Kevin Farmer, a third-year U of T student, will represent the Green Party of Canada in the election in the midtown riding of St. Paul’s. The race is expected to be hotly contested, as Farmer will be duking it out for votes with a trio of high-profile candidates from the three major parties: incumbent Carolyn Barrett for the Liberals, former Global News anchor Peter Kent for the Conservatives, and former chief economist for RBC Dominion Securities Paul Summerville for the NDP.
“It’s good to see four strong candidates in the riding,” Farmer said. “I thought that it would raise the calibre of the debate. But the debates are still political theatre.”
Farmer, 41, moved to Toronto as a teen and has lived in St. Paul’s for almost three years. He worked as a restaurant manager before deciding to attend U of T to study math and computer science, and has also made himself well-informed on environmental issues. He has spent time writing to government ministries and politicians, and said that running for the Green Party was the next logical step.
While an election win for the Greens in St. Paul’s may be a bit of a long shot, Farmer remains an optimist. “I’m happy that people will be able to vote with their conscience,” he said. “People will be able to vote green.”
