Facebook Group Survey

A local facebook group reached out to ask questions, and I answered despite being blocked from access. I don't want to play games obscuring information from voters. I hope they are posted without being edited.

Roots In Guelph And Knowledge Of The City

How long have you lived in Guelph, and what involvement have you had in the community? How has your experience shaped your understanding of the city’s political, social and economic history?

I moved here on May 2, 2014. I have lived in Guelph for 12 years. After spending five years exploring different neighbourhoods in the city, I chose to purchase a home in the old Ward 2, and since 2019 have been a renter in Ward 2.

Over the past four years, I have grown my connections with the community through service in volunteerism. I helped shape the Housing Affordability Strategy as a founding member of LilyPads - Housing Solutions, “a nonprofit housing initiative focused on developing permanently attainable housing with underutilized land and/or infrastructure”. I was at the initial organising table for Resistance & Resilience Guelph that brought the Charlie Angus - Elbows Up Tour to Guelph. Before filing my nomination papers, I was focused on the creation of The Guelph-Wellington Tenant Union, working to educate, organise, and protect the thirty-five percent of Guelph residents who rent our homes. I have enjoyed joining Grands Against Genocide in weekly vigils, volunteering at Downtown Guelph events, Praise the Ward, Hillside, Guelph & District Multicultural Festival, Rotary RibFest, Hope In The Street, Royal City Mission, and making connections with the community.

Occupation And Relevant Experience

What is your current occupation or employment status, and what previous work experience would help you serve Guelph residents? If elected, will you continue working in your current role, and how will you ensure you have sufficient time for council duties and constituent concerns?

I already attend most of the council meetings, so I won’t have to balance anything. My “day job” is as a part-time cleaner. I live in legislated poverty on ODSP where my part-time income is capped. Ensuring lived experience is represented on City Council, including representation of low-income renters, is one of the primary reasons I’m running. 

Housing Costs And Financial Pressures

Do you rent your primary residence, own it with a mortgage, own it mortgage-free or have another living arrangement? No dollar amounts or address are requested. How does your personal experience relate to the financial pressures residents face, and how would you account for households whose circumstances differ from yours when voting on property taxes, user fees and spending?

I have been a renter in Ward 2 since 2019. Ward 2 has a diverse mix of homeowners and renters; who better to represent these groups than someone who has been both?  I will be a strong advocate for the concerns of all Ward 2 residents.

Political Affiliations And Independence

Municipal representatives should make decisions independently and in the interests of the residents they serve. What political parties, if any, are you currently or have you previously been affiliated with through membership, employment, candidacy, campaign volunteering or other formal roles? Please identify the parties, your involvement and when it occurred. How do those affiliations shape your approach to municipal spending, taxation and services, and how would you respond when a party’s position conflicts with the interests of Guelph residents?

I’ve worked on many campaigns over the years, most recently the Green Party (provincial 2025)  and the NDP (federal 2025). I have great relationships with people and party members across all groups. Municipal leaders are just that; it’s a non-partisan position. I have always held strong to the belief that you must work with all people to achieve a goal that works for everyone regardless of backgrounds, beliefs, religion, or political affiliation. I will make my decision based on community feedback, the legislative framework dictated by the provincial and federal government, and staff’s professional guidance.  I developed the skill of listening to various opinions with an open mind through my commitment to social responsibility. I combine the opinions I have heard with the available facts to make decisions that represent the best possible outcome. I remain open to change when new information becomes available because I believe "changing your mind proves you have one". I have a Guelph-first approach to governance.

Advocacy And Spending Priorities

What causes, advocacy groups or activist organizations have you been involved with, past or present, and in what capacity? How would you balance those commitments with your responsibility to represent all residents? When funding is limited, how would you distinguish essential services and infrastructure from discretionary projects? Give a specific example of something you would fund and something you would defer or decline.

I’ve been very active throughout most non-profits in Guelph, most recently those I mentioned in my first answer. Everyone is welcome to scroll through my social media, or just step out the door to any community event because I’m usually there volunteering. Being an active member of the community and helping others is exactly why I’m running for council. You learn what people need by being involved. I already attend most of the council meetings, so I won’t have to balance anything. Essential services and infrastructure fall into a complicated series of legislated responsibilities, downloaded responsibilities, and ethical responsibilities. The budget process has a lot of factors that can't be reduced to “something you would fund and something you would defer or decline” without details such as upcoming grants, community partnerships, a comprehensive risks and issues matrix, cost to fix vs cost of failure, legal repercussions, community impact, health impacts, and more. I know too much about the job to be comfortable providing a clickbait answer. 

