Sandy Brown nominated as Ontario Greens’ candidate for Dufferin–Caledon

By Joshua Drakes

During a nomination meeting in Orangeville, Ontario Green Party members voted for former Orangeville Mayor Sandy Brown as the local riding's candidate in the upcoming provincial election.

“I'm running because I believe in a government that leads with integrity and a strong work ethic, ensuring that every voice in our community is heard and valued,” Brown said.

Green Party members gathered at the Mill Creek Pub and Restaurant in Orangeville for Brown's nomination meeting. The crowd was enthusiastic and welcoming of Brown's nomination, and without much delay, confirmed him by unanimous vote as Dufferin–Caledon's provincial representative.

As guests and members were seated, Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party, came forward to speak. He addressed the concerns of locals, such as the Caledon mega quarry, Highway 413 and housing. He promised the Green Party would remain the voice of the people, not corporate interests or political agendas.

He also criticized Doug Ford's government for what he called irresponsible spending and catering to private interests.

“You want a government that's going to put health care ahead of highways, a government that is going to protect the Forks of the Credit from the Caledon mega quarry,” he said. “You want a government that's actually going to build homes that people can afford, taking care of our neighbours, not taking away their Charter rights, and actually addressing the climate emergency in a way that helps people save money.”

Schreiner then introduced Brown, giving him his full support and endorsement, as the person he trusts to fight for these goals.

“I'm excited to have somebody who's a proven local leader and somebody who's going to be a strong voice for Dufferin-Caledon to be carrying the Green banner in this election,” Schreiner said. “There's so many important issues, from addressing the housing affordability crisis to shoring up our healthcare system to protecting the places we love here, especially from an unneeded, expensive highway like Highway 413.”

Brown then took the stage. He said that he planned to follow Schreiner's example and lead the way in affordability, environmental responsibility and cooperation across party lines.

Brown shared that a meeting with Schreiner at a municipal conference marked the beginning of his alignment with the Green Party.

During his term as mayor of Orangeville, Brown said that he was already thinking Green with some of the policies that he worked on, so the choice became clear. He pointed to his accomplishments as mayor, which he said makes him the best choice for Dufferin-Caledon as a Green candidate.

As mayor of Orangeville, he introduced a climate action policy requiring all municipal decisions to consider environmental impacts and oversaw initiatives like free transit and the start of converting the old railway into a bike and walking trail with Caledon's support.

“It's been through my term as mayor, and understanding that environment and climate change is real, and that we have to be concerned about that, and then looking at the Green Party policies, that made me start leaning towards this nomination,” Brown said. 

The Green Party of Ontario's platform focuses on healthcare, housing and a climate-based economic plan.

The Green Party prioritizes mental health, aiming to reduce stigma and support underserved groups. Brown emphasized that aiding low-income and homeless individuals with mental health issues would ease the strain on the healthcare system.

“If you think about it, the homelessness issue, over 50 per cent of homeless people have mental health or addiction issues. If we can help those people get back on the straight and narrow, maybe get them a job, get some housing over them, that's going to take the burden off of the social services issue, off of the healthcare system, off of the policing costs,” Brown noted.

He also said that housing needs to have red tape torn down to incentivize builders and better planning to avoid congestion.

“Two weeks ago, at Hockley Resort, was an Ontario Housing Summit, and it was depressing,” he said. “In Toronto for example, it's beginning to be close to $200,000 per unit for development charges. Twenty-five per cent to 30 per cent of the cost of a new house in Ontario is government fees and taxes, and here's the government talking about affordability when they're imposing a 30 per cent surcharge on every house that's being built,”

“Does this make any sense to anybody? We need to remove red tape. We need to incentivize builders to build more.”

He said that he plans to engage with the community, understand their needs, and work with them. Brown said that this is something the current members of parliament are lacking.

“Four years here in Orangeville as mayor, I never got a phone call once from Sylvia Jones,” Brown said. “Now she's the MPP. She never called me once to say, let's have a coffee, or let's talk or what can I do for you? What are your struggles?”

“If I'm elected, we're going to engage people, we're going to talk to the municipal officials, we're going to have an active work ethic.”

With the full backing of the Green Party and a track record of leadership, Brown enters the race as a figure determined to deliver for his community. With a possible provincial election on the horizon, he aims to engage voters with a vision of integrity, sustainability, and actionable change – one conversation at a time.