Sarnia City Council Candidate Questionnaire

The City of Sarnia, like all small cities, has a limited role in providing housing. Housing is the responsibility of higher governments. Our role is to provide the zoning and municipal services required by housing projects. We have met all expectations of the Provincial Government. We have approved several additional projects that are in progress or awaiting funding from higher governments.

The Police Service is traditionally the largest expenditure allocation in the City of Sarnia Budget. I would not freeze or cut their expenditures. They have a difficult job. I would expect them to live with a reasonable increase, like every other department.

I would expect the current building to be repaired and used.

The armoured vehicle was an unusual, but not irresponsible purchase. It could prove to be an important acquisition, at a reasonable cost.

The concept of BACE is a good one. There should have been more legal agreements and operating procedures, before the City made such a large financial commitment.

I would move the plan forward as funding permits. I would keep the waterfront as public parkland. I would allow private development, where reasonable, away from the waterfront.

We need a traffic and parking study for downtown. We need to try to get the Bayside Mall and related lands projects revitalized. Mitton seems to be maturing.

I sat on the Sarnia Power/Bluewater Power Board for three years, as a Member of Council (there were two of us). It is not necessary that a Council member sit on the Board, but Council should be more involved in recruiting Board Members.

Sarnia has a responsibility to ensure every resident has access to shelter and dignity. Investing in affordable and supportive housing is essential to reducing homelessness, stabilizing families, and lowering long-term costs across city services. If we want a healthier, safer community, we must prioritize housing even when it requires difficult budget choices.

I support equitable taxation and funding models that ensure people facing financial barriers can access stable housing. Encouraging multi-unit homes through gentle intensification also strengthens neighbourhoods. Removing barriers so homeowners can add units, and creating clear zoning pathways for builders, is a low-impact way to grow our housing supply while keeping rental rates competitive and avoiding unnecessary sprawl.

We must also protect the rental stock we already have. Vacant-home taxes used in other municipalities show that discouraging long-term vacancy brings units back into use and keeps housing serving residents rather than sitting empty for profit. Modernizing zoning and redesigning our Community Improvement Plans to prioritize affordable and rent-geared-to-income units will help ensure new supply meets real community needs.

Policing is essential, but its share of Sarnia’s overall budget has grown faster than the city can reasonably sustain. Over the past decade, operational costs have expanded to the point where they limit our ability to invest in housing, infrastructure, recreation, and the social supports that actually reduce calls for service. Meeting provincial standards is important, yet the pace of growth has outstripped what taxpayers can absorb and what other departments need to function effectively.

I would not support further large increases. Sarnia’s cost-per-resident for policing is already comparable to similar municipalities, and continuing to approve steep annual jumps would crowd out the services that keep communities healthy and safe. I would push the police board toward a stable, predictable budget framework at a level that maintains core operations, supports frontline needs, and respects taxpayers, while ensuring the city can still fund the broader programs that contribute to long-term public safety.

A new police headquarters would be one of the largest capital projects in Sarnia’s history, and with policing already taking more than 40% of the city’s budget, we need to be cautious about committing to a $90-million build. The current facility has documented issues, but contractors have indicated it can be repaired and modernized for a fraction of the cost. A focused repair-and-reuse plan would allow the service to address operational needs without overwhelming taxpayers or diverting funding from housing, infrastructure, and community supports.

The challenges the service faces (outdated cells, rising lease costs, and off-site training) are real, but they can be solved through targeted investments rather than a full replacement. A distributed model may offer flexibility, but it risks creating long-term operating costs that exceed the savings from avoiding a new build.

Sarnia needs a solution that maintains service levels, respects fiscal limits, and keeps long-term operating costs manageable. A practical, staged repair strategy is the most responsible path forward.

The purchase of the Gurkha raises important questions about cost, purpose, and public transparency. I support ensuring officers have the tools they need for high-risk situations, but any specialized vehicle must be tightly controlled and used only when absolutely necessary. This should be a defensive resource for situations like active threats, hostage rescues, or safely evacuating residents and not something that appears at routine calls or neighbourhood incidents where it could escalate fear or tension.

Clear deployment criteria should be written into policy and publicly reported so residents understand when and why it is used. The community deserves full transparency on the real cost of upfitting, storing, insuring, and maintaining the vehicle over time. That information should be published by the police board, not left to speculation.

Public safety requires appropriate tools, but it also requires accountability, restraint, and clear communication with the people the service is meant to protect.

The BACE campus has real potential, but only if it operates as a genuinely public, accessible facility rather than drifting toward a private-club model with municipal funding behind it. The City’s investment must be tied to guaranteed low-barrier access for residents of all ages, incomes, and abilities. We need programming that reflects the whole community (not just daytime users or those who can afford premium fees.) That means longer and more varied operating hours, affordable drop-in options, and spaces designed for youth, working families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

We need the commitment at BACE: clear public-access standards, transparent operating budgets, and safeguards so the City isn’t left covering shortfalls if revenues dip.

