Kitchener-Conestoga

[UrbanWaterloo]

Federal Election 2011: Kitchener-Conestoga

<DIV ALIGN=CENTER> <TABLE> <tr style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center; height:40px;"> <td style="width:100px; font-size:10px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;"></td> <td style="width:200px; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; color:blue;">Harold Albrecht</td> <td style="width:200px; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; color:red;">Bob Rosehart</td> <td style="width:200px; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; color:#FFA500;">Lorne Bruce</td> <td style="width:200px; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; color:green;">Albert Ashley</td> </tr> <tr style="height:15px;"></tr> <tr style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center;"> <td style="width:100px; font-size:10px; text-align:right;">candidate</td> <td style="width:200px;"><img src="http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/projects/election/federal2011/kitchenerconestoga/HaroldAlbrecht.jpg" border="0" alt="Conservative Party Candidate Harold Albrecht" width="143px"></td> <td style="width:200px;"><img src="http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/projects/election/federal2011/kitchenerconestoga/BobRosehart.jpg" border="0" alt="Liberal Party Candidate Bob Rosehart" width="143px"></td> <td style="width:200px;"><img src="http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/projects/election/federal2011/kitchenerconestoga/LorneBruce.jpg" border="0" alt="New Democratic Party Candidate Lorne Bruce" width="143px"></td> <td style="width:200px;"><img src="http://wonderfulwaterloo.com/projects/election/federal2011/kitchenerconestoga/AlbertAshley.jpg" border="0" alt="Green Party Candidate Albert Ashley" width="143px"></td> </tr> <tr style="height:15px;"></tr> <tr style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center;"> <td style="width:100px; font-size:10px; text-align:right;">website</td> <td style="width:200px;"><a href="http://www.haroldalbrechtmp.ca/" style="color:blue;">Link</a></td> <td style="width:200px;"><a href="http://voterosehart.ca/" style="color:red;">Link</a></td> <td style="width:200px;"><a href="http://www.lornebruce.ca/" style="color:#FFA500;">Link</a></td> <td style="width:200px;"><a href="http://greenparty.ca/riding/35038" style="color:green;">Link</a></td> </tr> <tr style="height:15px;"></tr> <tr style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center;"> <td style="width:100px; font-size:10px; text-align:right;">quote</td> <td style="width:200px;"></td> <td style="width:200px;"></td> <td style="width:200px;"></td> <td style="width:200px;"></td> </tr> </TABLE></DIV>

[neonjoe]

My main peeve with the incumbent is that he has probably wiped out a forest the size of PEI with the weekly or even semi weekly propaganda mailer. These mailers are also being funded with government money as they are from an MP and they get free postage. It really seems like an abuse of the system for partisan divisive ads.

[BuildingScout]

My main peeve with the incumbent is that he has probably wiped out a forest the size of PEI with the weekly or even semi weekly propaganda mailer. These mailers are also being funded with government money as they are from an MP and they get free postage. It really seems like an abuse of the system for partisan divisive ads.

When it comes to the current CPC I don't mind their actual policies that much, it's the divisiveness, low-brow politics that really gets me.

[KevinL]

My main peeve with the incumbent is that he has probably wiped out a forest the size of PEI with the weekly or even semi weekly propaganda mailer. These mailers are also being funded with government money as they are from an MP and they get free postage. It really seems like an abuse of the system for partisan divisive ads.

Ugh, yes. If it's supposed to make me like him, it's had the exact opposite effect.

[YKF]

The Liberals have recruited Dr. Robert Rosehart as their candidate. He's got a pretty impressive resume (Engineering PhD from UW, former president of Lakehead University, former president of Wilfred Laurier University).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rosehart

[WatDot]

Former WLU president confirmed as Liberal candidate for Kitchener-Conestoga
The Record, April 1, 2011


Former WLU president confirmed as Liberal candidate for Kitchener-Conestoga

KITCHENER — Bob Rosehart, the former president of Wilfrid Laurier University, has been confirmed as the Liberal candidate for the federal election in Kitchener-Conestoga riding.

“I’m concerned about democracy in Canada and our vision of what we want Canada to become,” said Rosehart, an engineer who was president of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay before coming to Wilfrid Laurier in 1997.

Rosehart has been an adviser to the federal and provincial governments on a wide variety of issues, including energy and the environment, technology, aboriginal issues and post-secondary education.

The riding includes the southwest part of Kitchener and the townships of Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. It has been represented by Conservative MP Harold Albrecht since 2006.

