Priorities

Our community is facing serious challenges, from the rising cost of living to the breakdown of essential services. I believe that we need leaders who aren’t afraid to tackle these issues head-on. My platform is built on the core values of the Green Party—ecological sustainability, social justice, and participatory democracy. But more importantly, it’s built on the needs and values of Sussex-Three Rivers. I want to see a government that empowers communities to take charge of their own futures, that supports local solutions, and that gets out of the way so that the people doing the work can continue to build and thrive.

Education

I am a mother of two children in elementary school.

Every week during the school year, you can find me pouring syrup over freshly toasted waffles first thing in the morning. Waffle Wednesday (or Awful Waffle Wednesday according to the custodians who clean the sticky mess and teachers dealing with a sugar rush) has become a highlight of my week! I have even earned the nickname “Waffle Lady” which I wear with pride.

Because I am at the school anyway, I stay and spend another hour helping out in the classroom stuffing message folders, putting covered on markers, cutting out craft materials and even sitting one-on-one working with the kids as needed. This experience is rewarding but also eye-opening as I get to see firsthand the struggles our teachers face working in a chronically under-resourced school system.

Teachers not only have to spend their own money on most of their supplies but they also contribute to a collection of clothes and winter gear for students who don’t have them. I have yet to meet a teacher who doesn’t keep a drawer of snacks for kids who forget (or are not provided) with a lunch. All of this, of course, paid for out of pocket.

Teachers are stressed because their job is no longer just to teach. In addition to teaching, they have become behaviour interventionists for students who need additional support to thrive. Teachers are growing and we need to invest in our education systems.

Donate today for a better future for Sussex-Three Rivers.

Did you know that donations up to $200 receive a 75% tax credit?

Healthcare

Our riding is home to two medical centres, one in Petitcodiac and one in Sussex.

The Petitcodiac Health Centre hosts family doctors, blood and specimen collection, and a diabetes clinic. Residents of Petitcodiac have long relied on the after hours and emergency services of Sussex, hesitant to compete with the City of Moncton services that are also well over capacity. The availability of emergency and walk in clinics in smaller rural centres not only helped to distribute the amount of people seeking services but also allowed for compassionate care closer to home.

It has been several years since we have seen a cut in overnight emergency room services. It is no secret that this cut has been felt deeply not just in Sussex but in the surrounding areas. Walk in clinics are often overbooked and people are struggling to find care for what should be uncomplicated treatments and care. People without family doctors are forced to wait in ER’s with non-emergent issues that have the potential to become emergencies if left untreated.

I am one of many New Brunswickers who are without a family doctor and have experienced first hand trying to piece together services to get the care I need. I am committed to listening to our health care workers to implement the changes that they know need to happen.

Whether it’s through volunteering, donating, or simply spreading the word, your support can make a difference. Together, we can build a community where every person has a voice, where every person is valued, and where we work together to create the change we need. Let’s get started—because our future is worth fighting for.

Housing

Housing is a fundamental human right.

Having been precariously housed in the past, I understand the stress experienced by those who are struggling to find or maintain safe and consistent housing.

During my time on the municipal council, it was clear that housing was an issue in my rural community even before the conditions we are seeing today. Many seniors expressed that they wished to stay in the village but could no longer maintain their large single-family homes. The community lacked single-level apartment buildings suitable for them and the ones that we did have had waiting lists. After hearing about the garden suite concept, I wanted to ensure that zoning was permissive and wouldn’t be a barrier for anyone who was interested in these detached in-laws-suite-type dwellings. At the time, I didn’t realize that five years later, I would be building one for my own mother.

I will confess that I had never so much as built a deck but my partner had (a deck that is, not a house). In true barn-raising style, we solicited the help of friends and family and spent the summer of 2022 building the home where my mother currently resides. She pays rent that she can afford and will help pay down the loan, soon to be rent-free! This model isn’t for everyone but it is one of the many ways that we can help address the housing issue. Other provinces have programs and incentives for this type of build but not New Brunswick.

The housing crisis will require creative and innovative ideas and a willingness of the government to invest in the solutions that will ensure that every member of our community has a place to call home.

Green Principles for a Sustainable Future

  • Our primary responsibility is to learn to live within the ecological and resource limits of the planet, providing for the needs of all people, while not threatening the existence of other species and future generations.

  • New Brunswick communities must be in charge of their own destiny to the greatest extent possible. Resilient, sustainable communities require economies that meet local needs and are locally controlled, minimizing dependency on external forces.

  • A caring society ensures that all people have equal access to the necessities of life and to amenities which enhance our collective human experience - health, education, quality housing, meaningful livelihoods, and cultural enrichment.

  • Each person must be granted both the right and opportunity to reach their full potential as autonomous individuals, empowered to assert control over their own circumstances and to assume the responsibility of active citizenship within supportive communities.

  • New Brunswickers must have meaningful opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect their lives, created through responsive and decentralized democratic processes, structures and institutions.

  • We declare our commitment to strive for a culture of peace and cooperation between individuals, within communities and in relations between governments and citizens.