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Huron Expositor, 2014-06-11, Page 66 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Election 2014 )Candidates for Huron -Bruce QMI Agency JAN JOHNSTONE, NOP Huron -Bruce New Demo- crat (NDP) candidate Jan Johnstone wants "to make life more affordable" for people in the riding, and plans to do so with changes to energy rates and health care, education and agriculture. The four -time trustee and former Bluewater District School Board chair hails from Kincardine and is a social worker by trade, having served at the Kincardine hospital, and at Wingham hospital as palliative care coordinator. "I understand the impor- tance of health care and the quality of care provided through proper funding that should flow from the prov- ince," said Johnstone. Costs of electricity, wind power and support for nuclear refurbishment have all topped the list of issues in Huron - Bruce, alongside Progressive Conservative (PC) Party leader Tim Hudak's pledge to slash 100,000 jobs and what should be done with the scan- dal -clad Kathleen Wynne Lib- eral govemment, she said. On energy, Johnstone said the Andrea Horwath NDP Party plans to cut HST off of home energy bills, eliminate the debt retirement charge, cap public CEO wages and ($60 million/yr) bonuses and reunite publicly -owned energy corporations to cut several levels of bureaucracy. A big step would be seeing t 1611 0 .-1 'Now e 4-11-1 You are invited to attend these area churches ST. THOMAS CHURCH 21Jarvis St. Seaforth Rector The Rev. Karine Snowdon Rectory 519-482-9071 Church Office 519-527-1522 Sunday, June 15th ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WELCOMES YOU 14 Victoria Street, Seaforth 519-345-2972 Sat. Mass 5 p.m. Sun. Mass 9 a.m. ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN Sun. Mass 11 a.m. FR. CHRIS GILLESPIE Trinity Sunday Worship at 9:15 a.m. Followed by refreshments Tamp Day" Bring in your donations to Huron Church Camp Bursary Fund Council meets Tues. June 17 at 1:30 p.m. BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH An Associated Gospel Church 126 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0982 Pastor Mark Kennedy Sunday School for all ages 9:45-10:45 SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11 a.m. Wednesday Evenings • Youth Groups - Junior & Senior High 6:30 to 9 p.m. • Boys & Girls Club JK to Gr. 6 7 - 8:15 p.m. • Adult Bible Study 7 p.m. EL EVERYONE WELCOME EGMONDVILLE UNITED CHURCH Pastor Steve Hildebrand Youth Coordinator - Laura Nakamura Worship, June 15th, 11 a.m. Youth Sunday School 11 a.m. Adults at 10 a.m. Everyone is Welcome Earbuds and elevator available Website: www.egmondvilleunitedchurch.com Like us on Facebook. NORTHSIDE UNITED CHURCH MINISTER MARY FLETCHER Welcomes you Sunday, June 15th, 11 a.m. Cemetery Service at Maitland Bank Cemetery All Welcome to Attend 54 Goderich St. W. 6. 519-527-1449 li www.cavannorthsideunited.ca FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 59 Goderich St. W. Seaforth 519-527-0170 Student Minister Ian Marnoch Lorrie Mann - Organist Worship Sunday, June 15th, 11:15 a.m. Happy Father's Day ,L, Sunday School & Nursery Provided. 1,-.6 Office hours: Wed. 9 a.m. - Noon the NDP trim the public sector electricity bureaucracy by reuniting the four public electricity entities that were the former Ontario Hydro, Johnstone said. Ontario Power Generation, Hydro One, the Inde- pendent Electricity Service Operator (IESO) and Ontario Power Authority would be 'reunited', allowing only one bureaucratic chain, versus the four cur- rently in existence that combined, repre- sent millions in unnecessary executive salaries. "That way we can get rid of those addi- tional layers of bureaucracy," she said. Under an NDP government, local con- trol would be restored via an amendment to the Green Energy Act, allowing com- munities to decide if energy projects, like wind power deals, are suitable for them, she said. The NDP would also "review all private power contracts with wind companies" as suggested by the auditor general, while creating a 'direct' energy market that pulls away from the current "energy specula- tion markets" that she said subsidizes exports at the expense of taxpayers. Support for nuclear is also key to her campaign in Huron -Bruce, Johnstone said, and she said the NDP will in favour