I know first hand, having ran against Mr. Wilson in 2007 that he knows how to campaign, and has many supporters who come in and help him and his team during an election campaign. Here's a link to his website
so you can find out more about Mr. Wilson and his stand on the issues. Jim Wilson, MPP - Simcoe-Grey
Mr. Wilson's method of operation is to attack the Liberals, and given what the Liberals have done to Ontario in the past couple of years I don't blame him one bit, and this is coming from a previous Liberal party member and candidate. However in the 2011 election he has another fight on his hands and that's for the first time he will be fighting to retain his seat against the leader of the Ontario Green Party, Mr. Mike Schreiner.
Mike Schreiner has just finished his first year as the first ever full-time leader of the Provincial Green Party. Mike has spent the past year travelling to most if not all of the ridings in Ontario to meet fellow Green Party members and engage them in conversation about the future of our province. Some have asked Mike why on earth would you decided to run in Simcoe-Grey against Jim Wilson, and even select a riding that's been Conservative at the Provincial level since confederation. Ridings like Simcoe Grey and Bruce Grey Owen Sound are ridings in rural Ontario that have shown a steady increase in Green Party support since the 2003 elections. The Liberals and NDP will never win this riding, and knowning how Mr. Wilson loves to attack the Liberals, he can only attack the Greens for never having elected an MPP. He can't attack the Greens on their policies, as most of their policies are good for Ontario, like a sensible approach to energy, food safety, education, health care, taxes, and the environment. The Greens want to reduce taxes, while offering incentives to businesses to expand and set-up shop in Ontario. The PC's want pretty much the same thing as the Greens, yet the PC's have a record while in Government to defend, the Greens don't as they've never formed a government in Ontario.
The Greens know that Mr. Wilson is somewhat scared of having Mike Schreiner as leader of the Greens running in Simcoe-Grey, and to prove my point Mr. Wilson is already advertising on local websites like Madhunt and he's held the first ever Telephone town hall meeting. He's attended more events in the riding then I've ever seen him attend in all my years living in Simcoe-Grey. Mr. Wilson even pointed out Mr. Schreiner during Question Period at Queens Park a few months ago as the guy running against me in 2011.
So will Mike beat Jim? Who knows, but for the first time since Mr. Wilson was elected in 1990 he will have a candidate who can match him dollar for dollar in campaign funds, and who can match him in troops on the ground. I suspect that the campaign will really start to heat up in late January 2011, and if we have a Federal Election in the spring it will die down until after the Federal Election and start back up again. I'm looking forward to the "Battle of Simcoe-Grey". and my the best man win!
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I think you are right, this will be a Green / Blue battle, and I think Jim recognises it too, he is starting to act like he's in a campaign for a change and not taking the voters of Simcoe Grey for granted, that they will lemming like vote the way they have always voted with no regard for the Man, the policies, and simply vote the way they have always voted, I think it's time for real change in Simcoe Grey and vote the old line parties out! vote for change! vote for new ideas and a new vision. I'm tired of the politics of division and fear, I'm tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils, I want to choose a positive vision, an upbeat message and I want to vote for a person that I believe in! I've heard Mr. Schreiner speak, and he speaks with passion and conviction, and I think he's the real deal, he and those that vote Green desearve a voice in Queens park!
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the last thing Jim is worried about.
ReplyDeleteSitting on the non-government side of the house, all you can do is complain, and complain. You can't set policy, and if you want something done in your riding you need to go and ask the Minister for help. The Liberals in Simcoe-Grey will come in 3rd or maybe even 4th in 2011. So again it will be a race which will be matched in manpower and dollars to that of Wilson's campaign, by the Green Party. Wilson never has had to worry about that in the past. He's never started his soft campaign so early. In 2007 the Liberals never even had their candidate nominated until 3 weeks before the writ was dropped. If Wilson was not worried then way is he all of a sudden out and about in the riding more now than in previous elections? Why is he advertising on places like Madhunt.com, and in local newspapers? Sorry Jim is worried and it shows.
ReplyDeleteJim got them to restart Hwy 26, got the birthing unit in Alliston reopened, helped big on the Banting thing, got the money for the apple growers and he's now on to this lab thing, which everyone talks about. Plus I'm sure there's a lot else he's done that I don't know. Everyone that's lived here all their life knows he's never been a lame duck even though he wins big every time. Jim's been good for us and a lot of people feel that way, not because he's Conservative, but because he goes down there and fights no matter who the government is.
ReplyDeleteOk, Jim did not get them to restart Hwy 26 as it was the Mayor of Wasaga Beach, Colingwood, and Clearview who together convinced the Minister of Transportation to re-start the project. Yes Jim was very outspoken on the birthing unit at Stevenson Memorial, but again it was not him that got it to re-open, it was the person who was appointed by the Minister of Health to clean up the mess left behind by the previous board who were either fired, or resigned due to mismanagement. I'll give him credit for getting money for the apple growers, and as far as the Lab issue, I actually support him on that issue and have even signed his petition. Jim wins elections because he's Conservative running in a very secure Conservative riding. If Jim Wilson the candidate was to run in a riding in Toronto, he would loose, not because he's Jim Wilson but because he's running in a Liberal stronghold. Again he knows politics, and he's a great campaigner, but like I said before this time out he will have a fight on his hands, and while he will most likely win again, it won't be a landslide like in past elections.
ReplyDeleteHwy 26? You have to be joking. Everybody knows that Jim did that. You must not be from here cause Jim's been doing that since he was in government. And that birthing unit? Ask the people who were involved with it and they'll tell you they couldn't have done it without Jim. To think the Green person is competitive means you live in outer space. Jim's a major player down at Queen's Park and that's good. He knows how to get things done and everybody knows him. I bet the last thing those guys want is Jim harping at them everyday.
ReplyDeleteYou are entitled to your conservative views of history, but I know the facts. Jim and his team are good at political spin, and he's not a major player as you think at Queens Park. He's a hot head who resorts to screaming during question period. His track record as a Minister during the Harris/Eves years is not something to be proud of. As for "The Green Person" he's not just another Green candidate he's the leader of the Ontario Green Party, and he knows the issues inside out. He's well respected in political circles, and regardless of what you or any other Conservative says he will give Jim a run for his money, as the Liberals and NDP won't have candidates who are as strong as Mike is.
ReplyDeleteThe guy was a senior Cabinet Minister when the Tories were in office, and he sits on the front bench for the Tories to this day. You see him in papers and on blogs and on TV shows more than most MPPs, at least for his party anyway. You might not agree with him, but don't argue his relevance on the provincial scene because we can all see it.
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