Joel Loughead says protecting farmland is one of his priorities as the recently nominated candidate of the Green Party for the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound riding.
The Grey Highlands councillor won the nomination Monday night at the Harmony Centre in Owen Sound and says he is honoured to be chosen for the role.
“They are a dedicated group of hardworking individuals who all genuinely care about rural Ontario and Bruce and Grey Counties and I look forward to working with them and doing the best I can to make sure that this riding goes green in the upcoming provincial election,” says Loughead.
He says the Green Party has long been his party of choice.
“They are the party that stands up most strongly for things like protection of farmland, protection of green space, protection of sensitive watersheds, drinking water, forests, they are also the party of working people. This province is getting harder and harder to live in all the time, prices continue to go up, social services continue to deteriorate, and that is due to conservative and liberal policy over the last 30 years,” says Loughead.
When asked if he feels it is possible to flip the longstanding progressive conservative riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound to green, he says at least 33 per cent of voters in the region understand that voting green is necessary.
“I think the time has never been more right for the green platform and green policy than it is right now. We can’t afford to do anything other than vote green as far as I am concerned and I think that many conservatives will recognize that Doug Ford and the PC Party has let them down and it is time to make the switch,” says Loughead.
The province’s next election doesn’t have to be held until June 4, 2026, but political parties have been nominating candidates amid speculation Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government could send Ontarians to the polls sometime in 2025.
Loughead says when an election is called, he will need to take a leave of absence from his role as councillor to focus on the provincial election.
