I am very passionate about the city I call home, and would like to continue to work towards the vision of a city that cares about the environment, about all of its residents, and about a future in which Guelph is seen by others as a place that is worth emulating. There are many issues involved in governing a city. Please click on a topic below to find out how I feel about these issues and what I will do to continue to strive towards this vision.

Council Cooperation
Growth
Waste
Water
Transportation
Downtown
Jobs
Social Justice
Wellbeing
Energy and the Environment
Leadership
Engagement
Accessibility
Responsive Representation

Council Cooperation

The 2010-2014 council has, by and large, worked well together, led by a mayor who firmly believes in consensus-building. We have accomplished much, as you will see if you read through the rest of this website, and we have put in place the means to accomplish much more, if the next council can also work well together.

Councils that work well together GET THINGS DONE! It’s as simple as that. We are not there to provide a form of entertainment or to give the press an easy time; we are there to serve you, the residents of Guelph, and we do that best in an atmosphere of cordiality and consideration for the viewpoints of others.

Growth

I am not a fan of unbridled growth, such as that Guelph has undergone for 20 years or more. However, the province is currently requiring all municipalities to accept a significant number of new residents in the next 20 years. Although Guelph was supposed to prepare for a population of close to 220,000 residents by 2030, we argued that neither our aquifer nor our rivers and streams could cope with a population of that size. In fact, Guelph was the only city in Ontario to successfully argue with the province in favour of a lesser amount of growth, such that our population will now grow to approximately 170,000 residents by 2030.

Guelph’s Growth Management Plan will ensure that we no longer accept urban sprawl as a model of growth, but that intensification will be our model, with improved public transit and nodes of neighbourhoods at appropriate points along transit routes. We will create a community of communities, with smaller house lots, and a variety of housing types, such as stacked townhouses, 3-4 storey apartments, and housing above commercial centres. We are not advocating a high-rise city, just a form of housing and neighbourhood development that is common in European cities. That is not to say that we will not have high-rises; they are an integral part of any growing city, particularly when intensification is the wish of the province. Indeed, it is also the choice of most city residents, when they must decide whether to save our green spaces and our farmlands, or to continue in the mode of urban sprawl, in which developers gobble up all available green-fields, in order to build yet more and more single family homes. That choice is simply unsustainable.

The areas of prime intensification have been defined, as noted above. The older areas of the city, such as the Exhibition Park area in Ward 3, were not designated for intensification, as it would be very difficult to plonk, for example, a high-rise apartment anywhere in this area. However, that is not to say that there will never be any development in this area of the city, as all city neighbourhoods must do their part, however large or small, to accommodate this increase in population. There may be the need for some of the older areas of the city to accommodate perhaps a 4-plex, or an 8-plex in place of a single dwelling on a large lot or two. I don’t believe that those of us who live in the older areas of the city can simply say that we will not contemplate any intensification – that smacks of a “not in my back yard” attitude that I do not share. I am sure we are all willing to do our part to save our farmland and green corridors, even if it does mean incorporating some small apartment lots into older city neighbours.

Waste

Now that the organic waste facility is back in action, we can look forward to the continuation of our reputation as an environmentally-friendly and “green city”. We are also recycling the organic waste from Kitchener, and the money we receive from Kitchener for handling their organic waste will be revenue for our city coffers. Just this year, Council approved a contract with Recyclable Material Marketing (ReMM) and Rizzo Environmental Services to process up to 28,000 additional tonnes of recyclables from Detroit, Michigan at Guelph’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

To process the additional recyclables, the City will operate a second work shift at the MRF and hire up to an additional 36 employees. This shift will run Monday to Friday from 3:30 to 11:30 p.m. in compliance with the facility’s Environmental Compliance Agreement issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

Although our bin collection system was initially met with resistance by some residents (after all, no-one really likes change), following implementation, we heard from many residents who preferred it to any previous system. We are now in the home stretch for the roll-out (pardon the pun) of the bin system to the entire city, although there are still some bugs to work out, such as stopping animals from nibbling on the bins, and introducing the bin system to multi-residential buildings.

