We have been knocking on doors across Ward 5 for weeks now. The same three concerns come up on almost every street, in almost every conversation.
1. Road safety near schools and intersections
Parents describe the same morning: cars moving too fast past a school zone, a crossing that feels exposed, a corner where sightlines are poor. These are not abstract complaints. People can point at the exact spot.
Traffic calming works best when the people who live on the street help design it. A speed hump in the wrong place just moves the problem one block over. Residents know where the problem actually is.
2. The cost of living against flat paycheques
Property taxes are the part of the cost of living that City Council actually controls. That makes it our responsibility to be able to explain, clearly, what every increase buys. Not in a 200-page budget document — in plain language, in a way a resident can check.
3. Wanting to know what happened next
This one surprised me the most. Over and over, people told me they had reported something — a pothole, a drainage issue, a broken light — and simply never heard back. They were not angry about the wait. They were frustrated by the silence.
Following up is not a policy platform. It is basic. But it is the thing residents mention most, and it is the thing I can commit to from day one.
Keep it coming
If we have not reached your street yet, do not wait for us. Tell us what is going on where you live.