20 DECEMBER 2013

Tina Beers has announced that she will seek the Green Party nomination in the riding of South Kent.

Ms. Beers is a proud mother, grandmother and wife of 33 years, to John, a retired Canadian Soldier. Born and raised in Moncton, she has also lived in Oromocto, Petawawa and West Germany, where for four years, she and her family experienced living in a small European rural community. It was there that she saw firsthand how Europeans fiercely strive to protect their environment and yet still manage to progress economically.

Five years ago Ms. Beers and her husband came to settle in Harcourt, NB, in the riding of Kent South, because of strong family ties and love of community and place.

Ms. Beers has always had a strong sense of community which is reflected in the work she has done for the past four years as a Community Coordinator with the United Way; she supports community economic development and believes resilient, sustainable communities can be built through local self-reliance. Ms. Beers is a member of the Rexton Health Center Advisory Committee, the RCMP Community Consultative Group, and Secretary of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #75.

Ms. Beers is the Chair of the Local Service District of Harcourt and is currently working to develop a Rural Plan with her community; she was also elected to the newly formed Kent Regional Service Commission whose mandate is regional planning, solid waste, recreational facilities, policing services and EMO. In July the Kent Regional Service Commission voted to place a moratorium on Shale Gas exploration and exploitation in Kent County.

“The events of this past summer have reinforced the reality that we must protect our fragile forests and wetlands, and their ecosystems. The people of Kent County have come to realize that fracturing for Shale Gas poses too great a risk to their communities. We are rich in renewable resources that we can sustainably develop,” states Ms. Beers, “but we must focus on our most valuable resource, which is the people who live here.”

Ms. Beers is also Co-Chair of the Kent Community Inclusion Network and as food security lead and founding member of the Kent Food Security network, is committed to reducing poverty in Kent County by focusing on the creation of community food centers, collective kitchens, community gardens, and local farmers. Certified as a Community Food Mentor, she trusts NB communities will become food secure by encouraging people to make healthier food choices, developing resilient local food systems and strong social networks.

Ms. Beers has chosen to become a member of the Green Party and seek a seat in the Kent South riding because their principles best reflect her own. She states, “We must be able to participate in the decisions that affect our lives; we need to live within the Earth’s limits which ensures a future for our children and our environment; and we must create self-reliant communities, sustained by local sources of food and renewable energy; this in turn will foster a culture of cooperation, caring and understanding. I encourage everybody to visit the Green Party of New Brunswick website to learn more.”