Guelph received some very good news recently. We have been recognised for the highest rate of waste diversion in Ontario:

January 22nd, 2014 – Guelph ranks first among top 20 Ontario municipalities for diverting residential waste in 2012

Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) today announced the 20 municipalities in Ontario with the highest residential waste diversion rates in 2012, ranging from 52.00 to 67.72 per cent. The residential waste diversion rate is the percentage of Blue Box and other residential garbage reported to WDO that is kept out of landfill. Taking top spot in the province in 2012 was the City of Guelph with a residential diversion rate of 67.72 per cent. Guelph also came in first overall in 2012 for diverting the highest percentage of residential organic waste at 31.63 per cent of all residential waste in their program. In 2011, Guelph’s residential waste diversion rate was 48.84 per cent. The 19 percent increase over 2012 can be largely attributed to 2012 being the first full year of reporting on Guelph’s reactivated organics program.

“Guelph is a shining example of how significant progress in one waste area can have a huge impact on overall residential waste diversion success,” said Michael Scott, CEO, Waste Diversion Ontario. See table below for actual diversion rates.

Municipality Residential Diversion Rate	% diversion
1. Guelph	67.72
2. Owen Sound	63.09
3. Mono	60.62
4. Meaford	59.73
5. East Luther Grand Valley (township)	58.73
6. Oxford County	58.1
7. Simcoe County	57.65
8. York Region	57.25
9. Orangeville	55.99
10. Grey Highlands	55.99
11. Perth	55.56
12. West Grey	55.54
13. Red Lake	54.05
14. Kingston	53.79
15. Durham Region	53.63
16. Waterloo Region	52.52
17. Halton Region	52.37
18. Deep River	52.29
19. Madawaska Valley (township)	52.02
20. Orillia	52.00

I will continue to be a champion of our entire waste management system, particularly the innovative organics waste facility.

Water

The Ontario building code needs to be re-written for the 21st century, with acceptance, guidance and regulations for alternative water use, such as grey water re-use in all new buildings. Although we appear to have lots of water in Canada, we also have a lot of water being used by business. However, with the completion of the optimization program at our Wastewater Treatment Plant, we received high praise from Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, Gord Miller, in his 2010 Redefining Conservation annual report. The report “highlighted Guelph as an example of what can be done. Guelph’s treated wastewater is very high quality, a result of optimizing its treatment process and investing in staff training and skills development.” By modifying its people practices and processes, the City has achieved dramatic performance improvement. What’s more, it has eliminated the need for approximately $13 million in equipment costs and may offset a $20 million plant expansion. We continue to receive accolades for this forward-thinking initiative, to the point where we have been asked to advise other municipalities on how to implement this system. As a Board Member of the Grand River Conservation Authority, I am aware that the GRCA has allocated funding towards implementing this system throughout the Conservation lands owned by the GRCA, and members of Guelph staff are assisting with this initiative.

On the issue of both water and waste, the Columbia Institute’s new report entitled “Who’s picking up the tab?” details federal and provincial downloading that has forced cities to pay for services previously covered by other levels of government. Exacerbating this problem is the very real issue of climate change and its more common extreme weather events. Thus, funding for both waste water and storm water infrastructure must come from shared federal, provincial and municipal infrastructure initiatives.

If re-elected for another term of council, I will continue to support our strong commitment to conservation, through incentive programs, education and innovative methods of preserving and reusing our grey water and other water sources. I will also continue to lobby other levels of government for shared responsibilities in upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure.

Transportation

As our city accepts more residents, traffic will become busier and more congested. That is why, during this term of council, we passed a transit growth strategy that will serve us well into the 21st century. We have begun the process of integrating local and regional bus service with regional train service, and we opened our new Central Station, in order to facilitate this integration. We have expanded the number of roads with bike lanes and have put in place a bylaw which ensures that every road being resurfaced, and every new neighbourhood road, will have bike lanes, if at all possible. We have declared that Guelph will become known as a bicycle-friendly city.

All of these initiatives will help to move people out of their cars and into more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, thus reducing traffic congestion and increasing productivity. If re-elected, I will continue to press for an expansion of all of these programs.

