Dr. Keith Benn will represent the New Blue Party of Ontario in the upcoming Lambton-Kent-Middlesex by-election.
Benn is originally from Wallaceburg, where his family has lived for generations, and despite a career that has taken him all over the globe he still lives in the area, just on the border of Kent and Lambton counties.
He is a Professional Geoscientist with almost two decades worth of experience teaching and publishing research. Since 2008, he has filled management and executive roles in the minerals industry.
Benn does have some political experience, he ran as the New Blue candidate for Sarnia-Lambton in the last general election.
"The reason I chose to run with New Blue then, and I have chosen to run again with New Blue in this by-election, is because when I look not only of the policy platforms, but the actions of all of the other major political parties in Ontario, that I refer to as the legacy parties, I note that there's not one of them that represents my political principles and what I think are the political principles of the majority of voters in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and most of Southwestern Ontario," he explained.
He stated that the New Blue Party is the only one that could truly claim to be province-wide, as during the last election they had candidates in all but one riding across Ontario. "That's something that truly does take a lot of work and time and effort," he said, adding that he and the New Blue Party want people to know there is another choice when it comes to representation.
Benn believes it's an ideal time for that message to shine through especially considering voter turnout in the last few elections. "It was shockingly low," he exclaimed. "When you think about all of the troubles that we're dealing with right now in our society with the economy... You would think that people would be out en masse trying to change things or to support the party that they thought would do a good job. I think what that indicates is that the PCs, the Liberals, the NDP, and the Greens have done such a poor job over the last few decades in Ontario that people have simply given up on them."
Benn said that he's running on a platform of "basic, Conservative principles." He describes some of those ideas as keeping the government small but efficient, not wasting taxpayers' money, providing high-quality education, improving access to healthcare, and eventually gaining more sovereignty for the province.
When it comes to more local issues, Benn said he's been working very diligently to help people who lost access to their water wells when the wind farm went up in South Kent. He has also attended recent meetings about the proposal for a landfill and recycling facility near Dresden and plans to fight against it any way he can.
Benn said that should he get to Queen's Park, he plans to be the voice that says things that many may be thinking but no one will say out loud.
"To supporters and potential supporters, I stress the idea that I'm an outsider to the political system," he said. "I'm not looking to build a new career or for a taxpayer-funded paycheck... my main worry is getting things done."
Anyone looking for more information about the New Blue Party or Benn himself can attend an information meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 22 at the Von Ayres Cultural Centre in Wallaceburg.
Benn is up against longtime CK Council member Steve Pinsonneault for the conservatives, the Liberal pick of Cathy Burghardt-Jesson who is currently Mayor of Lucan-Biddulph and the former Warden of Middlesex County, and Kathryn Shailer who's running for the NDP.