A community campus should serve the community. Any municipal support must protect that principle.

Yes – this plan is an important long-term investment in Sarnia’s public realm, economic vitality, and cultural life. Based on the finalized design presented to Council, if Ferry Dock Hill is being built in phases, I would prioritize the wooden viewing platforms and seating nodes; We have excellent food options downtown and pairing those with comfortable outdoor spaces along our waterfront strengthens both the concept of being in community and supporting the local economy.

Looking at the broader Waterfront Master Plan, I would emphasize the Market Hall proposed for Paul Blundy Park. This location already serves as a gathering point for flag-raisings and community events. A permanent, year-round market hall would create a consistent draw to downtown beyond First Fridays. It would support night markets, cultural festivals, performances, and community programming. Smaller food vendors and start-ups could participate through low-commitment pop-ups, making entrepreneurship more accessible and reducing barriers to entry. This strengthens local business, celebrating cultural diversity, and building a more vibrant, walkable downtown.

The Waterfront Master Plan is clear: this shoreline is meant to be public, accessible, and people-focused.

Yes — I would expand and redesign the Mitton Village and Downtown Community Improvement Plan grants to better support the people who actually live and work in these neighbourhoods. The Mitton Village Citizens Collective has been doing excellent grassroots work, and as they bring concerns and ideas through the Mitton Village Community Development Advisory Committee, those insights should directly shape how CIP dollars are structured and deployed. They know the barriers, the opportunities, and the realities of the area better than anyone.

A stronger CIP should incentivize active storefront use (not just façade upgrades), support small-scale tenants (not only property owners), reward landlords who lease affordably and maintain their buildings (or at a minimum decentivize long-term vacancy and abandoned storefronts), align grants with actual neighbourhood priorities (not top-down branding exercises).

Mitton Village thrives when residents and small businesses are empowered. Money doesn’t need to be spent on surface-level beautification that doesn’t address vacancy.

Bluewater Power is a major public asset, and residents deserve clearer, more accessible governance information than what is currently available. The Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre’s review highlighted significant gaps in public disclosure — including the absence of corporate structure, governance details, executive information, audited financial statements, and director tenure on the utility’s website. People shouldn’t have to search council archives to understand how a company they collectively own is performing. The issue isn’t board composition; it’s transparency.

Rather than adding councillors to the board, Bluewater Power should strengthen its public-reporting practices. Publishing multi-year audited financial statements, clear governance structures, director appointment dates, and cumulative years of service directly on its website would bring it in line with best practices used by other municipally owned utilities. Improving disclosure provides meaningful accountability while preserving the independent-board model that supports stable, expertise-driven operations.

The city should stop treating housing starts as the only scoreboard. I would use vacancy taxes on empty units and unused land, put city land into trusts and co-ops that stay affordable, and require new supply to include homes people already living here can actually rent or buy.

I would push the police board to cut operating spending back toward the 2022 baseline of about $27 million, not accept a $41 million operating figure. That extra $14 million a year should go to community care and housing, not a larger police budget.

Repair and reuse the Christina Street station instead of building a $91-million headquarters. Fix what we have, keep using the leased space only as needed, and put borrowing capacity into housing rather than a new fortress.

I do not support Sarnia owning this vehicle. If council cannot reverse the purchase, the full cost of upfitting and maintenance should be published and deployment should be tightly limited; I would rather see it sold.

The city should fully back BACE and support it every way it can — remaining capital, planning, and partnerships to get the campus built and running. Public and low-barrier access should be part of that support so young people and residents can actually use it.

I would keep the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan moving and fund Ferry Dock Hill first as public shoreline people can use for free. I am also in favour of private development that replaces downtown parking lots so empty asphalt becomes housing, shops, and activity instead of sitting unused.

Empty storefronts on Christina and Front are an ownership problem, not a branding problem. I would tighten Community Improvement Plan grants so they fill buildings, tax vacant commercial units, and fund public art next to real businesses with fair artist pay.

A city councillor should sit on the Bluewater Power board. The rest of the company should be opened up: public reporting on costs, executive pay, operations, and how the dividend to the city is weighed against rates people can actually pay.

I would table a motion to end renovictions, and put a freeze on tax increases. I would also work alongside the other councillors to approve first builds that meet the current needs for supportive and affordable housing. As a city councillor, I would also frequently connect with the City/County councillors to ensure the actions I take are the ones that will support the goals and pace needed for the entire county.

