Much like the ward’s candidate pool, the Glen Williams Town Hall was packed Wednesday night for the Ward 2 all-candidates meeting.
Eight local residents are vying for the soon-to-be-vacated seats of retiring councillor Ted Brown and Bryan Lewis, who's running for mayor.
Residents came to hear their candidates speak about the issues. Here are their answer to a few of the key questions:
How would you best mitigate the speeding crisis and what, if any, proposal do you have in place to move trucks off the routes in Ward 2?
Maureen Gillham: She spoke about a group called Safe Streets Halton and proposed engaging with them for solutions.
She then mused about putting “speed cameras everywhere” while acknowledging their expense and money-making ability as drawbacks and benefits.
Peter Snow: He said he wants to change “how people think about the road” and work collaboratively to find creative new solutions to the speeding issue.
"Speeding is a problem across the whole ward," he said. “On council, that will be one of my number one priorities.”
Bryan Robinson: He said these issues are also at the top of his priority list, noting that speed bumps and traffic-calming bollards are effective in certain areas.
For trucks, he highlighted the need for “police presence” because “signs don’t work.”
Matt Kindbom: “Lives are at stake,” he began, adding there's no more time for long-term plans and studies. "We need stuff that works now.”
He called for “site-specific solutions” for traffic and trucks and put out the idea of a cobblestone street in Glen Williams as a traffic calming measure.
Greg Cosper: He said the speeding problem is a “financial issue" and that paying for speed reduction measures needs to be addressed immediately.
He also suggested creative ways to get the needed funds, such as private sponsorship of speed humps.
Jason Brass: He called for more community safety zones and heavy restrictions on trucks, proposing that in some cases, roads should be closed to trucks altogether.
He said he would engage with the police community liaison officer to create a plan that enforces the rules so extensively, "nobody speeds in this area again."
Joseph Racinsky: He said “we need to think outside of the box” to mitigate the truck and traffic issues.
He also said he believes the town has an "infrastructure deficit" contributing to the problem that needs to be addressed, and laid out changes he would make to specific roads.
Geoff Maltby: “Stop filling the potholes,” he jokingly remarked, which got some laughs from the crowd.
Speed cameras were high on his list of suggestions, along with traffic calming measures like islands in the middle of the road.
He said the town also has to look at eliminating trucks on certain roads.
Are you receiving any campaign donations from any person or business that is affiliated with development or developers in Ward 2?
All candidates unanimously said no.
Are you for or against Hwy. 413?
All candidates said they're opposed to the highway plan.
What is your stance on development in the Glen? Are you in agreement with the rate of development in the Glen and the rest of Halton Hills?
Kindbom: He repeated his mantra of “controlled” and “limited” development.
“Any development also needs to include parkland,” he added.
He also vowed to ensure the character of Glen Williams isn't affected by development.
Cosper: He acknowledged that growth is unavoidable as "it’s going to be forced upon us by the Province."
He called for strong leaders who can negotiate with developers “to make sure we are getting the things that we want,” such as affordable housing.
Brass: He called for the slowing down of development in the hamlets and suggested tightening up zoning and enhancing development fees with a tiered system.
He advocated for infill development and proposed the Town clean up brownfields (abandoned/unused industrial sites) to make them more appealing to developers.
Racinsky: He decried the concept of monster estate homes as a use of land and praised the McGibbon condo project in Georgetown.
“Intensification in Georgetown, in terms of infrastructure, is really the only alternative to more and more subdivisions.”
He also promised to look at the parking situation in Glen Williams.
Maltby: He suggested mid-density developments could be the way forward. or even high-density where appropriate.
For example, he said a couple of high-rises could be built towards the centre of a 50-acre lot, then it could be surrounded by parks, farmland, water, etc. to strike a balance.
Gillham: She took the nostalgia approach and reminisced about how much the hamlet has changed over the years.
She also said that developments should stay within the parameters of approved plans, without requiring amendments or site alterations.
Snow: He echoed much of what was being said and called for “tighter development using less land.”
He opposed growth outside the urban boundary and highlighted the benefits of intensification as developers don’t have to lay new infrastructure or roads.
Robinson: He promised to keep the public informed about developments and hold developers accountable.
He also said he doesn't support growth outside the urban boundary.
"I think we need to keep it very contained.”
Agriculture is important in Halton Hills. How would you help support it, and slow urban sprawl?
Brass: He lamented the ever-decreasing services for farmers, and said the Town needs to work with police to ensure farm vehicles aren't included in traffic blitzes.
He also wants to control the use of road salt to prevent contamination of local farmland.
Racinsky: He said "farming is in crisis" due to rising property prices, loss of land to developers and difficulty in adopting farming as a vocation.
“One of the first things I will do if I am successful in this is gather local farmers, and look at ways to make their lives as easy as possible.”
Maltby: “Support is the thing,” said the local farmer, speaking from his own experience. He proposed getting Halton Region to offer more supports to farmers, such as by providing equipment that could be shared.
Much like Brass, he wants to work with police so that farmers are not bothered by cops on patrol.
Gillham: She said she believes the municipality should be supporting the Halton Region Federation of Agriculture so that it can, in turn, better support farmers.
Snow: He echoed others in the need for more amenities like access to seed and tractors, but also said he wants to create “opportunities to get younger people involved” in agriculture.
Robinson: He highlighted the issue that farmers are not incentivized to keep their land and are looking to sell to developers. He emphasized the need to support farmers with programs so they don’t sell, which will in turn help control growth.
Kindbom: “I believe we must remove the bottlenecks, remove the barriers, to help them to succeed and make it less bureaucratic,” he said.
He, much like others, wants to liaise with the farmers.
Cosper: He professed to not be too experienced with farming, but said he can listen to people and deliver on what they want.
