I recently spent August 8-11th in Guelph Ontario working on Mike Nagy’s bi-election campaign. The Guelph campaign is one of three federal bi-elections currently underway in Canada.

"What", you may ask, "is the deputy leader of the provincial Green Party doing in Guelph working on a federal campaign"? Well, besides having the opportunity to spend time with great friends in one of Ontario’s more interesting cities, simply put, I’m helping kick down the door.

I was recently enjoying a picnic with friends and family when I suddenly found myself in the middle of a very interesting conversation. On one side of me was the executive director of a well known provincial environmental organization. On the other side was a former Malancthon town councilor and farmer. The farmer, a long-time family friend, is about as traditional a rural citizen as you can find. Traditions of family, small economically sustainable agriculture, and property rights are top concerns for him.

We’ve all heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Unfortunately this piece of machismo advice is not often true. History demonstrates that in most cases when the going gets tough, without exceptional leadership, society becomes paralyzed.

Thank you to everyone who supported me in my bid for Green Party of Ontario deputy leader this past weekend. I am looking forward to my new role representing the needs and issues not only of Bruce-Grey, but all of Ontario.

The female deputy position was won by Judy Smith Torrie from Northumberland Quinte-West. She brings a wealth of experience in politics to the Green Party and I look forward to working with her and Frank de Jong over the next two years to move the Green Party forward.

The province has lost over 3000 farms since 2001. The average age of a farmer in Grey/Bruce is approaching 60 years. I was invited to speak at the recent graduation banquet at Chesley District High School where approximately 70% of the students come from working farms. When I asked how many graduates were planning on farming for a living, the answer was “likely none”. Unless we restore profitability to agriculture within five years, I believe we are looking at our last generation of farmers.

Health is an investment. Healthy citizens are productive, peaceful, creative, and giving; all things that help make a strong community. This investment comes back to society 100 fold over the years in the form of quality of life as well as dollar savings.

Five minutes with Shane on a variety of topics including our democratic system, effective voting, and electoral reform.

*****Video Transcript*****