The Sarnia Police Service crime statistics have shown crime rates actually reducing in our city. With that in mind I would strongly consider freezing the policing budget. I would also listen to the members of the Police board and SPS to ensure that whatever action taken meets the needs of both the SPS and our citizens.

From my understanding one of the main reasons for creating a new headquarters was to ensure the SPS had direct access to all training facilities they need. I do think having adequate training facilities is important, however, I think it would be cheaper for the city to repair-and-reuse the current facility along with creating the training facility at one of the off-site locations. It is important for the SPS to stay in a more central location, and creating an adequate training facility nearby could save us a lot of money from sending officers out of town to do the needed training.

I am unsure how I feel about the SPS owning this vehicle. I do think that Sarnia needs to have the resources to protect all our citizens, however, I do not feel confident that a piece of equipment with that much of a reduced price would be effective for its intended use. If the SPS really believes they have a need for such a vehicle, I think they would need to create a strong case for it, including how it would be budgeted, coherent examples of its intended use, and all information should be independently verified. Again, with the SPS crime statistics showing a decreased crime rate, it is hard to rationalize our need for this kind of equipment.

I think it is highly important for the city to ensure this facility remains accessible to all citizens. We need to ensure that cost to access remains low, so that no one is financially excluded while also giving the city some return. It will also be critical to make sure city buses frequently stop at this location. It will also be important to make sure the facility is built to meet future needs (ex. Be able to be used as a concert venue), so that it can adapt to what the city needs from it.

The first project I would fund is one that meets the current needs of the city. I would be looking for projects and plans that help bring community involvement and engagement to our Downtown Waterfront, as well as ones that would meet our needs for affordable housing. I would not vote in favour of any projects that limit access to the waterfront, reduce the current size of Centennial Park, or create housing that does not meet the needs of the city.

I recognize that foot traffic is increased when mural streets have direct access to restaurants and shops. I do also believe that new restaurants and shops are more willing to open if the cityscape they have potential to develop in is better looking. I also think the city needs to do more work to make business approvals and development happen quicker, so empty lots don’t stay empty as long. This would also help reduce businesses seeking different locations because of delays from the city.

I think if a councillor can be added to the board in a way that would keep them unbiased, it could be beneficial to add a layer of transparency. If this can’t be done in an unbiased way, it may be beneficial for council to create an energy board that can independently verify that Bluewater Power runs in a manner that is beneficial to all our citizens. Currently, extra public reporting should include why Bluewater Power reported record profits last year, and budgeting information so we can ensure the money is being used in a way that is beneficial to the citizens.

I believe that elimination of bylaws and requirements which stop infill building in our city is required. Using the services that are already in place more efficiently must be the direction we take. Kathleen Ave, three story 50 unit apartment building and Cathcart Blvd proposed four story, 94 unit build, are examples of this type of housing. The city must allow and encourage multi dwelling affordable builds. Duplex, triplex and town houses must be allowed instead of million-dollar homes.

The police budget needs a full review. Like any organization, the police service should be expected to examine its spending carefully and identify areas where costs can be reduced. For context, the current acting chief Michael Van Sickle stated the budget needs ‘another look’. source Simcoe Reformer, May 21, 2026. Sarnia needs to make sure that Sarnia citizens are getting what is really needed from our police service.

Sarnia can not afford to build a new headquarters for the police service with our present economic status. Like all other major items, I believe that Sarnia needs to set a goal for the police service to work towards. Once that goal is in place then we can cost it and figure out how to arrive at that end results. I really feel that the answer is multiple buildings. Rarely in larger cities is one building only used for the Police. There maybe some existing buildings in Sarnia that can be repurposed. I am sure that council and the police service could sit down and come up with a solution suitable for all.

WHY do we need an armoured vehicle.? Was there a cost benefits write up done for this purpose? I can not see a justification for this type of equipment in Sarnia. I have already seen officers in tactical gear frightening residents. This whole direction needs a review. Chatham/Kent, Sudbury, Peterborough all have this type of vehicle; however they are very seldom, if ever used.

The land has been donated, and the present council has already committed capital to this … I do not see any reason that the city would need to put more capital on the table beyond what’s already approved. My focus is on the operating side. I’ve discussed the cash flow work with the project team, and it’s serious, experienced work; it shows the facility breaks even at roughly 40% usage, which is very conservative based on the need that has been demonstrated and gives real room before it would ever need to lean on the city for operating support. But I don’t think projections alone are good enough. Before this facility opens, we need a written agreement between the facility and the not-for-profit operator that guarantees no barriers to entry and locks in a set number of free memberships each year for people who couldn’t otherwise afford to use it. Get that in writing now, and this stays a public asset and not a private club with a municipal invoice.

