September 2015
“Paul Cleary goes above and beyond. Truly a professional!” Paul Cleary B.B.A., BROKER
– Francy F.
705-327-6002 Direct 705-325-1373 Office paulcleary.com
Fall Fairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Provincial candidates. . . . . . . . . . 9-11 Beetle invasion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Federal candidates. . . . . . . . . . . 26-28
Make your mark! By Ellen Cohen Interesting times in Severn Township. There’s an election in about a week – and another one in 6 weeks. A provincial byelection takes place on September 3rd. A general federal election is on October 19th. On average, only 50% of eligible voters vote in provincial elections, a number that can be even lower in byelections. During the last federal election, only 60% of eligible voters headed to the polls. Those numbers tell us that, astoundingly, between 40-50% of eligible voters, our Severn Township neighbours and friends, stay home and don’t vote. Why are some in our community so interested in politics and elections while others are so disengaged? There are dozens of published studies, each one concluding a number of possible answers. One of the most popular opinions seems to be that non-voters believe their vote won’t make a difference. Other conclusions, some alarming, indicate that some non-voters believe it doesn’t matter what party is in power, nothing really changes; others believe that our voting system produces politicians who care more for their political party than their constituents. As we were getting ready to publish this September issue of The Villager, candidates from all political parties, provincial and federal, were out knocking on doors and telling us what makes their party the best and why we should support their platform.
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Nelosa
Their campaign managers were working feverishly alongside teams of volunteers looking for the perfect marketing tool to attract voters. Glossy brochures appeared in mail boxes and lawn signs appeared both by the many thousands. Social media messages were tearing up cyber space. Campaign volunteers were working night and day collecting and analyzing data obtained through calls to every registered In preparation for this issue of The Villager, and in order to give our readers an opportunity to learn something about the provincial byelection and federal general election candidates, we spoke to each of them. We asked them for a 300-350 word profile that will give our readers some insight into each of them and their platform. The provincial candidate profiles are on pages 9, 10 and 11; the federal profiles are on pages 26, 27 and 28. The Villager is not endorsing any of the candidates, neither those who provided a profile or those who chose to advertise. Instead, we are appealing to those who
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in the past may not be engaged enough to vote. Campaign speeches do tend to include some rhetoric, a lot of repetition and sometimes, perhaps, don’t seem to include topics of interest to everyone. If either the candidates’ campaigns or the political process have still left you less than excited, consider that the elected representatives have a direct impact on some of the most important issues in your life: health care; environment and climate change; pensions; education; job creation; and the economy. If even one of these issues is important to you, please spend a little time learning about the candidates who are running for office and find if their values match yours and decide which one has your best interests at heart. Call the candidates. Send an email. Engage them on social media. Attend a debate. Please don’t let anyone else make your decision for you. The candidates who win the upcoming elections may win because you didn’t vote.
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