Preceded by Frank de Jong Role Entrepreneur Name Mike Schreiner | Nationality Canadian Party Green Party of Ontario | |
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Born June 9, 1969 (age 54)
WaKeeney, Kansas ( 1969-06-09 ) Occupation Entrepreneur, Politician Education Indiana University Bloomington, University of Kansas Profiles | ||
Political party Green Party of Ontario | ||
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner wins party's first seat
Mike Schreiner (born June 9, 1969) is the leader of the Green Party of Ontario. Professionally, he is a small business advocate, entrepreneur and food policy expert.
Contents
- Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner wins partys first seat
- Background
- Education
- Career
- Political career
- Personal life
- References
On December 4, 2012, Schreiner was nominated before a crowd of 120 supporters as the party's candidate for Guelph, a riding the party's internal polling shows as winnable with over half of the surveyed responding they were somewhat or much more likely to vote Green if the provincial leader was the candidate.
Schreiner was the party's candidate in the Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock by-election on March 5, 2009. He received over 97% approval from the party membership defeating the None of the Above ballot option, in the 2009 Ontario Green Party leadership election held on November 14, 2009. During the 2011 provincial election Schreiner ran in Simcoe—Grey losing to Progressive Conservative incumbent Jim Wilson.
Background
Born in WaKeeney, Kansas on June 9, 1969, Schreiner grew up as a farm-kid, helping his parents. This is where his interests in the environment began. He attended Indiana University-Bloomington as a graduate student where he met his future wife, Sandy Welsh, a sociology professor at University of Toronto. They have two children.
Schreiner and his wife became Canadian citizens in 2007.
Education
Schreiner earned bachelor's degrees in business administration and history from the University of Kansas (1992). He earned his master's degree in history from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1994.
Career
Schreiner started his career in Guelph operating his own food distribution business, specialized in delivering local and natural foods to homes in Toronto. He helped establish Local Food Plus, which worked to bring farmers and consumers together to promote financially, socially and environmentally sustainable local food systems.
Schreiner served on the steering committee for Green Enterprise Toronto, an association of over 350 small businesses, and on the Board of Directors of FarmStart, a non-profit that assists new farmers in Ontario, and he is a governor of the Canadian International Peace Project.
Political career
Schreiner has been actively involved in the GPO since 2005. He was the GPO candidate for the 2009 by-election in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. He co-chaired the 2007 election platform committee for the party and served as Policy Coordinator from 2008-2009.
Schreiner was elected leader of the GPO on November 14, 2009 and is the party's first full-time leader. He has acted as critic for the Premier’s Office and for agriculture and rural affairs.
Schreiner unsuccessfully ran in Simcoe-Grey during the 2011 provincial election. During the 2014 provincial election, Schreiner ran in the riding of Guelph but was not elected.
Personal life
Schreiner lives with his wife Sandy and their two daughters in Toronto and in Guelph.