Will Guelph stay Green? Incumbent MPP Mike Schreiner sure hopes so.
The local Green Party candidate, who serves as party leader, has spent two terms representing local residents in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and is looking to make it three. He’s running for a return to Guelph’s seat in next month’s election.
“I love working hard for Guelph and I want to continue working hard for Guelph at Queen’s Park,” he said. “And I feel like we've accomplished a lot … but there's a heck of a lot more work to do and I'm up for doing that work.”
Schreiner was acclaimed as his party’s Guelph candidate in November, making him the first declared local candidate for the provincial election.
He was first elected as MPP in 2018 and returned to office in 2022 with more than 50 per cent voter support.
The next provincial election is set for Feb. 27.
Asked what he feels are his successes during his time in office, Schreiner is quick to point to working across party lines to secure provincial funding for local initiatives, such as supportive housing projects like Grace Gardens and 10 Shelldale, research opportunities at the U of G and expansion at Guelph General Hospital.
“I've always been somebody who believes deeply in working across party lines to put people first, and that's exactly what I'm going to continue to do,” he said. “One thing that separates the Greens from other parties is our local MPPs are advocates for their community at Queen's Park, not the voice of their leader in the riding.
“Obviously, for me, it's a little different because I am the leader, but I really appreciate that freedom to be able to prioritise what people in Guelph tell me are their top priorities to guide the work that I do at Queen's Park.”
What are those priorities? Housing, affordability, healthcare, education and protecting nature, Shreiner said.
“I knock on doors year-round, really take the time to listen and learn from folks in Guelph so I can be a stronger advocate for them,” the incumbent candidate stated.
“The housing crisis is driving the affordability crisis across the province.And you're seeing housing starts down in Ontario and up in the rest of the country. Guelph's not immune to that, which is why I've been working so hard to remove the barriers to building more homes that people can afford in the community they love – Guelph,” he said. “And I want to make sure that I continue fighting for proper funding for our schools so that we can eliminate those overcrowded classrooms.”
Schreiner was born in Kansas and raised on his family’s grain and cattle farm. He and his wife moved to Canada in 1995 and became Canadian citizens in 2007.
He’s been leader of the Green Party of Ontario since 2009 and ran unsuccessfully in other ridings before his historic win in 2018 as the first-ever elected Green MPP in the province.
Other declared major party local candidates in the Feb. 27 general election include the NDP’s Cameron Spence and Bob Coole for the Progressive Conservative Party.
The Liberal party has yet to formalize a Guelph candidate.
