Provincial Election 2025: Scarborough Southwest Green Party candidate Mark Bekkering answers our questions

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Beach Metro Community News sent these questions to candidates we were aware of in the riding Scarborough Southwest. Not all candidates responded in time for them to be published in this edition. 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?

Scarborough Southwest has been my home for 25 years and where we raised our three children.

I have 30 years of real experience in creating government initiatives that provide environmental, economic, and community benefits. After 10 years with Hamilton, I joined the City of Toronto in 1999, working mainly in the Environment Division until retirement in 2019.

As the Manager, I collaborated with councils led by Mayors David Miller, Rob Ford, and John Tory to establish initiatives like Live Green Toronto, TransformTO, the Home Energy Loan Program, and PollinateTO. All of these and other initiatives were adopted unanimously because they were designed to balance fiscal responsibility, provide equitable access, save people money, and create economic opportunities while reducing emissions. After retiring, I worked part-time with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, reviewing funding proposals for programs modeled after Toronto’s.

I am running for election to make decisions that balance economic, environmental, and community well-being. I have successfully created initiatives supported by people from all political perspectives, I will fight for long term sustainable solutions that address the climate crisis while making life more affordable, equitable, and our economy more resilient.

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 Scarborough Southwest, and if you are in favour of the City of Toronto’s plans to build an 80-bed homeless shelter in the Gerrard Street East and Clonmore Drive area?

Since 1984, housing costs have increased by 1,000 per cent, but income levels have only grown by 200 per cent. This gap started to accelerate in the late 1990s, meaning we have had over 25 years to address it. Over 1/3 of young adults live with their parents. A new approach is needed! The Green Party will:

• Implement regulatory changes and financial supports to create more housing options and make housing more affordable.
• Facilitate the construction of 2 million homes in 10 years.
• Build 250,000 new affordable nonprofit and co-op homes, including 60,000 supportive homes with funded wraparound supports.
• Renew over 300,000 community housing units.
• Reduce your energy bills while reducing emissions.
  Regarding the homeless shelter at Gerrard and Clonmore, I understand the residents’ frustrations about the lack of transparency. Without transparency you create an environment of distrust and suspicion. We must work together, and when we do, we will provide the necessary temporary shelters for unhoused folks.

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?

Scarborough Southwest is growing rapidly, and it’s important that this new development fits well with our community.
My top priority is to make sure we have the right policies and resources to guarantee new developments:

• Are planned with the people of Scarborough Southwest.
• Provide affordable rental and ownership housing options.
• Are environmentally sustainable and aim for nearly zero emissions.
• Create local employment.
• Are coordinated with investments to meet the need for more school and community resources and manage increased traffic.
  Another priority is to secure stable funding for transit. Scarborough residents are being asked to embrace new developments and leave their car at home, but current transit services are not up to the task. For instance, my son, in his last year of high school, had a work experience placement that was a 10-minute drive from home. However, taking transit, which he did, meant a 30-to-40-minute trip with three bus transfers.
  We need to improve transit services to make them more reliable and convenient for getting around Scarborough. Without these improvements, new development will lead to traffic congestion, lower quality of life, and hurt our economy.

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?

First, demonstrate real leadership by building a unified front. All three opposition party leaders see the threat and are willing to work with Doug Ford. However, he refused their offers to collaborate and called an election and would have us believe he is the only one who can negotiate with Trump.

I met Mike Scheiner 16 years ago and I can tell you he is not one to back down. True leadership, especially when facing a threat to all Canadians, means respecting all perspectives and forming a united front.

When elected the Green Party will:

• Immediately set up a ‘tariff task force’ that works across party lines, jurisdictions, and sectors to protect Ontario workers, jobs, and companies in trade negotiations.
• Introduce an investment tax credit to stimulate business investments in Ontario.
• Introduce a “Buy Ontario” strategy and apply public procurement rules that favor Ontario businesses.
• Create a Protect Ontario Fund to support businesses hit hard by tariffs & invest in building new supply chains.
• Immediately move to diversify our trade partners.
• Work with other provinces to remove interprovincial trade barriers.
  There is no “I” in team. People expect that all parties are working together to address this and all challenges.