Mary-Margaret McMahon, Liberal Party candidate for Beaches-East York, answers three questions from Beach Metro Community News regarding the June 2 provincial election.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Candidates were instructed to keep their answers to approximately 200 words, and some of the responses have been edited to keep them as close as possible to the agreed word count.)
QUESTION 1: Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and why you are running in this election?
Growing up in a small town with parents who dragged my three brothers and I out volunteering every chance they could taught me a lot.
I saw first hand the huge benefits of giving back to your community. For the past three decades, Beaches- East York is the place where I could action what has guided me my whole life – trying to make the world a better place for everyone.
When my kids were small, I was helping at their school every day. I’ve started a Residents Association, a Farmer’s Market, environmental groups, and during COVID I volunteered at vaccine clinics all across GTA. I am presently working on finding a hospice space in the East End. As your City Councillor from 2010 to 2018, I was focused on getting things done.
I am running for the Liberal Party under Steven Del Duca because we have serious issues, both pandemic related and ongoing to be addressed and we need a party with Candidates who care about doing the right thing and have a plan to do it.
From revolutionizing elder care to implementing bold, climate change plans I will help deliver the Liberal platform with the energy I am known for.
QUESTION 2: What do you think is the issue in your riding that you can have the most impact on if you are elected MPP?
I am looking forward to making this community, our community, more sustainable, healthier, and more affordable. Time and again I hear at the door that life is just too expensive.
As your neighbour, a parent, and a former municipal leader, I have had my ear to the ground on local issues. I want to continue to listen and learn.
Our beautiful urban area deserves the climate change actions needed to keep it green. Reduced transit fares to $1, rebates for electric vehicles and e-bikes will contribute to re-establishing Ontario’s environmental leadership, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. As a newly endorsed Environmental leader by GreenPac, this speaks volumes to me!
Our kids deserve the best education, not chaos and disruption. By protecting the rights of students, parents, and education workers to be heard, we can find success and build a stronger, more positive future.
Our seniors deserve a plan to recover from the mistakes that were made. Our plan will guarantee home care for anyone who needs it and will end for-profit long-term care in Ontario. The pandemic was a wake-up call that cannot be ignored.
QUESTION 3: Given the concerns raised by a number of East Toronto residents, do you think changes need to be made to the way the provincial transit agency Metrolinx is run and if so, what are those changes?
Absolutely changes need to be made to Metrolinx. Their approach to the community and their consultation process needs improvement in order to restore our confidence in their decisions and remedy their track record.
Even before the challenges of Small’s Creek and the Don Valley Layover, they operated as a large bureaucratic agency that oftentimes ignored the needs of the neighbourhood. They need to be more accountable! Protecting and maintaining our green spaces are vital to improving our mental, physical, and spiritual health. Time spent in nature, particularly in our beloved and irreplaceable ravines, is key to our well-being.
We need Metrolinx to come to the table and genuinely consult with the community, many of whom have strong areas of expertise and a keenness to work together to help build with the best possible and environmentally conscious outcome. Let’s work together and collaboratively with a dynamic new approach to community outreach encompassing a forward-thinking, sustainable vision that can be replicated all across Ontario.
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