A familiar face is representing the Green Party of Ontario in the upcoming election on February 27. Thaila Riden previously ran as the green candidate in 2022 and is running for Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. Riden highlighted his eagerness to work with all parties should he be elected to the position.
Riden and his family moved to the riding in the late 1980s and grew up in the area. Riden said that he has always been concerned with the underdogs in society and how people treat the marginalized, “including the animals and plants of the world we share. I will work with whichever government is elected and foster collaboration across party lines.”
“I’ve been ideologically aligned with the party and how it’s run. Over the past five years, I’ve been concerned that we, as a society, are rolling back on all the progress we’ve made, so I decided to again run for the party in the riding,” Riden explained.
Riden said that one of the most pressing issues in the region is the cost of living and housing, citing the encroachment of fertile farmland being lost to accommodate developments as a prominent factor.
“We need to take the land transfer tax out for first-time homebuyers and make it easier for those wishing to make a rental suite in their homes. Ideally, we also need to be balanced in our approach by encouraging a more local economy. This would prevent added costs and environmental degradation by having locally grown food available to consumers, encouraging a circular economy, and removing zoning restrictions on what kind of buildings can be built,” he stated.
Another way the government would help individuals in the region is by giving people who make $65,000 or less a tax break, with an estimated average savings of $1,700 per individual, Riden said, highlighting that these savings could be used toward offsetting the rise in the cost of living.
In terms of healthcare, Riden suggested that his government would emphasize drawing in local talent, but also newer Canadians that already have the know-how and previous medical training who can be accredited quickly.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t just a switch that can be flipped and make everything better instantly. It’s going to take some time, but by taking a proactive approach now, we can better our healthcare system for the future. There has been a systematic underfunding of the public healthcare system, and we will change that.”
Riden stated that retaining doctors is another front of the larger healthcare battle. He explained that paying doctors a fair wage that is comparable to the cost of living can help with keeping doctors north of the United States border. Additionally, Riden would work to reduce standard wait times for mental health services down to a 30-day turnaround and ensure those receiving ODSP are getting enough to keep up with the cost of living.
Riden would like to see more transparency in the provincial government as well. He said, “Our budgets should be open to scrutiny by the public, that constituents should be able to attend, in person or virtually, government meetings, and the ability to see where tax money is going to in terms of provincial investments. Having this transparency holds the government accountable for its actions.”
This applies to whichever government is elected to represent Ontarians in late February, he suggested.
“The whole dynamic of the left, the right; that spectrum of thinking is just outdated. Let’s work together; we are on one earth,” Riden concluded.
