PELHAM — Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath was in the Niagara region Friday to welcome Dave Augustyn to the team of Ontario New Democrats running for provincial election in 2022.

Augustyn was the mayor of Pelham for 12 years, as well as regional councillor. He’ll be running for the NDP in Niagara West.

As mayor, Augustyn worked with the community to design and build Pelham’s Meridian Community Centre. He also had a particular focus on health care, orchestrating the donation of land to Wellspring Niagara for the Regional Cancer support centre and attracting a new long-term care home and retirement residences to the Town. He also was responsible for the protection of the Fonthill Kame in the Niagara Greenbelt, and for downtown revitalization initiatives.

“The NDP’s Niagara MPPs and I are thrilled to welcome Dave Augustyn to the team. Dave loves Niagara — he is a community champion who is determined to make this region the best place in the world to live, work, raise a family, and retire. I’m inspired by his passion for this beautiful place. From improving health care to fixing long-term care and finally addressing the high cost of housing and hydro, Dave is definitely here to make life better for Niagara families.” ~NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

“Before Pandemic, we knew things were hard for many. The Pandemic highlighted and accentuated those suffering and the disparities in our society. Yet, momentarily, it also re-awakened the sense that we are “all in this together”. As this health crisis passes, the worst response would be to cast aside this belief in the power of community and nose-dive back into the big cuts, and the bad decisions for the benefit of the few. Instead, we have to invest in Ontario and each other, to nurture what is for the common good and place ourselves at the service of others. Yet, let us not do this alone, as individuals. We are called to unite — to work together — to become stronger than the simple sum of our individual efforts.” ~Dave Augustyn NDP candidate for Niagara West.

View livestream video of full announcement: