Ryan Kahro, mother of three, was inspired to run to assist create a change to go away a greater world for her children
Ever since Ryan Kahro turned 18, she’s voted for the Green Party of Ontario (GPO).
“My parents gave me the sort of lowdown on what all of the parties were, what my decisions could be. Instantly Green stood out to me as something that aligned with what I believed was essential,” Kahro said in an interview at her home in rural Guelph/Eramosa.
The now 41-year-old stay-at-home mother of three young children could have her name on the provincial ballot because the Green Party candidate for Wellington-Halton Hills, representing the party she’s long supported.
Kahro is country at heart, being born in Acton but moving throughout the riding and nearby rural areas as she grew up. Her parents had a hobby farm in Caledon but Kahro and her siblings’ usual summer jobs were farming the neighbour’s land, cutting grass or taking good care of horses.
“We had loads of freedom to learn some skills, so that you’re allowed to swing a hammer or try to construct something that will ultimately fall over, but you bought to try right?” Kahro said of what it was prefer to grow up rural. “I remember good neighbours, good community feel, people checking in on one another and bringing over food if it was a tough time. I like that sort of country community feel.”
In her 20s, she eventually made her method to big cities, first in Toronto where she said she felt like a whole “country bumpkin” and later a bit more permanently in Guelph. It was there where she got to vote for the primary GPO MPP to be elected to Queen’s Park, Mike Schreiner, in 2018.
She said that was a special moment to see all of the support for the GPO and cited Schreiner as a giant inspiration.
“Such a pleasant guy, good guy, using his voice and doing his best. He’s an excellent person to rise up with,” Kahro said.
Kahro is back living rurally again in Guelph/Eramosa, giving her children an upbringing just like what she has with numerous hobby pets including a dog, two cats, 4 chickens, a gecko and two ponies.
She doesn’t imagine her children quite grasp what their mom is doing but noted her youngest is proudly telling strangers their family is “Green.”
Her children are a giant motivator on why Kahro said she’s running. As a parent she said she began eager about what values she desires to instill in them to grow into healthy adults.
“I need them to give you the option to know they’ll use their voice and I need them to give you the option to have the abilities they should essentially clean up this mess that they’re being left,” Kahro said. “Then I used to be like ‘well why leave it for them to wash up, perhaps I should just clean it up right away?’”
Like loads of GPO candidates, Kahro said the environment is top of mind for her even beyond the realm of politics.
Kahro shares her birthday with Earth Day – April 22. She said loads of her early and special memories have formed round her birthday and events related to improving the environment.
“Each time it was my birthday, I remember my aunt would take me to an Earth Day festival or a cleanup,” Kahro said. “I loved it, it felt special, everyone was doing something together that made a difference. I like seeing a ditch after you’ve cleaned it. You’ve got an instantaneous results of what you simply did.”
It’s not only a healthy world Kahro is into but being a healthy person too. She said in her occasional spare time she’s often exercising, practicing yoga, meditation or training for a triathlon.
“Healthy, replenish your cup stuff to participate and revel in life fully with kids and family and friends,” Kahro said.
She reflected and identified a cycle referring to environmental education taught to children like herself from a young age, starting simply with the three r’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, and the way the adults might need hoped this generation could be the one’s to resolve environmental problems.
“I used to be the young people, now I’m 40. It’s me, it’s us,” Kahro said. “It’s been a priority for the last 20 to 30 years to bring education and awareness to those young people and now those young individuals are me, our adults, here to step into the roles and create change.”
