Gordon Kubanek

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Green Party candidates, 2007 Ontario provincial election. (Discuss)

Gordon Kubanek is the candidate in Nepean—Carleton for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario general election, 2007 on October 10 .

[edit] External links

• http://www.gordonkubanek.ca/

Biography: Gordon Kubanek was born in Montreal and raised in Sarnia, ON. He fluently speaks English, French and German. After completing an undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering at Queens University he went to work in the BC forest industry. There he saw first hand the destructive effects of clear-cutting. After completing a Masters in Engineering at McGill he had a change of heart and trained to be a teacher; first teaching in the USA, then returning to Canada to work for the Ottawa School Board, where he still teaches Math and Science. In 1999, he was trained by M.I.T. on the computer modeling methodology called System Dynamics [used by the Club of Rome in their seminal book ‘The Limits to Growth’]. He worked as a consultant for the Department of National Defense for several years. Most recently he took 3 years to recover from a virus which induced heart failure that made him keenly feel his mortality. He lives on 4 acres of land near Kars with his wife and 3 daughters where they raise organic chickens for meat and eggs for their family, use solar energy to heat their water and air, and drive a Smart car.

What are the 3 most important issues facing your Riding and where do you stand on these issues?

1) Transportation/urban sprawl: We must redesign our cities around walkable communities linked by light rail; the Federal governments plans for the old Rockcliff air base is an excellent example of how the province should work with the cities to redesign how we live. 2) I am focused on opposing the proposed MINTO development in Manotick because it will create traffic chaos, destroy the village character and legal status of the village, and make a real mass transit solution even more difficult to implement, and increase smog that increases the asthma rate among our children. 3) The ticking time bomb in Nepean-Carleton is the rise in environmental illness. It is well documented that autism rates have increased 100 fold in the last 30 years in Nepean-Carleton. However asthma, peanut allergies, fatal responses to even perfumes are all indication that our autoimmune system is under great stress. I almost died of heart failure from a virus three years so I know personally what our environment is trying to tell us something significant: remove the toxic chemicals that have become integral to our lifestyle or our children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences.

What are the 3 most important issues facing Ontario and where do you stand on these issues?

1) Faith based schools: The divisive PC proposal to fund faith-based schools is creating tensions for no need; especially among conservative voters because they overwhelmingly oppose their leaders proposal yet feel unable to vote for either the Liberals or NDP. Only the Green Party of Ontario has a defensible and cost effective platform: the creation of French & English public school boards across Ontario. This will actually keep Independent schools truly independent and a true alternative for parents who feel a strong desire to meet their unique needs. In a secular society public monies should only be used for secular, public institutions and people of faith must be free to pursue their private aspirations as they fit without government interference. 2) Nuclear power: After the election the government is all set to approve the spending of 40 billion dollars for new nuclear power plants. We oppose this method of meeting Ontario’s long term energy needs because a serious analysis of the costs involved shows that investments in energy efficiencies and conservation, coupled with a serious attempt to build up our renewable energy supply, can meet our future needs at a significant cost savings. Half of our current provincial debt is from our old and decaying nuclear plants; our children cannot afford a repetition of the same mistake. 3) Loss of Industrial jobs: Ontario, as the industrial heartland of Canada, cannot afford to continue to lose well paying industrial jobs. The only way that we can maintain our standard of living is to follow the world wide trend in the more advanced countries toward supporting a shift to towards a green economy based upon green jobs. We will do this by completely revamping the tax system with the “green tax shift’. This will reduce taxes on ‘goods’ [eg. Personal and corporate incomes] and increase taxes on ‘bads’ [eg a carbon tax, increased water charges]. Only with a move towards the creation of green businesses can Ontario continue to be Canada’s industrial heartland.