The waterfront is an integral part of Sarnia’s beauty. This master plan looks good and it is disappointing that it is still just at year 1, after 4 years. I believe that it is possible to do more than one thing at a time and feel that part of the problem is an all or nothing approach. Citizens need to see some movement on this project. I would suggest giving the project some priority (as financing allows) to be able to get it moving forward. Even allowing events on the waterfront, as is, will spur on growth.

First, I want to give credit to nuSarnia who have done a great job in the community, particularly their input and dedication into expanding our trail system.

The downtown revitalization has been an ongoing challenge and one that is certainly not new to the current and upcoming city council. Sarnia’s Business Improvement Association could not be supported by businesses who were already strapped financially and unwilling to pay the special levy. Leveraging from the success of First Friday would be a start. Input from and collaboration with downtown.

Considering where the City is, right now financially, I can not see this being an immediate priority. A vision for downtown would be great and must be tied into the waterfront. A drab downtown is a drab downtown. Adding colour, flags, murals, plus holding consistent events will reinvigorate Sarnia Downtown. Like, the Mitton Street project, we need someone to champion the downtown area.

It is always difficult to argue with success; however, as the major shareholder, I would support a Sarnia City representative on Bluewater Powers Board. A major shareholder should have a say in the operations. I feel that a once-a-year report is not sufficient for an operation of this magnitude.

Focus on Neighbourhoods that have Momentum rather than building homes on spec, hoping that people will buy them. We need to think out of the box, when developing Zoning By-laws, particularly as it affects that “missing middle housing “. The City of Sarnia Official Plan speaks to intensification, mixed use and economic objectives but it is not transformational in how to achieve it. Revitalization and Infilling is one important step, because the infrastructure, water, sewer, roads and sidewalks already exists.

“A police service board shall ensure that adequate and effective policing is provided in accordance with the needs of the population in its area.” One cannot compromise public safety. So when setting the budget I am very mindful of the taxpayer’s ability to pay. On the last 2 budgets as a Board Member I voted to create a 2 year budget, to help spread out the cost. I made motions to reduce the final budget that was presented to the Board over the past 2 years. As a member of Council in 2023 and 2024, I accepted the Boards budget as it had the overwhelming support of the community.

There is no doubt that the current building is a failing asset, as described in the City of Sarnia’s Asset Management Plan. Big projects cannot be rushed! The city has already contributed land and some preliminary work has been done on the design. Funding is crucial, but it cannot come from a city that currently does not have the ability to pay. Therefore off site locations such as the Collisions Reporting Centre and Training must off site. Capital Improvements must be incorporated into the budget in order to maintain the standards as required by the province and I believe that the province must contribute if they want to continue to have municipal police services.

Yes. Boards cannot direct operational decisions, and the cost to maintain would be in reports to the Board, and shared with the city.

The city has committed capital. BACE’s vision is year round recreational facility for everyone.

Yes. The Ferry Dock Hill improvements as per the plan.

Mitton Street improvements have been part of the recent City hall Budgets. It has a proven winner. As I said before, focus on Neighbourhoods that have momentum. I would prefer to provide murals by local artists commissioned in public buildings on a case by case basis first.

Bluewater Power is a non for profit Private Corporation that is a proven success story. Council approves The Board of Directors. Why mess with success!

Housing is one of the clearest examples of why my platform calls for community investment that works for everyone. I support building more housing, but I don’t believe success should simply be measured by the number of housing starts. We need housing that people who live and work in Sarnia can actually afford.

My approach would be to use the City’s planning, zoning and development tools to encourage a mix of housing — market housing, attainable ownership, affordable rental, seniors’ housing and supportive housing. I also want to see the City work much more effectively with Lambton County, because the County has the responsibility for many of the social-housing programs while the City has important planning and development tools.

We also need to look at existing buildings and vacant properties and ask whether we can bring more of that space back into use. My goal isn’t simply to build more houses. It’s to build a community where families, seniors, workers and people who need additional support can afford to live. Growth and affordability should not be competing goals. With good planning, they can work together.

I support our police officers and I believe Sarnia needs a strong, properly resourced police service. But supporting policing does not mean giving any public organization a blank cheque. My platform is built around accountable leadership, and that means every major municipal expense deserves scrutiny.

I would not commit to an arbitrary freeze or cut simply to produce a headline. I would want to understand exactly what is driving the increase — staffing, overtime, sick time, benefits, equipment, facilities and other operating pressures — and whether those costs are sustainable.

I would also expect measurable accountability. What are taxpayers getting for that investment? What are the trends in crime, calls for service, response times and staffing? The Police Services Board has an important role, and City Council has an important role as the taxpayer. I would expect both to ask difficult questions.

My position is simple: we can support our police while still demanding responsible financial management. I will not promise taxpayers that every increase can be eliminated. I will promise that I will ask why the increase is necessary and whether it represents good value for Sarnia.

