HaltonHillsToday is profiling every candidate in the upcoming municipal election. Up next - candidates running for the Wards 3 and 4 regional councillor position.
Local Councillor Wendy Farrow-Reed is looking to change seats on council, putting her name forth on the ballot for the Wards 3 and 4 regional councillor spot.
The former Georgetown BIA manager said she wants measured and appropriate growth, robust public transit and support for business recovery from the pandemic.
While she acknowledged that some growth is dictated by the Province, she said she wants to see the municipality manage it through intensification.
"We do have to increase our housing inventory, so the single detached family homes maybe aren't the way to go," she said. "We need to change how we even look at property.”
Intensification, in simple terms, is the building of more in a smaller area. Rather than creating one type of amenity, or housing on a given patch of land, intensification aims to use the space more efficiently and put in a diverse array of developments. Shops, mid-density homes and entertainment can potentially be side-by-side.
And to unite Halton Hills residents together, strong public transit is a high priority for Farrow-Reed as well. Halton Hills does have ActiVan for seniors and people with disabilities, and the Town - in collaboration with Milton - has also debuted a transit route on Steeles Avenue. But more needs to be done, according to Farrow-Reed.
“There is a plan for transportation, and there needs to be because there's a whole demographic of people that can't get to appointments, can't get out, can't get to shopping,” said the lifelong Georgetown resident. “It's not only the people that are not able-bodied, it's able-bodied people that maybe don't have a license or temporarily don't have one.”
The pandemic landed during her time on council, and Farrow-Reed made it a priority to help the business sector - a passion that has continued on from her time managing the BIA. If elected a regional councillor, she said she will continue advocating for the local business community.
She saw remote work as creating business opportunities for downtown shops as residents were more likely to patronize them if they weren’t commuting out of town. But once people go back to the office, that support may disappear again.
“So we're going to have to support those people,” she added.
Since joining council in 2018, she has signed onto the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, Community and Corporate Affairs, Halton Hills Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Destination Downtown Committee.
