Youths are calling for Colter Simmonds to fly NDP flag in Preston by election

Coach Colter wants to join Nova Scotia’s 55-member parliamentary team.

“I’ve been in the community since I can remember and I want to see some positive change,” Colter (CC) Simmonds said of throwing his New Democratic Party-adorned hat into the ring ahead of the yet-to-be-scheduled Preston election.

“I have compassion for the young people and I think that’s important for the future of the community,” said Simmonds, just 45 years old and a proud lifelong North Preston resident, business owner, avid basketball fan and coach, and the founder of the We Will Win Youth Association in the area.

“I have a lot of life experience,” he said. “I think I have a great relationship with (youth) and I think that’s the key to the win.”

Simmonds’ campaign will focus on community-based mental health, education and youth employment, promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships, tackling gun violence in equestrian communities and affordable housing.

“We need to make the youth a priority, from an education standpoint to an opportunity standpoint,” Simmonds said. “We just need to make them feel like we’re listening to them and providing them with the things they need.

“There is no better place to grow up than Preston and my campaign will focus on creating more opportunities for young people who will help care for their parents and grandparents later on.”

It will be the second time Simmonds has run for the Preston seat, losing in the August 2021 vote by nearly 800 votes to First Liberal MLA Angela Simmonds, whose husband is a distant cousin of Colter’s.

The Simmonds’ nomination was made official Thursday night at St. John’s Anglican Church hall in Westphal, where NDP leader Claudia Chender, the party’s MLAs, members and supporters welcomed their nominee.

“We are very excited to nominate Colter Simmonds tonight,” Chender said ahead of the event.

“The community knows him as Coach CC, he has been a coach and mentor to hundreds of children across Preston and is connected to the communities around and has really demonstrated his commitment to improving his community.”

Chender said Simmonds received nearly 30 percent of the vote in a “successful” round of elections in 2021.

“We’re excited to build on that and give the people of the Preston a great MLA to fight for them,” Chender said.

The NDP leader said Simmonds is a good fit for the party.

“Everyone will recognize what I think makes us unique in the NDP is that we never lose our focus on people’s lives and how policies and legislation and the work of government affect people on a day-to-day basis,” Chender said. “We know that Colter has had a unique focus on improving the lives and opportunities and experiences of his community, especially the youth, and that aligns so much with the work we’re trying to do in this county.

“We’re so excited that Colter is part of that vision and can add to it with all the work he’s already done.”

Simmonds said he had been approached by each of the parties ahead of the 2021 election campaign.

“I decided with the New Democrats because they allowed me to be the person I am, to represent myself for who I am and I didn’t have to change who I was to represent the party,” Simmonds said. “The party is about the people and I believe when you look around and you see the candidates from the previous election and you see the current MLAs, you see ordinary people fighting for ordinary people and that’s what I want to do.”

The Preston seat has been vacant since Angela Simmonds stepped down on April 1.

The House of Assembly Act requires a by-election warrant to be issued within six months of the date the vacancy arose.

Chender said the by-election is at the discretion of the prime minister.

“It’s a pity that the people of Preston have been without an MLA since early April,” said Chender. until October to call the elections.”

Simmonds said he can hit the ground running with the nomination in his pocket.

“I’ve gone through the process before and I know the work it takes to be a candidate and I’m up for the challenge,” Simmonds said. “I believe now is the time. I couldn’t pull it off last time, but I believe everything happens for a reason and I think it’s supposed to happen. The stars are lining up for me to get the be the person who represents driving.

The majority of the Progressive Conservatives, who have 31 seats, have yet to nominate a candidate. The Liberal Party has 16 seats and has nominated lifelong Preston resident Carlo Simmons to carry the Liberal flag in the midterm elections.

The Liberals have kept the current 100 square miles east of Dartmouth and previous variants of it for the past 20 years.

The NDP has six elected MLAs, one Independent and the Preston seat is vacant.

Simmonds said he’s a seasoned community leader, a people person who doesn’t really care about other people’s skin color.

“I work with young people, black, white, green, it doesn’t matter, if I can help someone, whether it’s a youth or an adult, that’s who I am and people will find that out if they don’t already know When people visit me, they see a person, not a politician, a good person who understands society.”