MEET THE CANDIDATE: LAURA CAMPBELL, GREEN, DUFFERIN-CALEDON

FULL NAME: Laura Campbell

RIDING: Dufferin-Caledon PARTY: Green Party of Ontario

AGE: 36

OCCUPATION: Owner/operator of Pia's on Broadway (Orangeville)

RESIDENCE: Mono

PAST POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: I have been politically active for most of my life. I began by participating in the campaign for the electoral reform referendum in Ontario in 2007.

I ran in 2018 as the Ontario Greens candidate, and have been active in several local campaigns to protect farmland.

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE THE

PROVINCE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE AND WHY?:

DAs an owner of a small family restaurant, our COVID experience under the Ford government was not good compared to other provinces. The harmful, extended lockdowns were a direct result of underfunding and cuts made to our health-care system prior to the pandemic.

A failure to support our front-line workers has led to burnout and an overburdened system. This caused a systems-wide crisis, arguably leading to premature deaths, in particular in cancer care.

IF ELECTED, I PLEDGE TO: I would work collaboratively to make Ontario a caring place again, by eliminating billion-dollar highway projects and multimillion dollar EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) testing, and instead reinvesting in our front-line services.

By encouraging investment in the new climate economy, and building smart communities, we can create prosperity and security for everyone.