Downtown

The opening of Market Square during this term of council was a huge success, and it continues in that vein with city residents, and especially their children, enjoying winter skating and summer splash pad fun in the heart of our downtown. We are building on that success with plans to turn the rest of our downtown core into a Central Business District. An increase by 6,000 in the number of residents living downtown, and a target for 1,500 jobs will significantly increase our tax base for the whole city; it is that improved tax base that funds all the services we provide for our residents, and leads to further investment where you tell us it is most needed. Three documents related to the revitalisation of the city centre were presented to council in June: the Proposed Concept for St. George’s Square, the Downtown Streetscape Manual and the Built Form Standards. They include (and I quote)

a central square that is a lively year-round destination—a place that offers a broad range of activities, experiences, and entertainment; connectivity; and anchors downtown Guelph
a road ringing a central square. This is different from a roundabout which is a traffic device intended to move cars. Instead, it will enhance the pedestrian culture

attractive, accessible and safe spaces for all modes of transportation—walking, cycling and vehicular
a more accessible downtown that removes barriers for people with disabilities
more patio space
more parking spaces
better traffic flow
conveniently located bus stops
well-placed commercial loading zones

We are also at the beginning stages of transforming our Baker Street Parking lot into an energised and vital part of a modern downtown, with plans for a much-needed new public library, an extension of Conestoga College, a downtown Y and a significant amount of residential development. This too will bring jobs and people to the downtown core.

All of these proposed existing and proposed innovations will enhance Guelph as a destination city, a place where visitors are drawn to explore. Tourism is a growing industry and a vital part of our future, if we plan for it!

Jobs

We must ensure that there are jobs for all our new residents, and the Hanlon Creek Business Park and York Road Innovation District will help us to ensure that we don’t just become a bedroom community for Toronto.

Before and during the 2008-2010 recession there can be no doubt that we lost jobs in this city, just like every other municipality in Canada, and around the world for that matter. The steps we have taken during this term of council have begun the process of securing a significant improvement in the availability of jobs over the next number of years. It was important to push forward with the Hanlon Creek Business Park and to continue talks with the province regarding the York Roads Innovation District. We needed serviced lands to attract the kind of jobs we wanted. The decision of Wurth Canada to move their head office to the Hanlon Creek Business is a testament to the value of those lands for future job creation. At Wurth’s official opening on September 13^th, the head of the Company, Professor Wurth announced that they expected to have created at least 1,000 jobs in their Guelph headquarters by the year 2020. He and his senior staff also expressed high praise for our Enterprise Department staff for their excellent and very professional interactions with Wurth during the decision-making process and the building of a state-of-the-art facility. They also noted that Guelph’s reputation as an environmental leader and its high quality of life were key draws for the company.

The decision of Canadian Solar to locate in Guelph is another example of a job-rich city, as is Hitachi’s decision to expand here. All, and other examples of job creation, are a testament to council’s firm resolve to attract more jobs to Guelph. The decision by Canadian Solar to locate its first Canadian facility in Guelph was no accident; they are fully aware of our Community Energy Initiative and of the mayor and council’s commitment to “clean and green” jobs. They also knew that we had a large tract of serviced land available. They felt that Guelph was an ideal fit with their goals and objectives, and our objective is to continue to attract jobs of this calibre to Guelph. These decisions by international companies to locate or expand in Guelph are prime examples of the type of jobs we hope to attract – high-paying jobs for the future, so that our university graduates will decide to stay and settle in our great city.

My vision to stimulate the city’s economy, while taking into consideration our fragile environment, is to move ahead with the York Lands Innovation District. This large land mass could house what I will term an all-encompassing incubator for future pressing environmental needs, not just here in Guelph but across the country and possibly around the world. I would like to see this stretch of land be the go-to place for environmental innovation, attracting scientists, entrepreneurs and investment. This would bring many high-end jobs to Guelph and would enhance our reputation as a city that embraces environmentalism. Nothing could be better for our reputation as environmental stewards than a development with environmental stewardship at its very core. As the York Road lands are developed into an innovation district, we shall continue to see prime industries locate or re-locate to our great city.

However, companies are not just looking for tracts of land on which to build their facilities. They want a city that offers housing, a high quality of life, good transportation and amenities and a safe city in with to raise a family, and we offer all of that and more. For example, our ever-improving transit strategy will deliver employees to their jobs faster, and this will improve productivity. Our infrastructure program will ensure that we keep our roads in great shape – again, value for money. We have a thriving Arts and Culture community and facilities, and a sports vision for children of all socio-economic circumstances to be able to participate. The recent announcement by the provincial government that Guelph has been chosen to participate on Ontario’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge program will allow the city to implement community-based programs and activities to promote children’s health. The province will provide $1.1 million in funding, along with training and other resources, over the next four years.

In short, we offer everything companies are seeking; thus, we will continue to attract companies and jobs to Guelph.

