Six questions with Joyce Reid, New Blue candidate in H—L&A

Editorial note: As Ontarians head to the polls for the Thursday, Jun. 2, 2022 provincial election, we want to be your one-stop home base for everything you need to know in the Kingston area ridings. As part of this coverage, we’ve created profiles for each candidate (pending candidate availability) in Kingston and the Islands, Hastings-Lennox and Addington, and Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston. For these profiles, each candidate was asked the same list of questions, the responses to which we’ve compiled into an easy-to-read Q&A format, with additional links for more information. To view all the profiles and additional election coverage, visit Kingstonist’s Provincial Election 2022 page.

Joyce Reid is the New Blue Party of Ontario candidate in the riding of Hastings—Lennox and Addington. A mother, grandmother, mentor, and volunteer, Reid lives with her husband, Elton, and new pup, Reba, on a farm in Eldorado. She grew up in Toronto and moved to this area in 1976. She has been a nurse for nearly 50 years. 

What made you decide to run in this provincial election?

The main reason was I just did not like the direction Ontario – and Canada – was going, and I couldn’t see any real changes with any of the parties at all, and it was just time to… take a stand. I’ve been a nurse for almost 50 years. I’ve left my nursing position because I refuse to disclose [my medical history and vaccine status]. I’ve kept confidentiality close to my heart for almost 50 years of nursing, and there for a while, you were supposed to [give] someone that you don’t know… your medical information [so you could] go into a restaurant and have a bite. Right? I have a 16-year-old grandson who will be heading off to university in another year, and we don’t know what it’s going to look like in another year. He has yet to have one normal year of high school. Between that and the economy, people losing their jobs… Ontario used to be a fabulous place to live, and now we’re seeing a major exodus.

What, in your opinion, is the most important issue being discussed during this election?

I think overall it’s the economy. Now, that’s pretty all-encompassing. You have a lot of small businesses that were held back and either fell right through the cracks or they’re extremely struggling. And you put in with that the increased taxes on gasoline for people to get to work. The majority of [people in] this riding do not have the luxury of taking a bus to work. So, it’s being able to survive without risking your mortgage.

What’s the single most common thing that constituents are bringing up to you going door to door?

The economy… and, as I said, that’s kind of an all-encompassing statement. But you know, it would be ‘I wish I could have my job back’ or, you know, ‘I wish my business wasn’t being closed, open, closed, open.’ … ‘I hate to see shops in our local area disappearing.’ … ‘I can’t do the renovations on my house because I can’t afford to do that and go to work.’

What do you feel is one of the most overlooked issues in our riding?

Well, my own personal opinion is that most people are not noticing that it’s like we’re all on a long chain and about every day or every week one link disappears… and that’s with the laws that are coming in – the mandates. It’s like the Reopen (sic) Ontario Act that’s gone through and, at a whim, anyone can shut everything down again. And that’s my take. You know, there’s a lot about freedom, freedom to move, freedom to go and see Grandma in the nursing home, freedom to go and visit friends and have a party, and freedom of choice. They’re all being taken away.

So is there one particular issue, if you were elected to represent Hastings—Lennox and Addington, that you would like to champion? 

Health care. I didn’t even take a breath on that.

What’s the biggest issue with the current make up of the provincial government?

The current makeup of the provincial government, as I see it, is more liberal than it is conservative. And I also see that many things have been promised and there’s no follow-through… Healthcare is an example: they said, “We are going to fix health care.” And if anything, it’s got worse. Honesty is missing – it’s empty promises.

If you could share one message with the voters in Hastings-Lennox and Addington, what would it be?

Make sure you get out and vote, and make sure it’s an informed decision based on your conscience and not just to get rid of something.

For more information on Joyce Reid and the New Blue party, visit their website.