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Candidate for Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister Emphasizes Importance of Public Transit on PEI
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Ryan Gallant in front of Parliament BuildingAs part of his campaign to become CBC TV's Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, Ryan Gallant, a native of St. Ann's, PEI, and a graduate of UPEI, has organized a community event in Charlottetown to highlight the importance of PEI's new transit network. Gallant's event, "Take the Transit" Day, will see green-clad volunteers hitting the streets of Charlottetown to hand out information about PEI's Transit to Islanders, as well as distributing candy canes and singing carols.
The event, to be held on Saturday, December 20, is supported by Trius Transit, and will serve as a kick-off to a wider promotion called "Take the Transit Tuesdays" (TTT). Bobby Dunn, general manager of Trius Transit, says that this is a great opportunity for Islanders to become part of the growing 'One Million Acts of Green' movement in Canada.
'This simple act of green (TTT Day) has the capacity of replacing over a 1,000 cars in Charlottetown during peak hours, reducing our collective carbon footprint substantially,' says Dunn.
Gallant, now a first-year law student at McGill University in Montréal, said it is important for him to hold this event in Charlottetown.
'The need for affordable transportation and for green energies is very important to Canadian society today,' says Gallant. 'To be able to come home to PEI and help inform Islanders about the services provided by our very own transit network is a great opportunity.'
David MacKay, of Eco-PEI's Public Transit Coalition, says that events such as these have a greater impact than one might expect.
"The positive role played by public transit in terms of community health, improved air quality, increased social interaction and a healthier active lifestyle is quite remarkable."
The televised version of the CBC competition for young Canadians is in its fourth year, and requires candidates to compete over several stages of the contest. In the community action challenge portion of the campaign, each candidate is encouraged to engage people in their community and show that they are capable of planning and executing an organized event.
'I am extremely proud of my home province and of the changes towards a greener PEI,' concludes Gallant, referring to a recent Statistics Canada report that pegged the Island as the greenest province in Canada. 'Our goal this Saturday is to encourage Islanders to keep exploring new ways to be environmentally-friendly.'
'And, with a few busy shopping days left before Christmas,' he adds, 'we hope to brighten a few smiles along the way as well.'
For more information on Gallant's campaign for Canada's Next Great Prime Minister, his campaign videos are available on the CBC website at: www.cbc.ca/nextprimeminister/candidates/ryangallant.html.
His Facebook campaign site is available at: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34161072452.
To contact his campaign team, email gallantforpm@gmail.com.
Contact
Anna MacDonald
Media Relations and Communications, Integrated Communications