Social Justice

The Guelph and Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination has produced a series of excellent fact sheets related to social justice issues and the municipal election. They include Income Inequality, Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Food Insecurity and Health Inequities. They can be viewed here: gwpoverty.ca/index.php/poverty-the-2014-municipal-election-fact-sheets-videos/

These facts sheets include what we know about each issue, what municipalities can do, and innovative ideas to address these issues. For example, one way to address income inequality is to become a “Living Wage Employer” as the City of New Westminster, B.C. has done. This would include a demand that all private companies the city deals with must also have a living wage policy. In BC’s lower mainland, this is $20.10 per hour. An example of an innovative affordable housing and homelessness initiative is Saskatoon’s Affordable Housing Reserve, which provides up to a 10% grant (not a loan) for affordable housing projects. The STOP program in Toronto provides increased access to healthy food in a dignified manner, thus addressing the issue of Food Insecurity, and Kingston offers a Municipal Fee Assistance program to help low-income individuals attend health programs, and get to doctors’ appointments, as a way to address Health Inequities. I support all of these great ideas, and would like to see them, and others, implemented in Guelph.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is not merely a lack of illness, nor is it limited to the state of the human body. The Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative was first introduced in 2012, and it is now called simply “Guelph Wellbeing”. It is about “finding a way to make life better in Guelph; in the end, it will be a plan that answers these questions: what do we want our future to be? And what can we do to improve quality of life?”. Note that the emphasis is on quality of life, not standard of living. We can actually have a lower standard of living while raising our quality of life.

From June 2012 until October 2012 the city sought broad input from city residents, and they received more than 3,000 responses, using a variety of means to elicit responses from as varied a range of Guelph residents as possible. The results of this Community Engagement Process were presented in the Guelph Cummunity Wellness Initiative: Engagement Findings Report. This report was also titled “A conversation about what matters”. The full extend of these findings may be accessed here: http://guelphwellbeing.ca/sites/default/files/media/FINAL%20_February_2013%20%282%29.pdf. From this engagement process, it became quite obvious that Guelphites love their City. This question elicited the greatest number of responses of all the questions on the comment cards, and there was a distinct flavour to the comments about a positive view of the city. Over half of the comments pertained to aspects of community vitality.

Since its initiation, the city has released several reports about Guelph Wellbeing Initiative, or Guelph Wellbeing, as it is now known.. The Food Security Report states that “All Guelph residents will have access to healthy, culturally relevant food in a manner that maintains dignity, so that no one will go hungry”. The full report may be accessed here: http://guelphwellbeing.ca/sites/default/files/images/Food%20security%20report_x-1a.pdf.

The Physical Connectivity report notes that the goal is to allow all citizens “ease of access to moving around the city by cycling, trails, walking, transit, to connect them to services and places”. The report may be accessed here: http://guelphwellbeing.ca/sites/default/files/images/Physical%20Connectivity%20report_x-1a%20%282%29.pdf.

The Social Connectivity Report goal is to ensure that “everyone will have a sense of belonging and inclusion”. This report may be accessed here: http://guelphwellbeing.ca/sites/default/files/images/Social%20Connectivity%20report_x-1a.pdf.

The city, by means of an initiative with the University of Waterloo, has linked city indicators of wellbeing with those of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing:
the environment, community vitality, leisure and culture, healthy populations, education, living standards, democratic engagement and time use. Based on these eight domains of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, and all of the aforementioned reports, the city has identified three key themes of wellbeing that will be the focus of city inputs: food, connectivity and housing. The city will work with our community partners to address these three issues for the coming year or more.

Current members of the Guelph Wellbeing Leadership Group: Acting Chief Jeff deRuyter, Guelph Police Service, Ross Kirkconnell, Executive Director, Guelph Family Health Team and Rita Sethi, Director of Community Health, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, as well as Barbara Powell, General Manager, Community Engagement and Social Services, City of Guelph.

