ELECTION 2018: The Final Ballot of Mayor, Council, and Trustee

66. After a spurt of new nominees over the last few days, there are 66 people running for mayor, city council, and school board trustee in Guelph. For your convenience, the complete list of candidates is below, incumbents are marked with an [X]. 

Guthrie and 4 New Faces Are the First Ones in the 2018 Race

Mayor Cam Guthrie was the first person this morning to file his election papers, but he wasn't the last as the first day of nominations opened for the 2018 Municipal campaign. Guthrie and four first-time candidates did not let the electoral moss grow under them as at least one of this year's elections has official begun.

Mlynarz is the NDP Candidate for Guelph

Agnieszka (Aggie) Mlynarz is the New Democratic candidate for Guelph in the 2018 Provincial Election. Mlynarz edged out two competitors to take on Liberal Sly Castaldi, PC Ray Ferraro, Alliance Party candidate Thomas Mooney, and Green Party leader Mike Schreinerin the June 7 contest.

Mlynarz Steps Up for Local NDP Nomination

It's been hard for the NDP to make any news lately, but with time ticking down to the dropping of the writ for the June 7 Ontario vote they can't afford to others take the limelight. Guelph, it's time to meet a person that might end up being your New Democratic Party choice for MPP...

Guelph Gets a Libertarian Candidate

Guelph is never short of candidates representing smaller, independent parties outside of the big four; Kornelis Klevering of the Marijuana Party has already declared, and so has Tristan Dineen of the Communist Party. Well it turns out that Guelph also has a Libertarian candidate as well, and Alex Fekri is looking to represent his party in the Royal City on October 19. 

Naturally, Guelph has a Communist Candidate

When we say "Naturally, Guelph has a Communist Candidate," we mean it. The Communist Party of Canada began in a barn in what was once rural Guelph in 1921, and with another Federal race officially underway, it would be almost unnatural if no one locally came forward to carry the pink (o) flag. Now, following in the footsteps of Drew Garvie and Juanita Burnett, Tristan Dineen will be representing Guelph Communists in 2015.

Former Enviro Commish of Ontario Miller Making Big Political Move

A curious press release showed up this morning, an invitation to a press event where in Gord Miller, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, will be announcing "his plan to run in the upcoming federal election in the riding of Guelph." Specifically? Well, if he's going to be a major party candidate, he has one of two choices, and considering his career path, it should be fairly obvious what colour banner he'll be waving come the fall. 

Burcher to Official Launch Liberal Nomination Bid

Forget the Federal Election coming - eventually - later this year, the real contest is going on now is the race to see who will become the new Liberal candidate in Guelph after Frank Valeriote announced his retirement last fall. Former Ward 5 councillor Lise Burcher will officially launch her campaign tonight at the Green Room at the Bookshelf. In an already busy campaign for the Liberal nom, Burcher is banking that it's not to late to make her case.

Young Liberals Endorse Longfield

I'm really not trying to turn this into the Liberal nomination blog. Seriously, I'm not. But they do seem to be the most fired up in the efforts to get a nominee for the upcoming Federal Election. To wit, I received a press release this morning from Lily Gamble, President of the Guelph Young Liberals, announcing that group's unanimous endorsement of former Guelph Chamber of Commerce President Lloyd Longfield as the successor to Frank Valeriote for Royal City Grits. There's no date yet for the nomination meeting, and Longfield does have competition for the nom in the form of author, life coach and federal scientist Wendy Powell, but one would be remiss to not point out that Longfield is the presumptive frontrunner. 

Press Release - Longfield to Official Make Move for Liberal Nom

Lloyd Longfield has spent the last couple of weeks letting the people tell him if he should run for the Liberal Party of Canada, and it appears that the opinion is an affirmative. Longfield intends to make his entry into federal politics official tomorrow night, kicking off the race to succeed Frank Valeriote as the Liberal nominee and, hopefully, Guelph's Member of Parliament. Below is the press release announcing the former President of the Chamber of Commerce's intention to run. 