A $91-million-plus police headquarters is a significant commitment for Sarnia taxpayers, and I don’t believe we should move forward simply because a new building has been proposed.

My platform calls for responsible investment in infrastructure, and that means looking at what we already have before automatically building something new. I would want a proper comparison of three options: repairing and modernizing the existing headquarters, continuing with a distributed model where appropriate, or constructing a new facility.

That analysis needs to consider not just construction costs, but long-term maintenance, energy costs, accessibility, security, staffing and the cost of leasing other facilities.

If repairing the existing building gives us a safe, functional police headquarters at a fraction of the cost, I would strongly favour that. If a new facility is ultimately proven to be the best long-term solution, then I would consider it — but it needs a solid business case and a financing plan taxpayers can realistically afford.

I support our police having the appropriate equipment to protect themselves and the public during genuinely dangerous situations. A $20,000 used vehicle is very different from spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new armoured vehicle, so I understand why the Police Services Board considered this purchase. But my support comes with accountability.

I would want a clear policy governing when the vehicle can be deployed, who authorizes its use, and what reporting occurs afterward. I would also want taxpayers to know the true cost of ownership — including modifications, equipment, training, insurance, maintenance and storage.

This fits directly with my commitment to accountable leadership. Public safety is important, but transparency is important too. We should give our officers the tools they need to do their jobs safely while making sure taxpayers understand what those tools cost and how they are being used.

I see the potential for BACE to be an important community and economic asset for Sarnia. My support for community investment does not mean I believe the City should take on unlimited financial risk. Before committing additional taxpayer dollars, I want to see a realistic construction budget, confirmed funding partners, a sustainable operating plan and clear responsibility for future operating shortfalls.

I also believe strongly that a facility receiving significant municipal support must provide meaningful public benefit. That means public access, affordable programming and opportunities for children, families, seniors and residents who may not otherwise be able to participate.

I would not support a situation where taxpayers carry the financial risk while access effectively becomes limited to those who can afford private-club prices. BACE should strengthen our community, support recreation and help create economic opportunities — but the financial agreement has to protect taxpayers and guarantee a real public benefit.

Absolutely. Bringing the Waterfront Master Plan to fruition is actually one of the specific commitments in my platform.

Our waterfront is one of Sarnia’s greatest economic and recreational assets. We should be using it to attract visitors, support local businesses, create tourism opportunities and give residents more places to enjoy their own city. My first priority would be continuing to move Ferry Dock Hill forward and strengthening the connection between downtown and the waterfront.

But development has to be done carefully. I support private investment and responsible development, but I do not believe private development should come at the expense of public waterfront access or the long-term vision of the master plan.

My vision is a waterfront that brings people downtown, supports restaurants and local businesses, creates tourism opportunities and gives families and residents beautiful public spaces to enjoy. The waterfront can be both an economic engine and a community asset. We don’t have to choose between the two.

This fits directly into my commitment to economic growth and local jobs. I don’t believe murals alone revitalize a downtown. We need businesses operating, people walking the streets, restaurants and shops attracting customers, and property owners investing in their buildings.

I would support reviewing and improving the City’s Community Improvement Plan to determine whether our incentives are actually helping address vacant storefronts and encourage investment. I also want to make it easier for entrepreneurs to open businesses by reducing unnecessary red tape and making the permitting process more straightforward.

Public art has a role too. I support a vibrant, attractive downtown and I believe artists should be properly compensated for their work. But public art should be part of a broader revitalization strategy rather than a replacement for one. My priority is a downtown that is busy, safe, walkable and economically healthy — a place where local businesses can succeed and residents actually want to spend time.

I would keep the independent-board model. Bluewater Power is an important municipal asset, and Sarnia benefits financially from its ownership. But I don’t believe councillors need to sit on the operating board to fulfill their responsibility as the majority shareholder. In fact, I think keeping a separation between elected politicians and the day-to-day operation of the utility is healthy.

Where I would like to see more accountability is in public reporting. Residents should be able to clearly understand the City’s relationship with Bluewater Power, the financial return to the municipality, major strategic decisions and any significant risks or investments that affect the City’s interests as shareholder.

My platform calls for transparent decision-making and clear communication with residents. That applies to municipal assets too. Council’s job should be to protect the public interest and hold the shareholder relationship accountable — not to politicize the operation of the utility.

Require a set-aside of affordable/RGI units (or cash-in-lieu to the county housing fund) on city-approved developments over a threshold, and streamline permits specifically for non-market and secondary-suite builds.

I don’t sit on the board. I’d push for a freeze near $35-37M, phased over two years, tied to a public staffing/service breakdown — not an $14M jump.

Repair-and-reuse Christina Street first, publish real costs before any $91M ask returns.

