Schein goes for MPP
Former council candidate to vie for Davenport post in provincial election
Jonah Schein hopes he’ll succeed in 2011 where he failed in 2010.
The provincial NDP candidate for Davenport challenged Ward 17 city councillor Cesar Palacio in last fall’s municipal election coming up over 1,300 votes short of the incumbent.
However, he is heartened by the fact that in the 2011 federal election the NDP’s Andrew Cash trounced Liberal incumbent Mario Silva.
With a master’s in Social Work from York, Schein has worked in shelters as well as with low-income families. Since 2006 he has worked as a coordinator of the Civic Engagement Program that holds movie nights and community meetings in an effort to bring the people of Davenport closer together.
“It’s where people could voice their concerns,” he said.
One of the things that Schein says he’s heard from the community is that residents feel ignored by their government.
“People want to be heard,” he said. “They want a voice.”
Topping his list of issues for Schein is the lack of affordable transit and the recent cuts to bus routes.
If elected, he said the NDP promises to fund 50 percent of public transit in the city.
“Toronto is really expensive,” he said. “The province has to get involved in transit, so riders don’t pay for every user fee.”
He says he’d also like to try and address affordable childcare, financial aid to families caring for a sick member and the environment.
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