Ontario election: Get to know the candidates in Waterloo Region

Here is a list of the candidates running in the June 7th election in Waterloo Region that 570 NEWS has been profiling all week:

Kitchener-South Hespeler

Amy Fee (Conservatives)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I grew up in Ontario, on the other side of Toronto in Bowmanville. My mom was a teacher, my dad worked at General Motors in Oshawa.”

“My parents were very big on understanding the political system and making sure that I understood why I was voting for someone, what they would do for me and my community and what they would do provincially and federally. That’s what kind of led me into a career, first off, in media. My obsession with politics led me to always pay attention to what was going on in the news, so I got to know politicians right across the country and all levels of government. It certainly had a big impact on me as well, and I lived across the country working in media and then when I had my kids, we moved to Kitchener.”

“Four children, two with special needs. Worked with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and was elected as a trustee.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I want to make sure that the voices are heard from people in Kitchener-South Hespeler at Queen’s Park. My frustration has grown, especially over the last few years with just the out-of-control spending that this government has done while families in Kitchener-South Hespeler suffer.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“We are kicking financial problems down the road for generations to come. For our kids and our grandkids because of this overspending. We have the hydro crisis, again, we’re trying to kick that down the road too. Just this overspending that’s having the ripple effect across so many areas in this province.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“The fear of the overburdened debt. The fear of going to the hospital and needing care for a loved one, and it not being able to be there. The lack of long-term care. The lack of front-line care in our hospitals and having to have hallway-medicine. These things are real for our families in Kitchener-South Hespeler, and it’s scary for them and it’s this fear that they live with day in and day out.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I want to see lower taxes. I want to see good-paying jobs coming back to Ontario. I want to see lower hydro rates. I want to see a focus on an education system that ensures that we can bring up math scores. That we are supporting teachers in our classrooms, that we’re reducing violence in our classrooms that have certainly caused a ripple effect across all students in our system. I want to see a health care system that is supporting our doctors and our nurses and supporting front-line care. I want to see more long-term care beds in our province so that way, we can take that pressure off of families and also pressure off of our hospitals.”

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Fitzroy Vanderpool (NDP)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I moved to Canada over 40 years ago with my parents, in search of a better way of life. I am a professional boxing champion, six times world champion. I’ve been running a small business in Kitchener-Waterloo for the last 15 years. I work as a boxing coach, working with underprivileged and at-risk youth. I have a non-profit organization called WHIPYIT, ‘With Hope, It’s Possible: Youth In Transition.’ And now, I am going to transition into running as your MPP.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I saw the need to make a positive impact in the lives of others, and the New Democrat’s platform provided me with just that. The health care and the pharma-care program for all ages is very important to me, so the health care is what made me want to make a big difference because that impacts everybody. Health is everything.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“Hydro bills that have skyrocketed, so we need to get the hydro in check because that affects everybody.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“Making life affordable. We’re looking at pharma-care and dental care for all ages. We want to get the hydro rates back in check. For students, we want to relieve student debt, convert loans to grants, therefore creating thousands of student co-op jobs and it’s important that these students don’t end up having to pay the interest on these loans, so that’s why we’re converting them into grants. So we can give them a fair chance to get ahead in life, get a step forward.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I would like to have it so that we can create more jobs cause small business is the backbone of Ontario’s economy. And I think that with creating more jobs, it’s going to give these young people a chance, when they graduate from school, get a chance to work and make a positive difference in the workforce. The NDP is going to work with small businesses to create good jobs and local support to build a prosperous Ontario.”

