Here are the Ward 3 candidates running in the 2022 City of Guelph municipal election.
You can find out what ward you're in here.
You can learn more about the people running for mayor of Guelph here.
Luc Cousineau
Who are you?
My name is Luc Cousineau, and I am a university educator and researcher whose work focuses on social structures, power, and community. I am a life-long guelphite with strong ties to the community. I am a father, a partner, and a cyclist.
Why are you running?
I believe that community governance is an essential way that we claim to do democracy in Canada, and that we need active and educated voices in that local democracy. My background in social justice and equity research, as well as my teaching in community, recreation, and play puts me in a good place be a strong voice on council with equitable community policy and practices in mind. We need people on council who understand the deep interconnected social benefits of things like libraries, and the fiscal implications of unrelenting sprawl. I’m running because these immediate issues with long-term implications are important for the health of the city, and I believe I can provide science and data-driven policy decisions to build a sustainable Guelph.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
I think to choose a single issue affecting a city the size and diversity of ours is a mistake as it allows us to ignore the fact that all the significant issues in our city are interconnected in important ways. If you identify housing as your main issue, you must also talk about transportation, since for the city to continue to grow at the rates projected and expected we need to move the people who come here. We cannot house people effectively without being able to move them. It is irresponsible to grow the city in this way without having robust plans about how these residents are going to access food. We have a terrible track record in Guelph with ensuring that people in the city have reliable access to grocery stores within an acceptable distance of their homes, but this issue too is tied directly to both housing and transportation policy. An overriding issue facing Guelph today is that we are behind in making effective policy decisions that are actually future-oriented, that spend our infrastructure dollars in efficient ways, and that reach our development goals without making us all travel ever-faster toward social and climate disaster.
Dallas Green
Dallas Green has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Kevin Bowman
Who are you?
I am Kevin Bowman. I am a millennial and a renter who has lived in Guelph for over 16 years. I love Guelph and I want to do my part to make it an affordable and safe place to live for everyone who resides here.
Why are you running?
The City faces many serious challenges/crises (cost of housing, food security, mental health and addictions, climate adaptation, etc.) but I don't think that City Council is acting urgently or decisively enough to deal with them.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
If I have to pick one it would be affordable housing. Whether renting or purchasing, more and more people are unable to make the math work. The stress brought on by the threat of losing your home/shelter is immense. I believe the rising cost of rent in particular is a major factor leading to the increase in people living unhoused or seeking free food services. There is no one thing that will solve this but something the City can do is to implement a vacancy tax as other cities have done. I am aware of over 20 vacant homes within walking distance of my downtown home. This is unacceptable when so many are living without shelter.
Nathan Ford
Ford did not submit a photo with the survey answers.
Who are you?
Hi there, my name is Nathan Ford. The last 14 years I’ve been a RMT in the KW, Guelph and Cambridge area. I was born and raised in Guelph and love this city. I’ve lived in other cities but always come back to Guelph.
Why are you running?
My job has been to help people in their daily life. A couple things in Guelph as well as conversations lead me to wanting to help on a larger scale. I love this city, but its not without struggles, the same that are affecting most in southern Ontario. I also know that what needs to be done is not without growing pains, we aren't a small town any more and we are in the middle of some powerhouse cities that provide jobs in various fields and we need to be able to accommodate the people that will be and are moving here.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
The biggest issue right now is the housing crisis, we need affordable housing and to address it we need to build high-density housing, with retail options as part of the structure so we don't have empty land waiting for the corporations to build when they feel it's right.
John Bertrand
Who are you?
I'm a husband and father of two girls. My family wasn't born into money so I started working at a young age to help make ends meet. I became a Realtor over ten years ago after realizing that it isn't about sales, but actually about mentoring, advising and helping people.
Why are you running?
