My Commitments

I am committed to be a Councillor that wants to hear from YOU. What are the issues and concerns YOU want to bring to the table? Here are some keys issues that are important to me. Tell me what you think!

Here are the Commitments I bring to YOU:

I have chosen to focus on PEOPLE not projects for my campaign for the following reasons:

1.  I plan to be part of the solution for meeting real needs in our community.

2. Financial concern. Council recently approved the budget until April 2021, but what happens after that? The world is shut down with no plans to reopen anytime soon. We are being told to expect this pandemic to last for a while longer. Our hospitality industry has been hit hard with no guarantee of when it can recover. I commit to fiscal responsibility and will not promise something that is not in my power to deliver. 

3.  People are the backbone of any community. Their strength and health is the community's strength and health. There is a philosophical thought that states a society is only as strong as its weakest link. I plan to work towards strengthening what is weak in our community. 

Senior Support

WHAT: One of my important commitments to our community as your councillor is to work towards supporting our seniors. One of the ways I will do this is by facilitating and initiating community programming here in our district. Connecting needs with practical solutions is paramount to my campaign. I am people oriented and believe seniors not only deserve our support but many need it. I also support the amendments to our land use bylaws that will allow secondary suites to be built so as to accommodate ageing in place, and multigenerational households. This is practical and does not have an unrealistic price tag attached. I am willing and able to work hard to network this kind of community building for our seniors. 

WHY: I have an elderly, disabled friend in Digby. During the COVID lockdown she declined due to loneliness from mandatory isolation. Every time I talked to her on the phone I could hear her getting worse. When I was finally allowed to visit her, I was shocked at her condition. Another friend came with me to help clean, shop, and cheer her up. As we left to drive home, my friend said, "Trish, she is one of thousands of seniors in our province alone and without family to help." That hit me hard. I thought of my own community and wondered about our seniors here in my own backyard. By seeking help for my friend in Digby, I have come across programs aimed to fill some of the gaps in our system. As councillor for District 4, I will seek to implement such initiatives aimed to improve the lives of our seniors through practical and social support. 

Youth Empowerment 

WHAT: One of my important commitments to our community is to help empower our youth. For a young person to have a supportive adult in their life is a strong indicator that they will be ok no matter what trial they face. We have power to make a difference folks!  One way I plan on doing this is to network and facilitate mentoring events in the community. I have a vision to see fun and informative regular events in our community, with the purpose of teaching our youth important life skills like budgeting, debt management, entrepreneurial skills, self discipline, ethics, character development, success principles, etc...It is my vision to see all different kinds of leaders in our own community rise to the challenge of speaking at these events.   

WHY: Our family have hosted international students for over a decade, and in those years we have been privileged to host some very broken young people. One of those young men, on the morning of his departure, looked me in the eye and thanked me. He said, "You saved my life." This is a powerful reminder of the influence a supportive adult can have in the life of a broken youth. This young man caused me and my whole family a lot of STRESS. But we did not give up on him. I also used to be a struggling youth, and I know personally how important it is to have a strong adult mentor who could point me in the right direction.

Promoting Local Businesses

WHAT:  While this will be an evolving conversation from your input, one of the things I will create  is a monthly showcase to promote willing local businesses to help foster even more growth and success for our local economy. This will give our local businesses a way to showcase their products and services that perhaps many in our community did not know they provided. Hopefully this will draw in many new customers! 

WHY:  Local Business is the backbone of our local economy. We have amazing shops with excellent buying options right here in our backyard. There is no reason why any shop should have to close their doors here in district 4. Especially with the new reality of an uncertain future economy due to COVID, local businesses have even more of needed and special role for our community. 

Community Infrastructure And Public Transportation Opportunities

WHAT: We live in a beautiful district! (Thank you Lorelei! ) The importance of proper infrastructure is crucial, as is the understanding of fiscal responsibility as a high priority. I will work to keep our infrastructure well maintained and our roads safe.  

Here are some of the concerns I have been hearing from YOU: Kindly let me know what you think!

Lights at Bissett Rd. and Cole Harbour Rd.

Sidewalk replaced in older section of Caldwell Rd.

Crosswalk on Caldwell Rd. 

Traffic calming measures

Repaving on some streets in Forest Hills

WHY: Safety as well as aesthetics are important elements in a successful and thriving community. Keeping in mind fiscal responsibility, I will balance both as I hear more about YOUR concerns and ideas in the upcoming campaign and beyond. 

Affordable housing

WHAT: I look forward to working with our Province to find ways to promote more affordable housing initiatives in our community. Council has recently passed amendments to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy and all Community Land Use Bylaws to allow secondary and backyard suites with just a permit. (No long process of rezoning needed.) See RESOURCES for more information on this. 

The following are the reasons why I support this bylaw change to allow secondary and backyard suites:

1. It is a gentle way to increase affordable housing without changing the character of a neighbourhood. Most cities in Canada permit this.

2. It allows for gentle density increase. This increase has generally not been shown to drastically increase traffic or cars in the neighbourhoods in other cities, especially when other modes of active transportation are accessible.

3. Gentle density increase benefits the local economy by boosting local businesses. 

4. It has the added benefits of allowing for ageing in place.

5. It contributes to affordable home ownership.

6. It increases the overall rental stock.

I believe the benefits far outweigh any potential risks involved. 

WHY:  My ageing father lived in our living room for over 4 years in a crowded house. I know personally the need for affordable housing in our community, and also the practical need for families to be able to adequately provide housing assistance for either elderly parents or adult children returning home. Secondary suites and backyard suites give a realistic option that benefits all parties. 

Ongoing...

Please be sure to visit this site and all of my social media platforms often as the campaign continues to grow and evolve. I consider it a privilege to campaign for the opportunity to represent you and petition the appropriate channels for important needs in our community.