Wendy Gabrek

To the best of my knowledge, the NTRC name was chosen because the building was built to serve all residents in New Tecumseth with unique offerings, such as the indoor soccer pitch and twin pad ice rinks. Plus we already had the "Old Alliston Arena" as it's affectionately known, or our Alliston Memorial Arena which could be confusing.

This issue actually came before Council during this term when signage appeared overnight referring to the NTRC as the 'Alliston Community Centre'. I supported maintaining the New Tecumseth Recreation Centre name because I believe major municipal facilities can belong to the entire municipality regardless of which community they happen to be physically located in and moreover, because user groups who had stationary, websites, insurance forms and other documentation in the NTRC name said it was confusing to their visiting groups and would be costly to update.

In the coming term, I will declare a pecuniary interest on anything to with Honda of Canada Manufacturing as my spouse and stepson are employed there.

No, I paid for my own campaign 100% and have no affiliation with any developers, contractors or agents.

I had previously answered this question. Thank you :)

I'm particularly interested in local food production. I've previously suggested exploring incentives or small grants to help residents establish backyard greenhouses and grow more of their own food (in a previous post, not at the council table for Greys for Green). I'd like to expand on that idea, along with increasing our support for community gardens and food forests, and supporting more farmers' markets throughout New Tecumseth. Buying and growing food locally supports our farmers, reduces transportation and strengthens food security at the same time and who doesn't want farm fresh eggs!

I also want to see meaningful progress toward the Town's goal of increasing our urban tree canopy and protecting our mature trees wherever reasonably possible.

No. I believe an indoor pool is both wanted and needed in New Tecumseth, and I don't think we should be looking at major recreation projects in isolation from one another.

I voted to defer both the indoor pool and sports dome to the 2027 Budget deliberations (and I voted against the arena) because I want Council to look at the bigger picture: what recreation facilities do we already have? What are we missing? What will each new facility cost to build and operate? What do we need to reserve for the eventual replacement of the assets we already own? And, ultimately, what can taxpayers reasonably afford?

An indoor pool would fill a significant gap in our recreation programming, but pools also require an ongoing municipal operating subsidy. That's why the original concept of combining the pool with a fitness centre piqued my interest, as membership revenue could potentially help offset some of those ongoing costs but that's not what council originally asked for.

Further, I wasn't satisfied with the initial design given to Council. I wanted to see other configurations, locations and funding opportunities, including potential grants, before committing to a project of this size. The NTRC was identified as the preferred location, but I don't believe that should prevent us from asking whether another site or a larger multi-use recreation complex could provide better long-term value.

My vote to defer was not a vote against a pool. It was a vote to bring these major recreation projects into the same budget discussion so Council can make an informed decision about our entire recreation system and not simply approve one expensive project at a time.

Not in the form currently proposed. I voted against moving forward with the single-pad Beeton arena because I don't believe the cost provides enough benefit to taxpayers, particularly when we have other significant gaps in our recreation facilities.

The current concept is a very expensive single-pad arena, and the capital cost is only part of the equation. Once it's built, taxpayers are responsible for the ongoing operating and maintenance costs indefinitely. We also know that, as New Tecumseth grows, we will eventually need additional ice capacity. Building one new pad now and potentially having to address a second one somewhere else later doesn't strike me as good long term planning.

I've also listened to Beeton user groups whose needs extend beyond traditional ice sports. Ball hockey, roller derby and other dry-floor users need appropriate space too. I think we should be looking at how a future facility can serve as many residents and activities as possible rather than designing around one use.

I would like to see us investigate a larger, long-term recreation complex in Beeton, including whether the JOC lands could accommodate a twin-pad arena together with other recreation amenities, potentially including the future indoor pool. A larger site could also give us room for future expansion and ample parking as the community grows.

There may also be opportunities to fund the growth-related portions of a larger recreation complex through DC's, which should be fully explored before asking existing taxpayers to carry the entire cost.

I absolutely support maintaining municipal arena and recreation facilities in Beeton. The question for me isn't whether Beeton deserves investment. The question is whether spending tens of millions of dollars on a single-pad arena today is the best use of that investment. It isn't.

I understand why this idea is appealing, particularly as our community grows and more residents live in homes with smaller yards or in apartments. However, I don't support opening our sports fields for seasonal off-leash use.

Our sports fields are significant public assets, and there are practical concerns around damage to the turf, parking, liability and maintenance. There is also the issue of pet waste. Unfortunately, we already have challenges with people not picking up after their dogs, and these are fields that children and adults return to for sports once the season begins.

I do think we need to plan for more off-leash spaces as New Tecumseth grows, but location matters. Dog parks can be controversial, particularly for the residents whose properties back/face directly onto them because of noise, parking and increased activity.

Rather than trying to fit dog parks into established residential neighbourhoods or repurpose sports fields, I would like to see appropriate locations identified through the planning process as new areas develop. Commercial or mixed-use areas, or other Town owned lands with appropriate buffers from homes, parking and safe access, may offer better opportunities.

If we're planning communities for thousands of new residents, amenities for their pets should be part of that planning too.

I wish I had the solution to this issue. I wish anyone had the answer to this issue.

I don't believe there is one single solution to homelessness. The best approach is to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place and, when that isn't possible help them get into stable housing as quickly as possible.

The County of Simcoe is responsible for social services and homelessness programs, but the Town still has an important role. We make decisions about housing and planning, we can advocate for services and funding, and we can make sure the agencies working directly with vulnerable residents have a voice when municipal decisions affect them.

As a member of Council, I have supported the Town's collaboration with the County and our local service providers.

As Chair of the New Tecumseth Public Library Board, I also recognize the increasingly important role our libraries play as accessible community spaces where people can connect with information and services. I would like to see stronger coordination between the Town, County, Library and local agencies so people aren't left trying to navigate a complicated system on their own.

Going forward, I would also like New Tecumseth to have a more regular conversation with the organizations doing this work locally. They know where the gaps are because they see them every day.

I think we've all experienced the frustration of sitting at a red light too long. That said, I wouldn't support simply replacing every traffic signal in New Tecumseth with new technology without first understanding the cost and whether the benefit would justify that investment.

Responsibility for traffic signals also depends on the road. Some intersections are under the Town's jurisdiction, while others involve the County or Province, so this isn't something the Town can address independently at every intersection.

Where we have signals that are consistently causing unnecessary delays, I would support having traffic data collected and reviewing the timing, detection equipment and traffic patterns at those specific locations. In some cases, adjusting signal timing or upgrading detection technology may provide a relatively simple solution without replacing the entire system.