TIMISKAMING-COCHRANE - Kris Rivard wants to be a voice for the younger generation.
The 32-year-old is the Green Party candidate in Timiskaming-Cochrane. He’s one of three people vying to be the MPP for the riding.
Rivard, who is currently a West Nipissing councillor, has been a Green Party of Ontario (GPO) member since 2018 and the Northern Ontario representative on the GPO Provincial Executive since 2023.
He previously ran for the Greens in the Nipissing riding in 2018 and Timiskaming-Cochrane in 2022.
Born and raised in Northern Ontario, Rivard holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Laurentian University and a postgraduate certificate in environmental management from Canadore College.
He currently works as a sewage system inspector for the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority.
In 2022, Rivard was elected as a municipal councillor in West Nipissing, representing Ward 1 and becoming the youngest elected official in the municipality’s history.
“When I was elected, I was 30 years old, and the youngest ever by quite a few decades, I think,” he said.
As a councillor, Rivard chairs the community services board and sits on multiple committees, including economic development, recreation and culture, doctor retention and recruitment, and environmental services.
Rivard and his wife have a two-year-old son and have another child on the way.
One of the reasons he’s running is to bridge the disconnect between people and politics.
“I just really think that young people should be able to have an affordable, safe place to call home. They should be able to obtain a good-paying job where they want,” he said.
“And the aging population, they should be allowed to retire comfortably in their town of choice.”
The key crisis right now is the cost of living and price of housing are key issues for Rivard, who noted the increasing homelessness rates.
“We’re dealing with it also in our municipality at West Nipissing, which was never before seen in public, as much. It may have been behind the scenes, but now we're seeing it in our every day lives.”
He also talked about healthcare accessibility, particularly in rural and northern areas.
Rivard said he wants to improve the healthcare system to ensure rural communities have access to timely, quality care. He said having better primary care options is critical so residents don’t have to travel hours for basic services, which would also help ease the strain on emergency departments.
The province downloading costs is putting a strain on municipalities. He said more provincial support would help the tax base and aging infrastructure.
“And that goes as far as even having highway improvement. So Highway 11, Highway 17, our major corridors, we can keep saying that eventually it’ll be twinned or there will be improvements, but I really think that the investment has to be done sooner than later, and saving lives should be at the forefront of the province's mandate, in my opinion,” he said.
Having younger voices in politics is important for Rivard.
“I think it’s really needed, because then you’re starting to get the outlook of the different generations and what’s affecting us compared to what’s affecting an older generation,” he said.
“I’ve been speaking to a lot of my friends or people I grew up with, and sometimes they have different concerns than someone who may be retired.”
The Ontario election is Feb. 27.
The other Timiskaming-Cochrane candidates are PC Tory Delaurier, Liberal Rick Ellsmere, New Blue Stephen MacLeod, and incumbent NDP John Vanthof.
