Chris Rickett

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Chris Rickett (born on October 20, 1976 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada) is local political figure in the City of Stratford, Ontario.

Raised in Stratford, Ontario, Rickett has been involved in politics since an early age, organizing his first political protest at the age of 11, picketing the Perth County Board of Education so he could skateboard to school.

His political organization continued into his teenage years, as he advocated for youth issues and organized protests against police brutality, education cuts and homelessness in the city, as well as launched a successful constitutional challenge against the City of Windsor's postering by-law[1]. He would open the 10 Day Café in 1996 and operate it through 1998 as a youth-run arts centre in the heart of downtown Stratford. Several local musicians would get their start there, including Dayna Manning.

Often found on the editorial pages of Stratford’s 3 local newspapers, Rickett started What’s Up, Chuck? Magazine in 1997 and published through 2001 (click here for a review). What’s Up, Chuck? was known for its biting sarcasm and criticism of local police and city officials. Rickett and the magazine were featured in Broken Pencil [2], The Walrus [3] and many local papers for its outspoken nature.

Rickett's writing ranges from gonzo journalism and self-indulgent fiction, to pointed commentaries on infrastucture and climate change. His 2002 publication of "Tales of a Festival City Hack" fictionalized his experiences driving taxi and featured stories about run-ins with Al Waxman, Richard Monette, William Hutt and the police. On the other hand, his non-fiction work shows an ability to research and present well reasoned arguments on climate change, municipal politics and energy issues. Rickett has contributed to Municipal World Magazine [4] and Renew Canada [5] [6].

After a second unsuccessful run for a seat on Stratford City Council in 2000, Rickett attended the University of Waterloo and completed a degree in Urban Planning. He made his return to Stratford in 2003, and in his third attempt for a seat on City Council, was successful with his friend Sam Dinicol in securing a place at the decision making table. Serving as a Stratford City Councillor, Rickett Chaired the Planning & Heritage Committee and Energy & Environment Committee. He launched a number of successful programs, including authoring the city’s environmental strategic plan, a 10-year funding formula for the Stratford-Perth Museum and aided in the development of the Market Square Design Competition[7].

In 2006, Rickett decided against running for re-election and stepped down from public office in order to concentrate on completing his Masters in Public Administration at the University of Western Ontario. He continues to serve the City of Stratford as Chair of the Energy & Environment Committee, hosts his own hour long local issues program on Rogers Cable called Politically Speaking and continues to contribute columns on local and national issues to various publications.