Local businessman Stephen Glass wants to represent Nipissing Liberals in the June 7 provincial election.
Glass, in a news release, says he has a life-long involvement in services for children and the disabled.
"I’m excited to champion the Liberal’s fully costed multi-year plan to continue building Nipissing and Ontario and caring for its most vulnerable citizens. I believe the people of Nipissing want straight answers and clear plans for how we will build our future and are sick and tired of the negativity of chronic critics.”, said Glass.
He told BayToday that a party nomination meeting date has yet to be set.
Glass owns and manages Wendigo Lake Expeditions, operator of Project D.A.R.E., one of the world’s oldest continuously operating adventure therapy programs for youth, located south-east of Trout Creek.
He moved to North Bay in 1978 to help found L’Arche North Bay then went on to work for North Bay Presbytery of the United Church of Canada in 1985 as a Staff Associate at Emmanuel United Church. That's where he developed North Bay’s first home support program for seniors, a youth peer counsellor training program, a youth drop-in centre and a program for new mom’s, while also active on numerous charitable boards of directors. In 1990 Glass joined the Ontario Public Service as a program supervisor overseeing youth justice, child welfare, and children’s mental health agencies before leaving to operate Wendigo Lake Expeditions, says the release..
Glass feels that many voters in Nipissing are anxious, under stress, and angry.
“I’ve spent the last 22 years providing treatment programs for youth who lash out in anger and frustration, which usually ends with them hurting themselves or those they love. The most important skill we teach our young people is to control their impulse to lash out, and instead to pause, consider their options, and choose the path that will actually make their situation better. I am confident that if the voters in Nipissing stop to consider which party is offering the best plan for their family and community, they will choose the fully costed, multi-year Liberal plan for care and opportunity” said Glass.
Glass credits recent Liberal governments for the completion of the four-laning of Highway11, the new hospitals in Mattawa and North Bay, the Nurse Practitioners’ clinic, One Kids’ Place, the new library at Nipissing University and Canadore College, housing for people with disabilities and the new Hands and Public Health buildings.
Glass says he intends to run a positive campaign and is looking forward to meeting and listening to voters throughout the riding, and with their support, representing their views at Queen’s Park.
If successful, he'll face off against incumbent PC MPP Vic Fedeli, NDP candidate Henri Giroux, NOP candidate Trevor Holliday, Green candidate Kris Rivard and Libertarian candidate Bond Keevil.
