Questions

A difficult topis as many homeowners, seniors or not, are having trouble with municipal taxes (and expenses in general). By freezing taxes for one segment, we increase the overall debt on another. This needs more discussion. In the meantime you can refer to the Provincial Land Tax deferral program. Use this link for my website, click on button #3. There is also a Municipal Tax review link for instances when your property use has shifted to a lower tax tier or if the assessment can be lowered due to needed repairs, etc. Please refer to button 9.

peterforward7.ca

I would support other ways in assisting our residents.

Helping seniors stay in their homes matters to me, and keeping taxes low is one of my main promises. I have to be straight with you, though — council sets the tax rate every year, so no bylaw can lock in a freeze for five years, and I won't promise something I can't deliver. What I will do is fight to keep taxes as low as possible for everyone, and support tax relief for low-income seniors, so nobody gets taxed out of their home.

Seems like a reasonable request, many seniors have a fixed income and have to manage rapidly rising costs. Factors such as fuel prices and de-icing salt will have an immediate impact on the cost of services this winter.

While I too would like a freeze on tax increments, more data is needed to make any meaningful commitment. In principle I do agree with the idea at least for this budget year until I have a clearer picture of the actual expenditure and cost reduction measures. My focus is on the services being of value for the cost and establishing a better return for our tax dollars.

Exploring additional ways to support our seniors is a high priority. Accessible services, transportation and anything that can uplift the dignity and independence of our marginalized residents will get my full attention.

I think that such a by-law would be wonderful but I'm not sure how realistic it is given the cost of goods and services, and the expectations people have around maintaining (and even adding to) existing service levels. With Development Charges not flowing in currently, taxation and user fees are supporting our Town. And, there are people amongst us that are not currently feeling the pain of inflation, recession, tariffs or fixed-incomes. Rather than a blanket approach to freezing taxes, I think it would be a much better idea to discuss an option to apply for an exemption from increases, or move certain services to a "pay per use" model whereby only those receiving the services are actually charged. This of course would also be costly for the municipality to organize and enforce and could create other imbalances or confusion. But it's a great question and one I think we could look at in the next term of council. Thank you for asking.

The cost of the Collingwood pipeline and pump system added a noticeable cost increase to municipal water and sewage users.

Hi there! Thanks for the question. Out of 15 comparable municipalities 15th being the lowest rate and 1st being the highest rate New Tecumseth is number 10. I have a chart I can share with you (this forum wont allow me to attach a pic) send an email to [email protected] and I can share that chart with you! Unfortunately for a very long time New Tec water rates were based off the cost of producing the water - seems no one took into account that over the years this major assest needs fixing, upgrading and regular maintenance. Asset management should always be factored into the cost of service delivery.

Thanks for the question. I believe our bills are completely based on what you use. There are no hidden costs.

There isn’t one simple reason our water and wastewater bills are where they are, and there isn’t one simple solution to lowering them.

New Tecumseth has significant infrastructure costs, including aging water and wastewater systems and the cost of securing enough water capacity for our growing community.

I also think it’s important to recognize that the current Council has successfully advocated for outside funding. Earlier this year, the Province committed up to $12.5 million toward rehabilitation of the Alliston Wastewater Treatment Plant, which helps reduce the amount that ultimately has to be funded locally.

We need to keep doing that. We also need to ensure growth pays its appropriate share through development charges, continually review operating and capital costs, and look for every opportunity to reduce pressure on existing ratepayers.

I don’t think it would be responsible for me to promise that I can simply lower everyone’s water bill. What I can promise is that I will question increases, understand what’s driving them, support every reasonable opportunity for outside funding, and make affordability part of every decision.

massive infrastructure demands, long-term external water purchasing

My perspective on other municipalities is limited. While I have no numbers to compare with other towns, I do share in the dissatisfaction with the costs. This is on my list of items needing to be examined.

Water and wastewater aren't profit centres for the Town. We operate on a cost-recovery basis, meaning what residents pay goes toward delivering these services, maintaining our systems and planning for future repairs and upgrades.