of reviewing a "sound business plan" for the future refurbishment of Bruce nuclear units. On the nuclear waste repository front, she's choosing to "leave it to the experts" to decide on the path forward, rather than take a side. Acknowledging it's a divisive issue facing Huron -Bruce, John- stone said communities should inform themselves on both with the OPG deep geologic repository (DGR) for low and intermediate level waste, and the early stages of the nuclear fuel DGR being investigated as a possibility in Ontario and Saskatchewan, by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). Both projects are outside of provincial jurisdiction, she said, but they have appeared as a provincial election issue locally. "This is a very public federal process they're trying to conduct, so I'm choosing to respect that process," she said. On the health care front, Johnstone said she supports the use of public fund- ing to maintain local hospitals, including the expansions and keeping wages tied to inflation with Personal Support Workers (PSWs) versus a one-time 'election -type' increase. The NDP also plans on hiring 250 nurse practitioners to lighten the load on doctors and in emergency rooms, increasing the number of long term care beds by 1,400, as well as act on a 'five-day home care guarantee' the Liberals didn't fulfil, she said. The agricultural sector is important to Huron -Bruce and Johnstone said he plans to be a part of an NDP govemment that would see it acknowledged as an economic driver, rather than a "part-time job" Premier Kathleen Wynne has been treating it as. Supporting Risk Management and the unexpected fluctuations in the market that can impact farm families is impor- tant to Johnstone, she said. The NDP plans to meet with community groups to reassess the program's $100 million capacity and see where it can be improved. "It needs to go beyond that," she said. The NDP also plans to address the availability of local food in communities, stop urban sprawl into agricultural areas, reform the Ontario Municipal Board, allow farmers to 'opt out' of expensive time of use energy policies and recognize agriculture as an "economic engine" in Ontario, with additional supports planned to aid agricultural families. On education, Johnstone said fixing the current "broken funding formulas" she's familiar in dealing with, which will be a key issue to address if she's elected. Also on their agenda is research into con- verting extra space in public schools and making it "affordable" to non-profit groups in order to create "community hubs" and maintain schools in commu- nities that could be facing closure due to declining enrolment. She said the school closure process is also to be reviewed across Ontario, under the NDP election plan. "My goal is to protect local schools at the heart of our communities," said Johnstone. With a campaign office located in downtown Kincardine, Johnston said she's enjoyed being busy "knocking on doors" throughout the riding to meet people and learn more about their issues. Her campaign office can be reached at 519-396-6686 or by visiting her on Facebook. COLLEEN SCHENK, LIBERAL Lisa Thompson is a one issue can- didate, according to Colleen Schenk, who is running on the Liberal ticket in the Huron -Bruce riding in the June 12 election. But Huron -Bruce isn't a one issue riding, and that's one of the reasons why Schenk is looking to unseat the incumbent and give back a voice to rural Ontario in the provincial legislature. "I think I have the experience to bring forward speaking on behalf of rural people," Schenk said in a phone interview from the campaign trail Sat- urday. "I think we need someone from the rural area who can speak in the government to rural issues." Not only is Huron -Bruce not a one issue riding, Schenk believes the cur- rent MPP is focussing entirely on the wrong issue. "Some people are upset with tur- bines, but it's certainly in the minor- ity," she said. CONTINUED > PAGE 7 TROY PATTERSON/KINCARDINE NEWS Huron -Bruce New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Jan Johnstone. PATRICK BALES OMI Colleen Schenk was nominated as the Liberal Party's provincial candidate in the riding of Huron -Bruce at a riding meeting in Lucknow, Wednesday, March 19, 2014. DEBORA VAN BRENK OMI Huron -Bruce Progressive Conservative (PC) candidate Lisa Thompson.