Property Taxes And Affordability

What specific actions would you take within municipal authority to reduce the financial pressures facing Guelph residents? Explain your approach to property taxes, user fees and city spending. Identify which costs you would reduce, which services you would protect and how you would fund your commitments without simply shifting costs to residents through other charges or future tax increases.

Affordability means different things to different people. We are in a bad position with the provincial government imposing growth mandates without sufficient funding. I would advocate for a new financial model from the province, or direct flow-through from the federal government for provincial responsibilities downloaded on us, such as social services, or mandated service levels such as the police. Property taxes are not the correct vehicle to fund these essential groups. 

Council And Mayor Remuneration

Although council may approve pay increases for the following term, those increases also benefit incumbents who are re-elected. Do you support freezing, reducing or increasing mayoral and councillor pay during the next term? Given the property tax burden and affordability pressures facing Guelph residents, what, if anything, would justify an increase?

Council passed a review of the boundaries, part-time and full-time status of councillors, and remuneration to be brought back to council next term. I would have to fully review those details before making a decision. I support full-time council because many of the councillors who voted against the pay increase haven’t been able to attend all the meetings or leave early and miss a lot of votes, but get marked as present for the whole meeting. Changing the expectations on council would justify an increase. I have attended more meetings than some councillors, and I believe that people deserve better representation than that. 

Bike Lanes And Traffic Flow

Do you support removing vehicle lanes to create dedicated bike lanes in Guelph? Explain how you would balance cycling safety, actual cyclist usage, traffic congestion and cost when deciding which projects to support. Would you support modifying or removing existing bike lanes if evidence shows low usage and increased congestion? Explain why or why not.

We already have established policies for our cycling master plan and, in most cases, the construction is tied to infrastructure renewal to be fiscally responsible. Opening approved plans and making changes costs more than sticking to the plan. When we force staff to go off the path, they have to pay contractor groups to do other essential work or have them look over work that has already been done. Removing bike lanes costs more than maintaining them. Accessibility isn’t about the number of users, and bike lanes are also multi-use paths in many areas. Safety for both drivers and cyclists depends on adhering to safety standards. Not following staff guidance can open us up to legal action, costing the city not only money, but lives. I want all people to move about the city in the way that is most comfortable and financially viable for them.

Red Light Cameras And Traffic Calming

Do you support red light cameras, physical traffic calming measures such as speed humps and road redesigns, or a combination of both? Explain where each approach is appropriate and how you would weigh safety benefits, costs, traffic flow and emergency vehicle access. What evidence would guide your decisions?

The traffic calming plan, which I helped inform through my delegation to council, has already been passed by council this term. Making changes to these policies would be a fiscal and staff nightmare. As I’ve said above, constantly re-opening policies that have been made through legislation, community feedback, and established safety or regulatory standards is what costs us money. 

Resident Consultation And Representation

How will you stay engaged with residents throughout your term, beyond election time? Before voting on major decisions, such as significant tax increases, large spending commitments or changes affecting neighbourhoods, how will you seek input from the people you represent? Specify the consultation methods and frequency you would commit to, and explain how you would justify a vote that goes against the feedback you receive.

Hypotheticals without details on justifying “a vote,” such as you get in a staff report, don’t mean anything. Staff have online and in-person engagement processes currently, and those could be improved. An individual approach to feedback only gets one person information. I support an open and transparent engagement that includes listening to the existing committees as well as having regular meet-and-greet times throughout my term, as I have been doing in my campaign, for example, with my weekly Cafe Corners. 

Accountability And Campaign Promises

How will you make it possible for residents to track whether you are delivering on your campaign commitments? If you break a promise, change your position or make a misleading public statement, what steps will you take to explain your decision or correct the record? How will you hold fellow council members to the same standard, and what consequences should apply when elected officials knowingly mislead the public?

This term of council has done a good job in expanding the integrity rules for their behaviour, especially on social media. I feel confident that I will have no problem following the rules. There are established processes and repercussions for those who break them. New information should always inform someone’s opinions. I would use all the information channels available to me to explain my position and talk to residents directly, and in council meetings. It is unfortunate that so much of what is said in council is not covered in our two local valid news sources, and other groups masquerading as news have a tendency to spin, misinform, and twist the truth for engagement, ad money, and personal vendettas.