More Candidates Enter Race as August Draws to Close

The close of nominations for the 2014 Municipal Election is fast approaching, and with only a couple of weeks left to file papers, the ballots in races for the City of Guelph have seen quite a few new additions in the last couple of weeks. In brief, a new name makes the mayor's race even more competitive, the ranks of the Ward 4 contest swell, and a couple of new old names are making their play in another election run.

Who Wants to be Guelph's Conservative Nominee for 2015?

Now to me, this is the most interesting federal race of 2015. Considering that the last Conservative candidate was involved in a nationally televised investigation into an alleged attempt to defraud voters of their ballot, it should be unsurprising that the local riding office might have difficulty finding a new candidate, but that doesn't mean they're not going to try. Starting now. Over a year in advanced of the next election.

A Communist Candidate (Not Drew Garvie) Joins Race

The four main party candidates have more or less been a lock for a couple of months, but as we officially entered the provincial election earlier this month, Guelph's politicos were forced to wonder if many "third party" candidates would put their name on the ballot. Now, for one "third party," that question has been answered. Everyone welcome Juanita Burnett for the Communist Party of Ontario to the 2014 provincial election derby.

Chinks in the Armour? Conservative In-Fighting Makes Headlines

Frankly, it shouldn't be this surprising that a large group of people can differ in their political opinions, but this is the Conservative Party of Canada, and for the last 10 years they've been a nearly homogeneous force that speaks across Canada with one voice. That's why a pair of events lately have highlighted why a Conservative dynasty continuing through 2015 and beyond may be difficult to achieve, and may speak to larger divisions brewing under the surface of the Party's united front. We're seeing a fracturing on the right becoming increasing apparent in the United States, but will Canada's right-wing soon be following suit?

NDP Announces Nomination Meet for October 22

Despite the ongoing controversies, the Ontario Liberals are holding on to power with a vice-like grip. Still, the opposition parties continue to jockey as if an election is in the immediate future, and the local NDP is looking to lock up their candidate in the Royal City.

GAC Looking for Award Nominees

The Guelph Arts Council is looking for a few, good awards recipients. 

...And Then There Were Seven

Very exciting news today as our election slate has grown by two with the close of nominations yesterday. One is a familiar face to the local ballots, and the other is a familiar face to the local advocacy community.

First, Philip Bender of the Libertarian Party is back on the campaign trail for his first provincial run to represent Guelph. Before that, Bender has been a candidate in the last two Federal elections. He's a professional engineer and once owned and operated a small independent telephone company and an apple orchard.He's also been a volunteer with the Rotary Club of Erin, Erin Township Public Library Board, Erin Community Radio, Ontario Libertarian Party, and Collingwood Regional Airport Commission.

The other candidate is a little more, shall we say, notorious. Julian Ichim will run in Guelph as an independent after several previous runs in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, most recently this past spring as the Marxist-Leninist candidate for the Kitchener-Waterloo riding. Ichim first came to prominence in Guelph after taking part in the Hanlon Creek Business Park protest and was one of the organizers of the G20 protests in Toronto last summer. 

With these final two additions, the slate for the 2011 Provincial Election in Guelph is complete, the nomination period closed at 2 pm yesterday. To see the full, official list of candidates, click here.

Schirk will Work for Guelph PCs this Fall

Greg Schirk received the enthusiastic endorsement of the local PC riding at their nomination meeting last night. A packed room in the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre, upwards of 500 local Progressive Conservative members, voted for Schirk over fellow nominees Bob Senechal and Rob Demille. A breakdown of votes by the numbers wasn't offered, but when Schirk made his speech prior to voting, the applause and cheers of the crowd as compared to the other two nominees gave him an audible edge.

Don't know Greg Schirk? Here's his bio courtesy of an Ontario PC press release issued today:

Greg Schirk is an entrepreneur who previously owned Royal City Glass and now works for PM Doors and Windows. His extensive involvement in the glass industry has included being president of the Siding and Window Dealer Association of Canada (SAWDAC) and being a member of the steering committee of the Natural Resources Canada Energy Star program (Fenestration Products). Greg is married and has 2 grown children. He was raised in Guelph and maintains that “Guelph is, and will always be, his home.”

Schirk joins a Fall ballot that already includes Steve Dyck for the Green Party, James Gordon for the NDP and incumbent Liz Sandals for the Liberals. Election Day for the Province of Ontario is October 6th. 