Oppose. Sell it; if kept, publish upfit/maintenance costs and require board sign-off per deployment.

Cap city capital exposure, no operating bailouts, guaranteed low-barrier public hours in writing.

Yes — fund Ferry Dock Hill first; no private towers displacing public shoreline access.

Redesign CIP grants toward occupied storefronts; create a modest dedicated public-art budget with artist pay.

Keep council off the operating board; add plain-language annual public reporting.

I believe Sarnia needs more housing, but we also need the right housing. Increasing supply is important, but simply building more market-rate units does not solve the affordability problem for families, seniors, young people or residents on fixed incomes. As councillor, I would support responsible increases in housing supply while using every municipal tool available to encourage a broader range of housing options.

That includes reviewing zoning and approvals to reduce unnecessary red tape, encouraging secondary suites and appropriate multi-unit development, and working with the County, developers and non-profit housing providers to increase affordable and supportive housing. Where municipal incentives or partnerships are proposed, I would want clear agreements showing what taxpayers are receiving in return.

I also believe we need to make better use of existing properties, including vacant and underused buildings, before continually expanding outward.

I would also examine whether a carefully designed Vacant Home Tax could make sense for Sarnia. If residential properties are being deliberately left vacant while local residents struggle to find housing, we should consider whether there is a reasonable way to encourage those properties back into the housing market. Any program would need clear exemptions for legitimate circumstances, such as renovations, estate situations or properties temporarily vacant for other valid reasons. I would also require a detailed analysis of the expected revenue versus the administrative cost before implementing it. This should not become another expensive municipal bureaucracy. If the evidence shows that a vacancy tax can return housing to the market, generate reasonable revenue and cost taxpayers less to administer than it brings in, I believe it deserves serious consideration.

My goal is a housing strategy that increases supply, protects neighbourhood quality of life and creates opportunities for people who already live and work in Sarnia to afford to remain here.

Public safety is one of the fundamental responsibilities of municipal government, and I would never support an arbitrary cut to policing simply to make a budget number look better. At the same time, a $41-million operating budget deserves serious scrutiny when compared with the approximately $27-million baseline from 2022.

If elected, I would expect the Police Services Board and Council to clearly explain where that additional spending is going, what pressures are temporary versus permanent, and what measurable improvements residents are receiving. I would also push for an independent review of major cost drivers, staffing, overtime, technology, facilities and procurement.

I would not promise a specific freeze or cut without seeing the detailed budget. My acceptable number would be the lowest responsible budget that maintains public safety and service levels, rather than an arbitrary target.

Taxpayers deserve both safety and accountability. I would support the police service when resources are genuinely required, but I would also ask difficult questions and expect efficiencies wherever they can be achieved without compromising frontline policing.

I would not support moving forward with a $91-million police headquarters simply because a plan has already been discussed. With that financing removed from the 2026 budget, I believe Council has an opportunity to step back and reassess the options.

Before committing taxpayers to a major new building, I would want a comprehensive assessment of the existing Christina Street facility: its structural condition, required repairs, accessibility, security, technology needs and expected lifespan. I would also want a detailed comparison between renovating the existing building, constructing a smaller central facility, and continuing with a distributed model.

My priority would be value for taxpayers and an effective police operation, not having the newest building.

If the evidence demonstrates that a new headquarters is ultimately the most cost-effective long-term solution, I would consider it. But I would not support a $91-million project without a transparent business case, realistic lifecycle costs and a clear financing plan.

Sarnia needs to invest in public safety—not unnecessarily in bricks and mortar.

I support Sarnia Police having appropriate equipment to protect officers and the public during genuinely high-risk situations. A used armoured rescue vehicle purchased for $20,000 can potentially provide significant capability at a relatively low acquisition cost compared with purchasing a new vehicle.

However, purchasing the vehicle should not be viewed as the end of the financial discussion. I would want the Police Services Board and police service to publicly disclose the total cost of acquisition, upfitting, insurance, training, maintenance, storage and eventual replacement.

I would also support clear deployment policies. The vehicle should be reserved for situations where there is a legitimate and documented risk to officers or members of the public, such as an active threat or other high-risk incident. It should not become routine patrol equipment or be deployed simply because it is available.

Ultimately, this should be about preparedness, not militarization. I would support the vehicle provided there are clear operational limits, proper oversight and transparent reporting of its real cost to taxpayers.

I support the idea of creating more opportunities for sport, recreation and physical activity in Sarnia, particularly for children and young people. The Curran family’s donation of 27 acres is a significant community contribution, and I believe the city should continue to carefully evaluate its role in making the BACE campus successful.

However, municipal involvement should come with accountability. I would want Council to establish clear limits on the city’s remaining capital commitment and avoid open-ended financial obligations. Before committing additional taxpayer dollars, we should have a transparent business plan, realistic construction costs, operating projections and contingency planning.

