My Priorities for Georgetown

Georgetown is entering one of the most important chapters in its history.

The decisions we make over the next several years will shape our community for decades to come.

Protect what makes Georgetown home

Georgetown cannot lose the things that make us love living here.

Growth is inevitable, but losing the character of our community is not. As Georgetown grows, we need to be intentional about protecting the things that make people want to live here in the first place: strong neighbourhoods, local businesses, community events, volunteers and natural spaces.

  • Our natural environment isn't separate from the infrastructure that supports our community.

    Trees on our streets, trails, forests, parks, and natural spaces are part of what makes Georgetown feel like home. As our community grows, protecting them needs to be intentional. They contribute to the small-town character and quality of life we want to preserve, while giving us places to walk, gather, explore, and connect with our community.

    These natural assets are part of the infrastructure that supports our community. Trees, forests, turf, and other green infrastructure perform real functions, including helping manage stormwater, and those functions have quantifiable value.

    The Town has begun incorporating green infrastructure into its asset-management planning by documenting what we have and considering its condition, function, maintenance needs and long-term value. I believe that work is important. When we make decisions about protecting or investing in natural assets, we should understand both what they contribute to our community and what it could cost us to lose the services they provide.

    Protecting our natural spaces isn't just an environmental objective. By protecting our natural wealth we are protecting the character of Georgetown and making sound long-term infrastructure and financial decisions.

  • A strong community should be a place where young people can see a future for themselves.

    That means thinking about their needs as we make decisions about housing, recreation and recreation facilities, public spaces, and community life. Youth and young families shouldn't have to leave Georgetown to find the homes, job opportunities, and amenities they need.

    It also means giving young people a voice in decisions about the community they will inherit. My own involvement in municipal government began through youth leadership, and I believe young residents should meaningfully participate in shaping Halton Hills.

    If we are not intentionally giving our youth and young families a seat and a voice at the table, we will not deliver on what they need to start their careers, families, and lives here at home.

  • Some of the things that define small town living in Georgetown aren't provided by government at all.

    Our local businesses, events, volunteers, service clubs and community organizations help create the connections that make Georgetown feel like a community rather than simply a place to live.

    Events like the Fall Fair, Santa Claus Parade, and Terry Fox Run rely heavily on volunteers and financial support from local business. So do service clubs, community organizations and countless local initiatives.

    We need to be intentional about protecting that social fabric.

    That means investing in practical ways for the Town and Region to support and strengthen community organizations and businesses before they're struggling to survive.

    Relatively small investments in the volunteers and organizations through our Community Grant Program may help events and services stay community-run, and avoid the much greater cost of the Town having to take them over tomorrow.

    Investments in local businesses through our CIP grants and regional business supports benefits us all through a strong local economy.

    I also want to explore better ways to connect and support our volunteers. Bradford has developed a community volunteer brigade that creates a shared pool of people who can help across community initiatives. Instead of every Georgetown event having to recruit and organize its own volunteers independently, we should look at whether a similar model could help our organizations work together and make volunteering easier.

    We can also do more at the neighbourhood level. Programs like Hey Neighbour can support street parties and activities in local parks that give neighbours a reason to meet one another. Small initiatives can make a real difference in keeping people connected as Georgetown grows.

    Residents aren't simply taxpayers and consumers of municipal services. They're participants in our community.

Plan Responsibly for Growth

Today's savings shouldn't become tomorrow's costs.

Responsible financial management isn't simply about spending less. Council needs to understand the full consequences of what we spend and what we choose not to spend.

  • The cost of building something is only the beginning. Roads, facilities, pipes, parks and other assets eventually require maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement.

    Before committing taxpayers to an investment, Council should understand not only what it costs to build today, but what it is likely to cost throughout its useful life.

    As Georgetown grows, we also need to make sure infrastructure, recreation and community facilities, and services keep pace with our population.

  • We need to invest in climate resilient infrastructure such as culverts, stormwater systems, and natural assets that can protect our community and save taxpayers money over the long term.

  • Municipalities own enormous amounts of infrastructure, and the cost of building something is only the beginning.

    Roads, facilities, pipes, parks, and other assets eventually require maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement. Ontario's municipal asset-management requirements are forcing municipalities to catalogue what they own, assess its condition and consider those long-term costs.

    I want that information fully incorporated into decision-making.

    Before committing taxpayers to an investment, Council should understand not only what it costs to build today, but what it is likely to cost throughout its useful life. The same principle applies when Council considers delaying an investment. Sometimes waiting saves money. Sometimes waiting means paying more later or getting less for the same investment.

