There are two candidates in the race to represent Ward 7.
You can find out what ward you're in here.
You can learn about the people running for mayor of Waterloo here.
Bruce Polan
Who are you?
I am a Professional Engineer, with a specialty in infrastructure projects. I have lived in the City of Waterloo for the past 30 years, and have raised my family here, and have lived in the uptown core for the past 10 years.
Why are you running?
I am new to the political arena, but have always had a keen interest in local and provincial politics. I am excited to offer my organizational skills, project management, and problem solving skills to the City. I am able to work with people of various backgrounds and personalities, to determine effective solutions for the City. Being new to Council, I will be on a steep learning curve to understand the complexities of City government. My platform will be to improve the City for all our residents, while maintaining our fiscal responsibilities. My priority will be to focus on improvements in Ward 7, including making the core more pedestrian and bike friendly, by reducing speed limits, and closing streets where possible for public events.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Waterloo and how do you plan to address it?
With a large portion of Council changing hands this year, including a new Mayor, it will be important to establish a list of priorities for Council early on in our mandate. Effectively managing the City financial budget will be an early challenge as well. I would like to keep improving the uptown core, and continue the efforts of previous councils in making Waterloo a great place to call home. The current issues that I see as priorities are:
How can we make the uptown core more people friendly, and ensure our local businesses are attracting customers? Let’s get the King Street renovations completed, so the street is accessible and traffic flows better.
Our university students add new life to our City every year, and are welcome in our local restaurants, stores, and pubs. How can we ensure that our residents are not affected by large non-sanctioned street parties, like home coming and St Patrick’s day celebrations. Let’s work with the student bodies to make sure they respect our local residents.
Can we keep adding to our shared streets program, and reducing speed limits on local streets? Can we work with the Region to improve bike lanes on Erb and Bridgeport Road, to improve cyclist safety?
Julie Wright
Who are you?
I Iive in Ward 7 in Uptown Waterloo. I’m a wife, mom, and neighbour, as well as the Director of Partners for Action at the University of Waterloo. I grew up in the region and moved back in 2010. I’ve since become increasingly involved in issues affecting my community.
Why are you running?
We’re living through challenging times and people are tired. I have the capacity to step forward and devote my time and energy to making Waterloo a place where my children will want to live 20 years from now. We’re at a pivotal moment locally and the decisions we make now matter. Together, we need to build a resilient city that is future-ready.
I think the road ahead requires that we:
• Think long-term and make responsible & strategic decisions today
• Position ourselves so we can manage future climate change and housing issues from a place of strength
• Centre equity in that decision-making
• Invest in young people and involve them in problem-solving
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Waterloo and how do you plan to address it?
Our housing challenges are a cross-cutting issue that will affect all of the things I am championing in my platform. When housing is scarce or the cost too high, there’s not enough money for other life expenses and people are forced to make very tough choices. This is an all-ages issue affecting families with young children to students and seniors.
Obviously we need more housing supply but it’s not as easy as building a new subdivision or approving a bunch of new towers. How we choose to use land today will be a blessing or curse for Waterloo’s citizens 20 years from now.
We have to tackle housing and climate at the same time. We can do that by integrating our housing and transportation strategy. We have to make it easy and appealing for people to choose to live in dense neighbourhoods.
At council, I will support:
• Nimble approaches to zoning that create new, equitable opportunities for density along transportation corridors
• Incentives for developers who create sustainable and affordable housing options
• Housing diversity so that neighbourhoods remain lively, connected places
• The co-location of amenities and services that every neighbourhood needs - like outdoor space, health care facilities and grocery stores
