Meet the Candidates – Gordon Kubanek, Green Party

As part of our election coverage, we reached out to all political candidates with the same set of questions. Each candidate was given an equal opportunity to participate. We are publishing their responses exactly as submitted, without edits or corrections, in the order that we received them.

1.Economic Development and Job Creation
Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry includes everything from farms and factories to small businesses and tourism.

What specific policies will you support to stimulate local job creation, attract new investment, and help small businesses thrive across both rural communities and the City of Cornwall?

Given the recent destruction of our Free Trade Agreement with the USA I would emphasize support for small business and family farms by using money saved from stopping the billions [estimates range from$4.5 billion (OECD) to $18 billion] in subsidies for the Big Oil companies.Of course we all know that we can never go back to relying upon the US market for 80%+ of our trade so tearing down provincial trade barriers is a must as is increasing trade with Europe and other reliable partners. Locally that translates into capitalizing on Cornwall’s being now a distribution hub by marketing what a great place it is for a warehouses and supporting businesses.

2.Healthcare Access – Family Doctors, Mental Health, and Emergency Care
Many residents struggle to find a family doctor, wait times for mental health services are long, and some local ERs have faced temporary closures in recent years.

What will you do to ensure that SD&G residents have consistent access to primary care, timely emergency services, and better mental health support—whether they live in Cornwall or the surrounding rural townships?

I would focus on Doctor and Nurse retention as well as focusing on admitting students from rural areas who are much more likely to be happy servicing rural areas. Retention is vital as 35% of Nurses quit the profession in Ontario.Graduate Doctors should be contractually obligated to practice in Canada for an amount of time equal to the money they would have paid if they paid the true cost of their education as to prevent a drain of Doctors to the USA.Family Doctors must also be paid more – especially for the time they do filling in paperwork which is not compensated for at this time.Ontario must increase our capacity for residency in hospitals as many graduate from university but must find residency elsewhere. The key is not to just focus on more Doctors or Nurses but retaining them by supporting their work-life balance

3.Infrastructure – Roads, Bridges, and Broadband
Poor road conditions, aging infrastructure, and patchy internet still affect many parts of the riding.

What steps will you take to secure federal infrastructure funding for SD&G, including road and bridge improvements and expanding high-speed internet to underserved areas?

To maintain roads we must have the heavy trucks who do the majority of the damage to pay more as they do in Switzerland and New Zealand annual registration fees are calculated to these fees pay for the road damage they cause. In Ontario we need a program like Quebec’s cooperative rural internet system [CTAL] to ensure affordable high quality fiber optics service reaches all rural areas.

4.Agriculture, Sustainability, and Climate Adaptation
Local farmers are facing unpredictable weather, increased costs, and shifting environmental regulations.

How will you support modern, sustainable farming in SD&G—helping producers adapt to climate change through innovation, environmental stewardship, and resilience-building programs that work for family farms?

Farmers must be given a larger slice of the final price of food, as they are in the marketing board controlled dairy industry. They must also be paid to allow stands of trees and hedgerows to remain as these provide buffers from wind, floods and droughts, as well as providing essential habitat for animals that can control pest populations. A central fund to allow farmers who choose sustainable farming practices which would include favourable lending and insurance terms, up-front payments and guarantees to reduce financial risk for new investments that would improve long term soil health.

5.Affordability and Cost of Living
Whether in Cornwall or rural SD&G, families and seniors are struggling with rising housing costs, groceries, fuel, and utilities.

What actions will you take to make life more affordable for residents across the riding, and how will your policies ensure that both urban and rural communities benefit—not just major cities?

One concrete action is federal support for Co-housing is a social solution to the high cost of housing as it simultaneously improves social connections between people and thus decreases isolation AND reduces the cost of housing . People living in co-housing cooperatives have built in support, whether it be a shared vehicle or shared child care, whether they are a single mum or older retired person living alone. With federal government grants like those that spurred cooperative housing initiatives in the past we can not only provide affordable living but self respect as people own their space.