A former journalist who worked for the CBC, CNN and local media is announcing his candidacy to be the Green party candidate for Saint John-Lancaster.
Doug James is calling on Premier Brian Gallant, the regional minister for Saint John, to establish a disaster relief fund to reimburse property owners in west Saint John who have suffered financial damages from the switch to what he calls excessively hard well water.
James says although some may call it a municipal issue, he sees it more as a flooding issue.
“The floods that have occurred because of burst water pipes are on a smaller scale and the damage may be invisible to passersby, but inside those homes, there’s a story to be told and each one of them is a personal tragedy to the families who live there,” says James.
“Some of those people have had to pay $10,000, even $20,000 to fix the problem, I think they deserve help as well.”
Official campaign launch Wednesday night
James says he’s running for the Green party because it’s progressive and innovative, adding it’s the kind of thinking we need in the future to make this province prosperous and successful.
“I’m running in this election because I want to be a good citizen,” he says. “I want to stand up and be counted in a province where politicians I think are increasingly pushing people to the margins while catering to big business and big industry.”
James is having his official campaign launch at 7 p.m. Wednesday (July 18) at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #69 and says he’ll be elaborating further on issues for the riding.
