2019 federal election Simcoe-Grey candidate profiles

Terry Dowdall, Conservative

Before winning the Conservative nomination in 2018, Terry Dowdall was on Township of Essa council for 18 years, most recently as mayor. In his role as Simcoe County councillor since becoming deputy mayor in 2003, he was elected deputy warden by his peers in 2014 and 2016, ending as acting warden.
He has also served three terms on the board of directors for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. Its board is comprised of elected municipal officials from various sized communities across Canada. FCM carries the municipal message to the federal government.
Dowdall has forged strong partnerships with representatives from the public and private sectors, in order to effectively advance key inter-municipal initiatives, including infrastructure and development projects, area transportation systems, policing models, housing strategies, and budgetary and funding issues. He was also instrumental in orchestrating a pilot partnership with the Township of Essa, the Simcoe County District School Board, and the Nottawasaga OPP, to develop a model whereby shared space would enable the construction of new facilities in the community, all under one roof, using different sources of funding. This initiative resulted in significant cost savings to the taxpayers.
Dowdall is married with two daughters. In the private sector, he is a commercial property owner and owned and operated a small business, Baxter Corner Store.
As an employer, Dowdall gained strong financial management, leadership and business skills. As a municipal leader, he has gained a solid understanding of the complex and urgent demands facing residents, businesses and all levels of government.
Dowdall a good listener and brings experience, dedication, and natural abilities to build consensus among partners in all his endeavors.

Connect:

Email: volunteerforterry@yahoo.com
Phone: 705-250-1131
Website: www.terrydowdall.com
Facebook: Terry Dowdall CPC 2019 Election Information Page @TerryDowdall2019
Twitter: @TerryDowdall

Sherri Jackson, Green Party

Sherri Jackson is an entrepreneur who believes that the role of government is to be of service. She grew up in Grey County, and after having lived across Ontario and abroad, she currently resides near Creemore with her husband of 27 years, and her two teenage sons.
She believes that hope for the future will come from a new era of heart-centered politics. She supports choosing leaders who represent a shift in perspective in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Jackson is a writer and musician, and was a freelance editor for some of Canada’s top legal publishers for 22 years. She has an honours degree in humanities, specializing in English, from McMaster University. Driven by the Montessori philosophy, she founded and operated a Montessori elementary school where she encouraged children to be compassionate, responsible, tolerant and peaceful stewards of the earth. These principles have shaped her vision of what is possible.
She knows that working together is key to making things better for ourselves, our communities, our economy and our environment. She joined the Green Party because it aligns with how she envisions a brighter future for Canada.
Jackson is a strong advocate of the arts and music. She sees them as fundamental elements for our well-being. She has experience in many different industries, including publishing, law, municipal government, media services, manufacturing and education. She understands the complex challenges facing small businesses in Canada and supports small businesses as the foundational drivers of the Canadian economy.
Jackson recognizes the importance of building for the future, but not at the expense of it. She believes our path must take into account the dreams we have for our children and grandchildren. She is committed to a healthy environment, and believes that clean water, air and soil are fundamental human rights. Jackson wishes to establish a solid foundation to build a greener, stronger, more hopeful future for every Canadian.

Connect:

Email: sjforsimcoegrey@greenparty.ca
Phone: 705-446-4970
Website: sherrijackson.greenparty.ca
Facebook and Instagram: @sjforsimcoegrey (Sherri J Simcoe Grey)

Lorne Kenney, Liberal

Lorne Kenney is an active community leader with deep multigenerational roots in Simcoe-Grey. Currently, he and his wife, Susan, own and operate a successful promotional products and corporate apparel business in Collingwood.
Kenney is an active Rotarian and former President of the Rotary Club of South Georgian Bay. He is an Honorary Paul Harris Fellow and has served as the District 7010 Chair of Indigenous Affairs.
A lifelong educator, Kenney is a long-time supporter and former Board Member of Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach, an award-winning charitable organization headquartered in Collingwood which provides education programs in First Nations and Inuit communities in Canada. Under its auspices, Kenney has participated in on-site teaching programs in such far northern communities as Attawapiskat.
At the height of his public service career, Kenney was a senior official at the Premier’s Council, a consultative body of leaders from all key sectors of Ontario society and economy.
Prior to his work in the Ontario Public Service, he was a senior official at Labour Canada where he led the Bureau of Labour Information, judged by the Auditor General to be one of the six “well-performing organizations” in the federal service.
Before entering public service, Kenney was in the private sector and was responsible for negotiating major collective agreements in the food industry.
His career began as a Professor of Economics and Canadian Studies at Seneca College where he initiated a unique mobile learning program. Over the years he has taught at Carleton University and developed a special consulting program for graduating MBA students at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Kenney has a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and an M.A. in Economics (Labour and Industrial Relations). Both degrees were earned at the University of Toronto.
Lorne and Susan have been married 44 years. They are the parents of two children and three grandchildren.

