CUPE Ontartio Candiate Questionnaire
Why are you running for elected office?
I’m running because St. Catharines is my home, and I want to contribute to building a city that is affordable, well-managed, resilient and positioned for the future.I have called Western Hill home since 2015 and first ran for City Council in 2022. Since then, I have continued serving our community as a member of the Committee of Adjustment and as Chair of both the Property Standards Appeal Committee and Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee. That experience has deepened my understanding of municipal government and reinforced my belief that good decisions require listening to residents, understanding the facts, considering alternatives and being accountable for the results.St. Catharines faces difficult choices about affordability, taxes, infrastructure and flooding, housing and growth, transportation, economic development and the services that make our neighbourhoods strong. These challenges require setting priorities, managing resources responsibly and making thoughtful decisions with both today and the long term in mind.As a Professional Engineer working in the private industrial sector, I have built my career around solving complex problems, balancing competing priorities and delivering practical, measurable results. I want to bring that same approach to City Council.I’m running to be a strong voice for Ward 2, ask difficult questions when necessary, work collaboratively and help deliver better value and better outcomes for the people of St. Catharines.
What are your priorities for the municipality?
My priorities are affordability and taxpayer value, infrastructure and flood resilience, responsible growth and housing, and building a stronger local economy—all while maintaining the services and neighbourhoods that make St. Catharines a great place to live.First, we need to make every tax dollar work harder. That means reviewing programs and spending, measuring results, finding efficiencies and partnerships, and making responsible long-term investments rather than deferring necessary work that becomes more expensive later.Infrastructure is a major priority. We need to take better care of the roads, drainage, stormwater systems and other assets we already have, prioritize investment based on condition and risk, and strengthen our resilience to flooding and extreme weather.That also means living up to our identity as the Garden City. Our urban tree canopy and green spaces should be treated as important municipal infrastructure—protecting and expanding them, integrating green infrastructure into capital projects and development, and making our neighbourhoods cooler, greener and more resilient.Growth and housing must also be managed responsibly. We need more housing and more efficient, predictable approvals, but development must be coordinated with infrastructure capacity, transportation and neighbourhood needs.Economic growth is essential to keeping our city affordable. We need to grow the tax base—not just the tax bill—by attracting investment, supporting local businesses and entrepreneurship, revitalizing downtown and diversifying our economy.I also want safe, well-maintained neighbourhoods, better transportation connections, and strong parks, recreation and library services that contribute to quality of life across St. Catharines.Across all of these priorities, my approach is simple: listen, analyze, decide, deliver and measure.
Will you commit to opposing the privatization, contracting out, or P3 expansion of municipal services, and instead support bringing previously outsourced services back in-house (contracting in)?
I value the important work municipal employees do every day to deliver the services residents depend on, and I believe maintaining strong internal expertise and capacity is important to an effective and accountable municipality.I would not support privatization, contracting out or a P3 simply to reduce staffing or achieve short-term savings. Any proposed change in service delivery should demonstrate that it will improve service, accountability or long-term value for residents, and should fully consider the impact on employees, existing municipal expertise and the City's ability to maintain effective oversight.At the same time, I believe Council has a responsibility to regularly review how services are delivered rather than commit to one model in every circumstance. Decisions should consider total lifecycle cost, quality and reliability, accountability, municipal capacity and expertise, workforce impacts, risk and measurable results—not simply the lowest price.That review should work both ways. Where a previously outsourced service can be delivered more effectively, reliably or economically by municipal employees, I would support bringing that work back in-house.My priority is strong public services, respect for the people who deliver them, and responsible stewardship of public dollars.
How will you address precarious, contract, and part-time work within the municipality to ensure all city workers have access to fair wages, benefits, and job security?
Municipal workers are essential to delivering the services residents depend on, and I believe the City should lead by example as a fair and responsible employer. That means fair compensation, safe and respectful working conditions, and greater employment stability where there is an ongoing need for the work.While part-time, seasonal and temporary positions have legitimate roles in municipal operations, they should not be used to keep permanent, ongoing work precarious simply to achieve short-term savings. Where the City has a continuing operational need, I would support reviewing whether more stable employment, with appropriate wages and benefits, would provide better outcomes for both employees and residents.That review should look beyond the immediate wage cost and consider employee retention, workload, health and safety, service quality, institutional knowledge, the ability to attract and retain skilled workers, and the full long-term cost of delivering the service.I also believe in respectful and constructive relationships with municipal employees and their bargaining representatives, and in respecting the collective bargaining process for wages, benefits and working conditions.Fiscal responsibility and fair employment do not have to be competing objectives. My focus would be on building and retaining a capable municipal workforce that is treated fairly while delivering reliable, accountable and cost-effective services for residents.
