(GuelphToday asked each of the local candidates in the federal election to submit a brief bio and their platform)
Bio:
Longtime Guelph resident Steve Dyck has earned the respect of many as a successful entrepreneur, social justice and democracy advocate and community builder.
Steve maintains active membership in Fair Vote Guelph and Democracy Guelph, and volunteers with the Guelph Citizens Climate Lobby. Steve and his life partner, psychotherapist Vera Dyck, support Guelph Wellington’s Bridges Out of Poverty Circle. They currently sponsor a family from Syria and The Muslim Society of Guelph awarded Steve its Community Bridge Builders Award.
Born into poverty and raised in Alberta, Steve worked his way up in the auto industry. After relocating to Guelph with his family while working to develop engines for GM, Steve experienced the awakening that truly set him on the Green path. Steve founded an award-winning business that provides solar energy solutions to customers in the Golden Horseshoe, and creates sustainable, clean-tech jobs for the new economy. In 2011, Steve ran for provincial election as the Guelph Green Party candidate. He has served as vice-president of the Guelph Greens executive, and acted as chief fundraiser in the campaign that yielded Ontario’s first-ever Green MPP, Mike Schreiner.
Now, Steve Dyck stands up once again, ready to serve and represent the Guelph community - on Parliament Hill.
Platform:
We have a bold and inspiring vision — decisive climate action, zero interest loans for low carbon solutions, pharmacare, and steps toward a guaranteed livable income. Our budget will be audited by the Parliamentary Budget Office as we believe it’s essential to put our entire platform under review from a third party to provide honesty and transparency to Canadians.
Greens will strive to move Canada to a system of proportional representation - so that each vote has the same power. A majority of Canadians still say they want each vote to count, and count equally. Proportional representation is the only way to achieve this. Had our government kept its promise, currently we would be in our first election to use this system.
Greens want to increase the National Housing Co-investment Fund by $750 million for new builds, and the Canada Housing Benefit by $750 million, so that 125,000 households can receive rent assistance.
The Green Party believes it’s time to reorient the Canada Health Act towards dealing with mental health. The Canadian health care system also needs to be prepared to deal with “climate illness”: heat sickness, poor air and water quality, and stress brought on by climate change-related anxiety.
Health prevention and promotion have always been core Green Party values, and that has not changed. However, where illness is a reality that has to be managed, Greens feel it’s high time for Universal Pharmacare. The federal government simply must do more to bring down the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs.
Without a stable, sustainable climate, none of our other efforts will matter. As such, we have a comprehensive plan for addressing the climate emergency, to help more Canadians mitigate the risk of climate change, secure a livable and prosperous future.
