Interim Green Party Leader Jessica Alexander is running in the riding of Chester- St. Margarets. Photo: NS Green Party.
Jessica Alexander is the interim leader of the Green Party in Nova Scotia and she is running in the riding of Chester- St.Margarets.
Alexander has spent most of her career researching public policy which she feels gives her the skills to be a successful policymaker.
Running as a Green candidate obviously, the environment is a major concern of hers and she is concerned not enough people are paying attention to this election and its implications.
Alexander says, “Some polls I’ve seen have shown almost half of the eligible voters won’t be participating in this election,”. “Considering this is the last election before many of the environmental issues will become irrevocable I would like to see more Nova Scotians get involved,”.
On the housing front, Alexander and the Green Party support limited measures of rent control. “We also need to add non-market priced housing to the market which will help the most vulnerable,” she said.
The Greens support some public housing expansion and they also want to empower municipalities to be able to approve more new developments, though they want those additions to take environmental concerns.
Commenting on the other parties’ environmental policies throughout the campaign she hasn’t been impressed. “I see a lot of Greenwashing, all of these governments have had countless opportunities to end our reliance on fossil fuels and we know that isn’t the case so I would encourage people to look at their track records,” she said.
As far as tackling the health care issue the Greens want to focus on preventative measures. Alexander says the government needs to educate and provide spaces for people to get active and stay healthy. She also says her party has ambitious plans to deal with poverty which they also feel puts a heavy burden on health services in Nova Scotia.
Running in Chester-St. Margarets Alexander faces opposition from Liberal Candidate Jacob Killawee, NDP Amy Reitsma, PC Danielle Barkhouse and Atlantica candidate Steven Foster.