As a father currently trying to set my daughters up for their future I'm witnessing that affordability is becoming a problem. My goal is to raise my daughters to be strong, confident and independent women. We're already seeing that more young adults are dependent on their parents as they enter adulthood. We must build a safer, more sustainable and affordable future for our children. This election, we need to vote for the candidates who can work collaboratively and get the results our city is asking from us. As a Realtor, this is what I do on a regular basis. We come up with win-win solutions for our clients and I feel this as a critical asset I would bring to council.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
Affordable housing is the biggest issue at hand. As a professional in the real estate field, I've witnessed first hand the lack of housing supply resulting in record breaking home prices. The province has informed us that we need to raise our population to 208,000 by 2051 and if we can't get our housing supply issue under control then affordable housing will become more challenging. My plan is to emphasize the importance of getting more supply on the market and build a collaborative council. We can work with the city and developers to get their approvals faster, create incentives/grants for homeowners to construct additional dwellings and accessory apartments in or on their existing properties. We can also change some zonings to allow for more mixed homes in our communities such as three-unit and four-unit dwellings and find other creative ways to achieve more housing without sacrificing Guelph's charm. We also need to work with other municipalities to attain more supply otherwise their demand will continue to spill onto us.
Phil Allt
Who are you?
Phil Allt Current Councillor for Ward 3 and lifelong resident of Guelph. Graduate of GCVI, Western U, U of Guelph, and U of Toronto. Board member of Stonehenge Therapeutic Community. Volunteer with various community groups. Member of Guelph Wellington Men’s Club. Retired History and Philosophy Teacher Kitchener CVI.
Why are you running?
I am passionately committed to Guelph and to Ward 3. Since being born in St Joseph’s Hospital and growing up here, I have seen profound changes that require thoughtful decision making to address. We must ensure that Guelph and Ward 3 remain a community in which all can thrive with dignity and pride. Water, Urban expansion, housing costs, increased density, train and car traffic are all issues I have had to address during my time as Councillor. The challenges remain and I remain committed to addressing them rationally and collaboratively.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
Guelph future growth is its greatest issue.
Guelph is growing too large and too quickly. We are stressing our water capacity, infrastructure, roads and facilities.
In Ward 3 must ensure that residents can enjoy our ward. Ward 3 Willow Rd is the most densely populated area in Guelph with the fewest facilities and enhancements.
Poverty and homelessness affect us all. We must return dignity to those living rough and homeless. We must ensure that shelter is provided, that we address food insecurity and other issues. Homelessness is a public health issue: effective support for health and hygiene for our outdoor living residents is needed.
We must also address the challenges of GO and rail service. Residents often faced long waits and safety challenges on Edinburgh Rd. The city supports more rail transit. We must insist that CN and Metrolinx work closely with residents so rail improvements do not degrade neighbourhoods.
Housing costs can only be addressed by the City advocating for the federal and provincial governments returning to a sound supportive and low cost housing strategy. The city will work with the province and federal governments to make this happen but need to see this chronic issue honestly addressed.
Sam Elmslie
Sam Elmslie has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Michele Richardson
Who are you?
I am a long time Guelph resident who cares about our City and wants to contribute in any way I can to ensure Guelph continues to grow in a healthy way and remains a great place to live.
Why are you running?
Guelph being no different than the rest of the world was hit hard by the pandemic and I believe this post pandemic phase will be one of the single most important times for governments of all levels. We need to make sound informed decisions to help our community Recover, Revive and Thrive. With 18 years of municipal government experience I have the skill and abilities to represent the residents of Ward 3.
My goal will be to support:
• Responsible budgets
• Working collaboratively with the County of Wellington for affordable housing
• Strategic infrastructure planning
• Safe communities including community spaces and traffic calming
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
Housing affordability is a challenge not just for Guelph but province-wide so advocacy to upper levels of government for more funding to support the development of new permanent affordable rental housing units is critical. Our community has low vacancy rates which drive prices up. We should strongly advocate to upper levels of government to support creative solutions such as giving local municipalities the first right to obtain Provincially or Federally owned land, as it becomes available and this property should be donated to the municipality since the property was purchased and developed by taxpayers. This will allow for an increase in the supply and availability of affordable market housing for families. We need to continue to promote rent support programmes like the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) and advocate for more funding as the current funding does not meet the needs of our community. I will advocate for The City of Guelph and the County of Wellington to continue to work collaboratively on the Affordable Housing Strategy to ensure we are doing everything we can to address this issue.
