‘I’m ready to rock and roll’: Aggie Mlynarz wins NDP nomination in Guelph

In a first ballot victory, Aggie Mlynarz secured the Ontario NDP nomination for Guelph on Saturday afternoon at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre in a meeting that also saw an appearance from party leader Andrea Horwath.

The 28-year-old Mlynarz, a recent graduate of the University of Guelph’s Theatre Studies department, was up against two other candidates, Andrew Bascombe and Mike Foley.

“I’m ready to rock and roll, that’s for sure,” Mlynarz said after the victory.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "I'm ready to rock and roll, that's for sure," Mlynarz said after the victory.

“The platform that we have is the best platform for Ontario today to build a better tomorrow,” she added. “Being a resident of Guelph for over the last 20 years, I feel I’m a strong voice for this community and a little bit of a different voice as well.”

Mlynarz said her biggest priority heading into the election is protecting the water in Guelph and surrounding areas.

“We need to stop water taking and we need to go forward with taking on the private interests and making water a public trust,” she explained.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We need to stop water taking and we need to go forward with taking on the private interests and making water a public trust," she explained.

According to her biography on the Guelph NDP’s website Mlynarz was born in the south of Germany shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall and moved to Canada in 1990.

A recent Masters graduate from the U of G, Mlynarz said she focused on a broad range of social justice issues with a concentration on political theatre in Canada.

“I worked on a number projects,” Mylnarz said.  “I wrote a play on youth and terrorism, I wrote one on navigating feminism through social media and also a really big one on labour union reforms and the environment.”

She said her strategy heading into the June election still needs to be worked out, but mentioned she hopes to bring change to Guelph.

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Horwath supports the high speed rail line

Before the ballots were submitted, NDP leader Andrea Horwath spoke with supporters in a campaign-style rally.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Horwath said she supports a high speed rail line between Windsor and Toronto that will make stops in Kitchener and Guelph.

“It’s not only the line itself, which is extremely important, but it’s also how do we tie in some of the other surrounding communities in terms of regional transit systems,” she explained.

The Ontario Liberals latest budget earmarked $11 billion for the project that is scheduled to begin service from London to Toronto in 2025.

Horwath added that she likes her chances in Guelph despite a fourth place finish in 2014.

Guelph riding is set for June election

Former Guelph city councillor Ray Ferraro was appointed the PC Party’s candidate in Guelph for the June election.

Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford appointed all remaining candidates on Saturday afternoon, including Ferraro.

“We have a strong team of candidates who are committed to delivering change that works for the people,” Ford said in a statement.

Mlynarz and Ferraro will be up against Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and Sly Castaldi who is representing the Liberals.