I believe in complete communities. In our rural municipality this doesn’t mean we become like a city. It’s having the variety of housing options, services, recreation facilities, businesses and green spaces the community needs while at the same time protecting the rural character and heritage that makes North Dumfries home.

1. Housing and Neighbourhoods

2. Green spaces, Heritage and Environment

3. Services, recreation and connectivity

4. Local Economy and Community

North Dumfries allows both secondary and additional dwelling units on each residential lot. I want to make this process easier and more streamlined to create more housing options quicker.

In addition to these we need a rental strategy to attract builders of purpose-built rental units. We need housing options for our 20 to 30 year olds. In addition we need to bring an active lifestyle retirement community (like Morningside in New Hamburg) to Ayr and a retirement home as well.

We need to revamp our traditional planning bylaws by introducing a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS). I believe that this will allow us to make our planning processes more efficient while at the same time controlling the type of growth we experience in our established neighbourhoods and in our new developments. It will also give us the tools to protect our built heritage and greenspaces.

North Dumfries has rich agricultural areas but these are under constant threat from commercial and residential development and aggregate extraction. As we grow we need to ensure that we have reasonable density targets so that we don’t take more farmland out of production than necessary. At last count we have over 250 residential lots that could be created by severance in our existing settlement areas. These lots will not require more farmland.

Aggregate is a necessary commodity to our province. We need to close out some existing gravel pits before starting new ones. Minimum distance standards (MDS)between aggregate operations and residential settlement areas need to be established. Similar to existing MDS with industrial or agricultural operations. Rehabilitated gravel pits could be rezoned Industrial/commercial or residential instead of agricultural to allow prime farmland to be kept in agricultural production. As Mayor, I will continue to lobby the Ministry of Natural Resources to allow these changes.

Natural greenspaces, wetlands and heritage districts and cultural heritage landscapes need to be properly identified and included in our Official Plan to protect them.

Our archives are important and I remain committed to working with the Historic Preservation Society to find the appropriate home for our archives.

Wherever possible we need to commit to protecting the environment and sensitive environmental features. Planting trees and creating trails are 2 key aspects. We are constantly losing trees to blight, disease and bugs and they need to be replaced. Proper trails manage human interference in natural areas. We must tread lightly in these areas.

As our township grows there is greater demand for services. This ranges from organized pickleball to yoga to basketball and many more. Many residents have come from other centres where the municipality provides programming of recreational spaces. It is time we begin to do the same.

The repurposing of the Ayr Community Centre provides a tremendous opportunity to provide new services and I look forward to the extensive community engagement that will take place to shape the future of this building.

Connecting our township is vitally important. I feel that for too long we have had very little presence in Ward 4. I propose that we build a small fire station with a community hall in that area. I will ask residents for feedback and staff for options on this initiative that brings this essential service to Ward 4 residents.

Economic development has always been important to me. We need to bring high speed internet to our business parks to attract new types of businesses. The 401/97 business parks need to be cleaned up and developed as the gateway into Waterloo Region. We need to pursue manufacturing in the same way that Brant County has along the 403 corridor. In our settlements we need the trucks and heavy traffic to stop flowing through the centre. People need to feel safe and comfortable in these areas. It’s difficult to sit and enjoy the neighbourhood with tractor trailers rumbling by. We need a new deal with the Region of Waterloo that gives us back control of our roads so that we can determine how much and what type of traffic drives through our villages.

Downtown Ayr needs more retail space. The conservation authority controls a lot of our development. We need a new deal with them to allow it. Other municipalities along the Grand and Nith rivers have these deals and we should too.

These are just some of my ideas for the future of North Dumfries. I believe that the best ideas come from listening and working together.

If you would like to discus further or have questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to hear from you.

Let’s talk about the future of North Dumfries together.

3 term Ward 1 Councillor (12 Years)

3 term Chair of North Dumfries
Heritage Advisory Committee (13 Years)

Ayr 200th Board member

VP of Family Counselling Centre of Cambridge and North Dumfries
(2014-2021)

Ayr Skatepark Committee member

CCG Fundraising Committee member

Founding Board member of Ayr Minor Soccer

Ayr Minor Hockey- Various teams
(1996-2012 volunteer)

Kirkwood Building Commitee Member

Ended the cycle of Township deficits

Traffic calming measures implemented in Hilltop neighbourhood

Implement trail & traffic requirements for new developments

Dog park (temporary location for now)

Skatepark at NDCC

Second ice pad at Ayr Farmers Mutual Community Centre

North Dumfries pumptrack behind the firehall at Schmidt Park

New tennis/ pickleball courts at Schmidt Park

Pavilion renovations & new washrooms at Victoria Park

Cenotaph square redesign

Pedestrian Islands at Swan St. & Northumberland St.

Area resident for 50 years

Raised my children (Will, Natasha & Jacob) in Ayr

Local business owner and employer
Schooltee screenprinting - Melair Dr, Ayr.
13 Food&Beverage restaurant - Main St, Cambridge.

Bachelor of Political Science
Western University - London, Ontario