Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice
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| Matthew Halton |
He was in town at the Pincher Creek Tim Horton's on Tuesday afternoon, March 27 to meet informally with interested citizens.
Halton was born and raised in the Crowsnest Pass. He and his wife Clarissa have three children.
According to his official bio, he "consults for a Calgary-based firm training educators, families and social services agencies in research-based interventions aimed to improve communities and the lives of children and youth. As well, Halton works as a professional speaker, production manager for arts festivals and building contractor. For 10 years before that, Halton worked as a child and youth care worker." An eclectic individual, seemingly, he performs as a musician, enjoys fly-fishing, and has a history of volunteering, starting with leadership positions at at Crowsnest Pass children's camp in his youth and moving on to various grassroots organizations.
This is Halton's first run at public office. He said he was inspired to run because of "An absolute sense and belief that the Conservative goverment is not being held to account, and I believe that they're becoming a bit arrogant and that they are essentially steamrolling over the beliefs and concerns of a lot of the electors in their riding."
"You know what actually made me decide to put my name in? Stephen Harper. I know that's Federal but I was listening to CBC and Stephen Harper came on there and he said 'Pretty soon we're going to be passing three or four major bills a week', referring to his majority government, and this is the kicker, he went on to say 'Imagine a Canada that runs like Alberta'. Isn't that sad."
"The Conservatives have had 40 years of almost unopposed government and that's not good democracy," Halton continued. "We need an opposition, a powerful opposition, and I believe that Brian Mason and the NDP is the right party and the right voice to do that. We have a comprehensive platform and quite frankly I think we just care more about the well-being of the average Albertan, the everyday, the normal Albertan, and we're not in the pockets of the big corporations, and frankly we're not too excited about being buddy-buddy with them."
I asked him what he brought to the table for Livingstone-Macleod constituents. "I think I bring a fairly well-rounded perspective. The concept that I'm not wealthy, I have quite a good holistic Albertan perspective. I've lived in Lethbridge, I've lived in Edmonton, I've work for a company based in Calgary, born and raised in Crowsnest. I've got a good perspective of rural and right into the urban issues."
"Not just that," Halton continued. "I'm an honest guy who passionately believes in the well-being of people. "I'm a guy that believes every single Albertan needs unrestricted access to health care, no matter what."
"I don't care about your status, or how much money you make, you need to be able to walk into a hospital, get excellent high quality care, and get it quickly."
"As a child youth-care worker, as somebody who gets the opportunity to be in the homes and be in a relationship with people of all kinds of socio-economic statuses and backgrounds, the average working people, I get to hear their stories, and I'm hearing things from them, frustrating things from them that are frankly inexcusable. Child care costs are going through the roof, they're not regulated, that's unacceptable. Electricity prices, absolutely we need to take a look at that, we need to be open-minded. Something has got to give here."
"We can't keep on letting these corporations set these prices and then build ridiculous unnecessary infrastructure that's only going to cost Albertans more at the end of the day."
"The government and the corporations don't own those trees in the Castle area. Those aren't theirs to give away for a song. Those resources belong to everyday Albertans. I want to have an absolutely fair and transparent consultation process so that I can say when it gets developed, if it gets developed, and if so I want to see those resources trickle right down into this hospital in Pincher Creek. I want to see schools in Pincher Creek benefit. I want to see better care for our aging population, I want to see better care for our secondary highways so that farmers and ranchers have better access to our urban centres."
Apparently Halton is an Oilers fan, while doing his best to not disparage other teams. "When I was a kid in the 80's, it was the dynasty years."
As far as Halton is concerned the Wild Rose party is "another big-business big-money conservative government, what's the difference. A conservative is a conservative is a conservative."
"What I'm really trying to do here is I'm trying to encourage all the everyday working folks in this riding. Get out and vote on April 23rd, because we don't have to just lay down and let the Progressive Conservatives have a cakewalk. It's not democratic. We can see change come and embrace it."
I agree with Halton."The government and the corporations don't own those trees in the Castle area. Those aren't theirs to give away for a song. Those resources belong to everyday Albertans...if it gets developed, and if so I want to see those resources trickle right down into this hospital in Pincher Creek. I want to see schools in Pincher Creek benefit. I want to see better care for our aging population, I want to see better care for our secondary highways so that farmers and ranchers have better access to our urban centres."
ReplyDeleteThe Conservatives have been too long with big corperations, big money and not accounting for the needs of hard working Canadian citizens.
All sounds good for the cause...or does it, just how do we pay for all of these costs..
ReplyDeleteTax the big bad corporations does not work as are we not just taking money from our retirement plans and pension plans...as are they not the biggest holders of these big bad corporations.
Logging is something that has been going on for a long time. It is clear cutting in the sense that they are cutting parcels of land...not totally clear cut from beaver mines to the castle ski hill as some people proclaim.
I understand that one of the protestors that is out front and center is one who himself has has clear cut his own land and built a log home...does that make sense now that he is out front and center?
Provinces that have had NDP in power do tend to tax and spend more...Alberta due its good returns from oil spends more per cap on health and education yet it is not enough to some members of our society...so the question is when is enough, enough?
At one point in my life I lived in Medicine Hat and met alot of retired farmers from Saskatchewan. They had moved to the Hat after retiring and when asked why Alberta, a lot of them would say "the taxes in Alberta are cheaper" as the reason. But them come election time, they would put out their NDP signs. Makes alot of sense doesn't it!!!
I often think of the last NDP candidate I spoke with who asked me if I wished I was back in Saskatchewan (this was when Roy Romano and his NDP gang were still in charge) because the health care there is so much better then ours in Alberta...Little did he know that I had just receintly got back from Saskatoon after my grandpa had died in the City of Saskatoon Hospital after having a heart attack in the hospital and it took more then 4 hours for a doctor to get to him...there was lots of doctors in the hospital but the intercom had been broken and there was no money to fix it...so where were the NDP in that case!!!