Pick three words to generally describe the labour movement. Please provide a short explanation for each word you pick.
Solidarity: The labour movement is fundamentally about people standing together and having a collective voice. Workers acting together can advocate for issues and improvements that can be difficult to achieve individually.
Fairness: Fair wages, safe and respectful workplaces, reasonable working conditions, benefits and employment security have long been central to the labour movement. At its core, it is about ensuring workers are treated fairly and have a meaningful voice in their workplace.
Progress: The labour movement has played an important role in advancing workplace standards and protections over time. I believe that progress continues through constructive dialogue, collective bargaining and a willingness by workers, unions and employers to work through difficult issues and find practical solutions.
Do you support implementing a certified Living Wage policy for both direct municipal employees and third-party contractors through city procurement practices?
Yes. St. Catharines is already a certified Living Wage Employer, and I support continuing and building on the commitment the City has already made to fair wages for both its own employees and applicable contracted workers.The City should lead by example as a fair and responsible employer. I also believe that when the City contracts for services, savings should not come simply from shifting work to lower-paid workers.This is consistent with my broader approach to municipal services. Fiscal responsibility should not simply mean choosing the lowest short-term cost. We need to consider service quality, reliability, accountability, fair treatment of workers and the long-term value being delivered to residents.I support continuing the City's Living Wage commitment while ensuring its application remains practical, transparent and accountable to both workers and taxpayers.
What municipal tools (e.g., public land use, non-profit housing, social services) will you prioritize to expand deeply affordable housing and alleviate local poverty?
I would prioritize the municipal tools that can have the greatest direct impact: strategically using public land, improving zoning and approvals, providing targeted incentives for deeply affordable housing, partnering with non-profit and co-operative housing providers, and better coordinating City resources with Niagara Region's housing and social services.First, we should look strategically at surplus and underutilized municipal land. Rather than simply viewing public land as an asset to sell, we should consider where it can be leveraged through partnerships to create affordable and non-profit housing and lasting community value.Second, the City should use its planning tools to enable more housing. That includes appropriate zoning for a greater range of housing, faster and more predictable approvals, standardized requirements and removing unnecessary barriers—while ensuring growth is coordinated with infrastructure and neighbourhood needs.Third, I support targeted municipal incentives where they can make deeply affordable, supportive or purpose-built rental housing financially viable. When taxpayers contribute land, grants or incentives specifically for affordability, there should be clear requirements and measurable outcomes to ensure that affordability is meaningful and maintained.Partnerships are equally important. Niagara Region has significant responsibility for social housing, homelessness and social services. The City should work with the Region, non-profit and co-operative housing providers, community organizations and provincial and federal governments to combine municipal land and planning tools with outside expertise and funding rather than duplicating services.Finally, alleviating poverty requires looking beyond housing. The City can contribute through economic development, reliable transportation and accessible community services that help connect residents with employment and opportunity.Increasing overall housing supply remains important, but supply alone will not create deeply affordable housing for everyone. My priority would be to use the tools St. Catharines actually controls, leverage partnerships and other levels of government, and measure success by whether more residents can find and maintain housing they can genuinely afford.
How will you actively support collective bargaining rights and foster a collaborative, fair labour-relations environment with municipal worker unions?
I support the right of municipal workers to organize and bargain collectively, and I believe the City should approach labour relations with respect, fairness and good faith.As a councillor, I would respect the collective bargaining process and the respective roles of Council, City administration and bargaining representatives. I would support fair and timely bargaining, constructive dialogue, clear communication and resolving issues at the bargaining table wherever possible.Good labour relations should also extend beyond collective bargaining. I believe in maintaining regular communication with municipal employees and their unions and ensuring workers have a meaningful voice when changes affecting their work or the delivery of municipal services are being considered.That employee voice brings valuable practical knowledge to decision-making. The people doing the work often have firsthand insight into service delivery, workplace safety, operational challenges and opportunities to improve services or find efficiencies. Listening to that experience can lead to better decisions for employees, the City and residents.There will not always be agreement, but disagreements should be approached professionally, respectfully and in good faith. A collaborative relationship is built through ongoing communication and mutual respect, not just at the bargaining table.Strong public services depend on the people who deliver them. I would support a labour-relations environment that respects workers and collective bargaining while ensuring reliable services and responsible stewardship of public dollars.
