Focused on a dynamic, resilient and beautiful Orillia

I didn’t grow up wanting to be a Councillor or really involved with politics at all. I got asked this recently and it made me think. I moved to Cumberland Beach last year with my fiancé and my two step daughters. She’s from there and the girls go to school/daycare out there so it made sense. People have asked me why I don’t run in Severn and a few people suggested I run in a different Ward with less competition. The answer is simple for me. I am not doing this to be a Councillor. I am doing this because I love this City and I want to continue to see it succeed. My heart is in Ward 4, my business is here, I’ve lived on Scott Street and the Matchedash lofts and I likely spend more time working down here than I do sleeping in Severn. I care about Orillia and I want to continue to contribute to its success. Orillia is a special place where the more you put into it, the more you get out of it and I’m proud that you’ve read this far to consider electing me to Council.

I will promise you that I will be a good steward of your tax dollars and I will find ways to increase the City’s efficiency with your hard earned money. I plan on hitting the ground running with quick, low hanging fruit like why does the Leacock Museum not host weddings anymore? That is an easy way to generate revenue and help offset the costs to the City of running the museum. I believe that we need more dynamic ideas around our public assets. We have incredible publicly owned assets that in my mind are under utilized. I have every intention of applying my hospitality and entrepreneurial mindset to making the most of what we have. During the remainder of my term I want to tackle larger projects and how to continue to maximize the community benefit from every dollar our City spends.

This is something I have routinely dealt with during my time as Chair of the BIA. We operate a sidewalk plow to supplement our members’ efforts. The need for a plow arose as the City’s existing plows don’t fit on the Downtown sidewalks. The City’s current by-law also states that snow removal is the responsibility of the business/building owner. By working with the City we have been able to provide daily service throughout the winter. I would apply the lessons I’ve learned from the BIA to find efficiencies in our City’s deployment. Last winter was obvious proof that the current standards aren’t good enough. Abiding by the government standards is nice but ultimately getting people to work safely and on time or helping our citizens walk around the City is more important than leaning on existing regulations. We need to be better in the winter.

This question is particularly close to my heart. Having operated a business at night in Downtown for the past 4 years and having lost my first location to arson, I am particularly invested. I feel it is best to understand the scope of municipal politics. There are tangible things that can be accomplished by Council and there are larger systemic issues that are going to take a concerted effort from our provincial and federal partners. On the homelessness front I have seen the success of projects like the Elizabeth Fry rapid rehousing project on West. I have seen people that were previously homeless and always downtown go in to those units and come out fundamentally different people. Just having access to a shower, a safe place for your belongings and a mailbox has an immediate impact. What I have learned from this project and others like it is that we need to start reversing the tide on homelessness. We need people moving into secure housing and employment and we need to stop the ongoing slide into homelessness. Too many of our citizens are living on the brink of homelessness and not enough are moving into stability. This includes a new, rapidly growing sector of the homeless population; senior citizens.

I will staunchly defend our Downtown. It isn’t perfect but it is significantly better than most communities around us. The OPP’s CMU has worked closely with the BIA to address safety concerns related to repeat offenders. There are things to work on but collectively our Downtown is a beautiful place with a growing number of thriving small businesses. Those businesses employ a large number of citizens and the majority of our businesses are owner-operated. I believe that investing and supporting our Downtown assists in its survival but also helps build a resilient economy.

I strongly believe that this is the crux of municipal politics. It’s the least flashy but most important to the daily lives of our constituents. First priority is to make sure we have access to fresh water and our waste water services have the support and investment they need. To speak on roads and sidewalks, this is a forever ongoing project. We need to stay vigilant in our maintenance as this is what gets you to work, the grocery store or the hospital. Roads and sidewalks are paramount to a functional society.

Addiction is unfortunately another issue that hits close to home. I recently lost a close friend to Fentanyl addiction. He was not homeless, he came from a good family and it did not take long for his addiction to consume his life. Addiction and mental health are massively complex and scary issues. Most complaints that are received from the public about downtown are related to mental health. When someone is going through a mental health episode it can be scary, alarming and dangerous. It’s critical to have the proper supports in place and be able to access qualified help quickly. During my time at the BIA we have worked closely with the Lighthouse’s community outreach team and have advocated for them. Their ability to assist in a mental health situation is incredibly valuable. The police are great for dealing with crime but when the matter falls outside of a crime, the Lighthouse Team has been massively beneficial. As Councillor I would expand the Lighthouse’s Outreach team and continue to invest in tools that make them more effective at their jobs. I feel that they could fill the hole One Community Solutions has left more effectively and efficiently.

Our Arts community is incredibly important both on a quality of life front but also an economic one. We have a wealth of talented musicians and artists living and investing in our community. The south ward is full of artists that have created beautiful spaces out of burned down houses or empty commercial spaces. Their love and commitment to our City is helping to revitalize and preserve Orillia’s unique charm. We need to celebrate and invest in our Arts. I’m not advocating for a blank cheque to every asset we have but we need a renewed commitment and also creativity. Our Opera House should be packed as many nights a week as possible. OMAH could look at hosting more events and I’ve already spoken about the Stephen Leacock property.

A constant conversation is the attraction of Doctors to our area. The success and preservation of our cultural assets is paramount to the success of attracting people to move and live here.

Having grown up in Toronto I have seen countless City assets sold to private interests. The end result was always the same, it either was torn down for condos or the prices increased and the quality diminished until it was torn down for condos.

I own and operate a small business. I employ several people, primarily young adults (I own a restaurant). Nearly every young adult that has worked for me still lived at home. I have always seen this a red flag for the future of our community. This issue is something I routinely think about.

I don’t believe in waiting for a white knight to roll into town and employ everyone as that hasn’t happened and I’ve seen the pros and cons of that throughout my life. I have spent a lot of time living on Vancouver Island where boom and bust can be physically seen throughout the island.

I believe that we need to invest in the businesses that have found success and are growing here. We need to continue to build a diverse and resilient business community.

There is also a massive opportunity to support our trades. The general contractors and trade companies of this area employ a lot of young adults and provide good incomes. We need to help them train and advance their employees, the more red seal tradespeople we have in Orillia, the better off we’ll all be.

Lastly, the expansion of Lakehead University and a new Hospital will have immeasurable impacts on our local economy. Both places offer good jobs but Lakehead will also help move forward working class into more advanced and in demand careers.