The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Green Party candidate David Nickarz hopes Northern Manitobans won't forget about him when they go to cast their ballots in two weeks. As the first Green Party candidate to run in the Churchill Riding, Nickarz views his campaign as an important step in the party's quest for greater cognizance. "I don't think I'll pull in very many votes, but it's just to get the ball rolling," said the Winnipeg handyman, 32. "But I'm probably going to be surprised by how many votes I get." Widely considered a fringe party, the Green Party has yet to win a seat in Parliament with a platform that emphasizes environmental sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and social progress. Though he calls Winnipeg home, Nickarz has a deep concern within the Churchill Riding Ñ the preservation of the boreal forest on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. See 'Environmental' P.# Con't from P.# "It's the largest intact boreal forest left in the world," he said, adding that a logging company has its eye on the land. Nickarz admits his campaign doesn't have the funds for much travel throughout the Churchill Riding, though he has made stops in The Pas and Hollow River, a First Nation community. Yet he sees his name on the ballot as a chance to use the political process to promote the Green Party agenda and encourage the three major parties to further assimilate environmental issues into their platforms. "Largely, I see politics, like so many other people, as fairly shallow and corrupt," said the environmental activist. "Before I was a candidate, when I would go to vote, there was really no one to choose. None of the major parties actually reflect any sort of environmental consciousness. Some might pay lip service to it, but the results are basically the same. None of them really care about the environment." Nickarz laughingly admits that the three major candidates would have to be "struck by lightning" in order for him to win, but he sees possibilities down the road as the Green Party continues to grow. He said he has received phone calls from a handful of people throughout the riding who are both pleased he is running and may consider becoming Green candidates in the next election. Nationally, Nickarz believes the Greens may take as many as five seats, with support strong in some B.C. ridings.