Connect:

Email: lorne@lornekenney.ca
Website: lornekenney.liberal.ca
Instagram: @liberallorne
Facebook: Lorne Kenney Federal Liberal Candidate, Simcoe-Grey @LiberalLorne
Twitter: @LiberalLorne

Ilona Matthews, NDP

Ilona Matthews is a first time NDP candidate, having taken over for her husband David who ran in Simcoe-Grey multiple times in both provincial and federal elections. Matthews has lived in Wasaga Beach for 23 years and has two adult children.
She has worked as a school bus driver in Collingwood before becoming a driver with Georgian Coach Lines in Wasaga Beach. She has seen how the community is strengthened and connected through transit and views it as an important public service.
Matthews now owns and operates two successful small businesses – Transformational Tutoring, a tutoring service created to promote literacy, and Clean n’ Fresh, a residential cleaning business. She said she knows the power of spending wisely and knowing when to invest to encourage growth. She also co-authored and wrote the introduction to “Literate Elite” with Ruth Wier, which was based on Ruth’s PHD thesis on the history of education in Ontario.
She revived and helped to run the Parent’s Committee at 1944 EME Army Cadet Corp. in Creemore from 2000 to 2009 when her son and daughter participated in the program. She was responsible for the cadet canteen and through fundraising efforts, was able to acquire combats for the first time for all of the cadets which were previously an extra expense. Matthews has also organized fundraising events for My Friend’s House in Collingwood.
Over the years, Ilona and David have given shelter to young people and a few adults who had nowhere else to go. By providing a safe, stable living space, assisting in navigating the complicated systems of services and government, they were able to help the individuals reintegrate into the community with more confidence and independence.
In her free time Matthews likes to collect movies, make clothing, read classic novels and she loves spending time exploring the natural beauty of the area.”

Connect:

Email: simcoegreyndp@gmail.com
Phone: 705-994-5662
Website: www.ilonamatthewsndp.com
Instagram: @simcoegreyndp
Facebook: @ilonamatthewsndp
Twitter: @SimcoeGreyNDP

Richard Sommer, People’s Party of Canada

Richard Sommer has taken an unpaid leave of absence from his job as Principal at Alliston Community Christian School to run as a People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate for Simcoe-Grey, after the previous candidate Jeff Harris withdrew for personal reasons.
Sommer is originally from the Hamilton-Wentworth area. He and his wife started their little family in Niagara where he was a young teacher/school administrator. From there, they grew their family to eight kids – five plus three adopted ones. They served overseas in Papua New Guinea with international schools from 2002 to 2009 and again from January 2015 to December 2017. They currently have three married children with another two in post-secondary, and the youngest three are in elementary school. They also operate a fledgling business called LifeStamp.
“Running for the PPC in this election is part of what we sing in our National Anthem: We stand on guard for thee,” said Sommer. He sees the issues of free-speech, smaller and accountable government, equality and respect as important issues in this election.
As a son of immigrant parents, he wishes we could help all immigrants, but at some level we have to protect our wellbeing as Canadians too. He likens that to their family where they would have loved to adopt more children in need, but there comes a point where the burden becomes so great that you begin to compromise your core.
He wishes to see increased east-west trade in Canada and less foreign aid payouts until we are not needing that ourselves, good stewardship of the environment, but no panic reactions (increased taxes) about the changes in climate since they are not proven to be caused by humans.
PPC  supports and promotes the founding values of Canada while also aggressively pursuing what will be good for all Canadians, such as balancing the budget in two years. Sommer also brings years of education and administration experience.

Connect:

Email: richard@simcoegreyppc.com
Phone: 705-890-0440
Website: simcoegreyppc.com
Twitter: @SimcoeGreyPpc