Niagara's candidates

With almost half a million eligible voters in Ontario being students enrolled in a post-secondary institution, a notable amount of these voters fall under the Niagara Centre or St. Catharines riding. To help inform the local electorate, The Brock Press surveyed MPP candidates on their experience, platforms, and for their answers to the challenging questions facing them in the upcoming provincial election.HENRY d'ANGELA
Liberal (Lib)Niagara Centre
*married, two children
*accountant, city councillor
EXPERIENCE:
* elected member of Thorold City Council - worked with several boards and committees, including: Thorold Community Activities Group, Thorold Chamber of Commerce
* also worked with the Thorold Hydro Commission, Downtown (Thorold) Re-Development TaskForce, Non-Profit Housing Corp., Heart & Stroke Foundation

PETER KORMOS
New Democratic Party (NDP) Niagara Centre
* single
* MPP , criminal lawyer
EXPERIENCE:
* MPP for Niagara Centre and NDP House Leader
* former criminal lawyer, Welland City Councillor and community activist
* active with the Big Brothers Movement and the Community Legal Services of Niagara South
* has worked to stop hospital closures, fight hydro privatization and for a tuition freeze

ANN GRONSKI
Progressive Conservative (PC) Niagara Centre
* married, two children
* nurse, professor, school trustee
EXPERIENCE:
* registered nurse in the Niagara Health System
* part-time prof at Niagara College
* trustee for the DSBN and former member of Niagara South Board of Education and the Local Education Improvement Committee. * committee activities include St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, United Way, Red Cross

LINDA KLASSEN
Family Coalition Party (FCP) St. Catharines
* married
* community outreach
EXPERIENCE:
* 12 years experience working as community outreach counsellor with Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre (CARSA)
* Klassen believes that parties traditionally elected have proven they lack the integrity or aptitude to represent the people and feels she would represent the voters in a new and different way.


JIM FANNON
Green Party of Ontario (GPO) St. Catharines
* single
* real estate agent, entrepreneur
EXPERIENCE:
* real estate agent for Re/Max and co-founder of retail store Nature's Hemp in St. Catharines
* president of the Green Party of Canada - St Catharines Constituency Association
* has been involved in several organizations including Preservation of Land and Society, the Sierra Club of Canada, theCouncil of Canadians

JIM BRADLEY
Liberal (Lib)St. Catharines
* married
* teacher, provincial MP
EXPERIENCE:
* involved in govt. since 1977* has been re-elected as member of the Ontario Legislation in six-consecutive elections
* former environment minister, interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, house leader for the opposition, and current liberal critic for the environment.


JOHN BACHER
New Democratic Party (NDP)St. Catharines
* married
* professor, writer
EXPERIENCE: * professor at U of T and McMaster
* currently an environmental researcher with the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society and director of the Great Lakes United Church
* worked with the Ontario Environment Network, Ontario Drainage Tribunal, Canadian Union of Educational Workers

MARK BRICKELL
Progressive Conservative (PC)St. Catharines
*married, three step-children
*municipal councillor
EXPERIENCE:
* served in municipal politics since the age of 20
*was elected trustee of the Lincoln County Board of Ed.

* served as a city councillor and later regional councillor for the City of St. Catharines
* committee interests have included economic development, tourism, municipal restructuring, health and police services