GREENS NAME RICHTER CO-DEPUTY LEADER AS HE JOINS NEWEST PARTY MPP IN ‘LEGALIZE IT’ HOUSING TOUR MONDAY IN BRACEBRIDGE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner will have his new deputy party leader, Matt Richter, with him Monday when he holds a Town Hall meeting here.
The party says Richter, who nearly upset MPP Graydon Smith in the last provincial election, is “pleased to announce that Matt Richter has been appointed as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, joining MPP for Kitchener Centre Aislinn Clancy.”
An elementary teacher in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Richter will continue his teaching job and do the party work as an extra responsibility.
The Parry Sound-Muskoka visit is the second stop in the Greens’ “Legalize It” tour over the next week, which begins tonight in Guelph, as Schreiner and fellow Deputy Leader Aislinn Clancy will visit Guelph, Kitchener and Bracebridge to meet with housing advocates and host a series of Town Halls ahead of debate on Schreiner’s Homes You Can Afford in Communities You Love Act on Feb. 28.
“In every corner of this province, communities are sounding the alarm on the housing crisis,” said Schreiner in a release Thursday.
“Parents working full-time jobs can barely afford rent, let alone think about a down payment on a home. Young folks are being forced farther and farther from the people and places they love as they struggle to find an affordable place to start a family. That’s why I tabled the Homes You Can Afford in Communities You Love Act – to update outdated planning laws that keep us from building more homes in the communities we already spend our time in. Before we return to the legislature to debate it, I want to hear directly from Ontarians.”
“The housing crisis looks different everywhere,” said Clancy. “We want to listen and learn about the unique challenges communities are facing, and how we can work alongside them to deliver the solutions they desperately need. Greens are ready to work together to build more homes for ordinary Ontarians, and we’re excited to share that vision with communities across the province.”
The Legalize It tour includes the following public town halls which are open to media:
Guelph Feb 1; Bracebridge Feb. 5 from 6– 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Anglican Church with Richter their candidate of record; and in Kitchener Wednesday Feb. 7.
“Since first running for MPP in Parry Sound-Muskoka in 2007, Richter has dramatically grown Green support in the riding,” says a party release today.
In the 2022 election, he secured more than 40 percent of the vote.
“I am delighted to step into this new role with the Ontario Greens,” said Richter.
“Ontarians are reeling from five years of the Ford government’s failures on healthcare, housing and climate action. All across the province, Ontarians are hungry for change.
“Greens’ vision for more caring, connected, climate-ready communities is the antidote to Conservative backroom deals, and I’m looking forward to growing our people-powered movement as we gear up for 2026.”
“Matt brings a lot of drive and energy to the Ontario Greens, and I’m delighted to have him join our leadership team,” said party leader Mike Schreiner.
“Aislinn Clancy’s recent landslide win in Kitchener Centre shows that Green momentum is growing. Matt has been integral to building that momentum in Parry Sound-Muskoka, and I’m excited to work alongside this powerhouse team to keep bringing home better for Ontarians.”
Learn more about Matt Richter at gpo.ca/our-team.
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