Every municipality is a little different when it comes to how they get their water and what it costs to treat and deliver it. Here in New Tecumseth, we rely on a combination of wells and water brought in through a 57-kilometre pipeline from Collingwood. We also have three wastewater treatment plants to operate and maintain. None of that is inexpensive, especially when you factor in provincial regulations, testing, treatment and the people needed to keep everything running safely.

Something worth pointing out is that, before the recent rate increases, New Tecumseth actually had some of the lowest water and wastewater rates in Simcoe County and among comparable municipalities. Even with the increases, we're moving closer to the middle of the pack.

We also have a projected $141 million shortfall in funding for water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 10 years. That's a significant amount of money, and it's one of the reasons we need to build our reserves and plan ahead instead of waiting until something breaks and being faced with a much larger expense.

I know nobody likes seeing their utility bills go up. I don't either. But we also can't afford to fall behind on maintaining the infrastructure we all rely on every day. We've seen what happens in communities where corners get cut and that cannot happen here in New Tec.

I had previously answered the similar question above, however, in short the LinX Bus is controlled and operated by the County of Simcoe. New Tecumseth can (and has) made its desire for expanded bus routes and services (especially to and through Tottenham) known, but that need has gone unmet for the time being. With that said, and as the Town grows, transit and connectivity of all kinds will be front and centre for the next sitting of Council I'm sure. Thank you for the question.

Linx transit (spelled incorrectly as Lynx in another post) has announced that an expansion in the works, and Tottenham is on the list. Odd as when I was researching the system and comparing it to the Quinte West system operating in the Brighton area, I was told that Tottenham expansion was not in the works. That was in June 2026 so something has obviously changed. Good addition though and the Honda bus is an obvious addition which will assist our local workforce.

Absolutely. I've maintained for the past three years that if we are making deals with the province in terms of growth we should be looking at establishing a GO connection in Tottenham. If that were to happen we would have even more reason to connect Alliston and Beeton via transit options.

I'm also keeping an eye on the Argo transit system in Bradford and the Uber system they're using in Innisfil.

Yes, I support better transit connections between Tottenham, Beeton and Alliston.

LINX is a County service, so my first step would be advocating at the County level for better connections and making sure New Tecumseth gets its fair share as the system expands.

I also don’t think the answer is simply putting more buses on the road. Ridership should be reviewed regularly and service increased as demand and our population grow.

Where I think New Tecumseth could do more is looking at an affordable on-demand service that gets residents from areas without service to existing LINX stops. That could be a smaller vehicle or short booked ride rather than creating another full transit system at the Town’s expense.

Connect the three communities, build the service as demand grows, and don’t have taxpayers paying twice for something the County already provides.

I do support but not the 5% property tax increase. We would need to find other ways to fund such as advocating for such as the rural transit solution fund, provincial gas tax subsidies or maybe Honda could help as to ensure workers are at their ready.

Absolutely. Better connectivity with accessibility for everyone. Transit that can get Seniors to appointments, youth to resources and local services. We can all benefit.

Understanding that for some people it's not what they want because they like things to stay as they are. Change happens so let's plan the changes that work for us today and our children tomorrow.

Linx bus is what we have now, I need more details on the ridership and costs to know if it is a good solution or if something else might work better.

With respect to the environment, we should do whatever we can whenever we can, within our means. The solutions should always be results based and financially responsible. I would like to see town facilities transitioning older town buildings with energy-efficient lighting, and smart energy management systems to cut carbon emissions. Another idea I would like to see gather momentum is the town moving to take steps to preserve more of our precious farmland and protect the local rivers and streams from commercial and urban runoff. Lastly, I would also advocate for the town to partner with the county to expand the public organic/recycling methodology as well as planting more trees.

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.

Carbon neutrality is a difficult topic in that we have to balance that against job losses, etc. Industries have to comply with carbon regulations and any new industry will have to do the same.

