A councillor in Grey Highlands is taking a shot at provincial politics.
Danielle Valiquette has been officially nominated as the Green Party's candidate in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound for the upcoming Ontario general election.
Notably, Valiquette has served as the municipality's Environment liason, and also as the provincial Green Party's critic for economic development and job creation.
In a release, Valiquette says "The Ontario Greens are the only party committed to protecting the places that feed and protect us, and the only party with a real plan to stop expensive and damaging urban sprawl." Valiquette lives on a farm outside of the small community of Ceylon. She ran federally for the Greens in 2019, taking 8.8% of the vote and finishing fourth in a race ultimately won by current Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Member of Parliament Alex Ruff. The provincial riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound has been solidly blue since it took its current form in 1999, with the Green Party's most notable challenge coming in 2007 when former Green Party deputy leader Shane Jolley finished second only to former MPP Bill Murdoch, taking 33.1% of the vote. At the time, this was the best finish by a Green Party candidate in a federal or provincial election. Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner says "Danielle knows how important it is to protect the places we love, and as a local councillor, she deeply understands her community's needs."
