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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 27, 2008 - 11 Robert Wagner wants to provide fresh approach By Stephanie Hounsell OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When Rob Wagner found he didn't like any of his voting options, he decided to do something about it. "Rather than complain, I got involved," said the Oakville resident and New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for Halton Riding. Now, he's doing his best to convince voters that he has what it takes to represent them in the federal government. "A new optimism and fresh ideas" are what Wagner said he and the NDP have to offer in a political climate that's been dominated by two parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, for the past quartercentury. "I think it's time for a bit of change," he said in an interview. Wagner is no stranger to politics, having missed being elected to Oakville town council in 2003 by less than 1,000 votes. He said he's the only "left of centre" candidate in the Halton Riding. Canada is currently in an economic situation that resembles the recession of the early '90s, Wager said, and it's hitting the majority of Canadians hard. The NDP is on the side of those Canadians, he said. "(We're) more concerned with "(We're) more concerned with everyday Canadians rather than tax cuts to oil and banks." Robert Wagner, NDP everyday Canadians rather than tax cuts to oil and banks," said Wagner, a parks co-ordinator with the City of Hamilton and operator of an online media advertising business. Wagner said that in the midst of 500 jobs being cut at the Ford plant in Oakville, NDP leader Jack Layton announced an $8 billion plan over four years to train displaced workers, re-tool automotive plants so they can produce more environmentally-friendly vehicles and fund research and development for more environmentally-friendly manufacturing. "It's a fact that people buy less SUVs and big cars. So why not give incentives for companies to switch to what people want?" Wagner said. To address skyrocketing gas prices, Wager said Layton has pledged to institute an ombudsman to look into the situation. "It really is a fraudulent cartel that needs to be exposed. This is strictly price-gouging," he said. While the Conservatives have their controversial Green Shift plan, Wagner said the NDP's capand-trade system puts the onus on big polluters to pay the consequences, rather than on regular Canadians. With the cap-and-trade system, pollution is lowered by law, with a cap placed on emissions. Industry is allowed to buy and sell pollution credits as they reduce their own emissions, says an NDP press release, resulting in a decrease in greenhouse-gas emissions of 80 per cent by 2050. The money from polluters then goes to fund the aforementioned $8 million plan, Wagner said. "A balance needs to be found between profitability and sustainability." In Halton, childcare is an extremely important topic, with long wait lists for spaces. Wagner said it's crucial that it be affordable for everyone. "Research shows that for every $1 invested in high-quality childcare, it's returned to the economy two-fold," he said. The Conservatives' $1,200 per year Universal Child Care Benefit "isn't even close to cutting it," he said. Wagner said the federal government must train more workers and provide funding for more spaces. With such huge issues as health and childcare on our plates, Wagner said there are much better uses for the money the government is spending on the war in Afghanistan. "As a country, shouldn't we have our own house in order?" he asked. He said he believes the mission should either end now or be solely for peacekeeping. Something that needs more federal funding is infrastructure, which Wagner said has been unfairly downloaded to municipalities -- while some areas, like Halton, face huge growing pains, yet is being neglected. Wager said we should be promoting ourselves more aggressively. "We should be fighting to lure good jobs and investment into the community," he said. Another area that's lacking funds is community services and that leads to problems like homelessness, Wagner said. A cash investment into those vital services will help ensure people aren't living on the street, he said. Canada is often lauded for its health care system, Wagner said, but too many people can't afford expensive medications they're prescribed. That, he said, is something the NDP would address by helping make cheaper, generic drugs available to the public sooner. There are also too many doctors leaving the country to practice, resulting in a shortage of family doctors, Wagner said. The NDP would institute a program where doctors and nurses who practice family medicine for 10 years have their debts forgiven, Wagner said. Amy Collard promoting positive change By Stephanie Hounsell OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Change doesn't have to be the big, scary thing it's often made out to be. That's the message Green Party candidate Amy Collard is trying to get across, saying when it comes to the environment, the economy, and the leader of Canada, change is the only way to go and can be a positive, comfortable experience. "We need to make people see change is not necessarily bad. You make change to make their lives better," Collard said in an interview. Collard, a Burlington resident and full-time volunteer with numerous environmental and community groups, said she decided to step up to the plate and run for the first time in this election when former Green candidate Kyle Grice wasn't able to. "I'm a stepping up kind of person. I step up whenever needed," she said. Forefront on her platform is the economy. It's a topic that needs to be addressed with fresh thinking and innovative solutions, Collard said. "It's not sustainable in its current form," she said, adding, "We know how hard it is to live green. We're just asking people to make small changes. We're not asking people to live in shacks in the woods." Amy Collard, Green Party "Without a strong economy, everything else suffers." A "green economy" that's not based on fossil fuels is a change that needs to be made, she said. With the recently-announced job cuts at Ford's Oakville plant, Collard said it's clear the federal government needs to invest money to research more efficient vehicles, or ones that run on alternative fuels; people can't afford the current price of gas and are no longer buying the big gas guzzlers, she said. There should also be subsidies for people buying more fuel-efficient vehicles. She added a green economy would have a trickle-down effect, also improving health care and, obviously, the environment. People are often resistant to changing their ways when it comes to living a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle because they think it's all or nothing, Collard said. But, she said, that's not the way it has to be. "We know how hard it is to live green. We're just asking people to make small changes," she said, suggesting walking instead of driving and turning down the thermostat a few degrees. "We're not asking people to live in shacks in the woods." Collard said the Liberals' Green Shift plan is "from the pages of the Green Party's green plan," which came out first. "I'm happy to see the Liberals are following our lead," she said, Taking chemicals out of the air and water will lead to healthier people, Collard said, and less of a strain on the health-care system. She said she believes in preventative care to improve the health-care system, and of promoting healthier lifestyles. She said she also thinks there should be more funding to train doctors and nurses and to upgrade diagnostic equipment. As for the Conservatives' Universal Child Care Benefit, which currently gives parents $100 each month per child, Collard said it's not enough. What's needed is uniform standards of childcare across the board in addition to expanded child tax credits and benefits for families, and subsidies for childcare spaces, she said. As a married mother of two, children and families are a topic that's important to Collard, who said it's important to take proactive -- not reactive -- steps to make sure they're well taken care of. "To me, children and families are the backbone of our society," she said. "We need to make sure (kids) don't fall through the cracks." Not allowing people to get lost in the shuffle refers to many areas, including health, education and safety, Collard said. Preventing people from slipping through the cracks will also help address homelessness. If people get the help they need -- whether it's mental care or financial assistance -- they'll be less likely to end up on the streets, Collard said. Affordable housing and job training will also help, she said. When it comes to the Afghan mission, Collard said Canadian troops should start withdrawing from Afghanistan by February, 2009. After that, they could offer to work with the Afghan military outside of NATO for a maximum of two years. "The mission is too largely geared toward armed (roles). There needs to be more training for the Afghan military," she said. With Milton being Canada's fastest-growing community, it's obvious municipalities don't have sufficient federal funding to deal with their growing pains, Collard said. She'd help ensure municipalities are treated fairly and receive their fair share of resources, she said.