Green Party establishes associations in Nickel Belt

Members of the federal and provincial wings of the Green Party came together in Coniston on Nov. 26 and founded the first riding associations in Nickel Belt.

“The Green Party has been running federal candidates in the Nickel Belt riding since 2004,” said Darren Janeczek, chief executive officer of the federal Nickel Belt Greens association, in a news release.

“The founding of this association provides Greens with a grassroots means to formally organize between elections and make connections and collaborations with Nickel Belt residents who respect the party’s values and interest in doing politics differently, through the promotion of a smart economy, strong communities, and true democracy.”

With a possible spring election on the horizon, the release said one of the first tasks of the Nickel Belt provincial association will be to hold a candidate nomination election.

“We’ve had great candidates represent Nickel Belt in the past,” said Karen Bringleson, president of the provincial Nickel Belt Greens. “Even without an organization in place, we’ve been approached by some excellent people who have expressed an interest in representing the Green Party.

“With a minority government at Queens Park which could fall at any time, we are going to get ourselves ready to provide a real alternative from the old-line parties to Nickel Belt voters.”

A date for the nomination meeting will be set early in the New Year, the release said.

Information about the candidate nomination process and becoming a candidate is available by sending an email to [email protected], said Steve May, chair of the Nominations Committee. Alternatively, the public can engage with the party on Facebook or on Twitter by following @NickelBeltGreen.”