Below, find a slideshow of images from the nomination meeting.

Busy Times for Salisbury

It appears that Mike Salisbury isn't letting his loss in last fall's Municipal Election slow him down. Quite the opposite actually as he's now looking towards a higher office.

Posted on the Guelph Mercury's 59 Carden St. blog this morning is a release from the local Green Party of Ontario office, officially announcing that Salisbury is seeking the Green nomination to be their candidate in this fall's Provincial Election. “Electing Canada’s first Green Party member will send a strong message that Guelph is a leader in Canada’s green industrial revolution,” said Salisbury in the press release. “What we need most is a local change agent who understands the cultural dynamics of our city, and can leverage our local energy initiatives to create sustainable, high-paying jobs here in Guelph.”

But along with kicking off ambitions for provincial office, Salisbury is also appearing on the CBC show Dragon’s Den this week with his new Guelph-based business Tribute Caskets, which manufactures environmentally-friendly caskets that can also feature artwork and photo designs to better memorialize the deceased. You can learn more about Tribute Caskets here, which is the first in a line of environmentally-friendly post-death products being developed by the company. To follow Salisbury's adventure on Dragon's Den, visit the show's website here.  

As for Salisbury political ambitions, he's currently running unopposed for the Green Party of Ontario nomination, but the ballot remains open until April 17th. It looks like the Provincial Election is going to be a hot one for the riding of Guelph in terms of candidates with sunger/songwriter James Gordon trying for the NDP nomination. Current MPP will be running again for the Liberals, and there's be no word yet on who might be running for the PCs.

The NDP Choose....

It's been a long time since anyone's thrown around the E-word (election), but then again it's been a long time since Parliament's been in session too. In the inbox today, I was given a notice that the New Democrats of Guelph would be choosing their candidate for the next Federal Election this Thursday at 7 pm at the CAW Hall, 611 Silvercreek Pkwy N. Below you'll find, in the candidate's own words, her bio and a brief policy statement. Give it a gander.

Bobbi Stewart - Seeking your Support for Federal Nomination

I was raised in Niagara Falls and came to this wonderful City of Guelph to attend the University of Guelph in 1972 for their Bachelor of Arts, music major program. I am married to Cameron Adams and have three adult daughters and two step – children. I’ve worked for some terrific social service over the past thirty years. My current employer, with whom I have worked almost twenty years, is Family & Children’s Services of Guelph & Wellington County. Since earning my Masters of Social Worker I have done clinical social work and managed the care of children in foster care. I love my work with children and families and also to volunteer in the community. I enjoyed involvement with the Guelph Youth Singers for several years, canvassed for the Cancer Society and fund – raised for the Guelph Civic League, but my most rewarding and enjoyable volunteer work has been with the New Democratic Party. I have been a member for two decades, joining when Chris Margetson asked me to second her nomination for Federal candidate.

I joined the New Democratic Party because their values fit with mine. I strongly believe that our worth as a society is measured by the way we treat our most vulnerable citizens and I live my values of respect, empathy and compassion. We as NDP supporters share the proud history of Tommy Douglas, the CCF and the birth of national Medicare. I have never understood why our Party has never held power in Federal parliament. We are the Party most in – tuned to the needs of average Canadians and we have bright, passionate leaders. I agreed to seek this nomination because of my strong belief in our Party and to stand up against Harper arrogance, black and white thinking and the erosion of our democracy. I will also speak out against the Liberal corporate agenda as their approach will never solve our economic crisis. I will do my utmost to convince those who would vote for the Green Party to vote NDP, as a vote for the Greens is a wasted vote. I have a great deal of energy, enthusiasm and love new challenges, especially when they involve politics. I know that I can represent you well and ask for your support.

Bobbi Stewart, Candidate for Federal Nomination

So with Stewart's presumptive nomination, the four major parties have their players on the board:

Liberal: Frank Valeriote (Incumbant)
Conservative: Marty Burke
Green: Bob Bell
NDP: Bobbi Stewart

NOTE: Last election Guelph ran 10 candidates in our riding, so this will likely be far from a complete list by the time the election begins (when it begins).