Can we add more chargers to public spaces? That may help, but not if EV are out of reach of many would be buyers.

From a vehicle perspective, more affordable EV will have a positive impact. Expansion of transit between our communities may also help reduce the number of gas vehicles.

I am not certain I have specific measures and prefer not to throw a wide net over ambiguous solutions.

An easy way to lower our carbon footprint is to make it safer to walk or ride a bicycle. Having useful public transportation will go a long way to cutting emissions.

Protecting waterways and establishing more outdoor recreation opportunities can contribute to long-term well-being and environmental respect.

Over the next four years I'd push for practical steps: keep development gentle instead of tall towers, protect our water and power supply by saying no to projects we can't support like data centres, and make traffic lights respond to actual traffic so cars aren't sitting idle at empty intersections. I'd also push for a real transit system connecting our towns — fewer cars on the road means less traffic and cleaner air, and it helps people get to work without needing a car.

First, New Tecunseth can target heating emissions by enacting stricter Green Building Standards for new developments and retrofitting existing structures. Also implementing a Clean Energy Improvement plan allows property owners to fund energy-efficiency upgrades such as high-efficiency heat pumps and solar panels through low-interest loans tied directly to their property tax bills.

Second, New Tecumseth should transition its corporate and transit fleets away from fossil fuels. Electrifying municipal vehicles, while installing a network of public EV charging stations.

Third, reducing landfill waste is critical to stopping methane emissions. Expanding green bin organic collection and upgrading local landfills with methane gas capture systems can turn harmful emissions into usable green energy.

Finally, New Tecumseth must protect and expand their natural infrastructure. By leveraging funding from sources like the FCM Green Municipal Fund, we can expand our urban tree canopies which we have successfully started to do after being successful in getting a FCM grant. We should pass zoning laws that permanently safeguard wetlands and forests.

By combining green building regulations, fleet electrification, waste diversion, and natural asset management, I believe New Tecumseth can successfully pave a realistic, self-sustaining path to net zero emissions.

Thank you for your question.

I would love to see more solar panels on our buildings for one. I'd also love to see a recycling program that works and lets go a step further and put into our town permits that you must use recyclable materials in your events. Also continue the rain barrel program and investigate other similar opportunities.

For me, environmental sustainability is about practical choices that make sense for our community and our taxpayers.

Over the next four years, I’d like to see more trees planted, our mature trees and green spaces protected, and new neighbourhoods designed with better walking and cycling connections.

I’d also like the Town to continue looking for ways to reduce energy use and waste in our buildings, vehicles and day-to-day operations. I’m a big believer in supporting local, recycling, reusing and refurbishing whenever we can.

We can keep moving toward our environmental goals without making life more expensive for residents. I think there are many common-sense changes that are good for both the environment and the taxpayer.

We have to take a practical approach towards being carbon neutral. I don’t believe we should be spending tax payers money just to reach a target.

If there are environmental initiatives to help the tax payers save money, then I will support it. But I am not going to support expensive projects simply because it checks a box.

As I am not a Tottenham Councillor I will refrain from answering fully, other than to say as the Vice Chair of the Traffic Advisory Committee and a strong advocate for traffic safety initiatives in all of New Tecumseth, I support our Engineering Dept. and their ongoing efforts to increase road safety, as well as any members of Council who put forward a members' motion looking for support on specific ideas related to road hazard improvements.

There is nothing that I can claim to have done for Tottenham. What kind of solutions are you looking for? How would you like me to help?

I'll be straight with you — I'm not on council, so I haven't voted on anything for Tottenham. But the concern behind the question is real: new builds put more cars on the town lines, and winter makes it worse. If elected, I'd push for development to pay for the road upgrades it creates — growth should pay for growth. That means proper winter maintenance on the town lines, traffic measures where the new traffic actually goes, and no more approving builds without the road work to handle them.

