Toronto – Oct.4, 2007 – Green Party of Ontario candidate Shane Jolley is in second place and closing in on the lead in his riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, according to an Oracle poll released today.
The poll puts support for Jolley at 28%, just nine points behind Conservative incumbent Bill Murdoch (37%) and ahead of the Liberals (21%) and NDP (13%). That means a final push in the run-up to the election next Wednesday could vault Jolley into the Green Party’s first seat at Queen’s Park.
Jolley is a well-respected member of the community who owns a bicycle and clothing store in Owen Sound called Jolley’s Alternative Wheels. The former vice-chair of the Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area (DIA) has been active in several community initiatives, including the Owen Sound Economic Development Committee, the Tom Thomson Trail Group, the Local-Motive Policy Project, and Vision for Transportation Alternatives.
“I’m overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from voters across the riding, and I’m glad that the Green Party messages on sustainable development, health and the environment are resonating with people here,” Jolley said.
“The people of Grey and Bruce have always had the courage to lead and I will work hard for them if we make history and elect the first Green to Queen’s Park.”
Jolley attributes his high standing in the polls to voters’ concern for the future of the region. He says voters are throwing their support behind him for other reasons too, especially his positive, solutions-oriented approach, which stands in sharp contrast to the bickering of traditional partisan politics.
“This latest poll is proof that the Green Party of Ontario is electable,” GPO Leader Frank de Jong said. “We’re here to stay, and we’re here to win.”
Oracle’s poll of 300 voters in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, conducted between Oct. 2 and 3, has a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Health care, education and the environment topped the respondents’ list of key election issues.
If Jolley wins next Wednesday, becoming the first Green elected to any Canadian legislature, it will be the second time the area has made electoral history. Area voters sent Canada’s first female MP, Agnes Macphail, to Parliament in 1921.
The Oracle poll can be found on the Green Party’s website.
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Media Contacts:
Anouk Hoedeman
613-236-7772
ahoedeman@gpo.ca
Sarah Margolius
416-566-4189
smargolius@gpo.ca