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Surekha Shenoy (Liberal)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“Originally from India, came to Canada “in pursuit of higher studies and for a better opportunity in life. Did undergrad in engineering in India, did Masters in Saskatchewan, moved to Newfoundland where her daughter was born. Then moved to Waterloo Region and been here for last 23 years. Did MBA at Wilfrid Laurier and moved into career and worked in Welland and Toronto for TD Bank in Financial Services looking after Small Business Portfolio, Past-Chair of Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, later becoming a full-time volunteer, Co-Chair of East Indian Community Walkathon.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“To help make improvements in the community that I couldn’t have done just doing what I was doing right now. So it was very localized, so this is my opportunity to give back to my community at a higher level by representing our community at Queen’s Park.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“I see the wealth distribution is not equal. It doesn’t have to be equal but it has to be fair. And that, I don’t seem to see translate into the struggling families. That’s something I would say is very close to me. I have a friend, and families that I know who are struggling to put food on the table because they couldn’t afford it at the minimum wage that we have.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I will do what our community needs. It has to be on what our community tells us because we are (the community’s) representatives, there’s no question on that. I’ve said that when I knock on doors, ‘I’m your representative.’ I will do what is important for this community, what your needs are. I’m the type who will hear and listen to all sides. I work together, I’m consensus-based. I don’t care where an idea comes from. If it is good, we are going to do it.”

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Kitchener-Conestoga

Kelly Dick (NDP)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I am a mother of two and have two grown boys. I have lived in this region my whole life. I am a long-time community advocate and have been for about 34 years. I am executive board member with the Waterloo Region Labour Council, I also sit on the executive board for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 175633 and I have been fighting for the rights of working families for a very long time, 34 years.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I never aspired to be a politician but more of a person who is active in the community and is able to have a voice at the table when decisions are being made about things that are going on within this riding and within the province”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“I think health care is one of the biggest issues that we are facing right now in this province. We have hallway medicine that is being practiced every single day in this province. We have people who are waiting 5 days or 7 days not in rooms but in hallways and they have no privacy and they have no care. With the funding cuts and the freezes that have been implemented by the Liberal government for the last 15 years, its hard for hospitals to provide the health care people need.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“I think the hospital overcrowding. Grand River Hospital right now on average is running about 117 per cent capacity, while St. Mary’s Hospital is running at about 110 per cent capacity. Safety regulations state that in order for doctors and nurses to provide specific care and great care for patience, the maximum capacity needs to sit at 85 per cent. So as you can see, with the funding that has been cuts and the caps that have been put on hospital funding, it is difficult for doctors and nurses to provide that kind of care.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“People in the riding, stakeholders, people in the community and the townships, sitting down with them and trying to understand what they want. If they choose to elect me, I am working for them. If they have an issue, I want to know what that is and I want to know if we can work together to figure out how to solve that issue and bring it to light to make this community the best it can be.”

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Joe Gowing (Liberal)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I was born and raised in Cambridge and moved into the Forest Heights area and went to Conestoga College for Police Foundations and while I was there I started working at one of the major banks and just stuck with it. I am now a mortgage specialist with Meriden Credit Union covering Kitchener-Waterloo. When I was younger I was an air cadent in Breslau, and I have done a lot of volunteering with youth groups and am a currently a rotary member with the Preston-Hespeler Rotary Club and I am the Public Relations Officer for the Royal Canadian Legion in Preston.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“The representation really haven’t been there at Queens Park for this area. I’ve decided it’s time for me to get involved further and I put my name forward and I want to be that strong voice for that area.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“The benefits of living is a major issue going into this election and that is why the Liberal government brought in the childcare by 2020 also Medicare being expanded. They way of life in Ontario, that is what is going to be a key issue coming into this election.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“A lot of our inventory is down because people and seniors are living in their homes longer and not looking to downsize. I know specifically in the townships, that is hurting their population because the children of those seniors are having to move into the cities and not being able to stay in the communities they have grown up in.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I want to be one of the champions in this area, specifically Kitchener-Conestoga, to bring the issues that we have to Queens Park and press the government to make the changes we need to help this area. A lot of the township issues and the city issues aren’t being resolved at Queens Park because the representation isn’t there.”