What is your stance on “staffless libraries” and AI automation in public operations, and how will you protect front-line staffing against automation-driven cuts?
Innovation and the responsible use of technology are important to improving municipal government. I believe the City should embrace AI, automation and digital tools where they can improve services, increase productivity, reduce repetitive work and deliver better value for residents.But innovation should be about making people and public services more effective—not simply replacing people.I would not support fully “staffless libraries” as a substitute for properly staffed library services. I support technology that expands library access and makes services more convenient, but libraries are also important community spaces. Trained staff provide assistance, programming, local knowledge and human interaction that technology cannot simply replace.I would apply the same principle across municipal operations. AI and automation should be used to support employees—automating repetitive tasks, improving access to information and data, and allowing staff to spend more time on complex, skilled and resident-facing work. As jobs and processes evolve, affected employees and their representatives should have a meaningful voice in implementation, with opportunities for training and adapting skills.I would expect significant automation initiatives to have a clear business and service case, including measurable improvements in productivity or service delivery and consideration of costs, privacy, accessibility, accountability and workforce impacts.I do not see innovation and strong public services as competing objectives. Done responsibly, technology can help employees work more effectively, improve residents’ experience with the City and make municipal government more productive. My goal is to use technology to build a more capable, modern and effective workforce—not simply a smaller one.
Do you support a comprehensive review of the OMERS pension governance to ensure municipal workers' retirement security is prioritized and protected?
Yes. Municipal workers deserve confidence that the pensions they have earned will be there for them when they retire. Protecting retirement security and the long-term sustainability of OMERS must remain a priority.With the recent governance review and resulting changes now being implemented, I support strong accountability, transparency and meaningful representation for plan members and their representatives. I also support continued oversight and further review where evidence shows it is needed to protect workers’ retirement security.Municipal employees contribute to OMERS throughout their careers and plan their retirements around those benefits. They deserve a pension system that is responsibly managed, sustainable over the long term and governed with their interests and retirement security at the forefront.
What specific accountability mechanisms will you put in place to ensure municipal policies actively dismantle systemic racism and advance 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion?
I believe accountability requires more than adopting policies or making commitments. It requires clear objectives, responsibility for delivering them, measurable results and public reporting.I would support specific accountability mechanisms, including measurable goals and timelines within the City's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work; regular public reporting on progress through the City's existing performance reporting; and clear responsibility for following up when objectives are not being met.I would also support a meaningful role for the City's Anti-Racism and 2SLGBTQI+ Advisory Committees in identifying barriers and reviewing relevant policies and initiatives. Where these committees make significant recommendations to Council, I believe there should be transparency about how those recommendations were considered and, where appropriate, what action resulted.Another important mechanism is reviewing outcomes. Where data, community feedback or lived experience identifies unequal access or systemic barriers in a City policy, program or service, I would support reviewing that policy, identifying corrective action and then measuring whether the change actually improved the outcome.I also support appropriate education and training for City employees and decision-makers, along with accessible and clearly communicated ways for residents and employees to raise concerns about discrimination or barriers.For me, accountability means being able to answer four questions: What did we commit to? Who is responsible? What did we accomplish? And if we fell short, what are we going to change?The objective is a City where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and has a fair opportunity to access municipal services and participate in our community.
What concrete departmental actions and budget allocations will you champion to implement the TRC Calls to Action and MMIWG Calls for Justice locally?
Reconciliation needs to be reflected in what the City actually does and how it allocates resources, not only in statements and commemorations.I would support continuing to work with the Niagara Regional Native Centre and other Indigenous partners to identify the TRC Calls to Action and MMIWG Calls for Justice where the City can make a meaningful difference, and then build those priorities into departmental work plans and budgets.That includes continued Indigenous education and cultural competency training for staff and Council, reviewing City services and policies for barriers, and incorporating Indigenous history, culture and perspectives into public spaces, recreation, cultural programming and relevant City projects. I have completed intercultural competency training and earned a Certificate in Intercultural Competency, and I believe that kind of continued learning is important.For MMIWG specifically, I support continued awareness through initiatives such as Red Dress Day, but also working with Indigenous partners on practical actions the City can take to improve safety and inclusion.Where specific actions are identified, I would expect departments to identify the resources needed through the normal budget process and demonstrate what those resources are intended to accomplish. We should also pursue partnerships and other levels of government where they can help support this work.The approach should be straightforward: listen to Indigenous partners, focus on areas within the City's responsibility, provide the resources needed to follow through and be accountable for the results.
