Voters are heading to the polls on Oct. 24 for the Ontario municipal election.
In Stratford, three people are running for mayor. Current mayor Dan Mathieson is not seeking reelection.
Another 29 candidates are running for councillor positions. Of those, 10 will be selected to represent the city.
CTV News reached out to each mayoral candidate to get a better idea of who they are, why they’re running, and what they think is the biggest issue facing their township.
All candidates were sent the same three questions.
Kathy Vassilakos
Who are you?
My parents were Greek immigrants who ran a family farm and owned a restaurant. I am a Biochemist and have worked as a project manager, technical writer, due diligence reviewer, and consultant. We moved to Stratford 19 years ago and I have served two terms on Stratford City Council.
Why are you running?
Recovery from the pandemic will require a clear vision for the future, one that addresses challenges created by three years of disruption. The pandemic is not the only challenge we face. Housing, infrastructure, the climate crisis, geopolitical instability, are complex issues that affect our community. My vision for Stratford will continue to be one where every resident and visitor experiences a high quality of life. The most environmentally, financially, and socially sustainable communities are ones where people work and play where they live.
My approach to decision making is to read all the relevant documents, do additional research where needed, consider different viewpoints, and ask questions to make an informed decision. I am running to lead a council that is solutions-based and highly collaborative.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Stratford and how do you plan to address it?
Housing availability, affordability, and homelessness are the issues that I have heard most during the campaign. Creating attainable and affordable housing will require resources across all levels of government.
The upcoming update to the Official Plan is an opportunity to encourage more missing middle housing. Infill intensification within the built boundary of the city is the most environmentally, fiscally, and socially responsible strategy. Building higher density housing in areas of the city that promote transit and active transportation addresses multiple challenges.
investStratford is currently in the second phase of an attainable housing strategy that will produce a toolkit of development incentives to support new attainable housing.
The Britannia Apartment buildings are a good example of city-owned housing that combines market and affordable rents. The city should analyze our land inventory to identify suitable locations for more of these buildings.
Addressing homelessness requires more than just creating housing units and affordability. People experiencing chronic homelessness require wrap-around supports to attain and retain stable housing. The SHOPP program, based on a Housing First philosophy, should be a priority for expansion. This will require collaboration across social service agencies and funding from upper levels of government.
Robert Ritz
Who are you?
I am a life-long Stratford resident, a husband, father and grandfather. I have been active and participating in the city for my entire life – building community facilities, creating and running annual events, fundraising and advocating with City Hall for better and more sustainable development that respects our unique heritage.
Why are you running?
I am running for Mayor of Stratford because we deserve better leadership.
My vision is to lead a City where citizens and City Hall work together transparently to find the right answers to our shared challenges and take advantage of our opportunities.
Our last City Council let us all down. Their efforts to secretly engineer approval for the Xinyi glass factory earned them the municipal Code of Silence award for Canada’s Most Secretive Council. The lack of transparency and accountability is unacceptable.
It's time for someone different at City Hall – someone who will be more respectful of citizens and more focused on working together and building trust between City Hall and the citizens of Stratford and making the city more sustainable, welcoming and livable.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Stratford and how do you plan to address it?
It’s important to consider not just what direction the city should go, but how we get there – by making city government more open, more accountable and more engaged with citizens. I would lead a city:
- Where the Mayor and Council don’t hide from citizens
- Where we value citizens’ opinions and where Council communicates clearly and frequently
- That grows in a way that is both sustainable and respectful of our unique character
- That limits growth into the surrounding agricultural land
- That offers a welcoming place and affordable housing for all people
- That takes care of those suffering from homelessness and addiction
- Where our infrastructure is strong and sustainable.
People value trust. The last Stratford Council lost that trust when it decided to actively hide important information from the public.
Trust is earned by:
- Being transparent as Mayor
- Making information about the City and Council easy to find and easy to understand
- Communicating frequently with citizens, in plain and simple language – not using legal, planning, financial and other language
- Working harder and smarter to reach out to get citizens’ ideas, proposals and solutions
- Enacting whistleblower protection for city staff
- Creating a Lobbyist registry.
Martin Ritsma
Who are you?
Married for 40 years, I have two children, their spouses and four granddaughters. I have served 12 years on City Council, 8 of those as Deputy Mayor. I am a member of many sub-committees and Chair of Planning and Heritage. I am a retired high school principal.
Why are you running?
People, people, people! Over the past forty years I have been actively involved in many community organizations including Shelterlink for Homeless Youth, Technical Training Group, L’arche, Stratford Agricultural Society, Rotary complex Development and Fund raising Campaign Chair, St. Joseph’s Church Restoration Chair, Canada Day Parade Chair and Chair of the Fair. Through this involvement I have been able to serve and impact the lives of many Stratford people. As future Mayor I will see Stratford through the lens of these different groups and will continue to serve in a different way and capacity. Additionally I wish to be a voice in Council for all of our residents especially for those who have not had a strong voice.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Stratford and how do you plan to address it?
Through my volunteer work with Shelterlink and United Way Perth-Huron and my door to door visits with voters the number one concern raised is housing. This housing need ranges from youth looking to leave a shelter, to young families looking for their first home, to Seniors wishing to leave their family home and move to a smaller footprint. The housing need must be both attainable and affordable where individuals are not spending beyond 30% of their income on housing. Addressing this housing crisis must also include those that are homeless and are marginalized in our society. This type of accommodation requires living space and wrap around support. The best solution for the housing shortage is to increase housing density through respectful infill and to have smaller lot sizes and vertical housing in new housing developments. Job vacancy; Stratford and area currently has a 2.9% unemployment rate. All sectors of our economy suffer from the lack of available workers. Intensified housing development will provide opportunities for people to both work and live in Stratford. A made in Stratford approach with many partners at the table will allow the City to provide land for development and have input into the type of housing that will be built.
A full list of the candidates running for councillor positions is available here.
