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Media Coverage
07/05/2012: Rogers TV Talk Local
Talk Local Discusses the first year of the Harper majority
Michelle Bilek participated in this discussion about the first year of the Harper majority as the NDP spokesperson.
27/09/2011: Mississauga News
Candidates Face UTM Students
In front of a packed lecture hall on the UTM campus, NDP candidate Michelle Bilek, Tory candidate David Brown, Otto Casanova from the Green Party and Liberal incumbent Harinder Takhar shared the spotlight as they talked about themselves and their respective platforms while fielding questions from the Students' Union and members of the audience.
Bilek pledged the NDP will make quality and affordable education more accessible by eliminating the interest on the provincial part of student loans and freezing tuition fees for the next four years.
Bilek said she's committed to finding a solution that would provide equal access to our colleges and universities for all.
24/09/2011: Rogers TV
Mississauga-Erindale Candidates Debate
The Mississauga Board of Trade / Rogers TV candidates debate for Mississauga-Erindale.
23/09/2011: Mississauga News
Health Minister Drops By
Takhar appears to be in a tough three-way race with experienced Conservative candidate David Brown, the chair of the City's Traffic Safety Council and Michelle Bilek of the NDP, who made a strong showing for her party in the same riding in the May 2 federal election."
|  | | Candidates in the squat for the night |
22/09/2011: Mississauga News
Candidates Go Homeless For A Night
Three provincial election candidates slept outside in the rain on Monday night to experience — albeit for only 10 hours — what it's like to be homeless.
With only sleeping bags and the clothes on their back, Mississauga-Erindale NDP hopeful Michelle Bilek, Dalbir Kathuria (Brampton West NDP) and Patti Chmelyk (Brampton West Green Party) spent the night (from about 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.) in Duggan Park in Brampton.
They were the only candidates in Peel's nine ridings to accept the challenge from Peel Poverty Action Group (PPAG) to see what it's like to be homeless for one night.
Bilek, who shared her experience via Twitter, told The News they met a few homeless people during the night. She said it reminded her of a period in her life when she lived in a car.
Bilek said it's still difficult to talk about how, for several months while she was a university student, she slept in her car and relied on friends and family to help her while she tried to keep up with her studies.
Of Monday night's experience, Bilek said: "It was cold and there was a little bit of fear of what was going to happen, if we were safe, but we felt the camaraderie of being together and we knew that by doing this it would bring awareness to the issue of poverty, and homelessness is at the core of it."
She added that herself, the other two candidates and Cullen spent most of the night talking about ways to eradicate homelessness.
Although she woke up cold, sore and barely rested, Bilek said it was one of the greatest, and most eye-opening, experiences of her life.
Unfortunately, she noted, things haven't gotten any better for people in recent years. "Your pay cheque is not going very far and the cost of living is going up," she said. "We're at a critical time here in Ontario where we have to make a move to adjust and put people first and give them the support systems they need. When you're worrying about your bills all the time, you really can't live."
20/09/2011: Mississauga News
They Don't Care
With one exception, the Mississauga candidates running in the upcoming Ontario election should be ashamed of themselves.
The 34 provincial candidates who are currently campaigning in Mississauga’s six ridings have shocked us with their collective cold (and rude) indifference towards what many consider the pivotal issue in these parts.
The whole lot of them were invited to an all-candidates forum that was to be hosted by the Fair Share for Peel Task Force, Peel Children’s Centre, Nexus Youth Services and United Way of Peel Region.
The event was intended to shed light on how inequitable provincial funding of social services is impacting the quality of life in Mississauga.
Only Mississauga-Erindale NDP hopeful Michelle Bilek accepted the invitation. Five others sent their regrets and 28 candidates didn’t even bother to respond.
13/09/2011: Mississauga News
Candidates Go Homeless
Peel Poverty Action Group (PPAG) is challenging candidates in the provincial election to spend a night on the street living as homeless people live.
Three candidates have already volunteered: Michelle Bilek, the NDP candidate in Mississauga-Erindale, the Green Party’s Patti Chmelyk and the NDP’s Dalbir Kathuria, both running in Brampton West.
“As a candidate and an advocate for social justice and the eradication of poverty throughout Canada, I have decided to take to the streets for one night to remind me of my humble past and what millions of Canadians and thousands in my community are facing daily," said Bilek. "I hope to bring awareness to the public. This is not a media stunt. This is a serious issue that cannot be overlooked any longer.”
|  | | PEO Meet Your Candidates |
09/09/2011: Mississauga News
PEO Provincial Candidates Debate
It appears candidates aren’t too eager to get off the starting block. In what was billed as an all-candidates debate, only seven hopefuls – two incumbent Liberals, two Greens, two NDPers and a single Tory – bothered to make it out to the Central Library last night to say why they should be sent to Queen’s Park on Oct. 6.
