Green Party candidates, 1990 Ontario provincial election

The Green Party of Ontario fielded several candidates in the 1990 provincial election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found here.

Brent Monkley (Hamilton Centre)

Monkley received 605 votes (2.39%), finishing fourth against New Democratic Party candidate David Christopherson. As of 2006, an individual named Brent Monkley is listed as a vice-principal of Hill Park Secondary School in Hamilton [http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/schools_curriculum/schools/school_detail.aspx?id=macnab] . This is likely the same person.

Philip Sarazen (York South)

Sarazen is a welder, artist and inventor, and has been a frequent candidate for public office. He was once a member of the Communist Party of Canada - Marxist-Leninist, and ran under the party's banner in an Ottawa riding during the 1974 federal election. He placed second at the Quebec Inventor's Competition in 1985, after creating a greenhouse system for apartment balconies. In 1988, he designed a magnetic wallet to hold Canada's newly-minted dollar coins. [Heather McKinley, "New wallet `attracts' loonies", "Ottawa Citizen", 4 March 1988, C11.] He moved to Toronto later in the same year, and ran for the Green Party of Canada in the 1988 election campaign.

Sarazen was 41 years old in the 1990 provincial campaign, and spoke against Ontario Hydro's plan to construct ten nuclear reactors over the next decade. He argued that the dangers posed by nuclear energy were being ignored by the major parties. ["York South", "Toronto Star", 3 September 1990, A8; Tony Wong, "Rae is at home in NDP stronghold", "Toronto Star", 2 September 1990, A12.] He later campaigned for the Metro Toronto Separate School Board in 1991, arguing that students should be taught how culture shapes economy. ["Metro separate school board", "Toronto Star", 7 November 1991, G7.] During the early 1990s, he helped to form "Cobblestone", a theatre company made up of homeless people. [Peter Cheney, "Street theatre life", "Toronto Star", 6 March 1993, J1.]

Sarazen designed a vehicle called the "Subtonic Cycle" in 1996, and announced plans to ride it through Bosnia as an absurdist art display. A "Globe and Mail" article described the device as a "rainbow-coloured jungle gym of discarded wrought iron welded into an outlandish Dr. Seuss-like contraption topped by a colossal wire umbrella and powered by a unicycle", adding that "one rider pedals [while] a grab bag of musicians (the Subtonic Monks) ride, playing improvisational rhythms". [Anthony Jenkins, "Positively absurd dreamer has a destination", "Globe and Mail", 8 January 1996, A14.] The Bosnia shows took place in 1997, and the Subtonic Cycle was later displayed at many events in Ontario. [Ed Rogers, "Kids' fest sounds great: Rolling percussion section proves an original", "Hamilton Spectator", 11 August 1998, N3; [http://www.latchkey.net/events/past/2004/03/03.html Latchkey.net] , 3 March 2004 events, accessed 5 December 2006.] Sarazen later created follow-up contraptions called "Zoosse Mobiles", in an apparent homage to Dr. Seuss. ["A bicycle built for tunes", "Toronto Star", 24 July 2000, GT4.]

Sarazen became homeless in the early 2000s, and lived in Toronto's "Tent City" for a time. As of November 2006, he lives in Parkdale and designs handmade bicycle racks. [Glynnis Mapp, "Artist proposes new benches, bike racks", "National Post", 15 November 2006, A16.]

*There was also a Michael Sarazen who campaigned for Toronto's second council ward in the 1988 municipal election. He identified himself as a 28 year old taxi driver, poet and artist, and claimed to be a "surrealist candidate" driven by "inspired laziness". He criticized the harassment of sex-trade workers, and the crackdown on illegal dwellings in Parkdale. This may or may not have been Philip Sarazen under a different name. [Jim Byers, "Pair of veterans clash in battle for rejigged seat", "Toronto Star", 24 October 1998, A7.] He received 412 votes, finishing third against Chris Korwin-Kuczynski. [The 1988 result is taken from the "Toronto Star", 15 November 1988, B6. The 1991 result is taken from the "Toronto Star", 13 November 1991, E8, with 277 of 280 polls reporting.]

Footnotes