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The days are counting down to Election Day, where the makeup of city council over the next four years hangs in the balance.
With a third of sitting councillors not putting their names forward this time around, there is guaranteed to be at least four new faces — including one in Ward 1 with the retirement of Coun. Bob Bell — sitting around the horseshoe at city hall when the new council is officially sworn in next month.
The campaign trail has seen a number of events where hopeful council candidates have laid out what they think Guelph can and should be. Below follows a look at some of what the candidates (listed in alphabetical order) for Ward 1 said during three of several such events: the Guelph Chamber of Commerce’s online debate, the 10C and SDG Cities’ multi-ward forums, and the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice’s online Q&A.
Attendance numbers are for only the forums and debates cited, not for all election related events.
Election Day is Oct. 24, with polls open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
MICHELLE BOWMAN
Events attended: 3/3
MICHELLE BOWMAN
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “I think front and centre is affordability. Everything has gone up except wages, especially housing. A lot of people on my street have had to move out of Guelph, which is really heartbreaking. Not by choice, just because they can’t afford to live here. And they’re still fortunate compared to the people that can’t find homes, especially students moving into the city (who) can’t find places to live.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “I think our mandate to grow is the wrong metric. We should really be centring the wellness of people and the wellness of environment and let growth kind of fall as it may. But we have been mandated to do it, so definitely density is the way to go, and the city has made some progress by modifying the zoning laws. So, there’ll be more room for backyard houses, laneway houses, things like that.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “I think that there’s a huge opportunity. Usually we’re working with existing infrastructure, so it’s really a clean slate to incorporate everything that’s great about it: small town feel, walkability, a community with large city amenities. Also, people mention it’s a huge opportunity to show leadership in what a green community can look like with respect to building, with respect to jobs, with respect to preserving the green space that’s already there.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “I’ve heard a lot at the doors about efficient routes — so if someone just wants to go somewhere else in Ward 1, they have to go downtown first. So just mapping those out, creating more efficient routes around the city. I think (intercity) connections are integral also. A lot of people can’t get to work, some people don’t work in Guelph, so things like transit to Owen Sound has worked really well and on demand within the county. So, if we can have some more intercity city transit, not just to Toronto or Kitchener, then that might help.”
ERIN CATON
Events attended: 3/3
ERIN CATON
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “I think that one of the things that I’ve been hearing in the ward a lot is that there’s nothing to do in the ward. We’ve been left behind, it seems, for a long time in terms of commercial spaces and walkability. We always talk about a walkable city in Guelph, but Ward 1 doesn’t really have very much to walk to. As soon as you get to the edges, like where I live, then we have a lack of services, transportation, there’s no groceries, and these are very big issues for a lot of people in the city.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “The (Clair)-Maltby development that’s coming up, and that’s expanding outwards instead of moving on the infill (development), and that’s going to cost us more in property taxes because there’s no utility hookups. So, when we do actually do our density within the existing city boundaries, then we’re going to be saving ourselves a lot of money, we’re going be able to grow more sustainably and we’re going to be able to be more environmentally sensitive at the same time.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “This is where I think it has great possibilities for an open-air market, sort of like the Portobello Market in London (England) or the Aberfoyle Market. And we could have a COVID safe, very large space for people and startups to have food businesses, maker businesses and we could even rent it out for events and that could eventually bring revenue for the city.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “I think that if we absorb high school students and potentially Grades 7 and 8 … then we would increase our ridership and the province ends up paying more for us, the more riders we have. It’s kind of like a chicken and egg situation, you need to have a good transit system for people to want to ride it, but you need to have money to put into the transit system.”
