“At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you voted for the person that got elected or not. As long as you are participating in the democratic process, you can continue to have your voice heard and your opinions counted. Your letters, emails, voice messages and conversations with candidates and elected officials make an impact and contribute to the type of city Guelph becomes.”

Why do you want to be a city councillor?

I love Guelph. I want to continue listening to Ward 2 residents, making informed decisions, and advocating for the issues you care about most. We are facing a real housing and affordability crisis, and I want to ensure Guelph continues to grow as a community where we look out for each other and protect our environment. Most importantly, I want to ensure the City keeps focusing on doing the basics well while delivering good value for your hard-earned tax dollars.

What is your background and experience, and how do you think that will serve you as a city councillor?

I have lived in Guelph for thirty years. My family moved to Guelph when I was 16. I went to St. James High School and later graduated from the University of Guelph. I am a longtime community volunteer. I have been a civil servant, a small business owner, and now my wife and I are raising our son right here in Ward 2.

As a community volunteer, I have been a Rotarian, and have served on the boards of the Wellington Water Watchers, Transition Guelph, and the Volunteer Center here in Guelph. I currently volunteer on the board of the Guelph Non-Profit Housing Corporation and on my son’s School Parent Council.

As a civil servant, I worked at the City of Guelph for just over six years. The bulk of my time there was spent as a Community Engagement Coordinator. I supported the transition of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition to become their own organization, and I helped create the City’s first Community Engagement Framework. My work focused on working collaboratively with other City departments to engage Guelph residents so they can have a say in how the City plans and implements municipal projects.

As a small business owner, I helped open The Boardroom: Guelph’s Board Game Cafe in downtown Guelph. I really enjoyed being part of a space that brought people together, created jobs and contributed to our downtown’s mix of shoppes that attract people from Guelph and beyond to come visit and spend time in Guelph.

My approach is collaborative and I focus on listening to my constituents and advocating for the issues you care most about. While a good amount of my time as a Councillor is spent advocating for my constituents on municipal issues that impact them, a significant part of our job as City Councillors is to listen and make policy and budget decisions. I always take the time to listen to Guelph residents before making those important policy and budget decisions that ultimately shape how Guelph continues to grow.

Given Strong Mayor Powers, how do you see your role as a city councillor when the mayor can override the will of council with just three votes?

I don’t like strong mayor powers because they erode the democratic process. Before the Strong Mayor Powers, staff would work to build the budget based on all approved masterplans and our official plan.

Now, the Mayor must write a letter to staff at the beginning of the year, giving direction on how they must build the Mayor’s Budget. Once the Mayor’s Budget is presented to the community – usually in October – Council has one month to make changes to the Mayor’s budget. One month after the budget has been tabled, it is deemed approved, without any participation from Council. During this month, Council will meet to deliberate on any issues, but the changes that can be made at this level are relatively small, compared to what can be accomplished by working together with the Mayor and influencing the letter they write at the beginning of the year.

The new reality is that Councillors must work closely with the Mayor, communicating regularly to build a positive working relationship, and ensure that the issues our constituents most care about are considered at the time the Mayor gives direction on the budget.

Affordability is important to a lot of voters, and municipal budgeting can be very difficult. How will you balance the needs of a growing city with the demands for low or zero tax increases over the next term?

Guelph is experiencing a period of significant growth. The new Main Branch Library and South End Recreation Centers are schedule to open at the end of this year. We have a significant amount of assets – including the pipes running our downtown streets – that are at their end of life, and we must continue to replace this agening municipal infrastructure.

For me, the next term of Council will need to focus our resources – your property taxes – on delivering core municipal services. We must maintain our existing roads and trails, fix our ageing infrastructure and ensure we are delivering municipal services effectively and efficiently.

While we do this, we need to stay connected with how these projects strain our municipal budgets, and look for ways that municipalities can increase affordability for our community. This includes improving our public transit network so it’s faster and more reliable, and building new affordable rental housing on City-owned land, funded by provincial and federal grants.

Council this past term has done a lot of housing policy, but that hasn’t translated into more shovels in the ground. How will you help close the gap over the next four years?

One of the main issues preventing new residential builds in our downtown core is servicing capacity. We simply can’t connect a new apartment building to failing underground infrastructure. As the Wyndham Street reconstruction finishes, and the underground infrastructure is replaced across the rest of the downtown, we will see new housing built in our downtown core.

However, not all the housing policy was focused on new builds. The Vacant Home Tax, the Rental Replacement Bylaw and the Renoviction Bylaw focus on (1) maintaining existing rental properties in the market and (2) bringing previously vacant homes back into the housing market.

Over the next four years, City Council needs to:

(1) Focus on maintaining and updating our core municipal infrastructure – like the downtown reconstruction, which will enable new homes to be built in Guelph.

(2) Work with non-profit organizations to build new affordable rental housing on City owned land, so we can ensure this new housing stays affordable permanently.

(3) Continue to improve how we process and support development applications and building permits, so the City can help housing projects move quickly and efficiently.

