HALDIMAND—Retired teacher Anna Massinen has been enjoying life as a Port Dover resident for the last three years after a career spent working largely in Guelph and Toronto. These days, she continues to work as a supply teacher for the Grand Erie District School Board and has now thrown her hat in the ring as Haldimand-Norfolk’s Green Party of Ontario (GPO) candidate.
“I have always been concerned about environmental issues, such as reducing our use of plastics, protecting our water supply, growing healthy food, and preventing urban sprawl,” said Massinen.
Of many perceived failures, Massinen highlighted the Ford government’s Greenbelt scandal as the most concerning.
“Doug Ford said he would not touch the Greenbelt. Well, he lied! Not only was he giving away protected farmland to developers to build luxury homes, he is willing to spend 10 billion taxpayer dollars on highway 413.”
Her campaign is driven by a desire to preserve “small-town friendliness” while pushing for a more vibrant community that protects small businesses and ensures growth is beneficial.
“I want to be part of a party that has a plan to make this province a great place to live.… Most importantly, I want to stop Doug Ford from being re-elected; Ford is wasting our tax dollars,” said Massinen, citing the projected $180 million-plus election budget, the high cost of starting beer sales in corner stores, and expensive development projects like the potential updates to Ontario Place.
“I want to let the people of Haldimand-Norfolk know that there is a better way to do business in our province,” said Massinen.
Affordability
“We are finding the cost of living unsustainable,” said Massinen. “Property taxes continue to increase. All our other bills continue to increase. Housing is becoming unaffordable. Homelessness in the province is at an all-time high…. Homelessness in Haldimand-Nofolk has increased by 48% since Ford’s second term.”
To address this, Massinen said GPO would decrease provincial taxes for individuals earning under $65,000 and households of less than $100,000; build affordable housing units within existing urban boundaries; and scrap the Land Transfer Tax for first-time home buyers.
“Ford is spending 3 billion tax dollars to refund $200 to every Ontarian. The Green plan would save lower-earning Ontarians roughly $1,700 without the waste of taking the money and then sending some back,” she said.
Small-town vs. development
“Some amount of growth is good for our communities. The GPO plans to build smaller affordable apartments, roughly four stories high in urban areas,” she said. “It will make our towns more livable, allowing people to walk or cycle to shops, and allowing small businesses to prosper. The Ford Government wants to build larger homes on farmland.”
She added, “We can stop Doug Ford and his Minister’s Zoning Order if we vote him out of office. Building single family homes in Nanticoke is not what we need in Haldimand-Norfolk. We need densification not more urban sprawl.”
Health and long-term care
Massinen highlighted Haldimand-Norfolk’s “acute shortage of doctors” with approximately 2,000 residents lacking a primary care physician.
“Doug Ford announced in 2023 his plan to open private for-profit hospitals. He said 50% of our surgeries could be done in private hospitals. His government is not trying to solve the problems of our healthcare system.”
She pledged to fight for local hospital funding.
“GPO has included a plan for fairly funding healthcare in rural areas…. (GPO) will invest in healthcare, stop privatization … and create a wrap-around approach to healthcare, including the building of thousands of supportive homes and not-for-profit long-term care homes.”
Tariffs and a new mandate
Massinen dismissed Ford’s claimed need for a new, tariff-fighting mandate as the cause for the election. She hopes “Ontarians will see through the lies. Ford is banking on Ontarians not paying attention. Doug Ford already has a strong majority. Ford wants more time to destroy the Greenbelt, build expensive highways, and work on his pet projects, for example helping his developer buddy build a luxury spa on land that should be for all Ontarians to enjoy.”
Massinen encouraged residents to check out GPO’s fully costed platform online.
She concluded, “Voters are left to guess what the other parties will do because they have no plan. By having more Green Party Members in Ontario, we can stop Doug Ford from privatizing healthcare, creating more urban sprawl, harming our food and water supply, and putting more money in the pockets of developers.”