As with every part of New Tecumseth I make every attempt to reach out to the ward councillor for any additional clarification needed on projects in their area. There have been several down in Tottenham these past 4 years. The paving of the main street is a giant improvement in my opinion. The upgrading of the infrastructure surrounding Tottenham Public is also a great addition. I believe that there is a bypass being planned for Tottenham in one of the upcoming developments. I would hope this would alleviate some of our traffic concerns.

I'm not sure why I have been linked to this question. I'm not an incumbent.

What I will say is I too have concerns about our roads and the winter maintenance and when setting my priorities should I be selected I will work together get answers and support the necessities and safety of our roads.

I understand the frustration around how long this project has taken. Our community needs a new high school, and I have supported moving the project forward.

In December 2024, I voted yes to advance the Banting Homestead site. I had also supported the July 2024 decision to approve the relocation to the Homestead lands in principle.

With respect to the 2023 closed-session decision, I have to be careful about discussing matters that were considered in closed session. Those confidentiality requirements don't disappear because an election is underway. What I can say is that Council had legitimate responsibilities as the owner and steward of the Banting Homestead lands, and I believe it was appropriate to understand the implications of transferring a significant portion of that property before making a final decision.

I also don't think it's accurate to suggest that nothing changed during that time. The agreement that ultimately emerged is a land exchange: about 25 acres of the Banting Homestead for the existing Banting Memorial High School property and G.A. Wright Athletic Field, with no money changing hands. That gives the Town ownership of two significant properties in established areas of Alliston while providing the School Board with the land it needs for the replacement school.

Could the process have moved faster? Yes. I think everyone involved would have preferred that. But once the information was there for me to support moving forward, I did. At this point, however, I am much less interested in revisiting the debate than I am in getting the school built.

The land agreement has been reached and the project is moving into design and municipal approvals. I want the Town to treat those approvals as a priority, maintain regular communication with the School Board, identify and resolve issues as early as possible, and make sure municipal requirements don't create unnecessary delays.

I also supported having Council involved in reviewing the site plan as it moves through the process to ensure issues such as traffic, pedestrian safety, access, trees and the relationship between the school and the Homestead are addressed while there is still an opportunity to address them.

I was not on council.

The delay increases costs. Delays may be beneficial if needed to mitigate a plan which does not meet growth expectations, environmental concerns, financial issues, but if so, alteration must be done to the plan to efficiently lessen the negative financial impacts, and impact to the community through non-decision.

I would like to re-examine the plan, questioning why 25 acres is needed for a high school and associated support features (fields, parking, etc.).

Additionally, the main historic component that should be protected is the Banting home, outbuildings and associated structures, along with a reasonable parcel of land.

Traffic will always be an issue, regardless of where the school is built due to the expected increase in the general population. Removing the high school from the core will increase vehicular traffic. Much of this can be mitigated with the implementation of walking/cycling corridors to the school area.

If the current structure cannot be reimagined/renewed, and all of this during the off season, which is essentially impossible, a new construction is the only reasonable consideration. Further delays will increase costs.

Banting High School deserves better. Our children deserve better.

The record of how the votes were cast doesn't give me enough context to judge the choices made by the councilors.

The two year delay mentioned is being rather generous. Planning and growth projections make me think we are much further behind.

What is the vision for 10 years or 20 years from now? All the elementary schools are over capacity with portable classrooms becoming part of the landscape.

The new Tottenham Elementary School will have a capacity of 426 students. The leading is lagging the reality.

I wasn't on council when these decisions were made, but I would have voted to start building the school at the Banting site. The funding has been available since 2021 while construction costs keep climbing, and I don't see what the community gained from the delay — our kids are still waiting. If elected, I'll vote to push this project forward and use every tool council has to get it moving: prioritize the town's approvals, keep the pressure on the school board, and make sure nothing on our side holds it back. We've waited far too long.

The school board delayed the project, not council. They came to council with one option for a site to build the school and wouldn't share why no other spot in the entire municipality was an appropriate spot to put a school. They already knew that the Banting Homestead was not the preferred site for some of council as it was gifted to the town as a memorial to Banting. The school board was not co-operative or transparent in their process. That being said, a deal was struck months ago and yet nothing has been done on the site. The responsibility for moving the project forward at this point sits squarely in the lap of the school board and does not rest with council.

