Provincial Election 2025: Beaches-East York Green Party candidate Jack Pennings answers our questions
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Beach Metro Community News sent these questions to candidates we were aware of in Beaches-East York. Not all candidates responded by our deadline. Candidates were asked to keep their responses to approximately 200 words. Please visit our website at www.beachmetro.com for more information on the candidates.)
QUESTION 1: Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and why you are running in this election?
I’m from the neighbourhood, bring technology and social policy skills, and believe the Green Party has the best solutions.
I grew up in Scarborough and have lived near Michael Garron Hospital for 22 years. Our family was raised here and we have always felt it to be among the best areas to live in Toronto.
Before entering the field of mobile device security I worked in the areas of addictions, disability rights, and landlord-tenant advocacy.
I joined the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) because high carbon emissions are a problem that must be solved. However, history shows that the traditional parties will at best deliver watered-down results, and at worst oppose progress.
The environment is in the GPO’s DNA. For the others, it is more like a box that needs to be ticked.
So how do we move forward? The GPO’s recently-released election platform is loaded with solutions for Ontario’s problems that come from connected and involved people at the community level – Ontario’s local heroes.
In my experience, even-tempered, careful listening often brings out solutions. I would be honoured to put these strengths to your service and represent you at Queen’s Park.
QUESTION 2: Please tell our readers what you and your party will be doing to deal with the lack of affordable housing and homelessness issues in Beaches-East York.
In the GPO 2025 platform, comprehensive housing solutions are top priorities for immediate action.
Here are some riding-relevant items from just two of the platform’s sections. I urge anyone to read the platform for more specifics:
Security and Support for Renters:
• Place a moratorium on above-guideline rent increases (AGIs) and create a Rental Task Force to look into the overuse of AGIs;
• Update and strengthen sections of the Residential Tenancies Act that deal with the state of repair for multi-unit buildings to ensure tenants have homes that are safe and kept in a good state of repair;
• Introduce a rental registry and strengthen rules and penalties for renovictions and bad faith evictions.
To end homelessness:
• Immediately support people living in encampments with their housing and support needs until permanent housing solutions are built;
• [Province-wide,] Work with nonprofits to build 250,000 new affordable non profit and co-op homes and 60,000 permanent supportive homes with guaranteed funding for mental health, addictions and other supports;
• Deploy temporary and permanent supportive modular housing projects on provincially owned land as quickly as possible. Create tax credits and investment funds to help advance these housing technologies.
QUESTION 3: What do you think is the issue in your riding that you can have the most impact on if you are elected MPP?
In short, fairness for both individuals and small business.
Based on previous experience working at an east-end community legal clinic, I think I can have the most impact working toward fairness for lower-income residents.
Income disparity has become worse. Something I want to highlight is the absolute nightmare of people with disabilities dependent on insufficient ODSP benefits. In 2022 the GPO was the first to propose that ODSP be doubled as a first step toward basic decency in this area.
The 2025 GPO election platform describes some loopholes and rules that disproportionately benefit the very wealthiest Ontarians and that we would end.
Tax cuts are to be targeted toward low and middle income earners. The minimum wage is to be raised to $20 per hour. Grocery gouging is to be fought with anti-gougin and anti-collusion laws.
The platform also describes how temp and gig workers’ rights and protections would be strengthened.
Sometimes “fairness” seems to be code for taxing businesses. The 2025 GPO platform has items which I like to support and protect small businesses and entrepreneurship: an increased Employer Health Tax exemption, a Commercial Renter’s Bill Of Rights, affordable insurance, and a review seeking red tape to weed out.
QUESTION 4: How will your party and your party’s leader deal with the economic and other challenges facing Ontario and Canada that are presented by the Administration of U.S. President Donald Trump?
The GPO wants all of Ontario to pull together, urban and rural.
First: at a time of tariff-related challenges and chaos, the Green Party of Ontario will not add elec toral politics or expensive gimmicks to the mix.
In a tariff plans statement released Jan. 31, Mike Schreiner included these specific points:
• Immediately create a ‘tariff taskforce’ that works across party, jurisdictional and sectoral lines to defend Ontario workers, jobs and companies in trade negotiations;
• Create an investment tax credit to unlock business investments in Ontario;
• Develop a “Buy Ontario” strategy and implement public procurement rules that support Ontario businesses;
• Create a Protect Ontario Fund for businesses disproportionately impacted by tariffs and make the investments needed to build new supply chains;
• Immediately move to aggressively diversify our trade partners; and
• Work with other provinces to remove interprovincial trade barriers.
I will highlight that working across party lines has been the GPO approach on many issues over the years, and the public procurement rules are also longstanding policy.
Additionally the party has long aimed to protect Ontario’s farmers and farmland. Farmland preservation means greater food security at a time when food imported from the U.S. will be rising in price.
