Improving the cost of living and sustainability in Kingston are at the forefront of Zachary Typhair’s mind.
Running for Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) as the Green Party candidate for Kingston and the Islands for a second time since 2022, Typhair was nominated for the role on Jan. 6. In the first winter provincial election since 1883, Typhair will be one of four candidates on the ballot when locals go to vote on Feb. 27. Typhair currently works as an insurance sales agent at Allstate Canada,
In an interview with The Journal, Typhair explained his decision to run in the provincial election, citing lifelong concerns about persistent regional issues in the environment, healthcare, and affordability.
“My generation cannot sit on the sidelines anymore,” Gen Z Typhair said in an interview with The Journal.
Affordability is one of Typhair’s biggest focuses for Kingston’s future, with a particular concern for housing insecurity. He aims to improve the affordability of houses in both renting and buying by reforming zoning areas to ensure building within city limits is “easier and more affordable” for developers, and by ensuring “Canadian homes only can be owned by Canadians,” attributing high rental prices to overseas developers buying homes.
Typhair hopes to improve the cost of living for Kingstonians by capping chief executive officer salaries for Kingston-based companies and businesses at no more than 20 times the wage of their lowest-paid employee and expanding access to $10-a-day childcare to limit disproportionate costs for families.
The $10-a-day childcare program was announced by the federal government in 2021, the aim of which is to ensure an average daily cost of $10 by 2026, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In targeting both affordability and sustainability for families, Typhair aims to make public transportation more affordable and accessible through a fare reduction for low-income riders, seniors, students, and people with disabilities.
With a concern for healthcare, Typhair values the importance of family doctors and aims to streamline the hiring and training process over the next decade. However, his goal isn’t limited to just Canadian-trained physicians—recognizing the barriers faced by foreign-trained doctors due to Ontario’s credentialing requirements, he seeks to remove these restrictions, allowing more qualified professionals to practice in Canada.
To practice in Canada, international physicians must first acquire the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, a process, due to its cost and time, often leads to trained foreign doctors residing in Canada looking for work in other fields, according to the Canadian Medical Association.
Typhair integrates the importance of sustainability throughout his platform and especially aims to preserve Kingston’s waterfront and protect local biodiversity.
“We need to preserve Kingston’s waterfront by implementing a stronger protection for Lake Ontario shorelines and the local wetland plants, while also spanning the urban tree planting,” Typhair said in an interview with The Journal.
Polls for the provincial election are now open. Ontarians can cast their votes early by visiting their local election office until 6 p.m. before election day on Feb. 27. Ontarians can vote at their assigned location according to their address on election day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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