Occupation: Father, husband, son, neighbour, farmer, CEO and director
How long have you lived in Erin? I first moved to Erin in 1983. Lived in Oakville and worked in Toronto from 1998 to 2017 but spent every weekend back on my family's farm, where I would help out with the orchard and the horses. Since 2017 living full time on the family farm with my wife and children and more than 70 alpacas.
Why are you running in this election? Families on fixed incomes are being forced to leave Erin. The migration to the East Coast of Canada seems to be a continuous flow. The previous council pushed through expensive infrastructure projects without adequate funding and are placing a huge burden on existing residents for capital requirements to satisfy real estate development.
What qualifies you to represent Erin? I have worked in corporations ever since graduating from university and have dealt with nationally and internationally, from the municipal levels up to the federal levels. Being the Chairman of a board of directors is the same as being a Mayor of a municipality. The residents are your shareholders - you are accountable to them. The staff are your management and employees, and they are accountable to the council. The council provides guidance to staff as to the direction of the Municipality based on the expectations and needs of the community.
Why should people vote for you? Residents and taxpayers deserve transparency with integrity, a sustainable community, and protection of our environment and ecosystem. I strive to deliver economic development while improving the quality of life for residents. I'm not looking at how to flip real estate and make a buck.
What do you see as the main issues facing residents of Erin on a broader scale? Cost of living I see as the number one issue. Water sustainability, stormwater management, traffic studies, truck bypasses, and climate change are all issues that cost money, provide safety or sustainability to our community, and appear to have been ignored in the past. On the economic development side - we are within driving distance of about nine million potential customers - let's attract them to our community and have them spend the day and spend some dollars, increase tourism, and day trips. Capitalize on what with have, market it, and let the community, let businesses, profit from it. How many new jobs will open if there is another $50,000 spent in the town on the weekends? How many existing businesses will feel less stressed with more customers walking through their door?
What is the most important thing you want to see changed in Erin? Sustainability. Not Growth at all costs. Plans to grow are a quick buck developers' pace who are in and out and lose all ties to the community is not sustainable. Once the sewage plant is built, development won't stop. We need the guide from science to protect everyone from the added runoff that comes with paving paradise and protect the environment from the destruction of wildlife habitats, as seen in Brampton, Milton, and Oakville.
What services need to be improved in Erin? Transportation infrastructure - including truck bypasses for both Hillsburgh and Erin. Stormwater management - especially in the downtown cores on flowing water. And sustainability of drinking water - just saying there will be enough without the data to back it up is not good enough.
Is Erin growing too fast, just the right amount, or not fast enough? Historically I would say it was growing just right. But not that developers are pushing – it leads to an unstable and nonsustainable community. We can't even maintain existing infrastructure adequately – it seems like every 20 years, maintenance costs outpace the budget or reserves for maintenance. We have great theatre – it doesn't get used. We have two areas – not sure if either of them will open in time for hockey season. And shutting down roads, even if it is a partial closure, in the downtown cores right when the economy looks to be heading into a recession and businesses are seeing a rebound post covid is additional pain that local businesses don't need.
What can be done at the local level about the rising cost of housing? Slow down development. Speculation has driven real estate prices to new heights. If the town itself controlled the development versus out-of-town developers, the community would have an economic benefit and control on sustainability. Seems like now the developers are driving the growth in the community.
Do you support building the wastewater treatment plant? Not as it is being constructed, not as it was initially planned. There were many alternatives proposed in the past, all more environmentally friendly. But the $5 billion in new residential homes being planned for the community and the associated real estate commissions were more important than sustainability and the environment.
How do we make Erin an even better place to live? Increase new development costs, have the town own and control development properties, and encourage new small businesses to provide services for the local community, especially those that can be run more efficiently by small business than government can. Keep the profits in the community – don't let someone leave a legacy in the community that residents have to deal with for eternity while they run off with their pockets stuff.
Any link to an election website or social media account: [email protected]
