RENFREW COUNTY — NDPers in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke are excited at the prospect of a contested nomination for the upcoming federal election. Two candidates have declared and a third is actively considering it, teacher Eileen Jones-Whyte of Eganville and nuclear engineer Kurt Stoll of Petawawa.
The federal NDP here hasn’t had a contested nomination in 15 years, according to riding association President Ron Hinch, who says the nomination date has been set for September 5 for the expected October election.
“It’s a great sign to have so many people actively considering running,” he said, mentioning that initially four people had expressed interest. “I’m very pleased both with the quality of these nomination candidates and with the fact that they represent a new generation of NDP activists.
Eileen Jones-Whyte says she is seeking the nomination because, “I believe in social and climate justice. I want to play a role in improving the lot of ordinary Canadians. I want to leave the world a better place.”
She teaches in Eganville and has taught school for over 25 years in Ontario, Newfoundland and in Munich, Germany.
“I became a teacher,” she says, “Because I saw education as a means to give all people a chance of a better future. As a teacher, I have seen how education
can lift people up and help them fulfill
their potential. Not everyone comes to school equally advantaged.
This is true of our overall society. Many can benefit from supports which overcome their obstacles and help them achieve fulfilling lives. Investments in
people not only help individuals but create a richer and more caring society.
Kurt Stoll says he is running because, “At its best, the NDP was the party of workers and public-sector building. They pushed for critical infrastructure when other parties insisted on austerity. Hospitals, roads, public housing, schools, pipelines, communication and electrical grids were all built under public ownership while guaranteeing basic labour rights. Now, populist, labour-friendly building is again required. Both the recession and climate change will be beat by building public infrastructure and by leveraging the talents of the country’s most talented workers and scientists – like those in Chalk River.
Eileen Jones-Whyte is active in the community as a past Chair of the Training and Learning Centre of Renfrew County and as a coach, a co-founder and Director of the Upper Valley Basketball Association.
“Coaching is my way of helping youth learn sportsmanship and to be strong and resilient.”
She is an avid outdoors person who canoes, hikes, cycles, swims, skis and snowshoes. She shares this love of being active outdoors with her husband, reporter Mark Jones and their two adult children, Naomi, a raft guide on the Ottawa River and Ramsay Jones, who studies at Brock University and serves in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.
Eileen studied French and German at McMaster University and Education at the University of Toronto. She also served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.
Kurt Stoll grew up in Saskatchewan on a grain farm. He completed a PhD and M.A.Sc. of Engineering Physics at McMaster University in Hamilton and a B.Eng. at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. He has managed mining, agriculture and nuclear projects since 2004 and has worked at CNL in Chalk River in research
and development since 2018.
“All political parties are struggling to solve very large problems. Almost everyone suffers fiscal insecurity, he says. “McJobs are available, but family-sustaining jobs are rare. Even highly-educated people are losing their guaranteed pensions. Neither the Conservatives nor Liberals will systematically attack these problems because both dance for big business.”
Eileen Jones-Whyte says she wants a government that sees the value of all Canadians, that will work toward removing the systemic barriers that keep many Canadians from fully participating in our economy and that values the future with positive actions towards reducing climate change.
