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Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo stepping down to take Ontario university job
CBC
Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo announced Wednesday she's stepping down.
Lindo said she is moving into a new role in July, in the philosophy department at the University of Waterloo.
"I have not taken this decision lightly," the NDP member of the Ontario Legislature said in a statement posted to social media.
"Due to a number of systemic factors and a need to be more present for my family as we continue our healing after a challenging 2022, it is time for [my] transition into a new space to teach about all that I have learned," the statement continued. Lindo had tweeted in November about her father's death.
"I will be able to continue the important work we have begun as a community but this time from within the community where it all began."
No timeline has been given for when Lindo will officially step down.
CBC News reached out to Lindo for comment. The party said no one was available for an interview.
Interim NDP Leader Peter Tabuns issued a statement Wednesday afternoon thanking Lindo for being "an integral member" of the party, and called her a "tireless advocate" for her constituents.
"We thank her for her years of work serving her constituents and pushing to make Ontario a better, more just place for everyone, and for her work as chair of the Ontario NDP Black Caucus," said the statement, which also wished Lindo "all the best in her next endeavours."
Lindo was first elected MPP for Kitchener Centre in 2018, when she beat Liberal incumbent Daiene Vernile.
She was among the names floated when former NDP leader Andrea Horwath stepped down after the 2022 provincial election, but announced in November she would not seek the leadership.
Lindo has served as the NDP's critic on anti-racism and equity as well as colleges and universities.