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"I believe that Kitchener will become the
most livable City in Canada. With our diverse population,
strong economy and great quality of life, I believe we have all of
the ingredients to make it a reality. Working with all
municipalities in the Region will be key to making this happen."
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"I believe that our downtown has turned
the corner. The reinvestment has now been taken over by the
private sector, which is evident by the number of residential and
commercial starts. We will now begin to see the quantity and
quality of retail increase. We must keep the momentum going."
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"I see the residents of this community
as its greatest strengths. Located in the heart of Canada’s
technology triangle, very close to major Canadian cities and easy
access to United States markets, makes it is also a great place
for Commerce. I am very concerned about the erosion of our
strong industrial base resulting in the loss of jobs. The
solution is to create a new economy in our city by encouraging new
initiatives as we have in the School of Pharmacy and the School of
Social Work located in the core of the city. Diversification
of our local economy will continue to make us strong. I
believe our greatest challenge will be to hold on to the
manufacturing jobs that remain in this community. We have to
continue initiating dialogue with owners and be aware of their
changing needs."
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"I support engaging the public to
discuss the increase of the size of City Council.
Personally, I support increasing the size of council. When
the suggestion to expand the current Council was made this year it
was too late to hold public meetings, have good public discussion
and then have the Provincial Government approve it. I was
disappointed when the Harris Government forced Kitchener Council
to be reduced to 6 Council members. If this position is to
stay a part time one, then more members are warranted as this City
continues to grow."
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"I believe it is imperative that the
city play a lead role in long-term community investment.
Working hand in hand with the Chamber of Commerce and other high
tech organizations will enable us to continue to be ahead of the
curve when new companies are looking to relocate here. Also,
a good example of long term planning is bringing the two
universities into our downtown. I also believe keeping the
tax rate at or below the rate of inflation is imperative to
attract investment; Council has achieved this goal for the last 10
years."
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"As a small business owner myself, I
can tell you property taxes are the biggest expense in the break
down of lease payments. Creating the Small Business Centre
at City Hall has helped hundreds of potential entrepreneurs in
assisting those starting new businesses. Keeping the tax
rate at or below the rate of inflation is something that business
need. Kitchener has had a strong history of being able to
accommodate growth of business in our community by having land
available for expanding companies. A good example is Huron
Business Park. As this type of land starts to dwindle, we need to
be able to think outside the box to meet this increasing demand."
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"Creating and preserving our urban
forests and open spaces are an absolute must. Encouraging
through education and example better ways to ensure good
environmental stewardship of what we have. Continue to find
creative ways to conserve energy as well as educate taxpayers so
they may benefit as well. We are currently bringing “on
stream” two new major parks in Kitchener. Huron Natural Area,
located in the Huron Business Park and McClellan Park located on
Ottawa St. S., the former land fill site. These two parks
will significantly increase the amount of passive and recreational
park space. Kitchener has recently signed a Pedestrian
Charter and I believe we need to continue our aggressive approach
for community trails throughout our City."
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"This city is very rich is arts and
culture already. City Council, through Culture Plan has
helped bring arts organizations and like minded people together to
create a document and game plan that will continue to keep
Kitchener the leader in arts and culture in the Region.
Through Culture Plan II, City Council should continue to fund and
nurture the many recommendations that are in the document. I am a
strong supporter of the Centre in the Square and will continue to
be. It is very important to continue to recognize and
protect significant heritage buildings in our community. I
was a member of Kitchener Housing, when we purchased Victoria
Public School from the Public School board and I was actively
involved in renovating and preserving that magnificent building.
Other great projects have been the restoration of St. Jerome’s
into the School of Social work, Kaufman Lofts and the Arrow lofts.
This kind of adaptive reuse of our older buildings is key in
revitalizing a community."
