Ashcroft resident John Kidder will be the Green Party of BC candidate for Fraser-Nicola in the May 14 provincial election.
Kidder is a retired technology entrepreneur from Ashcroft. In his youth, he was a cowboy in the Nicola Valley and worked in mines in Ashcroft and Princeton. He has studied agriculture, ecology, economics and governance, and has had a multi-faceted career in government, business and resource management.
He was a founder of the Green Party of BC in 1983. He was the Liberal Party of Canada candidate in Okanagan-Coquihalla in the 2011 federal election.
“We can win this riding,” said Kidder. “People are aware now, with Elizabeth May in Ottawa, that Green votes are no longer wasted votes. A single Green member in a legislature can be powerful and effective. I want to represent Fraser-Nicola in Victoria, with a clear, passionate, practical, informed voice that will keep government responsible to the environment and to our communities.”
The old provincial parties are all promoting rapid exploitation of natural gas, he said. “That makes no sense here. We know first-hand what burning fossil fuels is doing for the planet – we can see our dying pine trees. And the old parties like old-style mega-projects and industrial policies, that centralize essential services like health care and education. That’s no help for our small communities. Greens know that local economies can be sustainable, that small towns and reserves can be vibrant and resilient, and that we can begin to wean ourselves from addiction to carbon fuels. We can do much better.”
Kidder said he was encouraged by the response he’s been getting throughout the riding.
“I know that across the province, a ton of people will for the first time be voting Green,” he said. “On election day, we’re going to surprise a lot of people, and get new rational voices in our very old-fashioned legislature.”
Submitted