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Mike Harris Jr. (Conservatives)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I’ve moved down here from North Bay with my wife and at the time three kids, and we opened a business in Uptown Waterloo which, unfortunately due to the ION construction, we weren’t able to keep open. Since that point, I have been the Director of Enterprise Business Development for a publicly traded tech company and we specialize in secure remote access solutions and our biggest client is the U.S DOD and the Pentagon.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“Politics is in my blood and as a father of five, the 315 billion dollar debt that we have incurred over the last 15 years under this Liberal government is going to be taking its toll on the next generation. I want to make sure that not only my children, but the families around Ontario aren’t going to have to worry about mortgaging their children’s future for short term gains and buying votes.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“I think hydro has been a main concern for people for many years now. We are paying some of the highest rates across North America to keep the lights on in our homes. We (the PC party) have announced already that one of the first things we want to do when we get into office is bring relief to families and business through a 12 per cent hydro reduction.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“GO Train service is a major thing here. People need to be able to get in and out of the region into the GTA and into Toronto proper. We are really lacking in service and they don’t have the access to all day two-way GO Train. Also, of course, the widening of Highway 7 from the eastside of Kitchener over to Guelph. Then highspeed rail through Wilmot Township into the GTA and Toronto is a major concern for people, they don’t want their farms split.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“Just being able to represent the people of Kitchener-Conestoga the best I can and listening to their concerns at the doors and when we are meeting for coffee and seeing what a lot of the real issues are here and then moving forward on how we can accomplish those in a timely manner.”

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Waterloo

Dorothy McCabe (Liberal)

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“It’s been since 2003 since this city has had a government representative in office championing issues for them, and I just feel that Waterloo needs a stronger voice at Queen’s Park. I feel we need someone whose willing to work across party lines, to work with a diverse group of stakeholders to move good ideas and initiatives forward, and not someone focused on partisanship.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“Levelling the playing field is really critical for the people of Ontario, and by that I mean giving people of various backgrounds an equal opportunity, and that’s where I see the premier and certainly our party focused in terms of free tuition for low and medium income individuals and families.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“I think if I were to say three things I’d say really fighting for fairness for the most vulnerable in our community. Climate change and the environment is a big issue, and building strong inclusive communities.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I’m going to be focused on continuing to work with our Minister of Transportation on continued investments in the GO train service. And that’s a project I started years ago the two-way all-day GO rail service, which has now become a Toronto-Waterloo Region corridor … and I think it’s critical to advance our community.”

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Dan Weber (Conservatives)

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I think really it started with frustration about the level of debt in our province. I have two children — they’re six and three. I’m very concerned about the next generation … My two kids in public debt owe almost $50,000 each, and that’s just not acceptable to me.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“That is the provincial debt. We have the highest sub-national debt in the world in Ontario. We need to ensure responsible spending, and we need to ensure that government is not wasting our taxpayer dollars. We need to ensure that there’s something left for the next generation.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“We have over 100,000 people in the riding of Waterloo, and if you take the overall public debt for the people in our riding, it’s over $5 billion of public debt. And again I just feel that that’s unacceptable that we need to be doing things in a better way.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“Progressive Conservative government is going to ensure that we have an independent audit of the current books … We need to really figure out what our starting point is first, and then determine how we best get to a balanced budget. So we really need to get our deficits and debts under control.”

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Catherine Fife (NDP)

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“Well I’ve been serving this community for almost six years … And I’ve build on a number of experiences, which has proven to be I think very beneficial for the people of Waterloo. I’m committed to, of course, public education where I go my start in politics, but I’ve learned so much on the health care file and the economic file.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“The number one issue we hear in our office is the crisis in health care and this comes from year’s of neglect on the part of the Liberal government … We’re looking to really look holistically at the health care file by investing in prevention, like preventative strategies like dental care and pharma care where people would actually have the medication that they need to stay healthy.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“Obviously that connectivity piece between Waterloo Region as an economic engine and the City of Toronto as an economic engine, and that requires a full commitment, and realizing regional express rail — the GO two-way service — happens very, very quickly.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I would be energized to address the health care crisis. My first love is education, I’d like to one day return to that file. But I think the most important piece based on the financial experience that I have now as the former finance critic is to ensure that this province invests wisely going forward, while protecting the public services that the people of Ontario and Waterloo depend on.”

