With the Ontario provincial election set for February 2025, Nicholas Lapierre is stepping forward as the Green Party candidate for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry (SDSG), hoping to offer voters a fresh perspective.
“The biggest reason why I wanted to run is to be sure that the SDSG riding had the chance for their vote to count and their voice to be heard,” said Lapierre. “Without a name on the ballot for that party, it diminishes the opportunity for people to have the representation they deserve.”
Lapierre, who has worked in various roles supporting people through education, service, and community engagement, believes the Green Party’s policies address key concerns in the region.
On the rising cost of living, he emphasized the need to support vulnerable populations. “Trying to bring those on ODSP and Ontario Works out of poverty will have a huge impact on the economy and thus support more small businesses that can hire more people to spread wealth around,” he said.
Affordable housing remains another priority for Lapierre. “We have done costing work on a fund for nonprofit and co-ops for affordable housing builds,” he explained. “Being able to create housing for communities, not just families, can address many of the concerns we all face.”
Healthcare access, particularly in rural areas, is another challenge Lapierre hopes to address. “The party is supporting the idea of specialized care teams to reduce backlogs, along with incentives to bring care to Northern and rural communities,” he said. “While SDSG is not a Northern community, we do have various rural ones that could benefit from this support.”
Environmental sustainability remains central to Lapierre’s platform. “Many policies can be seen through an environmental lens,” he said. “When supporting housing initiatives or infrastructure projects, we need to ensure their sustainability is kept in mind.”
He also sees economic growth and environmental protection as complementary. “Creativity can abound when there are restrictions—it can force innovation,” he said. “Imagine a healthcare system that could twin with medical production companies to produce supplies with the lowest environmental impact.”
Lapierre acknowledges that SDSG has historically leaned toward the Progressive Conservatives but hopes to give voters a real alternative. “I don’t expect to ‘convert’ people,” he said. “I just want people to see there are other options, even when they still believe as they do.”
For Lapierre, politics is about engagement beyond election day. “Ask yourself what the most important issue to you is, then vote based on that,” he said. “After the election, keep yourself informed. Elections are only part of the political process—we should be aware and engaged between elections too.”
