“I want to make changes that will make Guelph a more affordable place to live. […] I have over 20 years of experience on various Boards of Directors. I worked in Human Resources Management at Grand River Hospital for several years during COVID. I believe this combination experience with collaboration and legislative compliance makes me particularly qualified to fulfill the role and responsibilities of Councillor.”

Why do you want to be a city councillor?

I want to make changes that will make Guelph a more affordable place to live.

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

I have over 20 years of experience on various Boards of Directors. I worked in Human Resources Management at Grand River Hospital for several years during COVID. I believe this combination experience with collaboration and legislative compliance makes me particularly qualified to fulfill the role and responsibilities of Councillor.

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 are inherently undemocratic and I hope they will not be used. That said, they do exist and may be used which means collaboration and consensus building on Council is even more important than it used to be.

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?

The primary reason for unsustainable tax increases is downloading of responsibilities from upper level of government without the funding required to fulfill those responsibilities. Until this funding is provided OR these responsibilities are uploaded off the City, the tax increases will continue regardless of anything Council does. I believe this can only be changed by Council working with other municipal governments to collectively bargain with the other levels of government through the Association of Municipalities and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

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?

The private, for-profit development industry is clearly unwilling and/or unable to build the housing we need. I think we need to accept that fact and turn to non-profit developers OR the City should develop and build what we need itself. Council should also consider putting time limits on approved projects. If they do not get built in a reasonable amount of time then the approval is voided.

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?

Multi-purpose land use is a big part of the solution. Having large areas with nothing but housing vs large areas with nothing but commercial/industrial development separated from each other by at least a 5-10 min drive is an extremely inefficient and expensive way to organize land use. Mixed neighbourhoods provide more tax revenue while being less expensive to service. They also provide a higher quality of life for those who live there.

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

We need a reliable estimate of what our groundwater capacity is. Then we need to build in a safety buffer and treat that as a hard limit on water use. Large industrial users should be required to treat their own wastewater before returning it to the system. The City needs to investigate recycling some of the treated wastewater back into the system.

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?

I plan to maintain a website and online newsletter. I will take every opportunity to do interviews with local news media. I will hold regular town hall style meetings and will always be available by phone and email. I want the rest of Council to join me in directing staff to publish a searchable voting record for Council.

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?

Affordable Housing: it is clear that the private, for-profit developers cannot and/or will not build what we need. That means we need to work with other levels of government and non-profits to build what is needed ourselves.

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

I am a low income renter who sees Councillor as a full-time responsibility.

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

If elected I will dedicate myself full-time to the role. More information can be found on my website kevin-bowman.org and I am happy to answer questions