Most importantly, if public money is invested, the public should receive a meaningful public benefit. That means affordable and low-barrier access for local families, youth, schools and community organizations—not simply creating another facility accessible primarily to those who can afford private-club fees.

I support partnerships that leverage private donations and investment, but taxpayers should not be left responsible for ongoing losses if revenues fall short. Community benefit, financial accountability and accessibility should be conditions of continued municipal participation.

Yes, I am committed to moving Sarnia’s waterfront plan forward. Our waterfront is one of the city’s greatest assets, and I believe it can play a much larger role in improving quality of life, attracting visitors and supporting downtown businesses.

The first priority I would support is continuing the Ferry Dock Hill project and connecting the waterfront more effectively to downtown, while ensuring we have a realistic financing plan. We should prioritize projects that create visible public benefit, improve accessibility and encourage people to spend more time along the river.

I also believe the waterfront should remain fundamentally a public asset. Private investment can be part of the solution, but I would not support allowing private towers or developments to gradually dominate the shoreline at the expense of public access, views, parks or community spaces.

Likewise, industrial activity must be balanced with the waterfront’s recreational and tourism potential.

My vision is a waterfront that Sarnia residents are proud of, visitors want to experience and local businesses can benefit from—without giving away our public shoreline or creating an unsustainable financial burden.

I would support redesigning and strengthening the Community Improvement Plan where evidence shows the existing incentives are not producing enough results. Our goal should be to get vacant storefronts occupied, support small businesses and create a downtown where people want to spend time.

I don’t believe murals alone will solve downtown vacancies. Public art can contribute to a vibrant community, but it works best when combined with restaurants, shops, events, clean public spaces, lighting, safety and occupied buildings. I would therefore support public art as part of a broader downtown strategy rather than treating it as the strategy itself.

I would also consider establishing a dedicated, predictable public-art budget, provided it has clear objectives, transparent selection processes and appropriate compensation for professional artists. Artists should be paid fairly for their work rather than relying primarily on volunteers.

At the same time, every grant program should be reviewed periodically to determine whether it is actually delivering results.

Sarnia should invest in downtown—not simply spend money on downtown.

I believe the independent-board model should remain. Bluewater Power is a significant municipal asset, and keeping day-to-day political decision-making separate from utility operations helps protect the company from short-term political pressures.

I would not support automatically putting a city councillor on the operating board simply because Sarnia is the majority shareholder. Directors should be selected based on expertise, experience and the ability to act in the long-term interests of the company and its shareholders.

That does not mean there should be no accountability. Sarnia owns approximately 86% of Bluewater Power, and residents deserve to understand how that valuable municipal asset is performing. I would support stronger annual public reporting to Council and residents covering financial performance, dividends or payments to the city, major capital investments, executive compensation at an appropriate level of disclosure, significant risks and the company’s long-term strategy.

The fact that Bluewater Power returned more than $3.3 million to Sarnia in 2024 demonstrates the value of the asset.

Keep professional independence, but strengthen transparency and shareholder accountability.

To move beyond provincial scoreboard metrics, Sarnia can unlock smart, local density through three direct city levers. They can overhaul single family bylaws to permit stacked townhomes and multi-residential units transitioning away from low density sprawl builds a healthier tax base to fund infrastructure while creating a surge of rental options to lower costs. They can slash permit red tape accelerates development and keeps Sarnia competitive with neighbouring communities for new tax revenue. Establish priority revitalization districts backed by a municipal Density Fund. The city can absorb rezoning costs and fees specifically for developers who build rent-geared-to-income and deeply affordable units. By swapping bureaucratic friction for ready to build templates and targeted density incentives, Sarnia turns raw housing numbers into real homes for the 1,000 local families on the waitlist.

A $14 million increase since 2022 is unsustainable for Sarnia taxpayers. If elected, I will insist the board require tiered budget submissions including a core baseline option so Council and the public can clearly separate statutory policing mandates from discretionary spending. We must rein in expenditure growth using concrete operational levers. We can look to see if we are able to shift noncore roles such as court security, records, and administration to lower cost civilian personnel. We can look to expand civilian crisis response teams to handle nonemergency and mental health calls instead of sworn officers. Lasty we can transition traffic management at construction sites to municipal agents. I would push for a target that caps growth at CPI inflation while directing internal cost realignments to find savings. As I have not served on the police board, I would hope whoever is elected to the board brings strict fiscal accountability and modernizing service delivery.

The decision to pull the $91-million funding for a new headquarters was a necessary step for fiscal responsibility. Moving forward, the most practical and economically sound path is a comprehensive repair-and-reuse plan for the existing Christina Street station.

