Candidate

The CCMV NDP Federal Riding Association is pleased to be once again putting forward an enthusiastic and knowledgeable candidate, as Mark Austin has been selected and joins us once more as candidate for the next future election, following his strong results for the NDP party in this riding during the 2009 Federal By-Election.

At A Glance

  • Wild blueberry farmer, food policy advocate and social policy consultant
  • Sustainability consultant to the Town of Truro – responsible for Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and Charter, Sustainable Procurement Policy, Truro, “Have Your Say” consultation, energy audit
  • Coordinator of Living Earth Council climate change project Cool Truro
  • Executive Board member of USC Canada (Seeds of Survival), Canada’s oldest international development organization
  • 25 years of involvement in more than twenty arts, anti-poverty, agriculture, sports, health, and environment, community boards and organizations, including volunteer fire firefighting
  • Masters Degree in International Law of Human Rights; Has taught courses at Harvard University and Mount St. Vincent University
  • Successfully marketed Nova Scotia as feature film location to dozens of production companies
  • Rooted in Cumberland County, grew up in a Canadian Armed Forces family
  • Lives near Old Barns with wife Debby who coordinates the Truro Farmers’ Market

Mark Austin and Alexa McDonough (former NDP Federal Party Leader and MP, succeeded Megan Leslie also of the NDP, on her retirement from politics) during the 2009 By-Election Campaign.

Mark’s Vision

Mark has a vision for our region that he believes is shared by most who live here: vibrant community, resilient economy, and respect for nature.

Mark’s roots are in Cumberland County, where he continues to farm with his father near Collingwood. I his mother’s hometown of Springhill, his grandfather was a coal miner and then ran Godfrey’s Groceries with Mark’s grandmother. His parents live in Truro.

A Canadian Armed Forces up-bringing and educational pursuit has had Mark living in six provinces and five countries. He returned to Nova Scotia in 1989 and has been here since. He and his wife Debby, coordinator of the Truro Farmer’s Market, have built an environmentally innovative home near Old Barns.

Mark’s diverse career has included community development work, university teaching, film production, farming and policy consulting. Along with production work on nearly twenty projects, his film services company has successfully marketed Nova Scotia as a location to dozens of visiting producers on behalf of the Province.

Mark’s government consulting and community organizing has focussed on things that really matter to him: mental health consumer advocacy, Aboriginal rights, international development, and environmental stewardship. He is passionate about sustainable food and farm policy that recognizes the worth of our rural communities here and around the globe.

Following a year-long fight against colon cancer in 2005, Mark has dedicated his time to cause-driven activity in the community. He is the Sustainability Consultant to the Town of Truro where he led the Truro, Have Your Say project, drafted a Community Sustainability Plan and Charter, a Sustainable Procurement policy, small wind-turbine by-law, and is coordinating a town-wide Energy Audit. Mark also leads the Living earth Council’s Cool Truro climate change project.

Over the past thirty years, Mark Austin has been a volunteer fire-fighter, active member of more than twenty arts, anti-poverty, agriculture, sports, environment, and community organizations, and organizer of such events as Seedy Saturday and The Nova Scotia Food Security Gathering. He is an Executive Board member of Canada’s oldest international development organization, USC Canada (Seeds of Survival).

Now is the time for community, the time to come together, to listen to each other to recognize shared-values, to meet the challenges we face; not the time for partisan conflict and power games. Mark looks forward to building and serving our wonderful community of Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley and representing its best interests in our national government.