Energy and the Environment

These two issues are, of course, closely linked, but I will begin with the environment, as as I am, and have always been, the only committed environmentalist on council, at a time when the detrimental effects of climate change loom ever larger on the horizon. What does “committed environmentalist” really mean? Most of you know that for me it means eschewing the automobile in favour of bicycling to work year-round, something I still do at the age of 64 with one full knee replacement, due to osteoarthritis, and the other scheduled for replacement next year. I will, however, admit to firing up my Smart car on several occasions this past winter, due to completely obliterated bike lanes/severe weather. It means that I wash my clothes in an energy-efficient front-loading machine and use only eco-friendly products. I also hang out my wash in spring, summer and fall, and have 8 lines of rope in my basement where I hang it in winter. I have never purchased a clothes dryer. It means I do not eat red meat (one of the biggest wastes of resources one could imagine), nor do I drink coffee (another enlarger of one’s environmental footprint). I only run my environmentally-friendly dishwasher when it is full, have a low-flow shower and toilets, and never run water while I am brushing my teeth. All of the energy for my home comes from Bullfrog Power, and I use only eco-friendly cleaning products in my home.

It means that I do not have a PVR (or is it PRV?) system with my TV (do you KNOW how much energy those systems use??), it means that I buy organic/farmers’ market produce and my eggs and chicken from Rowe Farms. It also means that I speak up at council on matters of the environment, even in the face of majority opposition. I am the only councillor who discusses climate change, peak energy, etc. It means that I attend rallies, support local initiatives begun by or with residents (Project Neutral and community gardens as example), and support local, provincial and national environmental initiatives: opposition to cell towers, support for closing coal-fired plants, opposition to Line 9 reversal and the tar sands pipelines, etc. In 2010 I attended an international conference on the global footprint, and when I returned to Guelph, I organised a very successful environmental conference, in conjunction with Transition Guelph and the Council of Canadians. For this conference, I managed to persuade two of the international speakers from the conference I had attended to come to Guelph to speak, and this conference was attended by more that 300 people. I walk the environmental talk every day of my life! I believe I am the only Ward 3 candidate who has even mentioned the issue of climate change, although I believe it is the most important issue of this century.

On the issue of energy, the implementation of the first city-wide district energy network in North America is well on its way in Guelph. Very recently, Danish Ramboll decided to open an office in Guelph. The 11,000 person strong international company based in Denmark will pursue opportunities in the growing market for district energy services in North America, and provide expertise to Envida Community Energy Inc. in support of the City of Guelph’s Community Energy Initiative. The District Energy Strategic Plan will be a city-wide thermal energy network — a kind of central heating and cooling system for the entire city. It will work much the power grid we use for electricity; allowing multiple buildings to connect and share an energy supply from a number of sources. A few of the district energy goals include the following:

– Create a pathway to serve at least 50 per cent of Guelph’s total heating needs
– Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating
– Attract investment partnerships to build Guelph’s district energy network
– Earn financial returns, and keep more energy dollars in the community

To learn more about this innovative and exciting project, visit the city’s website at: http://guelph.ca/2014/04/district-energy-energy-prices-property-taxes/.

Leadership

My record on leadership is quite clear. I have chaired the Social Services and Housing Committee, as well as the Joint County and City Social Services Committee (two terms). For several years, I served on the Management Board of the Onward Willow Better Beginnings Better Futures Committee, although it was not a requirement that a councillor serve on that committee. Prior to becoming a City Councillor, I was the Co-Chair of Guelph 2000, a provincially-funded Green Communities Initiative. From 2000-2005 I was the Chair of FASAT, the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Assistance and Training organisation begun by the late Chris Margetson. I was the Co-founder of the Bicycle Users’ Group of Guelph (BUGG), and, in 1993, I was the recipient of the Bonnie McCallum Environmental Award from OPIRG-Guelph. While serving as a public school trustee, I was the Co-Chair of the Public School Board Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Equity Committee, and of the Environmental Issues Committee. In 1997, I was the recipient of the Ontario Public School Teachers’ Federation (OPSTF) award for support for public education and teachers. I also served as the Co-chair of the Victory Public School Council during a time when my children attended Victory.

I think my leadership role is unquestionable, and the examples I have included do not include some of the leadership I have shown at council, particularly in defence of social justice and environmental issues. For example, I am always the councillor who suggests that an increase in transit fares hurts the neediest members of our community, as does an increase in user fees for activities such as learning to swim, or using the sports fields. I was the only councillor who voted against an increase of $20 million to the already budgeted $14 million cost for the renovation (not a new building!) of the downtown police station, and I suggested that the $20 million, if that kind of money was available, would be better spent addressing some of the causes of crime, such as poverty and mental illness. I have suggested on many occasions that all roads that lead to secondary schools in Guelph should have bike lanes, in order to encourage kids to bike to school. These are just a few examples of my leadership role at council.

