Irwin Elman NDP Candidate Don Valley West
Dear Don Valley West,
It feels as if every moment of my life and my career has led me to be ready to write this letter to you.
I am writing with respect to seek your support and your vote for me as your representative at Queen’s Park.
I have been working for a better community, a better province, and a better world since I was a teenager. As a child living in ahardscrabble part of Ottawa, I witnessed my Mom working long hours as a service worker, trying to ensure that rent was paidand food was on the table, all the while looking after three children. Her devotion to us taught us discipline, commitmentand determination. Mom also taught us empathy, to know how fortunate we were, and that while it was not ourresponsibility to try to save the world, we were not exempt from trying.
Renting an apartment in Don Valley West and living from pay cheque to pay cheque, I felt the worry each year when the leasewas up, wondering if I could afford the rent increase. I came to appreciate our community – Don Valley West – a riding of greatdiversity, with pockets of wealth and pockets of people living in poverty. I believe all of us want our neighbours to be well andgiven the supports and service they need to fully participate in society.
After graduating from the University of Toronto as a teacher and while gaining my Masters in Education, I created acentre to serve young people from all four Children’s Aid Societies in the GTA, helping them to live on their own. I wastransformed by the thousands of remarkable young people I met over 20 years, many of whom came from Don ValleyWest.
In 2009–2019 I was unanimously appointed and then reappointed by the Ontario Legislature as the Provincial Advocate forChildren and Youth. As an Officer of the Legislature, I was responsible for partnering with the most vulnerable children,youth and families in Ontario to ensure their voices were heard and their rights respected.
I learned to listen and to respectfully make a plan to get to where the person needed to be. I learned how to bring diversepeople together to focus on the issue at hand and find solutions. Whether participating in major policy discussions or supporting someone’s personal challenge, I honed the skills needed to serve the people of Don Valley West.
I have seen from the inside how Liberal and Conservative governments work. I saw Liberal governments that cared onlyabout the effect any decision would have on their political fortunes, with their central focus of staying in power. I witnessedhow a Conservative government, fueled by outdated ideology, based every decision on how much it cost and whether theirfriends would benefit, and failing to solve the problems facing Ontarians.
And now I want to use my knowledge, my skills and my passion to support the people of Don Valley West. This is a ridingthat has become a part of me and I want to partner with all the people living in this riding as their advocate.
I want to be part of a government that centers every decision on the well-being of people, on the well being of all Ontarians. The NDP was created for exactly this purpose. It’s time for a Change for the Better.
Don Valley West has never elected an NDP MPP but I believe the time has come. The June 2nd provincial election offers you the opportunity to make history and to begin a new, compassionate and progressive chapter in Don Valley West. Let’s take this journey together.
I want to hear from you. Please feel free to connect with me at Irwin.elman@ontariondp.ca. Sincerely,
Irwin Elman