Here are the candidates running in Ward 5 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.
Alex Green
Who are you?
I’m someone who sees Guelph for the city it is, and for the city it could be. I’m a volunteer. An accountant. A solid, dependable, pragmatic guy. I’m the first one on the dance floor and the sober driver taking everyone home at the end of the night.
Why are you running?
Guelph is in dire need of new leadership. This is my third time running for city council, and everything I talked about the last two times remains an issue. The roads are a disaster, housing prices are obscene, and it takes forever to get anything done in this city. We’ve spent decades talking about building a new downtown library, and as of today the chosen site is still an empty lot.
My main purpose in this election is to point out how ridiculous it is for people who’ve been in politics for 20 years to say they have the answers to our problems. If they had the answers, then these things wouldn’t have become problems in the first place.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
Housing costs. Anyone who says anything else is kidding themselves. Four years ago, I talked about how prices were getting out of control, and how we needed to force developers to include affordable -and I mean actually affordable- units in every new development, and our current councillors twiddled their thumbs. Now things are so bad that even the incumbents have to take notice.
The solution is fairly simple: Build more homes. While some will come out and say “You can’t just build more homes,” I say “Why not? Have you tried? We tried not building. How’d that work out?”
We can cut development charges, and give incentives to organizations that include a substantial number of affordable units in new construction. But, if that doesn’t work, we might have to do it ourselves. The city can build the kind of housing we want in the places we want, and then sell it at cost to people who will actually live there instead of someone who’s going to flip it or rent it out by the room.
We either increase density in a way we can control, or it gets increased for us in ways that our neighbourhoods can’t handle.
Lana Haines
Lana Haines has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Hesham Genidy
Hesham Genidy has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Denese Renaud
Denese Renaud has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Leanne Caron Piper
Who are you?
I am a current city councillor, with a strong history of volunteerism in many organizations (see leannecaron.ca). I ‘ve worked in the private, non-profit and public sector, currently work at the U of G. I am mom to 4 amazing young adults, and I want to leave behind a city they are proud to call home.
Why are you running?
I love this city and its citizens. We are at a crossroads right now and need stable, strong leadership. We are evolving quickly as one of the fastest growing municipalities outside the GTA. We must keep an eye on the impact of our decisions – for today and future generations. I am passionate about sustainable city building, climate change, protecting our water, affordability and community safety. I am worried about the potential impact of some of the latest provincial announcements (veto powers, ministerial zoning orders) and lack of funding for health, social services and social housing. Lastly, I want to finish what I started on initiatives still underway such as the Baker District, main branch library, multi-year budgeting, community energy, the Innovation District, Clair-Maltby Plan, cultural heritage plan, and our new zoning bylaw.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
There is no one key issue. All of the big issues are interconnected. Growth and affordability for example. If we grow too fast, taxes will surge to pay for the infrastructure to build it. We know that housing supply is a key issue, but we cannot “build, build, build” without consequences. How we grow affects climate change, water supply, traffic and community safety. As we build a great city, we cannot lose sight of what makes Guelph a livable city. We cannot forget about our marginalized citizens who depend on social programs and services.
So I would say the biggest issue facing Guelph is short-sightedness. Short-term solutions for long-term problems never work and they end up costing more in the long run. We must plan and manage and create action plans that have sustainable funding. These pressures didn’t happen overnight and we won’t solve it in four years. We need long-term thinkers on Council. My approach during the next four years will be to strengthen our multi-year budgeting practices, build partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce and other key stakeholders so that we can finish the projects we started (ie. South End Community Centre, Baker District, Innovation District). Finally, we need to up our game on reaching Net Zero by 2050, investing in energy retrofits, urban forestry and water and stormwater infrastructure resiliency. The single best thing we can do the next four years is plant more trees.
Cathy Downer
Who are you?
I am a long time resident of Ward 5 and proud of my 20 years of service as a Councillor. I have volunteered with many local organizations. Grassroot community service originally inspired me to become involved in city politics and that continued passion has me running for re-election.
Why are you running?
Guelph is great City!
We all want to live in an affordable, safe, inclusive and sustainable community that supports the wellbeing of everyone. However, like other cities, Guelph is facing some challenges.
My background as a mediator and my record demonstrates that I am a ‘bridge builder’ who works collaboratively with others to find solutions to the many challenges that we face and plan for future generations.
I have taken a leadership role on many issues with positive outcomes such protecting our urban forest and green spaces, preserving our heritage, and advocating for road safety. I want to continue this important work and I am committed to being an effective leader who makes wise, informed decisions today with a vision to the future.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Guelph and how do you plan to address it?
Growth is the most pressing issue. People are concerned about quality of life as we grow to meet the provincial population target of 208,000 by 2051. Managing the rate of growth is important. Growth does not pay for itself. We use the rate of growth to plan for infrastructure, facilities and services. Lack of planning or growing too fast can put an additional tax burden on existing residents and businesses. Services and jobs must keep up with growth.
It is important that we focus not only on the numbers but the quality of growth and preservation of the things that people care about. The concerns I hear about are traffic volumes, community safety and loss of green spaces and trees. We must ensure that new development comes with adequate amenity spaces, good urban design and supports community energy goals. We need to continue to build and enhance our parks and trail system. Our newly approved transportation plan aims to address road congestion, connectivity, and safety while encouraging alternative modes of transportation. It must be implemented. We need to foster positive relationships with community partners and other levels of government to ensure Guelph is a great place to live for everyone.
