Michael Cyr is an independent candidate for MLA in the area of Saint John Harbour. (Photo: Submitted)
Saint John Harbour independent candidate Michael Cyr says this is him putting up or shutting up.
Cyr works as a barber, and COVID-19 has taken his other side hustles away from him. He chose to run as an independent because he wants the option to vote the way he wanted without his riding getting punished for it if he doesn’t tow the party line. He said he didn’t want to run into party politics
He said lots of people think they’re better than the politicians and he’s taking a crack at it.
“I do love my community, I want to see better for it. I’m there with everybody else, I see the problems that are going on, I see what needs to be fixed in Saint John, and unfortunately how we have to fix it, which is going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort,” he said.
According to Cyr, the big things to concentrate on this election include poverty elimination not just reduction, healthcare reform, tax reform and education reform.
He said it’s cheaper to house somebody without a home than it is to spend all the money to deal with shelters and support programs or even litigation or a prisoner due to crime. Being homeless is not cheap and not easy so some things go a little further than most people would want as homelessness is a crime of necessity.
“The problem is when anybody talks about poverty reduction, it’s about having less poverty than we did before. Let’s just eliminate it. Let’s stop beating around the bush, let’s put the hard heavy work we need to do,” he said.
When it comes to our healthcare, Cyr said the system needs a lot of work.
He said people are waiting too long for necessary procedures, and in some cases, it’s putting them out of work, which means they’re not paying taxes and it’ll cost the province more money.
“We also desperately need better mental health care within the province. I’ve seen pretty well firsthand on a number of occasions how our mental health systems fail people time and time again. We need to step it up and take care of that because how can we expect people to be good citizens if they are not able to help themselves and become mentally well, in addition, to physically well,” he said.
Cy said there should be a Clinic 554 in every major urban centre in New Brunswick. He said this is a solution to resolve issues people are having healthcare difficulties with.
He said he also supports the Black Lives Matter movement and he would support an inquiry into systemic racism in the province because having more information is better than not having enough.
Cyr thinks we need to take a look at the education system we have because it doesn’t seem to be working.
He said many high school graduates are functionally illiterate and that’s alarming to see.
“If at the very least our school system can’t generate people that read, we’re not doing a good job,” he said.
When it comes to taxes, Cyr says we’re using an outdated model and we need a modern-day solution,
He said the heavy industry taxes going to the province despite the noises and smells and damages to city roads is “just a sin”.
Cyr said running a deficit as a province is an issue and a balanced approach is normally the best way to go but we can’t eliminate the joy or the necessities to do that.
“It’s finding that middle ground between the two that we can sustain, have a good time now, as well as a good future,” he said.
“It’s being balanced and making smart moves with our money.”
Cyr said local businesses are the foundation of the province and if the red tape is cut back and some processes were eliminated, entrepreneurs would have an easier time, He said diminishing the paperwork would
“Frankly if you look at most of the provincial problems, a lot of it is just that we need to update to today,” he said.
Cyr asks residents to vote with their hearts and brains and a vote for Mike is a vote to get him off his mom’s couch.
