“I am running because I believe experience matters, particularly at a time when Guelph is facing significant challenges and difficult decisions. I know how City Hall works. I know the community. And I know the importance of listening, working collaboratively and staying connected to the people I represent. Serious times call for serious, experienced leadership.”

Why do you want to be a city councillor?

When I moved to Guelph, I knew I had found the community where I wanted to build my life. It was a welcoming city with people who look out for one another, and a natural environment worth protecting—from our parks to the groundwater we rely on. These qualities still define Guelph today, and I am committed to keeping it that way.

Guelph is growing, and today’s choices will shape the city for decades. We must protect what makes our community special while planning responsibly for the future. That takes steady leadership and a long-term perspective.

I want to continue to lead the way I always have by staying connected to residents, collaborating with colleagues and community partners, and being committed to making thoughtful, sound decisions.

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

My experience is in municipal government and in bringing people together to find solutions. In addition to serving on City Council, I have a background as a mediator, which taught me to listen carefully, understand different perspectives and find common ground. I bring that approach to Council, asking questions, doing the work and making thoughtful decisions that move our community forward.

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?

Strong Mayor powers make collaboration and relationship building even more important.

The Mayor is only required to use these powers for the City’s budget and, even then, is not required to veto Council amendments.

My background has taught me that when people disagree, the answer is not necessarily to dig in. It is to understand what is behind the disagreement, find areas of consensus and work toward a solution.

As a councillor, I would continue to stand up for what I believe is right and work collaboratively with others to move forward.

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?

I don’t think there is a simple answer to this. A zero-tax-increase promise sounds attractive, but residents also expect reliable roads, safe neighbourhoods, parks, recreation, transit, water and other services.

Early in the term, Council will set a Strategic Plan. This plan will need to show the funding required to implement it. We need to ask: What matters most, and what can we realistically afford?

We need to scrutinize spending, continue to look for efficiencies through audits, partnerships, boldly pursue senior-government funding and advocate strongly for the province to pay its fair share.

At the same time, we need to be realistic about inflation and the cost of maintaining the services people rely on. Affordability is not just about the tax rate. It is also about whether residents are getting good value for the money we spend.

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?

We need to move from policy to implementation.

Guelph has done significant work on housing policy and has removed or changed many barriers. But approving policies does not build homes. We need to understand what is preventing approved or shovel-ready projects from moving forward.

That means working with builders and developers to understand constraints within the City’s control and advocating to the provincial and federal governments when their policies are contributing to the problem.

We need a range of housing options, including affordable and attainable homes, supported by the infrastructure required to make them work.

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?

Land use planning needs to look at the whole community. We need enough residential, employment, institutional and commercial land.

The next term will oversee an updated Employment Land Strategy. It can’t sit on the shelf. We should involve businesses in the community in the implementation of the strategy. In addition, small businesses provide significant employment opportunities and require as much attention to their needs as larger industries and institutions.

We need to ensure we are attracting new businesses. Just as the federal and provincial governments are changing how they attract investment, so should municipalities. There are significant opportunities with a world-class university located in our City. We need to better leverage this and work more closely with the University on economic development.

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

Water needs to be treated as a fundamental part of our growth strategy.

Growth approvals must be tied to water capacity from the start, with infrastructure planning, conservation, new supply and development timing working together.

I would continue to support investment in the infrastructure needed to increase capacity, while also taking conservation seriously and making sure growth is sequenced with the infrastructure required to support it.

Water shows why sustainable growth must guide every decision.

Trust in government and institutions is 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?

Staying connected to residents has always been a priority for me. Councillor Caron and I host regular town halls in different areas of Ward 5 so residents have an opportunity to hear what is happening at City Hall, ask questions and raise issues directly. We also send out a regular newsletter to keep people informed about Council decisions, projects and issues affecting the ward.

Communication must go both ways. It is not enough to tell residents what Council has decided; we need to listen before decisions are made and give residents meaningful opportunities to share their views.

My approach is to stay accessible, explain complex issues in plain language and show residents that their voices matter. They may not always agree with the outcome, but they should know they were heard and understand how and why decisions were made.

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?

For me, it is responsible growth.

Guelph is changing. We need housing, but we also need the roads, water, transit, parks, schools, employment opportunities and other infrastructure that make a city work.

I want us to have a serious conversation about what kind of city we are building and whether our infrastructure and finances can keep pace with that growth. Growth used to pay for growth at approximately 80%. Now that is significantly lower due to several provincial decisions that have lowered development charges that cities can collect. The cost of growth does not disappear with lower fees or development charges. Those costs get added onto the everyone’s tax bill.

That connects many of the issues residents are already raising with me: affordability, taxes, housing, traffic, neighbourhood stability and infrastructure.

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

I bring a combination of municipal experience, community connection and a thoughtful approach to decision-making. I have often been called the ‘voice of reason’ on City Council.

I have seen how City Hall works, but I also spend a lot of time listening to residents through town halls and conversations in the community.

My mediation background has shaped how I approach disagreement. I do not see every issue as something that has to produce a winner and a loser. Often, the best solutions come from careful analysis, respectful discussion and a willingness to consider different perspectives.

I think that perspective is particularly valuable at a time when there are significant pressures on Council and the community.

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

I am running because I believe experience matters, particularly at a time when Guelph is facing significant challenges and difficult decisions.

I know how City Hall works. I know the community. And I know the importance of listening, working collaboratively and staying connected to the people I represent.

Serious times call for serious, experienced leadership.

http://www.cathydowner.ca     cathy [at] cathydowner.ca