Sorry, I cannot participate in this question. I'm an employee of the school board.

I had previously answered a similar question twice. My answers are above. Thank you for the important question and please reach out for any further clarification.

This is an important issue, but there are a number of issues in there. Homelessness isn't always connected to drugs and vice versa. The homeless issue is becoming worse as the cost of living increases, made worse when jobs are shed due to restructuring, trade issues, etc. The cost of construction, even before the slowdown, increased beyond the reach of many would-be buyers, and even renters as costlier builds require higher rents to compensate for the building costs.

It may be time to reconsider different forms of home ownership, different modes of construction which will allow for homes to be built more quickly and for less cost, without sacrificing quality or safety. Those will be more accessible for buyers or renters.

Drug use, I have no expertise in, as this issue often involves other emotional or development concerns, and I believe we have to seek advice from professionals on this problem.

But there is a problem here; an individual can't be forced to accept addiction treatment, nor can our medical system continue to absorb the increasing costs of hospitalization for those who continue to use hospital services due to their drug use.

Further, the casual acceptance of drug use is likely a factor in the increasing numbers of individuals finding themselves addicted. How do we prevent this? There will be many, many opinions, but it starts at home for most. In some cases, difficult domestic situations make situations even worse for those who are marginalized. Many issues to address.

Once we figure out why our number is increasing we can perhaps curtail that and work with the county to come up with a plan. Part of this plan would be looking at other communities that have had success and seeing if we can apply that to our situation. I'm part of a committee that meets every two months. This is front of mind. By listening to the experts, comparing our situation with other communities, and being willilng to take action, we will hopefully come up with a solution for all.

This is an issue I am still learning about, so I don’t want to pretend I have all the answers or promise a program before I understand exactly what is already being done and who is responsible for what.

What I can tell you is where I stand.

First, I don’t believe homelessness and drug addiction are the same issue. People can find themselves homeless for many reasons: the cost of housing, loss of income, family circumstances, mental health, disability or simply having nowhere affordable to go. Addiction is part of the picture for some people, but certainly not everyone.

For someone who is homeless, I want us focused on getting them into appropriate, permanent housing and helping them regain stability.

Where addiction is involved, I believe we need a much clearer path to treatment and recovery. I understand the public-health reasoning behind providing clean drug-use equipment, but I struggle with a system that can provide someone with the equipment to continue using drugs when we still can’t provide them with a clear and timely path into treatment when they’re ready for it.

I also don’t believe allowing homelessness, open drug use and the problems that can come with it to become entrenched in our downtown is compassionate to anyone. It isn’t fair to the person struggling, and it isn’t fair to residents, businesses and employees who deserve to feel safe in their community.

As a Town councillor, I wouldn’t control most of these services. My role would be advocacy. I would be asking the County, Province, health services and the agencies involved some very direct questions.

Where are the treatment beds? Where is our supportive and transitional housing? What happened to the rapid-rehousing program announced for Alliston? How many people are we actually moving from homelessness into permanent housing? And if what we’re doing isn’t getting people off the street, what needs to change?

I have compassion for people who are struggling. But I also believe we can expect better results.

Helping someone shouldn’t mean accepting that living on the street is the best future we can offer them. And caring about those individuals and caring about the safety of our downtown can absolutely happen at the same time.

This problem also seems to be getting worse. I'll address the drug side with our police force and look into what resources are available for the homeless situation.

This is an urgent concern. I am working on being better informed so I do not have a plan at the moment.

I had previously answered a similar question above, but in response I want to assure you I am aware of the issues. I am hearing about this regularly from residents, and I see some of these issues myself.

We need to separate homelessness from criminal behaviour, because they aren't the same thing. But theft, property damage, open drug use and discarded needles cannot simply become something residents are expected to accept.