Engagement

This encompasses both participatorydecision-making by residents, responding to individual residents’ issues and concerns. A great example of the first (i.e. decision-making) would be the renovation and conversion of the old church at Glasgow and Waterloo, which began with the developer and the residents at loggerheads with one another, and ended, with considerable input from staff and council, with two fine buildings that pleased everyone. A current example is the proposed development on Mont Street. Both Councillor Hofland and I have met with the residents and the developer, and a meeting will take place in November, at which time a mediator, the residents and developer, and Councillor Hofland and I will be present. Guelph has an excellent reputation for public involvement and decision-making, and some of our more recent changes include having residents involved very early in the planning process for any development issue.

On a personal level, I will cite just a few of many examples of someone who “works with residents and gets back to them”. I spent several years helping a Ward 3 resident get a garage converted to basement apartment for her 90-year-old mother, despite many building department obstacles. In the end, after the Committee of Adjustment had rejected her proposal, she and I attended an Ontario Municipal Board hearing, at which I spoke in her favour, and she was successful with her application. In a second and still ongoing case, I have worked for more than a year with couple who have a rather nasty neighbour. In their dealings with city staff, they (and I) felt that the city staff person was biased in favour of the neighbour. I went through appropriate channels to deal with this issue, and also supported the couple at the Committee of Adjustment. In return, I was hauled before the Integrity Commissioner, and forced to apologise on penalty of “this report going very badly for you if you don’t apologise” (words of the integrity commissioner), even though all I had done was to support this couple (no derogatory comments towards staff were uttered, contrary to reporting in the print media). I did apologise, but only to save the city the $4,000 it would have cost for his full report.

Last week, while I was delivering brochures, I found out that the enumeration for the seniors’ residence adjacent to St. Joe’s had occurred too late for these residents to get on the voters’ list. Apparently Craig Chamberlain had been there too and had promised to do something to help, but had never returned. I checked with the clerk, who noted that they would all need to be registered, so I went home, downloaded and printed off 50 copies of the application form, printed out a set of instructions and a list of acceptable verification identifications, and dropped them off for the residents.

Have I missed some phone calls? Yes, I am human just like everyone else, but the only thing people hear about are the misses, they never hear about the hundreds of items of correspondence that have been addressed and followed up by me or June, or sometimes both of us. That is the nature of the public service.

Accessibility

The city has no option here, and rightly so, because the Accessibility for Ontarions with Disabilities Act came into being in 2005, and every municipality in Ontario must make changes in order to follow its requirements. We are ahead of some cities and behind others in the full implementation of these requirements. Certainly, on-line voting is a great first step with regard to voting accessibility, and our Accessibility Advisory Committee is working with staff to implement other aspects of the Act.

Responsive Representation

One of the contenders for Ward 3 defines this as “dynamic leadership that anticipates and responds to change. Effective representation demands a councilor (sic) who is flexible and forward-thinking”. One need only read the Toronto Star article (October 18th) about Guelph to realise just how forward-thinking and flexible this mayor and (majority of) council have been in the past 4-8 years. Here is a short snippet from that article, authored by Don Tapscott, adjunct professor at the Rotman School of management and Chancellor of Trent University:

As Toronto dithers, Guelph sets sights on 21st century
There is a city in Ontario that is well on its way to reimagining the role of local government. And it’s not Toronto. So Toronto mayoral candidates please take note. My vision is achievable. Here is what Guelph is doing in seven key areas I outlined in my original article”. the author goes on to list these areas, and among them are rethinking transportation, creating a sustainable city and transforming social services. I have championed these issues since I was first elected to council in 2000, and I fully supported their implementation, as well as the implementation of the remaining issues mentioned: open government, promoting entrepreneurship to achieve prosperity, turning public safety inside out and reinventing local democracy. That is what dynamic leadership is all about. If re-elected, I will continue to champion these “forward-thinking” initiatives, particularly those related to the “change” I regard as most important, i.e. climate change!

Maggie Laidlaw

Guelph City Councillor, Ward 3

Issues

Council Cooperation

Growth

Waste

Water

Transportation

Downtown

Jobs

Social Justice

Wellbeing

Energy and the Environment

Leadership

Engagement

Accessibility

Responsive Representation

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Council Cooperation

Growth

Waste

Water

Transportation

Downtown

Jobs

Social Justice

Wellbeing

Energy and the Environment

Leadership

Engagement

Accessibility

Responsive Representation

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