The New Democrats have named Beverley Patchell as their candidate in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte (BSOM) for the upcoming 2022 provincial election.
With the June 2 election under three months away, the NDP is putting a new face in the race, one they hope can draw on life experience to lead the area.
Patchell has lived in Springwater and Oro-Medonte townships for more than 50 years and spent a lot of her time in Barrie working and enjoying leisure activities.
“My roots in the community of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte are strong as I was born and raised in Elmvale. My husband and I built a home in the Moonstone/Mount St. Louis area and raised our family there,” Patchell said.
Patchell knows she is not the household name with years of political experience, but said her life and work experience make her a passionate advocate for the changes outlined by the Ontario NDP in the party's plan for the province.
“While working at a chartered bank in downtown Barrie, I certainly got to know some of the small businesses and the community and saw the challenges they faced in good times and in bad,” she said. “In those years, we were dealing with high interest rates.
"I also saw the devastation when jobs started to leave the area. I saw lots more when I went to work at the welfare department at the county," Patchell added.
It was Ontario Works that Patchell says she saw the issues of unemployment, poverty, addiction and other social issues that showed her where there was a need to help.
“I have seen the flaws and gaps while I was working in the front line in our community. I have been, and will be, a passionate advocate for programs that make life better for people,” said Patchell.
“The pandemic has demonstrated how broken many of our structures are and how badly we need a government that works for everybody," she added.
Patchell said affordable and stable housing is a critical issue in the riding and she says she will also advocate for services for seniors that “focus on care and not profit.”
She also believes the riding's Member of Provincial Parliament should passionately protect the environment.
"Our vision is not only undoing the damage of the last 20 years, but moving Ontario forward with bold new programs: dental care, prescription care, a ministry of mental health and addictions, to name a few," Patchell said.
Patchell says her experience as her union’s business representative and 10 years at CUPE supporting the decent wages of many in sectors — such as hospitals,nursing homes, child care, developmental services, school boards, child welfare, municipal services such as water, roads, Ontario Works as well as other community agencies — will be helpful in Queen’s Park.
Also running in BSOM are longtime Barrie mayor Jeff Lehman, who is expected to be unopposed for the Liberal nomination. Progressive Conservative incumbent Doug Downey, who also serves as the province's attorney general, has confirmed he plans to run for re-election this summer.
In the Barrie-Innisfil riding, the NDP has named Pekka Reinio as its candidate where he will, so far, be up against PC incumbent Andrea Khanjin.
