NDPer says voters fed up with Liberals

[attach]4805[/attach]David Hynes has a backup plan in the event that he isn’t elected as the new MPP for St. Paul’s.

The first-time New Democratic Party candidate, who taught English in Japan for five years and recently finished his master’s in political science at York University, believes he is likely to win, Oct. 6.

“I’ve been promoted to the PhD and I’ll be starting there on the off-chance that I don’t win the election,” he said. “I think people are really fed up with the Liberals and with the municipal government.

“So it’s looking good for us because people want real change with real progressive policies, rather than progressive promises with status quo policies.”

If change does come, the 34-year-old says his first order of business in office will be to deal with the school closures in Toronto.

“I know a lot of the problems and the justification for the school closures are demographic and that the population of children is declining, but that seems to me an opportunity to reduce class sizes,” Hynes said, calling schools community hubs. “If we keep the funding at the same level for a smaller population of children, why can’t we have better schools?”

However, Hynes does know he has a big hill to climb in removing a Liberal incumbent, Eric Hoskins, from his St. Paul’s seat.

“I think we have our best chance in years … nothing’s set in stone, as we saw with the federal election recently,” Hynes said. “A lot of people came over to the NDP finally realizing that the NDP has stood for and been built on progressive principles, while the Liberals have shifted gradually to the right.”

Aside from his background in education, Hynes says daycare costs are another topic that hits close to home.

“I’m married, my wife and I would like to have children, but a lot of people my age are having real trouble paying the cost of daycare for their kids,” the Lawton Boulevard resident said.

“Sometimes they pay more for daycare than they do for rent on their apartment and that’s unacceptable.”

Hynes jokes he hopes residents will be favourable with his birthday the day before elections. Winning will be a belated gift.

“I’m hoping the people of St. Paul’s will be generous,” he said.