There are six people in the race to represent Ward 9 on Kitchener city council.
CTV News Kitchener reached out to all of the candidates to get a better idea of who they are, why they are running and what they think is the biggest issue in the community.
All candidates were sent the same three questions.
You can find out what ward you're in here.
You can learn about the people running to be the mayor of Kitchener here.
Debbie Chapman
Who are you?
I am Kitchener's Ward 9 City councillor. I am a part-time professor in Political Science at WLU and a published author. I have lived in Kitchener for over 45 years and been involved in grassroots politics for over 25 years. I have worked in the private and public sectors.
Why are you running?
I want to use the knowledge and experience I have acquired over the past 4 years to continue working with residents to address their concerns. I want to build on the momentum we have created together and complete those unfinished tasks through a process of collaboration. Together we can work to create a liveable city with affordable housing, where everyone is housed, a city with an equitable distribution of parkland, active transportation throughout, 15-minute communities, a place where food sovereignty abounds, where equity deserving groups have greater representation and where funds are channelled through community members to invest in making their neighbourhoods great. I want the city to reach its 50% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030. Collaboration is key to meeting these goals.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?
The most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener is the lack of affordable housing. Over 7,500 households in the Region are on the affordable housing waiting list and over 750 people are unhoused. Housing is a human right! I participated on the Housing for All Strategy Committee, which resulted in the publication of a comprehensive report detailing the housing situation in Kitchener. The report demonstrated (1) the immediate need for more supportive housing, and (2) the need to build housing that would meet the needs of a full-time minimum wage earner. Every level of government has a role to play to ensure that everyone is adequately housed. I want the City to continue waiving development charges for not-for-profits building deeply affordable housing, and to continue donating City land to not-for-profits building deeply affordable housing. The other tool I will push for is inclusionary zoning, which will permit the City to require a certain percentage of affordable housing units in every new residential building. Given the supportive housing need, at least 20% of the units should be affordable, where affordable would be 30% of a full-time minimum wage. This works out to about $790 a month.
David Redman
Who are you?
I am a lifelong Ward 9 resident, from a working class family. I love my hometown, and I believe we can work together to solve our issues and improve on an already great city that’s affordable, and livable while maintaining our rich culture and heritage.
Why are you running?
I’ve decided to run to give back to the community I’ve called home all my life. I believe the views of all residents must be represented, including low-income, housing insecure and new Canadians, but also long time residents and ward homeowners.
I’m an analytical and compassionate person. I want to get involved in shaping the future of Kitchener. I believe we can provide adequate housing, affordability and accessibility to all of our residents through careful deliberation and smart development decisions.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?
The impacts of cost of living and access to services are affecting everyone in the city and definitely in the downtown wards. Residents I have spoken with are very concerned by the homelessness crisis, encampments, resulting petty crime and challenging demands on shared spaces.
I support a human-centred, compassionate approach to managing these issues. We must take action to address the obvious symptoms but we must also take steps toward sustainable and long-term solutions to the underlying issues that led to this emergency.
I believe the city should do whatever it can unilaterally, and in cooperation with other levels of government to create sufficient housing, shelter and access to essential services. Passing the buck and pointing fingers cannot be the response. We must use all the tools we have and engage with residents and experts to make things happen quickly.
Matthew Robson
Matthew Robson has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Alex Shevchenko
Alex Shevchenko has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
Brooklin Wallis
Who are you?
I'm Brooklin! I'm a young trans woman who's lived in KW for 10 years. I rent, I don't own a car, and I’m low income. I’ve done everything from cashier to assistant manager, census enumerator to election poll clerk, and business development to studying Renewable Technology at Conestoga College!
Why are you running?
I’m running for a bunch of reasons:
• Empathy for the homeless: the city and region has the resources to ensure no-one is sleeping outside this winter.
• To bring urban design innovations from Europe into Kitchener: their roads are safer for kids and just plain nicer for adults!
• For affordability: the incumbent called for a housing moratorium in the middle of a housing crisis and doesn’t believe that supply and demand applies to housing (it does; scientists have proved it!).
• For the climate; the city has recognized we need to cut 50% of our carbon emissions by 2030… and that we’ll currently only hit 30% by then.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?
After all the canvassing I've been doing, Housing really seems to be #1 in people's minds. Many are also concerned about what high-rises would do to their neighbourhood. Others my age tend to laugh at worries like shading and wind, but I met someone the other day whose income is largely from their backyard garden, and the shade of a tower could be really bad for them.
So, my proposal is this: we allow townhomes and other mid-density housing throughout the city. Currently, most of the city is zoned for SDH (single-detached homes) only - this comes from old, explicitly classist, implicitly racist, attitudes: e.g., not wanting poor people to be able to live next to the rich. Not only has SDH-only-zoning artificially limited how many homes can be in a city, but it’s led to the skylines that many want Kitchener to avoid (a 30-storey condo next to a 2-storey home). In Europe, where these types of zoning laws were never established, these skylines are hard to find, instead having more reasonable slow inclines and declines. Allowing the missing-middle to thrive is how I think we can make everyone (read: most people) happy.
Beth Warren
Beth Warren has not yet replied to the CTV News survey.