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Kitchener-Centre

Mary Henein Thorn (Conservatives)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I have a college and university education, I’m a Conestoga College alumni, I’ve worked as an entrepreneur, I’ve worked very closely with small business I did market consulting and I was an advertising broker. And from there I was fortunate to do some constituency work for a local MPP (Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris) … from there I moved on to work federally for a senior cabinet minister.”

That cabinet minister was the Honourable Diane Finley during her time as Minister for South Western Ontario at the Minister’s regional office located in Kitchener.

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“My family and other families are so frustrated with the lack of accountability and affordability of this current government. You know, I was complaining about something and somebody said ‘you gotta run, you got the experience, you got the background, you understand the needs of the community, get out there and make a difference,’ and that’s what I wanna do, I wanna make a difference

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“The one comment throughout that comes up is how unaffordable life has gotten in Ontario, people are struggling and I think this current Liberal government is really out of touch and really doesn’t understand just how much the decisions have affected our local people.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“I think healthcare is a very, very big issue, we’ve been speaking with a lot of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and frontline workers and they all seem to be saying the same thing, ‘we’re not being heard, we’re overworked’ – the money is there, if not for the mismanagement of the funds, things could be better for healthcare.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“We want to make sure we are an accountable government and we stop the waste that’s happening and that we take a strong look at our healthcare system and make it more efficient and support those front line workers that need that support.”

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Diaene Vernile (Liberal)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“Worked for 36 years as a news journalist, including almost 30 years anchoring and producing Province Wide, a weekly news and current affairs program at CTV in Kitchener. The stories that were almost most gratifying to cover were those where you could put the spotlight on a situation or a transgression and help someone. In government, you can do the same thing but rather than telling a story, you can advance policy that helps people.”

“Born into poverty to an Italian immigrant family in Toronto, they taught me to work hard and to consider all work honourable, I put myself through University, Wilfrid Laurier, and I was the first member of family to attend post- secondary school and I graduated without student debt because I juggled four jobs all the way through school, I’ve been married for 33 years to my wonderful husband John and we have three amazing kids.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“To help people, to help businesses, to help organizations, to help businesses and to help build up Kitchener, which is a fantastic community thanks to the many caring people who live and work here.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“What I’m fighting for is to ensure that there is going to be fairness and opportunity for everyone…Before getting involved in politics, there was an older wiser gentleman who took me aside and said ‘your job is to bring home the bacon.'”

Some examples that Vernile provided of that include numerous transit projects such as a new Transit Hub on King and Victoria in Kitchener, a new GO Train Station and parking garage in Breslau, funding for the LRT, doubling GO-Train service, and a Go Bus and train maintenance facility of Shirley Ave. She also focused on numerous funding initiatives for healthcare in the region, and investments in our local post-secondary schools.

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“Transit is very important to certain stakeholders, I hear from them loud and clear, and we’re working together to advance better transit for our community. However, for our wider region is ensuring that we have a fair and caring society…we’re addressing that by providing support for families with free daycare for children who are 2 1/2 to kindergarten years and we’re now going to have free dental for seniors.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I’ve worked very, very hard to advance all of the funding supports that I’ve managed to get for our hospitals, our schools, our social service agencies, our businesses and I’m going to keep doing that. I tell people that when you go down to Queen’s Park you have to be a police pest, so very politely keeping reminding various ministers, various agencies about the things we need in Waterloo Region, and I will keep doing that.”

