue convincing voters that Green Policies reach solidly beyond a single issue to satisfy broader concerns. The next debate is set for June 5 at 7pm at James Bolton Public School in Bolton. By Marni Walsh 
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Post date: 2014-06-04 14:59:44 Post date GMT: 2014-06-04 18:59:44 Post modified date: 2014-06-11 14:47:43 Post modified date GMT: 2014-06-11 18:47:43 |
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