JUSTCAWS

  I am pleased to announce that I filed my nomination papers at City Hall to follow through on the goals I set to start the year. It was over 25 years ago I chose Guelph as the place I wanted to live, work and with the help of my loving wife, raise a family. Now in the twilight of a rewarding teaching career, I would like to embark on a new role in public service as your Guelph City Councillor. My goal is to empower the voices of my Ward 5 neighbours and fellow Guelph residents at City Hall. This job requires first listening to their concerns and making a steadfast commitment of transparency, effective communication and plain hard work on their behalf. Like many citizens I have been taken aback by the pressing needs and challenges many in our community face. This is at a time when Guelph, like many Ontario cities, is facing an uncertain economic future and citizens are being hit hard by an affordability crisis. The idea that we can keep falling back on the same approach of raising...

  Seeing many tributes and even some criticism after our Mayor, Guelph’s Cam Guthrie announced he would not be seeking re-election. I have known Cam personally throughout his time as Mayor and Council. He has always been passionate for this city and wears his civic pride on his sleeve, treating Guelph like it was his extended family.  Early on, I appreciated Cam’s efforts to be a voice of fiscal restraint on council. Later as more capital projects were added to the city’s operating budget, Cam tried to sell being pragmatic, but as the tax bill grew and grew so did frustration from his supporters. During the rough road ahead fiscally responsible voices are needed more than ever on Council to keep Guelph on the financial rails ensuring that money flows into this city and not out.  But regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, decent, hard-working elected public servants deserve our recognition and respect. It is the civility in our disagreement that makes for...

As we enter 2026 I am very much looking forward to charting a course of renewed civic engagement. Having dedicated myself to a rewarding career in teaching and public education advocate, I am ready to be a service to my beloved City of Guelph. Like many citizens I have been taken aback by the pressing needs and challenges many in our community face. This is at a time when Guelph, like many Ontario cities, is facing an uncertain economic future and citizens are being hit hard by an affordability crisis. The idea that we can keep falling back on the same approach of raising property taxes each year well beyond the rate of inflation, is not sustainable. Property taxes, unlike income taxes, are not progressive, where the more you make, the more you pay. When we raise property taxes 6 to 8 percent each year we are placing a heck of a burden on people whose income can’t keep pace. If a person loses their job and their income drops, so do their income taxes. In Guelph that same person's...

  Have been taking the time to listen and understand Guelph citizens’ concerns over the upcoming City budget. My wife attended a Ward town hall, I jumped on the live stream to listen to public delegations speak to a variety of issues and I also attended the Guelph Chamber of Commerce Budget breakfast to hear viewpoints from the business community. In hearing and reading fellow Guelphites competing concerns it is clear that Guelph, like many Ontario cities, is under significant social and financial strain from forces outside our control. People have genuine concerns with affordability and the threat of another big property tax increase. Many have legitimate concerns about the most vulnerable in our city and the challenges they face gaining accessibility to services and basic mobility. While others want to move past the annual budget squabble and want to see a plan to spark the strong economic growth needed to fund a prosperous and just city. In all of this, one issue stood out as a ...

  Just woke up from the screeching tires of another late night street race. Now that I’m up, I might as well write about something where everyone seems to have an opinion. When it comes to the issue of speed cameras there should be enough space for middle of the road consensus. Ontario Doug Ford says he will ban them while other politicians have put their finger in the air and banned them already - see former Provincial Liberal leader Steven Del Duca (now Mayor of Vaughan) have  already done so. They see a political winner in going against the cash grab and the surveillance state vibe cameras create. Those in favour of the cameras rightfully point out one clear fact - they work. Perhaps too well for their survival. Cities that once deployed a few in trouble spots expanded them in community zones where there was a need or a vocal neighborhood who wanted them. Here in Guelph 4 cameras became 12, but at least here we have kept them where they belong - in school zones. Other place...

  While times of crisis are something to endure and not celebrate, they do provide an opportunity for us to be reminded of what’s really important. The chaos of Trump and the economic pain he has inflicted thus far on Canada has been manageable, but the toll from the uncertainty grows each day. The threat of the tariff hurricane still looms and if our current trade deal is scrapped next year - look out. It is for this reason governments have to look at their upcoming budgets and make some tough choices. Governments like everyone else have to manage money coming in and going out. Just like many of us, they pay interest on the debt owed. When governments spend beyond their means they add to the debt and more of the money coming in from taxes is eaten up just servicing that debt. Last year the feds spent more debt payments than they did on healthcare transfers to all the provinces! To fix this fiscal mess, governments could simply raise taxes, but asking people to pay more when they ...