5 QUESTIONS FOR MAYORAL CANDIDATE WILLIAM DENBY

WORK-FROM-HOME AND BIG CITY AFFORDABILITY IS PUSHING PEOPLE TO CONSIDER RURAL LIVING. WHAT IS NEEDED IN KAWARTHA LAKES TO ACCOMMODATE THIS?

If we do not repair all our roads and upgrade all the places that have Municipal Water & Sewage Facilities in these places, Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon, Omemee, Woodville will see no planned growth for years. Lindsay needs a new Water & Sewage Treatment Facility on the west side of Lindsay and on the east side, the existing Water & Sewage facilities need upgrading to stop raw sewage from being discharged into the river. Without these investments we will not grow!

RISING COSTS (INFLATION/ PANDEMIC FALLOUT) BROUGHT NEW PRESSURES TO MUNICIPALITIES, BUT ALSO TO TAXPAYERS. HOW DO YOU SEE THAT AFFECTING MUNICIPAL TAX LEVIES IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

The City takes in over $400 million tax dollars per year and over 200 new builds that would cover my proposed tax freeze for four years. The automatic 1.5 per cent tax increase will be rescinded. Council needs to learn to operate within the income they take in, freeze on buying new vehicles, building new buildings for four years. A performance report on all senior staff, every department, council, mayor to make sure no one is wasting tax payers money! If found that a director is continually over budget, and has no reason for it? They will be replaced because tax payers deserve a return on investments.

ARE THERE ANY CONSIDERABLE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE COUNCIL TACKLE IN THE COMING TERM?

Seven new Water & Sewage Treatment facilities are required if the City is to reach its full potential over the next 30 years, there are some bridges that need to be replaced. New ones are needed at Colborne St. West to link Colborne St. East as a by-pass from downtown Lindsay! The City needs to stop taking its water supply from lakes and rivers, instead it needs to drill deep wells to meet future supply of water in the growth areas for the next 30 years! There are provincial and federal monies available to help complete these projects. We may have to sell off surplus land the City owns to raise more capital. You cannot loan your way out of this problem! Our Tax Payers are paying enough, this cost must be part of our Subdivision Agreements with developers.

HOW CAN COUNCIL BETTER WORK TO ADDRESS A LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN KAWARTHA LAKES?

If I am Mayor, I see the city moving into building Tiny Home Communities on City-serviced properties across the City for people that need affordable housing! One Community would be from 16 to 35 , next from 35 to 55, last 55 plus! No more wasting of over $12 million on a building like on Lindsay Street. No more crack apartment building built by tax payers. Our new Subdivision Agreements with developers would have to contain 30% per cent affordable houses in the 1,000 sq, ft to 1,200 sq, ft range, to make them affordable to our working class or seniors in the City to purchase. They must be

offered to people that live in the City first, we have to partner with our developers to make this happen. There are too many developers building houses in the City only for GTA people to move in, this has to change!

WHAT OTHER ISSUE OR ISSUES

FACING KAWARTHA LAKES DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS AS MAYOR?

Health care and drug addiction in the City; we must find a solution to help all our people suffering from addictions if we are to build the communities we all want and deserve!

These people need and want our help , we must look at investing in facilities that can address and help people that have an addiction. It must be part of the agreement between the City and the people that the City supplies affordable housing to! When they get clean, they have a place to call home. No longer can we turn a blind eye to this problem in our Community. Finding new doctors is a priority, we have a state-ofthe-art hospital in our community with fewer doctors and specialists to treat people. Our people are having to leave our community to get treatment in other Hospitals because we do not have enough doctors and nurses to fill our own Ross Memorial Hospital. That has to change if I become your Mayor!

To learn more about where William Denby stands on the issues that are important to you, contact him directly at treasureislandresort@hotmail.com or 705-328-7197.

William Denby is running for the position of mayor alongside Pat Dunn, Kathleen Seymour-fagan, Doug Elmslie, Faye Mcgee and Jim Riches.