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Laura Mae Lindo (NDP)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I’m the Director of Diversity and Equity at Wilfrid Laurier University and my background has been in education but I always think very broadly about education so I’ve worked with teachers, I’ve worked with students in the public system, in the private school system, I’ve worked adults and young adults who are trying to get into business and that kind of stuff, and outside of that I’m raising three little people, 13, 10 and 3.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I’m hearing about affordable housing, healthcare, mental health, education and the list is so long because the Liberal government has let people down. So when I go to the doors people are asking me ‘when are we actually going to get the financial resources to fix the problems?”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“Healthcare, hydro, and systemic racism…for the NDP we’re going to cut the hydro bills by 30%, put Hydro One back in public hands, we’re going to build 65,000 new affordable homes…healthcare and mental health – we have to put an end to hallway medicine, we have to cut wait times for surgery, and we have to make sure that we’re taking mental health seriously…systemic racism – the NDP is the only party I know of that actually going use a broader equity lens for all of the work that they are actually doing.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“So that means dental care for everyone, pharmacare, addressing childcare so the max is $12 a day…fixing the healthcare crisis, making sure proper funding is going into schools and our healthcare and comprehensive mental health.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“For me, and for my future constituents, I’m just ready to roll up my sleeves and get good things done.”

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Cambridge

Kathryn McGarry (Liberal)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I moved from Toronto in 1988 to Cambridge in order to have a better place e to raise our children, I am a long time nurse I started out at Sick Kids and moved to Cambridge and became a community nurse, I also have worked in the Cambridge Hospital in the emergency and intensive care units and I have also been a care coordinator for the CCAC now known as LHIN, and I was doing care coordination in the hospital and in the Cambridge community.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“When I was deciding who I wanted to run for, because I am not a lifelong political person, I chose a party that invested in, rather than cut health care, and I continue to advocate for better more healthcare for the province.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“Right now our economy is booming, our unemployment is the lowest it’s been in 17 years, however not all Ontario citizens are feeling the effects for what our economy is doing, so we need to provide more care for our families, more access to free child care and OHIP Plus.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“The major issue people have been asking about has been the hospital expansion and healthcare continues to be the biggest issue I hear about at the door, so I’m very delighted that it’s(Cambridge Memorial Hospital) just about to open its doors to the new wing and there are more supports to hire more staff once that opens.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I want to continue to provide more transit options to the people of Cambridge, to continue the work we started, looking at the light rail transit coming to Cambridge, I want to continue the studies to ensure that we can increase GO Service along our corridor, and continue to provide the Region with more transit options, including High Speed Rail.”

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Marjorie Knight (NDP)

570 NEWS: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from? where did you go to school? what you did for work prior to entering politics?

“I was born in Montreal and grew up in Jamaica, I went to Bishops University in Quebec, I moved to Cambridge in 2001, my life in journey has been quite the journey, after losing my full time job, I had to try to make ends meet while making the minimum wage, which ended up with at one point being homeless, I went back university in Waterloo I have a bachelor of social work, and right now I am family outreach worker at House of Friendship.”

570 NEWS: Why did you decide to run?

“I’m an ordinary person, I’ve had a lot of life experience, my work supports people every day, and I realized that as much as I am an advocate outside politics, I can go on the inside and be a voice for people like me, the ordinary people of Cambridge.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing people in Ontario?

“I would concentrate right now on education, one of the few things we can give our children is a good education. Right now we are having enough problem with that, we are seeing a lot of schools in disrepair, we are seeing a lot of schools being closed.”

570 NEWS: What is the most important issue facing your riding?

“The thing I see the most in Cambridge is affordable housing, we have a platform to take action on housing affordability, it’s an interesting thing when you realize there are more families waiting for affordable housing than are living in affordable housing, and we have to do better.”

570 NEWS: What would you hope to accomplish if elected in June?

“I will be giving a voice to the ordinary people like myself, I will be giving a voice to the many and not the few and knock on doors every day, it’s the one thing that’s clear to me, people want change.”

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Belinda Karahalios (Conservatives)

-was unable to participate in the interview