DAN GIBSON
Events attended: 1/3
DAN GIBSON
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “What I’m hearing door-to-door is that we want safe neighbourhoods, affordability is an issue, and we want a council that’s not going to be adding on to the inflation crisis.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “We do have two large greenfield development sections left in our city: the Guelph Innovation District, as well as the … (Clair)-Maltby development. Those are key to achieving our growth targets, and I should point out that our growth targets are linked to many provincial funding mechanisms, so it’s important that we meet them.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “I’ve advocated for this a little bit behind closed doors, but I think aging in place and seniors care facilities, whether it be provincial or a private facility, much like the (Village by the) Arboretum, is really a great fit for that location. It satisfies employment as well as all the services that go along with aging in place. You can have your living units, assisted living units, but then also have all of your commercial services that are required to support our senior population.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “In my view, we need to be focusing on our intensification corridors. Gordon Street is a classic example. We get a vast majority of our ridership coming through Gordon Street. Making investments in terms of a transit-only demand lane up the middle of the road is something that I think is in our future. Focusing on where the highest demand is will drive that modal share, and then using things, innovative things like on-demand service for those lesser used areas for ridership.”
THAI MAC
Events attended: 1/3
THAI MAC
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “Traffic and road safety, things like snow removal budgets, how a lot of residents feel that people in Ward 1 have been mostly neglected compared to other parts, especially the south end. They want to feel that we’re getting more value for our tax dollars and also affordability — a lot of people on council have consistently voted for items that end up costing us more. I want to be able to bring them a safe and affordable community.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “We have to keep a balance of growing up and out to be able to meet this mandate, all the while keeping the Guelph DNA that everyone has grown to know and love about our Guelph. We certainly wouldn’t want to see big, giant high rises like in Kitchener and Toronto. But at the same time, how can we keep this balance of growth and keeping the growth green space? So, I think we do have to compromise at some point.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “Definitely a good mixed-use of commercial business and leisure, as well as keeping a good portion of that green space for educational use as well. So, I think with proper planning and community input, then we can have a beneficial and active use of that space again.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “Apart from feedback from professionals, let’s get more input from the ground level, not just those who may participate in online surveys and questionnaires, but more at the ground level, door-to-door type deal, to see how it actually affects them and what they want to see improved. So, using that data and statistics, we may be able to positively expand and make sure that any plans we put into transit, as well as investments, (are) properly allocated to where it matters.”
CHIDI NWENE
Events attended: 2/3
CHIDI NWENE
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “Affordable housing is a very big issue … I’ve been having a series of meetings with Wellington County’s social services department, trying to find out a lasting solution to affordability. And not even housing — rentals, can’t even get into rentals.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “It is something we can do with a robust, visionary infrastructure plan to make sure that we don’t actually destroy the DNA of Guelph, to make it sustainable, livable and also to not to overwhelm all our infrastructure, the water system, the piping, our hospital system.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “It can be nice to (gather) public opinion to find out how we can best utilize the spaces in the best possible way, and also maintain the integrity of all of the green spaces and people that use them. And again, to be mindful of the diversity of our city, to make sure that we include somewhere some structure or some activities that (people of) all the cultural backgrounds can actually enjoy in our community.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “We have to organize our transit system to make it energy efficient, to not pollute the environment, and also to make it accessible to areas … to spread it out to other cities and areas that people need to get from their homes to their place of work.”
DHRUV SHAH
Events attended: 1/3
DHRUV SHAH
On the issues they’re hearing when knocking on doors
• “One of the things … is about the need for another grocery store. Yes, because Loblaws already bought his land, and they feel we need another grocery store to accommodate the high population of the east end. Second thing that is very important is the flexibility to expand their existing house driveway. It (is) related to the affordability because now your next generations, the children are now willing to stay with the parents because they cannot afford outside (the home), renting an apartment or condo because there’s too much (of a) high cost.”
On how the city should meet its population growth targets
• “More of a facility to condominiums in Guelph because we have very limited land and that will help to build more houses and to the students that would immigrate, and immigration of people also.”
On their vision for the Guelph Innovation District (in Ward 1)
• “The (Guelph) Innovation District should be more about the example of renewable energies, as well as the new industries we have to welcome. We can provide some data intelligence to make their businesses easier and give the space for affordable neighbourhoods. We need people-oriented places and essential amenities, like walkable neighbourhoods, industries, an IT hub.”
On increasing transit use in Guelph
• “I think we have to revise the plan (to increase transit ridership) and ask for the needs according to our residents because this is not like the initial goals. We have a larger population, more immigrants, more families, more industries and our university, so we have to change according to their requirements.”
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