THUNDER BAY – Kenneth Jones doesn’t think Northern Ontario has enough of a voice at Queen’s Park.
He’s aiming to change this.
Jones, running for the Northern Ontario Party in Thunder Bay-Atikokan, said he’s looked at what the other parties have to offer the region and doesn’t see nearly enough for the people who live here.
“Other than every four years, they have not put the extra foot forward and actually said we are going to institute a manufacturing policy for Northern Ontario. Here is our actual plan for Northern Ontario. These parties have been elected and in power since our party was (formed) and we haven’t seen any results,” Jones said.
“We’ve only seen population decline and we’ve only seen poverty grow in Northern Ontario.”
Jones joins a crowded field in his riding, won four years ago by the NDP’s Judith Monteith-Farrell, who squeaked out a razor thin win over Liberal Bill Mauro.
He’s one of six names on the ballot, but still thinks he can stand out to voters tired of the status quo and tired of being ignored by the south.
“Any voice at Queen’s Park is going to be a voice for the North. It doesn’t matter if we elect one person or we elect many people. At the end of the day we are trying to get involved in the narrative itself of Northern Ontario and really bring back some honesty into the electoral process,” Jones said.
The party’s election slate, which currently consists of Jones and Andy Wolff in Thunder Bay-Superior North, has taken a close look at the policy promises of the other parties and the goal is to keep them accountable and true to their word.
Mining and manufacturing is a key area of interest and Jones said their platform will help grow the area’s population and its economy.
“Most of our resources are shipped elsewhere right now and they’re not being manufactured in Northwestern Ontario. That will be a promise in Queen’s Park,” Jones said.
The Ontario election is one of the most important, not only for Ontario, but for all of Canada.
“With this, I hope to represent Northern Ontario for all of our 13 ridings. Even though we do not have candidates in all those ridings, we are running a very strong campaign,” Jones said.
The Northern Ontario Party, formerly the Northern Ontario Heritage Party, was formed in 1977, disbanded in 1985 and reformed in 2010, offering up 10 candidates in the 2018 Ontario election after dropping its separtist mandate.