[pnijjar]

From: http://www.therecord.com/website/therecord/article/511784--record-election-debates


Kitchener-Conestoga
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
St. Agatha Community Centre
1793 Erb’s Rd., St Agatha
7 p.m.

[pnijjar]

It looks like the list of Kitchener-Conestoga candidates is complete. See http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/candidates.aspx?L=e&ED=35038&EV=34&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&Prov=ON&ProvID=35&MapID=&QID=8&PageID=17&TPageID=

Harold Albrecht (Conservative Party of Canada)
Albert Ashley (Green Party of Canada)
Lorne Bruce (New Democratic Party)
Bob Rosehart (Liberal Party of Canada)

[SP!RE]

Green Party tree handout on Friday

Ab Ashley, Green Party candidate for Kitchener-Conestoga, wishes to invite you to come meet him and his green team at the Sunrise Centre this Friday, April 22nd between 10am and 1pm and receive a free tree, in celebration of Earth Day.

The team will be located out front of Starbucks and Shoppers Drug Mart at the Sunrise Centre (Fischer-Hallman & Ottawa).

This campaign is about clean air, not hot air. We will be giving away four trees for every campaign sign installed throughout the area.

[SP!RE]

Celebrate Earth Day - 500 free trees to go!
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2011

For the second day in a row, local Green Party candidate for Kitchener-Conestoga, Albert Ashley, and his "Green Team" will be handing out free young trees to the public at the Sunrise Centre in Kitchener (in front of Starbucks & Shoppers Drug Mart).

We have four trees for every campaign sign installed-- 500 more trees to go!

*** Albert Ashley and the Green Party support public transit and beautiful urban development in Canada's urban areas. Vote Green on May 2nd and help move the Kitchener-Conestoga area towards a better urban future! ***

[KevinL]

Hmm, it's not easy to get to Sunrise by public transit, especially on a Saturday. Seems to be a bit at cross purposes...

[mpd618]

Hmm, it's not easy to get to Sunrise by public transit, especially on a Saturday. Seems to be a bit at cross purposes...

Most of Kitchener-Conestoga is difficult, if not impossible, to get to by transit.

[SP!RE]

It's very difficult to find places in a riding where one can legally campaign and distribute information. Even more difficult is finding a place where owners will give you permission, because they are fearful of any association with a particular political party. This is somewhat understandable.

In the end, we reached many people who otherwise would not vote Green Party... to catch people in cars is to educate them; a campaign is about more than just "preaching to the choir". However, many residents of the area walk to the Sunrise Centre from their homes, we learned, which was a pleasant surprise.

If you let me know via private message where you live, we will be happy to drop a tree off for you when we're in your area next.

[KLM]

even though I voted for Greens last time and agree with their policies, I will vote strategic to get rid of CPC.

Question is who from other candidates has best chance? Liberal or NDP?

Opinions greatly appreciated.

[isUsername]

even though I voted for Greens last time and agree with their policies, I will vote strategic to get rid of CPC.

Question is who from other candidates has best chance? Liberal or NDP?

Opinions greatly appreciated.

Despite the fact that I refused to vote "strategically" in my riding, the strategic voting website Project Democracy says that Kit-Con has no strategic option and to vote your preference: http://www.projectdemocracy.ca/kitchener-conestoga

[KevinL]

Most of Kitchener-Conestoga is difficult, if not impossible, to get to by transit.

Hey, I know - I live there and don't own a car (a rare combination). Relatively speaking, Sunrise is harder to reach than, say, Laurentian Power Centre or Forest Glen Plaza.

[mpd618]

Hey, I know - I live there and don't own a car (a rare combination). Relatively speaking, Sunrise is harder to reach than, say, Laurentian Power Centre or Forest Glen Plaza.

Actually... how big a portion of Kitchener-Conestoga lives in a relatively urban area, i.e. southwest Kitchener or central Elmira?

[jamesbow]

even though I voted for Greens last time and agree with their policies, I will vote strategic to get rid of CPC.

Question is who from other candidates has best chance? Liberal or NDP?

Opinions greatly appreciated.

This is just my own personal opinion, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But here goes:

If you're living in Kitchener-Conestoga, your best bet to topple the Conservative incumbent is voting Liberal. However, the chances of your doing so may be slim, in my opinion. Albrecht has won the riding handily in the last couple of elections. Lynn Myers held it for the Liberals until 2006, but since then the Conservative plurality has approached 50%. The races of Kitchener Centre and Kitchener Waterloo are far, far tighter.

