School board trustee Laura Bisutti decided to step in as Green Party candidate after last year’s federal election did not have a candidate for Perth-Wellington.
An environmentalist, Bisutti said she was disappointed that the election passed without a candidate. Wanting to show her support for the platform, Bisutti decided to take on the task herself.
“I was worried there wouldn’t be a candidate in this election, so I put my name in and here I am. I wanted to make sure others saw how important the environment is and how we are now on the right track,” Bisutti told StratfordToday.
With no previous experience in politics, Bisutti took a leave of absence from her position as school board trustee for the Avon Maitland District School Board. Her passion for the Green Party platform made the decision an easy one.
As a trustee, Bisutti said she is in a role that is accountable to the public with decisions that impact many.
Bisutti describes herself as an individual that bikes everywhere, while her children take the bus to school. Growing up in the countryside of Mt. Hope, she enjoyed biking. When she relocated to Stratford, her husband introduced her to winter bike riding.
“I just like to hop on my bike and go,” she said with a laugh.
Bisutti said she would like to see public transportation expanded.
One top of mind issue for Bisutti is protecting the Greenbelt - two million acres of protected land in Ontario. The charitable organization is dedicated to preserving prime farmlands, wildlife areas and waterways.
“Cancelling the 413 (highway), protecting the Greenbelt and making it illegal to make any highways through this area is really important,” she said.
For Bisutti, she said housing affordability and protecting precious farmland go hand-in-hand.
“We want to permanently protect farmland by having borders on cities so there is no more sprawl. We want to create growth in the missing middle and free up land owned by both the federal and provincial government. This land should be freed up to create reasonable and affordable homes,” said Bisutti.
“We want to make it affordable to live but within our city boundaries,” she added.
A Green Party priority is ensuring farmland is affordable so new farmers have an opportunity, not just large corporations, said Bisutti.
“We have to start thinking about seven generations in front of us. We want to make sure that they are not losing any income, and that they are supported for years as they make a transition,” she said.
As a mother of a child attending a local school, Bisutti said it is important to introduce children to different trades and agriculture.
“We want to make sure schools are fully funded and children have access to different trades that will be important in the future. We believe there should be a new climate economy where we make sure everyone is brought into it,” said Bisutti.
Bisutti said that people often think of the Green Party as a one party issue.
“We have a full slate of items that are of interest to people,” she said.