I would like to see greater police presence in areas where problems are recurring, better education about using the OPP non-emergency reporting line, and a clear process for quickly reporting and safely removing discarded needles.

At the same time, we need to work more closely with the County and agencies like S.H.I.F.T. to address the reasons people are living on our streets in the first place — housing, addiction, mental health and poverty.

We can have compassion for people who are struggling while still expecting our parks, neighbourhoods and properties to be safe.

This is an important and increasing problem for many communities. A similar question was posted. My response to that one is here:

"This is an important issue, but there are a number of issues in there. Homelessness isn't always connected to drugs and vice versa. The homeless issue is becoming worse as the cost of living increases, made worse when jobs are shed due to restructuring, trade issues, etc. The cost of construction, even before the slowdown, increased beyond the reach of many would-be buyers, and even renters as costlier builds require higher rents to compensate for the building costs.

It may be time to reconsider different forms of home ownership, different modes of construction which will allow for homes to be built more quickly and for less cost, without sacrificing quality or safety. Those will be more accessible for buyers or renters.

Drug use, I have no expertise in, as this issue often involves other emotional or development concerns, and I believe we have to seek advice from professionals on this problem.

But there is a problem here; an individual can't be forced to accept addiction treatment, nor can our medical system continue to absorb the increasing costs of hospitalization for those who continue to use hospital services due to their drug use.

Further, the casual acceptance of drug use is likely a factor in the increasing numbers of individuals finding themselves addicted. How do we prevent this? There will be many, many opinions, but it starts at home for most. In some cases, difficult domestic situations make situations even worse for those who are marginalized. Many issues to address."

Further to your question, I do believe in harm reduction, in appropriate environments (a Hospital or a Clinic environment attached to a Hospital), but not in stand-alone locations near schools or residential areas. I do also feel that when someone has been convicted of a drug related crime, the option of treatment should not be a choice. Part of the restitution/rehabilitation would be or the individual to accept treatment with the hope that they can get their life in order and be free of the chains of addiction. I expect my opinion will anger some.

I believe I've answered this already.

Yes. We need to do more, and I think we need to be much more proactive.

I share these concerns personally. My grandchildren have encountered discarded needles in our parks. My mother has told me she doesn’t feel as safe downtown anymore. We shouldn’t be finding drug paraphernalia in public places or seeing people injecting drugs on our sidewalks. Residents should not be expected to simply accept that as normal.

I believe in compassion and helping people. Homelessness is not always addiction, and people struggling with homelessness, addiction or mental health need real help. But compassion does not mean ignoring public safety.

I also want to start asking tougher questions. How many people are actually homeless in New Tecumseth? How many are being housed? How many are repeatedly using emergency services? How many complaints are we receiving about needles, theft and property damage? How quickly are discarded needles being removed? What programs are we funding, what are they costing, and most importantly, are they working?

We already have the Town, County, OPP and numerous agencies involved. The Nottawasaga OPP Detachment Board also gives our municipalities a forum to raise local policing priorities and review information from the Detachment Commander.  I want those organizations sharing meaningful local statistics, setting measurable goals and reporting the results back to the public.

And when something isn’t working, we need to be willing to change it rather than continuing with the same approach.

People who need help deserve a path off the street. Residents deserve safe parks, safe streets and a downtown they feel comfortable using. I don’t want to measure success by how many programs we have. I want to measure it by whether the situation in our community is actually getting better.

• Create a very simple needle-response standard. One phone number or reporting method, location logged, rapid pickup, and monthly public reporting of where discarded needles are being found. If particular parks or downtown locations repeatedly show up, deploy cleanup/outreach resources there instead of waiting for residents to keep reporting the same problem.

• Connect people with serious addictions directly to treatment. Simcoe now has a HART Hub system combining addiction treatment, mental-health care, primary care, housing and case management, and an additional 13-bed supportive-housing program is planned.  A practical question for New Tecumseth is: How many of our residents are actually getting into it, and how quickly? A service in Barrie isn’t much of a solution if somebody living on an Alliston sidewalk never gets through the door.