Building a new facility places an undue burden on taxpayers, while a permanently distributed model can fragment police operations. Instead, we must maximize the lifecycle of the infrastructure we already own. By strategically renovating the current headquarters, with a possible future thought to expropriate the land adjacent to the current headquarters to address future operational needs and phase out temporary off site leases without the sticker shock of a new mega project.

Crucially, this repair plan must be paired with forward thinking financial policy. The city should establish a dedicated reserve fund explicitly for police building maintenance and future capital upgrades. By contributing to this fund annually, we prevent the sudden financial crunch we are currently experiencing. This sensible approach ensures our police service has a safe, functional facility while treating taxpayer dollars with the respect and long-term planning they deserve.

I support the continuing ownership of the 2013 Terradyne Gurkha because it has already been purchased at a very reasonable cost. However, it must be subject to strict deployment limits. It should be used only in very high risk situations where the protection of officers’ lives is absolutely needed, never for daily patrols or routine calls.

For transparency, the Sarnia Police Services Board should publish the real, ongoing costs of upfitting and maintaining the vehicle. Every vehicle needs maintenance, but the public deserves clear accounting of these expenses.

Ultimately, we need to move more toward personal policing and community building in the future. When this armoured vehicle’s useful life is completed, we must critically look at what its intended use was versus what it was used for. At that time, we can objectively evaluate if it genuinely needs to be replaced or if there are more cost-effective options available to keep the community and our officers safe.

The Curran family’s generous 27-acre donation and the city’s initial investment offer a strong foundation for the BACE campus. However, municipal taxpayers must be protected moving forward. As for the capital role and operating risk, I support the city holding the loan, but 100% of these funds must be paid back after the initial funding. To mitigate operating risks and revenue shortfalls, repayment must be driven by the facility itself specifically through added user fees on association memberships and dedicated tournament surcharges for hosted events.

To have asset security the loan should be contingent on the city of Sarnia retaining full ownership of the land, building, and all amenities until the loan has been completely reimbursed.

Lastly, until the loan is paid off, we must have a strong public access agreement in place. We cannot fund a private club facility with a municipal invoice. Because the site will be utilized by multiple sports associations, the city must mandate guaranteed, low barrier public access as a nonnegotiable condition of our financial backing to ensure it remains a genuine community asset under city ownership.

I am completely committed to moving the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan forward. Our waterfront is Sarnia’s greatest asset, and we must protect the 3.5 kilometres of public shoreline envisioned in the 2022 plan.

While Ferry Dock Hill is a critical piece, the first initiative I would fund focuses on low cost, immediate activation of our waterfront spaces. By bringing in pop-up markets, community events, food trucks, and accessible public seating, we instantly give people a reason to come downtown that does not wait on an anchor tenant or years of heavy construction.

Furthermore, I definitively refuse to let industrial conflicts quietly replace our plan to develop a vibrant waterfront for all citizens with continuous public access to the water. The shoreline belongs to the community. We cannot trade irreplaceable public greenspaces, pedestrian walkways, and open river vistas for a Minister’s Zoning Order. I will fiercely defend the Master Plan’s vision of a truly public, vibrant, and connected waterfront for everyone.

Redesign the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) grants to tie financial incentives directly to active, ground floor commercial tenancies and foot-traffic drivers, rather than funding isolated cosmetic upgrades on vacant blocks. I think that art is a great way to help spruce up the downtown, but I think filling the stores vacancy issue is a better way to solve this problem.

To address commercial vacancies on Christina, Front, and Mitton Village, Sarnia must investigate a Small Business Recruitment Taskforce (or a dedicated municipal role). While the Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) markets the broader region to large-scale enterprises, local independent entrepreneurs fall through the cracks.

This localized initiative will build a comprehensive commercial property registry, negotiate landlord incentive packages, and actively recruit successful out of town businesses. Fiscal responsibility must remain central, and City Council should establish hard, time-bound targets for business attraction, evaluating continued funding strictly against concrete performance metrics to ensure taxpayer dollars are optimized.

Maintaining an independent board while placing one city councillor on Bluewater Power’s board strikes the right balance between oversight and operational independence. As the 86% majority shareholder, Sarnia deserves direct representation to ensure public assets align with long-term community interests and fiduciary goals.

Crucially, a councillor’s role must be strictly limited to board-level governance. Day-to-day operational decisions, technical strategies, and business management should remain entirely with industry professionals, preventing political interference in routine utility operations.

Regarding public reporting, while the standard annual summary format is adequate, full financial and operational transparency is essential. All underlying numbers and detailed records should be accessible whenever called upon by Council. This approach preserves the commercial efficiency and agility required for a modern utility to thrive, while ensuring complete public accountability and safeguarding Sarnia’s long-term municipal investment.