Atlantica Party announces new leader

The new leader of the Atlantica Party says his first order of business is reminding people that there is a voting option in Nova Scotia beyond the three main provincial parties.

Kyle Woodbury, a 32-year-old Stellarton resident, was announced Tuesday as the successor to party founder and former leader Jonathan Dean, who stepped down following the 2021 provincial election.

Woodbury has spent much of the past six years working as an election readiness staffer for the Conservative Party of Canada, as well as on provincial campaigns in various provinces, including Nova Scotia.

When he moved back to Nova Scotia from Ottawa recently, he thought he'd be getting out of politics, in part because he didn't see much difference between the Tories and Liberals.

Then he learned the Atlantica Party was on the verge of voluntary deregistration and saw that as an opportunity.

"When I don't see the alternative anymore, I'd rather be the alternative," said Woodbury, who works for Admiral Insurance.

"And ultimately, that's what drew me to Atlantica. It wasn't something that I've already seen tried and true and ultimately failed."

Given the party's history, there is only room for growth. The party, first launched in 2010, has never come close to fielding a full slate of candidates and those who do run for Atlantica have usually finished well behind on the ballot.

When I don't see the alternative anymore, I'd rather be the alternative.- Kyle Woodbury

Changing that begins with building awareness about the party, re-engaging former party members and volunteers and trying to find new ones, said Woodbury.

"After that, it's the long and painful process of building a political organization, a party that can in fact challenge an election," he said.

"That's not a short-term goal, that's not a short trip, either, but it's one that if we're willing to put in the effort I think we could."

Woodbury said he'd be looking to develop policies and a platform based on input from members, something that reflects what people want from the party.

While he supports past party policies such as free votes for MLAs, he said there needs to be more focus on health care and ways to address whether current spending is sustainable for the long term.

Woodbury said the initial focus on rebuilding and outreach work means it is unlikely the party will field a candidate in the upcoming Preston byelection.

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