Ask Zoran Churchin what he thinks of politics so far.... and there is a long pause.
“It’s been very hard to be honest with you. It’s taken a lot of dedication and hard work. As a person who has been businessman and a community leader, these are new waters for me.”
Yes, and shark-infested ones at that.
The 52-year-old, who is president of Zoran Properties Inc. started out as a candidate for the Conservative nomination in Mississauga South. He was in a tight three-way race with Brad Butt and Effie Triantafilopoulos when the rug was pulled out from under the trio by Party Leader John Tory, who invited Tim Peterson to cross the floor and dance.
Undeterred, Churchin turned his sights to Mississauga East-Cooksville. On July 5, what was expected to be a contested nomination against former Mississauga East MPP Carl DeFaria, turned into a walkover.
“He didn’t show up,” says Churchin, still sounding a little puzzled at the latest strange turn of events.
DeFaria, the first Canadian of Portuguese descent ever to serve in the Ontario Cabinet, represented the riding from 1995-2003 when Peter Fonseca took it for the Liberals. (DeFaria has also run twice federally against Albina Guarnieri, managed two campaigns that his wife Riina ran against Guarnieri and challenged Phil Green for the federal Tory nomination in Mississauga South in 2004.)
Even now that Churchin has apparently secured the nomination, things are not necessarily over. Riina DeFaria, who is president of the provincial riding association, has filed a complaint with party headquarters about the date that was selected for the vote. No decision is forthcoming yet.
Churchin, a self-made man who came to Canada for a few days visit with his uncle in 1972 and liked it so much that he made it his new home, is trying to ignore all the machinations of politics and get on with the job of getting himself elected.
Although he lives in the South, he has been active in the East riding, especially with his church, All Saints Serbian Orthodox, where he has been president for the past decade. He was instrumental in getting the church its own building in 2002.
In the last couple of elections, the Liberals have done very well in the riding, whose boundaries will change slightly with redistribution. That will give Churchin what he thinks is some Tory-friendly territory west of Hurontario St. to Mavis Rd. Given the ethnic diversity of the riding, “I do believe the residents of Mississauga East-Cooksville would definitely connect with me,” said Churchin who says “safer streets” health and the environment are key issues.
When asked about the Greenfield South natural gas-fired power plant proposed on Mattawa Ave. in the riding’s east end, he replied he doesn’t know enough about it yet to offer an opinion. “I’d rather not say anything until I have a 100 per cent understanding of an issue and I’m just in the process of learning.”
An honest answer, surely, but one that won’t satisfy residents who expect their candidates to be up to speed on issues before they offer themselves for office.
Polling shows that, “only 15 per cent residents can actually name the MPP for the riding,” he says, when asked how Fonseca has been performing.
With a new leader in John Tory, Mississauga East-Cooksville residents could again turn to the Conservatives, their candidate believes.
Churchin just laughs when the irony of his ethnic background and riding politics is pointed out to him.
Former Mississauga East MPP John Sola was kicked out of the Liberal caucus in 1993 for telling The Fifth Estate that, “I don’t think I’d be able to live to next door to a Serb.”
Although he was born in Serbia, Churchin wants to leave the old disputes in the old country and steer clear of any Sola-style polemics. “I’m a Canadian. I have my family here and I care about Canada, Ontario and Mississauga,” he says.
He already knows enough to leave the old, ticking time bombs all alone.