Haldimand Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND — 2022 was a tumultuous year here in Haldimand County. On top of two divisive elections, many local issues seemed to touch a raw nerve amongst the people who call Haldimand home. The Press spoke to Haldimand’s new MPP Bobbi Ann Brady for her thoughts on 2022 and a look ahead to 2023.
Brady made national headlines this summer when she took the riding as an independent candidate, the first non-Conservative candidate to lead Haldimand in three decades, and the first independent candidate to earn a seat at Queen’s Park since 1995.
“Defending democracy was the reason that I decided to run as an independent in the June election. Haldimand Norfolk really did defy the odds. We were told it couldn’t be done, an independent would never win. I continually said to those naysayers ‘you don’t know the people of Haldimand Norfolk’,” said Brady on the historic victory. “People from all around Canada have reached out to my office and to me through private message to tell me that Haldimand Norfolk has given them hope.”
Brady, who worked for previous MPP Toby Barrett for two decades before stepping into the limelight, spoke about what it has been like to see behind closed doors at Queen’s Park: “That’s a very interesting place, it’s got some quirks, some unique things that go on there that only members know. It’s fascinating to me that there are sometimes things that happen in the House where even the seasoned veterans go, ‘What just happened there?’ That’s kind of fun because it’s this unique place that not too many people in history get to experience.”
“People have asked me, ‘Is it lonely being an independent?’ I understand why they ask that question…. There are times when it is lonely. When I stand up in the House and say something that is very honest, and others are kind of feeling their neck going, ‘Oh boy, Bobbi Ann’s put us in a bad spot here,’ and nobody claps or makes eye contact, that can be lonely, but it’s actually liberating. I don’t have any boss other than the people of Haldimand Norfolk.… I would suspect if I was a party member of any type, I would have been told I couldn’t speak about those things.”
Some of the local issues Brady has spoken out about in Ontario’s legislative halls include gun owner’s rights, the lack of MTO transparency regarding the reconstruction of Caledonia’s Argyle Street bridge, the 300-plus acres of farmland being lost to development every day in Ontario, and the government’s controversial Bill 28, which was set to penalize striking education workers last fall and was ultimately repealed following immense public pressure.
She also expressed concern with Ontario’s aggressive housing bill, Bill 23, which targets the building of 1.5 million homes in Ontario over the next decade.
“We have a housing crisis in this province and yet we have the government continually boasting about how people want to make Ontario home. That’s great, and it’s great to have those people, but how fair is it to bring people to Ontario, or to those of us who are already here who are struggling with systems that are on the brink of collapse – our healthcare system, our education system. If you want to bring people to Ontario, you need to make sure those critical systems are healthy. Housing is kind of a moot point if we can’t feed people.”
She said that while she hasn’t heard any specific details about whether the Province is considering rethinking their aggressive strategy, “I don’t think they’re going to have a choice. You have municipalities upset; you have people right across Ontario upset with what has happened in the past month. We saw this government back down on Bill 28, which was the right thing to do.… It’s my hope that this government realizes it has also made a mistake with some of these pieces of legislation … (for) the province to throw houses up wherever they want with very little guidelines.… I hope calmer heads prevail.”
Lastly, Brady expressed sadness at the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. Brady was tasked with paying tribute to the Queen, something she was honoured to do. She said, “We lost one of the greatest leaders we will ever see in our history.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Brady says the rising cost of living remains the issue she hears most about from her constituents.
“People tell me that things have become too unaffordable and it’s all things that they require to live, they are necessities, not wants. There is no room for the wants anymore and people are trying to decide whether to pay a bill or put food on the table. That’s a bad position to be in. I do hope we rebound economically in 2023 so families can enjoy life a little more.”
She also hopes Ontarians see some relief from the escalating cost of housing: “The average price of a house in Norfolk in 2022 was $830,000. I don’t know who can afford that here in Haldimand Norfolk – that is really scary. Housing that is affordable and affordable housing are very different things, but both are needed.”
She touched on two other pressing local matters, expressing her desire to see construction completed, or at least started, on the Argyle Street Bridge in 2023, and lastly expressing her hopes that the recently granted permanent injunction barring demonstrators from occupying the former McKenzie Meadows lands in Caledonia doesn’t lead to escalations between demonstrators and law enforcement.
“We’re going to be watching close what happens with respect to the injunction. Locals will expect their government and the institutions of government to be there for them; we will see how that plays out in the coming days.”
She summed up her wishes for the coming year: “I want people to be happy, healthy, I want them to feel confident in the people that are working them…. Going back to some of the challenges families face, I really hope that the financial burden that many families are facing is alleviated in 2023. I will do my very best to do whatever I can to ensure that happens. I’m hoping that we are healthier; we’ve seen a very tough fall season where people have struggled with bronchitis, RSV, COVID, I’m hoping we are healthier in 2023 and we put some things in place that will help keep people healthier. I want to see our farmers left alone to farm and put food on our tables, and I want to see businesses succeed.”
She concluded, “I want to wish everyone all the best for 2023.”