• Separate the populations instead of treating “the homeless” as one problem. Someone who lost an apartment because rent became unaffordable needs a very different intervention from someone with severe addiction or complex mental-health needs. Simcoe’s rapid-rehousing program is specifically designed for lower-risk, situational homelessness, while HART is aimed at people with more complex addiction/mental-health needs.

I agree this issue is increasing and it must be dealt with. I'll be talking with SHIFT to get a better understanding of what resources are available, and we do need a bigger police presence.

Thank you for raising these major concerns. Discarded needles and drug paraphernalia are an urgent problem which we must address. The disposal bins placed around the town are a step in the right direction. As a parent also I agree that we have to protect our children from these harms. Yes I will do something about it.

My understanding is that these are separate issues which often overlap. We can't paint it all with one brush and expect a genuine resolution.

Property damage and theft are unacceptable. Robbing people of thier livelihood and dignity is equally reprehensible.

The drug problem is abhorrent. From a business perspective it makes no sense either. When your customers are unable to pay then in a traditional transaction you cut off the supply. Instead it seems like the supply is plentiful and much more cost effective than food grown locally. So we need to understand that we are dealing with a situation where things are not as straightforward as they seem. Only some of the effects are evident.

Superficial activity can mask the situation for a while. As the people of NewTecumseth and Simcoe County, we'll need to take concrete steps to address the causes as much as we can. The response can't be to go around demolishing encampments without alternate accommodation.

Unhoused people need Dignified Shelter.

Therapy and Mental Health support for many is not available.

Drug dealers ought to be identified and face justice.

Addicts need a sustainable treatment plan and recovery support.

As a developed society we can do better. Let's set aside judgment and work together to find ways to improve all our lives. Trouble doesn't stay put, so the lessons we learn can strengthen our community to be more resilient and responsive to the needs of tomorrow also. Life happens. How can we help them?

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.

Throughout my life, I have been actively involved with numerous political, religious, professional, cultural, charitable, and non-profit organizations. None of these involvements represent a pecuniary (financial) interest, nor did they ever pose a financial conflict of interest. In addition, I currently do not belong to any of the past aforementioned groups or organizations that has any pecuniary interest in the results of my becoming elected ward counsellor.

I am the current president of the Tottenham & Beeton Chamber of Commerce. I have been and will be participating in various committees, the education bursary committee and other area business committees as they become available or are introduced. I try to work closely with the local BIA as well. Of these, none are a pecuniary interest.

I work for the Simcoe County District School Board, I’m a member of Kiwanis, and I run a hockey program called Ice Elements that rents ice from the town. I also have a business that lines soccer fields for SSU.

I have been involved with a number of community organizations over the years, including the Alliston Curling Club, South Simcoe United Community Living Association, South Simcoe and the Alliston & District Chamber of Commerce. My current community memberships include PROBUS and the Royal Canadian Legion.

I do not currently have a financial or pecuniary interest in any of these organizations. If elected, should a matter come before Council where I have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest, I would declare that interest and follow the requirements of Ontario’s Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

None. I have no pecuniary interest in any organization or group, either now or previously.

None.

Council meetings are a formality. If you look closely the patterns indicate that the conversions take place beforehand. Your chosen candidates will need to work together to accomplish anything meaningful. At the same time we do need diverse opinions for meaningful discussions.

The current council seems to be split into two camps, the head of council will need to build bridges if any incumbents are reelected. Head of Council = Mayor will heal or hurt the unity depending on the composition of the new 2026 council.

We all need to examine recurring issues, are we asking the right questions?

I've attended 2 town meetings.

I have attended several meetings in person since i began to consider running for council, and I have watched every meeting on the Town's YouTube channel. This have given me a good understanding of how our current Council operates and how decisions aare made.

A recurring concern I have is the lack of teamwork around the council table. Disageements are important, but somtimes it can appear driven by individual positions or personal agendas. Residents derserve a Council that debates respectfully and keeps the community's best interests at the forefront.