(4) Advocate for the province to provide stability so builders know what the rules are. A lot of the housing policy we have done, has been driven by the province. However, the constant provincial changes back and forth on development charges, approval timelines and incentives, has created a high degree of instability. This instabilite has some developers waiting to see if the province will continue to reduce Development Charges (shifting the cost of new builds to existing tax payers), if they will roll out yet more housing policy, new incentives or if other rules will change again next quarter.

Aside from the demands for more housing, land use planning also means assuring that there’s enough room to account for growth in business, institutional and commercial land uses, how will you balance all these priorities?

We need to revisit how we think about employment lands. Calculations in our official plan for how much land is required to meet the provincial jobs target for Guelph are based on old assumptions about what workplaces look like and where people actually work. When we look at an industrial building, it’s easy to imagine a factory that creates good paying jobs for dozens, if not hundreds of residents. However, with advanced technology and automation, that same facility could be completely atomated, contributing relatively few actual jobs in exchange for a significant footprint in our community and on our watershed.

The next term of Council will need to revisit how we think about employment lands. We need to exploring how mixed used zoning could allow high density residential, commercial and institutional spaces to co-exist. This will help us get the most efficient use of our land, while respecting the natural environment and allowing enough green spaces for us to continue growing our urban tree canopy.

Water availability is a growing concern. How will you ensure that Guelph has the capacity it needs to support this growing city?

As one of the largest Canadian cities relying almost entirely on groundwater, Guelph faces a unique challenge. Our aquifer works like a bathtub filled with rocks and sponges – and we can only take water out safely, as fast as rainfall naturally refills it. With provincial growth mandates pushing our water demand toward its natural limits by 2051, we cannot simply build our way out of this. We must respect our ecological boundaries.

Here is how I will ensure our water security:

(1) Aggressive Conservation First: Before we spend millions chasing new water supplies, we must fix the water we are losing. We must focus on replacing leaky municipal pipes and supporting water-saving initiatives for residents and businesses.

(2) Protecting Our Recharge Zones: We cannot pave over our natural water filters. I will continue to advocate for smart, concentrated growth that protects our naturalized areas, parks and other green spaces, which naturally refill our aquifer.

(3) People Over Profit: We share our regional water with commercial water bottlers. Every drop extracted for a plastic bottle robs us of our climate resilience. An AI data center could isgnificantly pollute our aquifer. I will oppose new or expanded corporate water-taking permits that deplete or pollute our aquifer.

Water is a public trust, not a commodity. I am committed to managing every drop sustainably so Guelph can thrive today without compromising the environment for our kids tomorrow.

Trust in government and institutions is a major issue. How will you keep your constituents well informed about city hall business, and help them feel included when it comes to decision making?

I genuinely listen to Guelph residents, and I base my decisions at city council on your feedback. Less than half of Guelph residents feel they can influence municipal decisions. I work hard every day to change that. I co-write regular newsletters with my fellow Ward 2 councillor, co-host Ward 2 town halls, read every email I get from my constituents, and most importantly, I advocate for the issues you care about.

Through those regular newsletters and constant conversations with my constituents, I keep a pulse of the issues that are most important to Guelph residents, and I always make sure that I don’t make up my mind about issues until I’ve heard from Guelph residents. I have often changed my mind after listening to constituents because I believe that the first job of a Councillor is not to drive forward their personal agenda, but instead, to be a representative for what Guelph residents want their local government to do.

What would you say is *your* issue? What is the one thing you want to talk about on the campaign trail this fall and have a thorough debate about it before this election is over?

Supporting new affordable rental housing on city-owned land.

What perspective do you think you will bring to council that is not currently reflected?

I bring a couple of unique perspectives to City Council. First, I see this work as an act of service, and I approach my work as an elected official with humility and compassion. My sworn duty is to connect with my constituents, listen to understand, advocate for your issues and your priorities, and be a responsive and accountable representative.

Second, as an immigrant and proud first generation Canadian, I honestly believe that Guelph is one of the greatest places on earth to live and raise a family. I came to Canada when I was 10 years old, finished High School and went to University in Guelph, and I’ve been lucky to travel and see many other places since then. I know that Guelph has a wealth of parks, urban trees, naturalized areas, trails and rivers, all of which we must maintain and protect. We also have a strong and vibrant community, a rich history, and a downtown core that is being revitalized. We now have an opportunity to shape how Guelph grows, and to protect and foster the things we most value as a community.

Is there anything else you want to tell voters as they make their decision?

Please encourage your friends and neighbours to vote. I sincerely believe that the more people that vote at municipal elections, the more that City Council can truly reflect the shared hopes and dreams of our community. Voting may be a one day event, but it impowers people to get connected with their Council members. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you voted for the person that got elected or not. As long as you are participating in the democratic process, you can continue to have your voice heard and your opinions counted. Your letters, emails, voice messages and conversations with candidates and elected officials make an impact and contribute to the type of city Guelph becomes. After the election, take a moment to write to your Councillors and our new Mayor and let them know what’s important to you. Your voice and your opinion matter.