How will you invest in municipal infrastructure, transit, and public services to expand good, unionized “green jobs” in our community?
Investing in infrastructure and public services is one of the most practical ways a municipality can support good jobs while building a more resilient community.I would prioritize sustained investment in the infrastructure we already need—roads, water and wastewater systems, stormwater and flood protection, public buildings, parks and our urban forest. I also support investments in energy efficiency, green infrastructure and active transportation. These projects create skilled work while addressing infrastructure needs and preparing our city for a changing climate.Transit is part of that investment as well. I support working with Niagara Region to improve connections between neighbourhoods, employment areas, downtown, the hospital and GO Transit. Reliable public transit also helps connect people to jobs and expands access to opportunity.Where public dollars are spent, I believe the City should consider more than the lowest bid. Procurement should recognize fair employment practices, health and safety, apprenticeship and skilled-trades opportunities, quality of work and long-term value. We should also maintain strong municipal services and the skilled workforce needed to deliver them.I would actively pursue provincial and federal infrastructure and climate funding so that municipal dollars can leverage larger investments and more work in our community.For me, green jobs are not a separate economic strategy. They come from doing the work our city already needs—renewing infrastructure, reducing flood risk, improving energy efficiency, expanding sustainable transportation and maintaining our natural assets. Done well, those investments can strengthen public services, support good jobs and deliver long-term value for residents.
What is your plan to expand frequency, accessibility, and public funding for municipal transit rather than relying on private transit solutions?
My plan is to focus on making public transit a more practical option for everyday travel: better frequency, better connections, accessible infrastructure and responsible public investment.First, I would work with Niagara Transit and Niagara Region to identify the St. Catharines routes and corridors where additional frequency and longer service hours would have the greatest impact. I support moving toward 15-minute service on key high-demand corridors and improving connections between neighbourhoods, employment areas, downtown, Brock University, the hospital and GO Transit.Second, I would focus on the entire trip, not just the bus. That means identifying gaps in accessible stops, shelters, sidewalks and connections to transit and incorporating those improvements into City infrastructure and capital planning. I would also support continued improvements to specialized transit and affordable access for residents who depend on the system.Third, I would support sustained public funding for transit while expecting measurable results from that investment. I would look at ridership, reliability, frequency, accessibility and cost, and use that information to determine where additional service will provide the greatest benefit. I would also pursue provincial and federal funding to help expand service and improve transit infrastructure.Finally, public transit should remain the backbone of the system. On-demand, private and other modern mobility options can help fill specific gaps or connect people to the transit network, but they should complement—not replace—a strong publicly funded transit system.The goal is straightforward: make transit frequent, reliable and accessible enough that more residents can realistically choose to use it.
Will you advocate aggressively for increased provincial and federal funding to ensure our municipality can deliver high-quality public services without shifting costs onto local taxpayers or eroding worker standards?
Yes. Municipalities are being asked to address growing pressures in infrastructure, housing, transit and public services, and property taxpayers cannot reasonably be expected to carry those costs alone.I would be a strong and persistent advocate for St. Catharines to receive its fair share of provincial and federal funding. That means taking our priorities directly to other levels of government and working with Niagara Region, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and other municipalities to strengthen our case on shared priorities such as infrastructure renewal, flood resilience, housing and transit.We also need to make sure St. Catharines is well positioned to secure available funding. I would support pursuing grants and partnerships that leverage municipal dollars and allow us to address necessary infrastructure and service needs sooner rather than paying more to address them later.At the same time, outside funding is not a substitute for responsible municipal management. We still need to set priorities, find efficiencies, plan for the long term and measure the results of our spending.I do not believe keeping taxes affordable should mean weakening public services or worker standards. We should first look to better planning, efficiencies, partnerships and appropriate funding from other levels of government to deliver reliable services and better value for residents.
Are there any other comments you'd like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity to participate and for asking thoughtful and challenging questions about the future of our city.I believe strong public services, respect for the people who deliver them, responsible use of taxpayer dollars and good long-term planning can—and should—go together. My approach is to listen, consider the evidence, work collaboratively and focus on practical solutions and measurable results.I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective and contribute to the conversation about building a stronger St. Catharines.