Reduce Pressure on Residential Taxpayers

Property taxes were never designed to finance every challenge facing modern municipalities.

Municipal responsibilities have expanded substantially, including through decades of provincial downloading, while municipalities remain heavily dependent on property taxation. In Ontario, municipalities are responsible for funding services and responsibilities that are funded provincially in other parts of Canada.

I want to address the structural pressures that keep pushing property taxes upward.

  • New development creates new assessment and revenue, but it also creates long-term obligations. New roads, infrastructure, and services don't simply have to be built; they have to be maintained and eventually replaced.

    We need Council asking a basic long-term question when considering growth:

    Will the revenue generated by this development support the infrastructure and services it requires over its full lifecycle?

    If we don't ask that question, municipalities can become dependent on continued growth to help pay for obligations created by earlier growth. That's not a sustainable financial model.

    Growth needs to strengthen the community's long-term finances, not leave homeowners stuck paying foreseeable, but unaccounted for bills from yesterday.

  • A strong community should be a place where young people can see a future for themselves.

    That means thinking about their needs as we make decisions about housing, recreation and recreation facilities, public spaces, and community life. Youth and young families shouldn't have to leave Georgetown to find the homes, job opportunities, and amenities they need.

    It also means giving young people a voice in decisions about the community they will inherit. My own involvement in municipal government began through youth leadership, and I believe young residents should meaningfully participate in shaping Halton Hills.

    If we are not intentionally giving our youth and young families a seat and a voice at the table, we will not deliver on what they need to start their careers, families, and lives here at home.

  • Locally, we should be increasing our industrial and employment tax base to help diversify municipal revenues, create jobs for youth, and reduce pressure on residential taxpayers.

    We should also improve connections between job seekers and the industrial corridor along Steeles.

  • We need a new deal for municipalities.

    The responsibilities placed on local governments have changed, and the way we fund them needs to change too. Municipal governments need to make a stronger, coordinated case to the provincial and federal governments for sustainable funding that reflects what municipalities are actually being asked to provide.

    The residential property tax base cannot simply be expected to absorb an ever-growing list of responsibilities.

Keep Georgetown Safe and Well Served

As Georgetown grows, the services and supports our community relies on need to grow with it.

That means making sure our police, fire and paramedic services have the resources they need, planning for the needs of an aging population, investing in the services and community infrastructure residents rely on, and being prepared to respond as new needs emerge.

  • Our police, fire and paramedic services do incredible work. I want to make sure they have the people and resources they need to keep Georgetown one of the safest communities in Canada.

    That means supporting the implementation of the Fire Master Plan and ongoing investment in the people, equipment, training and facilities our firefighters need to keep themselves and our community safe.

    It also means staying closely connected with Halton Police, including regular meetings with our local Superintendent, listening to what they need, and advocating for additional resources when the evidence shows they are needed. When concerns about policing are raised, I don't guess. I ask questions, get the information, and advocate based on the facts.

    At the Region, I will also support strong paramedic services that can keep pace with our growing and aging population.

    Community safety also extends beyond our emergency services. Mental health, housing and community supports that help people before they reach a crisis all contribute to a safer, healthier community.

  • There is rarely a cause as worthy as caring for our seniors—our moms and dads.

    As Georgetown grows and our population ages, we need to make sure people can continue to live in the community they have spent years helping to build.

    I support improving ActiVan, creating housing options that allow people to downsize without leaving Halton Hills, and investing in long-term care beds here in Halton Hills so our seniors can stay close to the people and places they love.

    It also means making sure the services seniors rely on keep pace as our community grows.

  • Growth isn't just about adding more units. We need to ensure development is well planned and comes with the infrastructure and services our community needs.

    As Georgetown grows, we need to plan for the long-term needs of our community, including recreation and sports facilities, parks and community spaces, transportation, and the services and supports residents rely on.

    The decisions we make today need to account for what our community will need five, ten and twenty years from now.

    If our population grows, the services and infrastructure that support it need to grow with it.

  • Not every issue facing Georgetown can be predicted years in advance.

    As our community changes, new needs emerge. We've seen growing concerns around homelessness, residential parking, animal services and short-term rentals. These issues can affect residents and neighbourhoods differently, and there isn't always a simple solution.

    My approach is to understand the problem before deciding on the solution. That means listening to residents, talking to the people delivering the services, looking at what other communities are doing, understanding the costs and consequences of different options, and considering both the immediate and long-term impacts.

    Council won't always have an easy answer. My responsibility is to make sure the relevant information and different perspectives are on the table, ask the questions that need to be asked, and then use my judgement to make the best decision I can for the community.