The New Democrats haven't been a big player in Kitchener-Conestoga. Historically, they've run spirited campaigns in both Kitchener Centre and Kitchener-Waterloo but have never come closer than third. In the case of Kitchener Centre, this goes right back to the moment the CCF was formed. If you are in these ridings and want to topple the Conservative incumbents there, your best bet is to vote Liberal.

The NDP have had some strength in Cambridge, even holding the riding in the late 1960s when it was called Waterloo South. The last few elections, though, have placed them a distant third. Your best bet to defeat Gary Goodyear there is, again, voting Liberal.

By comparison, Liberals should be voting New Democrat anywhere a New Democrat incumbent holds office (see Welland, London Fanshawe, et cetera), or in ridings where the race has been between the NDP and the Conservatives (Oshawa, a good chunk of Saskatchewan, et cetera).

I don't normally hold with strategic voting, but if you're going to do it, you have to be very fine-grained about it. Simply voting one way or the other without considering local conditions is going to allow the Conservatives to pick up seats.

However, were I in Kitchener-Conestoga, I'd probably accept the likely result of Albrecht's re-election and vote with my heart. That way, my party at least gets my $2/year voting subsidy.

[KLM]

This is just my own personal opinion, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But here goes:

If you're living in Kitchener-Conestoga, your best bet to topple the Conservative incumbent is voting Liberal. However, the chances of your doing so may be slim, in my opinion. Albrecht has won the riding handily in the last couple of elections. Lynn Myers held it for the Liberals until 2006, but since then the Conservative plurality has approached 50%. The races of Kitchener Centre and Kitchener Waterloo are far, far tighter.

The New Democrats haven't been a big player in Kitchener-Conestoga. Historically, they've run spirited campaigns in both Kitchener Centre and Kitchener-Waterloo but have never come closer than third. In the case of Kitchener Centre, this goes right back to the moment the CCF was formed. If you are in these ridings and want to topple the Conservative incumbents there, your best bet is to vote Liberal.

The NDP have had some strength in Cambridge, even holding the riding in the late 1960s when it was called Waterloo South. The last few elections, though, have placed them a distant third. Your best bet to defeat Gary Goodyear there is, again, voting Liberal.

By comparison, Liberals should be voting New Democrat anywhere a New Democrat incumbent holds office (see Welland, London Fanshawe, et cetera), or in ridings where the race has been between the NDP and the Conservatives (Oshawa, a good chunk of Saskatchewan, et cetera).

I don't normally hold with strategic voting, but if you're going to do it, you have to be very fine-grained about it. Simply voting one way or the other without considering local conditions is going to allow the Conservatives to pick up seats.

However, were I in Kitchener-Conestoga, I'd probably accept the likely result of Albrecht's re-election and vote with my heart. That way, my party at least gets my $2/year voting subsidy.

I totally agree with you James ,especially if NDP has more chance to win seat then let vote for NDP. If thats the case for Liberal ,of course for them.

What happen few weeks ago is Con `mob`( 5-6 people) going door to door and promoting Albrecht and literally asking would you vote and who. One girl checkmarked list with address number saying ( undecided, would vote con , lib ,or ndp).

Are they allowed to do that? If current MP didnt even have time to go from door to door and talk to people ,then he doesnt deserve my vote.

But what makes me wonder is actual voter profile who votes for Cons. Who are those people? Whoever I talked to is either NDP or Liberal. So 1 out of 10 is Cons.

But what interesting for people who are for Cons they are really cocky and like to get into discussion defending their ideas and attacking whoever they find ( I wouldn`t be surprised if there is attack ad for Jack Layton which says: Oh he is bold or he just got a surgery which is disgusting).

what I dont like about this campaign is those attack ads.

James, thank you for your input.

[panamaniac]

[QUOTE=KLM;29140]...........

What happen few weeks ago is Con `mob`( 5-6 people) going door to door and promoting Albrecht and literally asking would you vote and who. One girl checkmarked list with address number saying ( undecided, would vote con , lib ,or ndp).

Are they allowed to do that?
...........................QUOTE]

Having more than two pitch up at your door at the same time seems a bit odd (and rather inefficient) but sure they are allowed to do that, just as you are allowed to tell them, not tell them, or suggest that they pound salt, as you wish.

I also agreed with jamesbows' comment. I guess the consolation is that the incumbent is not vile, which is better than can be said for some of his more prominent colleagues.