Marion Pirch (nee Young) was born into an Earnscliffe family that lived off the land since the 1700’s. The family’s small mixed farm and the village’s one room school house shaped her vision of a healthy community. After attending Prince of Wales College, Marion returned to her home with husband Karl to begin their own family farm. Spread over 70 acres, their classic PEI mixed farm was soon populated with five children and Marion became devoted to raising her family. 

As her children have grown, and blessed her with seventeen grandchildren, a change has taken place in her community. The systematic destruction of the mixed family farm has been tacitly enforced, and in its place a monolithic agro-industry has swallowed the Island countryside. With the noose tightening on their agrarian farm life, Marion went to work in the tobacco fields, experiencing first-hand the damage brought to the land by a relentless monoculture. Unable to continue working in agriculture, Marion began a rewarding career as a school bus driver. Today she works with Pat and the Elephant, a not-for-profit transport company for people with physical challenges.

Marion is a Master Gardener, who also enjoys horses, cooking, and playing the keyboard with the Morell fiddlers. As an elder, she has a passion for the issue of sustainability and is drawn to the Green Party’s emphasis on land stewardship. Marion wishes to help preserve access to organic seeds and healthy soil. She is an advocate for the education system and believes workers must be paid a fair wage.

Marion is the nominated candidate for the Green Party of PEI in District 5 Stratford-Vernon River.