Niagara’s Cindy Forster Named NDP’s Deputy House Leader

A Niagara At Large News Brief

Cindy Forster, recently elected MPP in the riding of Welland, Ontario, will serve as deputy house leader and the municipal affairs and housing critic in the provincial NDP’s new “shadow cabinet.”

“Cindy brings years of experience in municipal and regional politics to the role of Municipal Affairs and Housing Critic” said Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath in a statement released following Forster’s appointment to the positions.

“As a former mayor and regional councillor Cindy understands the needs of Ontario municipalities. She gets the importance of affordable housing. I look forward to working with Cindy and the rest of the New Democrat team to address the needs of Ontario municipalities in the Legislature.”

“Municipal leaders face a lot of tough choices,” added Forster, who was sitting on Niagara regional council up to her victory earlier this October in the provincial election. “I understand the kind of challenges they deal with everyday. Affordable housing is a vital to the health of Ontario communities. I’ll work with the New Democrat team and across party lines to make life easier for municipalities.”

The Ontario NDP came third in the October 6 election and holds the balance of power in a legislature where the Liberals came two seats short of winning a third majority government. That scenario gives Horwath’s so-called shadow cabinet a good deal more clout than her party had before the October vote.
Forster decided to run in the provincial election after fellow NDP Peter Kormos, who had a solid hold on the Welland riding for many years, decided not to run again.

Niagara residents who have been actively involved in fighting to preserve quality hospital services in the region may also be interested to know that Horwath is keeping France Gélinas, from the northern Ontario Nickel Belt Riding, as the party’s health critic. Gélinas has visited the Niagara area in the past to hear residents’ concerns about the management of area hospitals by the Niagara Health System and raised those concerns in the legislature on a number of occasions.

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