Michelle Bilek, the NDP candidate for Mississauga-Erindale, drew applause when she said that "engineers need to be at the table when priorities are set" on infrastructure.
28/06/2011: Mississauga News
Familiar Face in NDP slot
A veteran campaigner and a newcomer to politics were nominated last Thursday to represent the New Democratic Party in the upcoming provincial election.
Michelle Bilek will carry the party's colours in Mississauga-Erindale in the Oct. 6 Ontario election. She ran in the same riding in the May 2 federal vote after a candidate quit.
Bilek has degrees in psychology and sociology from McMaster University and in women’s and gender studies from York.
She has worked as a high school teacher and a community resource manager and has provided psychosocial education at Princess Margaret Hospital. She is vice-chair of the board at the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS).
Bilek will face Liberal incumbent Harinder Takhar and Conservative candidate David Brown in Mississauga-Erindale.
30/05/2011: Mississauga News
NDP election recipe: kitchen parties
In a press release, NDP officials say they have "decided to hold kitchen parties all over the city, encouraging neighbours to invite each other to meet the candidate over coffee and cookies."
Michelle Bilek, who ran a strong federal campaign in Mississauga-Erindale despite being nominated only after another candidate dropped out at the last second, says "kitchen parties led to Barack Obama’s election in the U.S., and they will do the same for the NDP here. Voters want to meet candidates face to face and know that their concerns are not on the back burner."
06/05/2011: Rawal TV Contemporary Issues Episode 18
Michelle Bilek appeared as a guest to discuss the outcome and impact of the May 2nd, 2011 federal elections.
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06/05/2011: Mississauga News
Diary of a defeat
03/05/2011: Mississauga News
Dechert wins a second term
The big surprise was the NDP's surge. Michelle Bilek, the NDP candidate in Mississauga-Erindale, received more than 16 per cent of the vote in an area that has typically seen the Tories and Grits battle it out. In 2008, NDP candidate Mustafa Rizvi received 8.5 per cent (4,767) and in 2006 the NDP's Rupinder Brar received 11.1 per cent.
Bilek says she could never have anticipated such a result, but is happy and proud of her numbers.
She says she was busy meeting people and answering e-mails and phone calls.
"I think that my platform spoke to a lot of people," she said at her campaign party at Kelsey's in Erin Mills. "I talked about issues that I felt were important — things related to poverty, minimum wage, housing, dealing with students and student loans ... "
26/04/2011: Mississauga News
Editorial backs Conservatives: Tory majority means strong jobs, economy
The New Democratic Party's surging numbers in pre-election polls are a direct result of an innovative social platform that appeals to hard-working Canadians on a number of levels. While the economy is front and centre, the need for doctors and improving healthcare, protecting consumers from being gouged by high energy costs and strengthening public pensions are issues that resonate with families.
The Conservatives must work with the other parties — and we believe the country will benefit if the New Democrats form the official opposition — to prove that Mississauga-Erindale NDP hopeful Michelle Bilek was wrong when she said that, "Stephen Harper doesn't care about you and your family."
12/04/2011: Mississauga News
Editorial: Future looks bright
In another poignant moment, Mississauga-Erindale NDP hopeful Michelle Bilek turned away from the camera as she told viewers, sadly, that “(Prime Minister) Stephen Harper doesn’t care about you or your family.”
Article: Fiery debate in contested riding
Bilek said she's proud to represent the only party that believes the economy should serve the people's interest rather than the other way around.
"If you look back on the last year or year-and-a-half, you see what party is getting things done in Ottawa," she said. "The NDP has been working in the background ensuring that private members' bills are being passed."
Bilek added that the government hasn't been serving the interests of Canadians, and it's time for a new direction.
05/04/2011: Mississauga News
Campaigns ramp up across city
01/04/2011: Mississauga News
Tory smiling over NDP defection
Michelle Bilek, a 38-year-old resident of the riding, will be named the Mississauga-Erindale candidate at a nomination meeting tomorrow. Bilek said she was surprised, but pleased, that she was asked to run — even under such unusual circumstances.
"I don't think it hurts me personally and I don't think it hurts the party. I think it looks bad on the candidate really, that they would switch allegiance," she said of Rizvi. "Switching over to another party, I think, is just wrong."
Bilek, who ran for separate school trustee in Wards 9-10 last October, admitted the campaign "will be a challenge, but then running any election is always a challenge."
31/03/2011
Mississauga News: Last-second candidate switch
Toronto Star: The Toronto Star
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