Candidate Spotlight: Jim Bedford

A business owner and former firefighter is hoping to become the next provincial representative for Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins.

Jim Bedford is representing the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick in the upcoming election on Sept. 14.

Bedford says it was an “easy choice” to run for the People’s Alliance because of their people-first approach.

“If I’m lucky enough and have the honour to represent the people in this riding, their concerns and their issues are number one. The People’s Alliance the party comes in second,” said Bedford in a phone interview.

This is not the first time Bedford has sought to become the next MLA for the provincial riding, located northeast of Saint John.

He placed second in the 2018 provincial election behind PC Bruce Northrup, who has decided not to re-offer after 14 years as MLA.

Bedford, who garnered nearly 25 per cent of the vote in that election, said he knew it was going to be a battle from the start.

“Going into the last election, I knew I was going up against a giant. Bruce is well known, he had been in politics for 12 years, everybody knew Bruce, he was a household name,” he said.

“Going into this election now, people got to know me a little bit better over the last couple of years, the People’s Alliance as a party is going stronger, Kris [Austin] has done some wonderful things in the last few years.”

Bedford began working at the Saint John Shipyard in 1976 and, over his 22 years there, worked his way into management. He left for Western Canada in 2000, where he managed an oil and gas service company in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Bedford returned to New Brunswick in 2010 and now operates a pump and compressor business in Sussex with his son.

He spent 22 years with the St. Martins Fire Department, including as the fire chief. Bedford currently serves as chair of the St. Martins Local Service District and vice-chair of the Fundy Regional Service Commission.

Bedford said he is focusing on three issues during this election campaign: health care, forestry and small businesses.

“Our rural hospitals need to stay open, they need to stay strong, emergency rooms need to stay open. That’s not an option, that has to happen,” he said.

When it comes to forestry, Bedford said he wants to look into ensuring private woodlot owners get a fair share for their product.

For small businesses, Bedford said entrepreneurs need better access to programs to help get their business off the ground.

“At the end of the day, these small businesses pay taxes, and they pay a large amount of taxes to the government, and that helps our province turn around,” he said.

Bedford said the highlight of his last campaign was knocking on more than 1,500 doors and talking to residents about what their concerns are. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made this election campaign a bit different.

“You’re not sure whether you should be out knocking on doors, so I published my phone number, people can reach me and talk to me one-on-one. I really look forward to that,” he said.