The Sudbury NDP have their first candidate for nomination for the 2018 provincial election.
Beth Mairs threw her hat in the ring last night, announcing her candidacy with an email to local media. You can find out more about Mairs on her website,
"I, Beth Mairs, am seeking the nomination to run provincially for Sudbury Riding in the June 2018 election," Mairs is quoted in the release. "I have been vetted by NDP Provincial office and am now declaring this publicly."
Friends and supporters are invited to join Mairs and her campaign team for a nomination launch party at Kuppajos Espresso Bar, 111 Larch St. in downtown Sudbury, on April 27 between 5-7 p.m.
In a bio at BethMairs.com, Mairs said she began as a anti-poverty activist in southern Ontario in the 1980s, particularly active in "health promotion and community development." She published a book — "Helping Seniors Mobilize — A Handbook on Community Organizing — in the 1990s, which is described in the bio as "a game-changer throughout the province in using community development as a health promotion strategy."
Also in the 1990s, she came to Northern Ontario and launched what the bio says would become the largest outdoor adventure company for women in Canada. She sold the company in 2010 to pursue a career as a filmmaker and playwright, and has been active in the local arts scene. She is a driving force behind the Sudbury Indie Cinema Co-op.
The local NDP hold their nomination meeting on June 26.
