We live to eat. We eat to live.

I am so pleased that food has become a topic of discussion during election campaigns. Yes, there are many things that humans need to thrive. But before we get to thrive, we must first survive. And there are three things that humans need to survive: water, shelter, and food. Food quality and food security are very important issues for me. I was therefore very happy to voice my support for food-related strategies put forward by the Guelph-Wellington Food Round Table.

As an elected official I will endeavour to:

   

·      Enable, through policy and zoning, economic drivers such as food trucks and mobile food markets.

·      Work with purchasing/supply management departments and municipally-run or funded institutions to increase the procurement of locally produced and processed foods.

·      Work with our economic development office to assess and address barriers to local food distribution, processing and storage businesses.

           

·      Encourage coordination across city departments to streamline approvals/regulatory requirements for food enterprises.

·      Work with public health and local boards of education to enable all residents to improve their food skills and food literacy by supporting
 community food programs such as community gardens, good food boxes and neighbourhood markets.

·      Work with public health and procurement departments to encourage all health facilities in the City to purchase fresh, local produce.

           

·      Work with parks and recreation, businesses and homeowners to encourage the creation and protection of pollinator habitat (Speaking of which, I currently sit on the board of directors for the local not-for-profit Pollination Guelph, whose mandate is to do just that).

           

·      Protect surrounding farmland by maintaining Guelph’s current urban boundary.

How my background will be an asset on City Council

I have ten years of public service experience, so I understand how government works. During my career, I have managed public finances, worked extensively with legislation that every Councillor ought to understand fully to do their job well, and learned how to review planning applications in a smart, informed manner. I know how to balance social, financial and environmental factors when making decisions. I'm not afraid to ask questions, and I'm proud of my ability to stay positive and negotiate win-win situations. For more on my background, I invite you to click on my "About Karolyne" page. 

A Councillor's Workload

Technically we're into Tuesday, but this is meant to be my Monday night post.

It's been a busy evening: first I was out canvassing on Arthur, Elizabeth, Huron, Morris and Harris. Thankfully I had two helpers with me tonight, Barbara and Emma. Around 7:30pm, Barbara and I headed over to the Italian Canadian Club for the second half of the mayoral debate. Barbara dropped me off at home around 9:30pm, and my husband said our 10-month old boy had been crying for the last half-hour, which is unusual for him nowadays. His top middle teeth are coming through, poor thing. It's half past midnight now, and he's finally asleep.

Which brings me to the question I was asked by a Ward resident tonight after the debate: how are you going to have time to be a Councillor? This is a question on the minds of many constituents, who are well aware of the stack of papers Councillors are expected to review before voting on motions at Council meetings. I've been told that it's a part-time job with a full-time workload.

As I've said before, I'm a proponent of sustainability. It would not be sustainable for me to commute to my day job, be a mother to a little one-year old boy, and be a competent Councillor. I'm fortunate that I can take a leave of absence from my current position in order to engage in political activities, and if I'm elected, that's exactly what I intend to do. So, you can count on me for returning calls, responding to emails, and diligently studying reports, planning applications and budget proposals. And my little boy can count on me for being around as his Maman. :)

Imico: the poker table Council hasn't been able to leave?

For those of you who missed the Ward 1 debate held by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce at the end of September (and who, like me, are miffed that you have to be a Rogers customer in order to watch it on the Rogers TV website), one of the questions candidates were asked was: What would you do about the Imico site?

Like everyone, I would like to see this brownfield redeveloped. I was the only candidate, however, that put my neck out and asked: is it time to be realistic about the odds of getting residential or commercial development on industrially contaminated land that was abandoned by a corporation and left for the City to deal with?

Consider this: the Woods Mill site on Arthur Street South was snapped up by a developer within months of the factory shutting its doors. With Imico, it's been 20 years and we still don't have a taker. The City has spent a considerable amount of money trying to find a buyer. Are we at the point where we need to accept that nobody wants to buy this property because of how much it would cost to clean it up? Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again whilst hoping for a different outcome?

I've spoken to residents on Stevenson South, on Alice, on Palmer, on Kingsmill, and I've put it out there: is it time to cut our losses and turn this eyesore into green space? I'm hearing a yes.