Nichols wants to win seat for Greens

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This article was published 14/08/2015 (4035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Green Party candidate Kevin Nichols envisions a better Canada — one that he and others can be proud of.

“I want to be at a Bombers game where people sing more than just the first few lines of ‘O Canada,’” he said.

The 51-year-old safety technician and long-time Charleswood resident is running for election in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley. He’s facing incumbent Conservative Party candidate Steven Fletcher, Liberal Party candidate Dr. Doug Eyolfson and NDP candidate Stefan Jonasson.

Nichols grew up in St. James and graduated from John Taylor Collegiate. He completed mechanic training at Red River Community College and worked for Winnipeg Transit for many years. About five years ago he trained as a safety technician and is now working for the City of Winnipeg. He and his wife Cheryl have three children: Blake, 21; Eric, 19; and Lauren, 15.
Nichols isn’t a political novice, as he entered the civic election race in 2014, finishing last in the Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge ward.

“I didn’t like what was going on with politicians,” he said.

His desire to help make a contribution remains as he begins his federal campaign after being approached by the Green Party of Canada.

“We consider ourselves to be a fairly well-off country, but child poverty is growing,” he said.

“There’s no need for a child to go to school hungry in Canada.”

He feels that Canada’s overall education system is slowly failing, as is shown in comparisons between Canadian students’ knowledge and that of students in other countries.

If elected, Nichols would also work toward having members of Canada’s Armed Forces serving in an international peacekeeping role rather than being involved in armed combat situations.

He said he’s seeing a lot of residential development occurring in the Charleswood area, with old trees being removed to make way for roads and houses. While approval of land development is primarily a municipal responsibility, he would like to see a national building standard with codes aimed at encouraging energy-efficiency.

“I’d like to see responsible development,” he said.

He supports improvements to infrastructure, but wants to get value for federal money spent.

“Why are roads in the Grand Forks area better than ours?” he said.

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Nichols said he’s pleased that the Green Party has all of its policies outlined on the party’s website.

“We have policies to run every aspect of Canada,” he said.

One of the most important policies, he said, is one that will guarantee a basic living wage to every adult Canadian, and not penalize those who are working but not earning an amount equivalent to the basic level.

Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 19.

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