I believe that Kitchener is at its best when people can stay connected to their neighbourhoods, with housing options that meet their needs at every stage of life. When we have essential services and jobs close by, and good transportation networks to the rest of the region. We deserve a city that is affordable, accessible, ambitious, and approachable.
We deserve affordable & safe homes
My experience as an urban planner taught me how to welcome new neighbours while protecting mature trees, enhancing walkability, and making streets safer. I am a founding member of Waterloo Region ACORN and a member of the Civic Hub, who have successfully shaped local policies to protect renters from displacement and prevent bad-faith renovictions.
I was hired by the Hamilton Community Benefits Network to recommend strategies for preserving affordable housing and limiting the effects of gentrification — these lessons also apply to Kitchener.
In my role as a Kitchener 2051 Community Working Group member and director of Hold The Line WR, I have engaged in detailed discussion with city staff about land use planning and zoning policy, shaping the recently approved Official Plan. As a board member with Supportive Housing of Waterloo, I contributed to decisions about operations, funding, staffing, and the construction of new supportive non-profit homes in Waterloo Region.
We deserve rental protections
Protect renters from bad-faith evictions and maintenance neglect with a proactive licensing bylaw
We deserve housing choice
Plan for more affordable types of homes in every neighbourhood
Encourage more family-sized homes in downtown Kitchener, including vacant office conversions
We deserve non-profit and social housing
Use city land for social housing
More details: Affordable and safe housing
We deserve accessible public space
As project coordinator with One Million Neighbours WR, I united over 65 non-profits and grassroots groups, creating a vision for growth without leaving anyone behind.
I led a community campaign to create Gaukel Block, a new public plaza in downtown Kitchener. This has become a popular gathering place for markets, festivals, and performances.
I have organized festivals (Mel Brown Black Music Festival, Hold The Line Festival) and created paid professional development opportunities for artists (The Soundcheck Experiment), developing on-the-ground experience to ensure the City’s arts and entertainment strategy works for emerging artists.
We deserve equitable park access
Create new pedestrian streets
Expand major parks and create new neighbourhood-scale ones
We deserve transportation options for all ages and abilities
Implement municipal sidewalk snow clearing
Set a budget and timeline to complete the city-wide trail network by 2030
We deserve thriving culture
Explore a new multi-purpose outdoor stadium next to The Aud
Create permanent, affordable artist studios
Partner with local arts & entertainment organizations for festival programming instead of competing with them
Expand eligibility for free space at community centres
More details: Public spaces for everyone ~ Thriving culture
We deserve ambitious climate action
Since 2017, my work with Hold The Line WR has brought the protection of our countryside to the forefront of conversations about urban growth. We are facing huge pressures on our groundwater, farmland, and river health. Kitchener, along with its neighbouring municipalities, should resist the pressure to allow more sprawling development, hyperscale data centres, aggregate mining activities, and water-taking permits below the water table.
As co-owner of Full Circle Foods, I work with local farmers and producers, allowing neighbours to make local and zero-waste shopping part of their routine. Together, we’ve saved over 167,000 single use packages from the landfill.
I’ve experienced the joy of being a member at Queen’s Green Community Garden, allowing me to grow food even though I don’t have a yard of my own. The benefits of community gardens extend to reducing social isolation, improving mental health, and multigenerational cultural exchange.
We deserve clean energy
Design neighbourhoods with enough density for efficient transit, utilities and district energy
Offer affordable heat pumps, electric water heaters, solar panels, and battery storage via Kitchener Utilities to reduce fossil fuel use
We deserve healthy ecosystems
Accelerate creek naturalization efforts, increasing biodiversity and flood resilience
Enact a private tree protection bylaw to prevent clear-cutting during redevelopment
We deserve local food security
Uphold the countryside line to protect farmland
Expand access to community gardens so nobody is stuck on a wait list
Allow more food stores close to home, prioritizing local and independent shops
Facilitate access to commercial kitchens and harmonize regulations for home-based food businesses across Waterloo Region
Explore the creation of a second Kitchener Market location
More details: Ambitious climate action ~ Local food security
We deserve approachable government
I believe community members, city staff, and elected officials each bring a unique and essential perspective to the table. It takes all three groups working together to create lasting positive change.
As a long-time community organizer, I pride myself on collaborating effectively across groups that don’t typically work together. I’ll be an effective representative for Ward 10, translating city processes into meaningful action.
Through my community-based research work with One Million Neighbours WR, I’ve brought the experiences and concerns of marginalized groups to municipal decision-makers. I helped facilitate participatory budgeting exercises for the Region of Waterloo’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, giving non-profits in the housing & homelessness sectors a direct say in how funds should be spent. My authentic relationships with grassroots groups and diverse communities position me well to make Kitchener a more welcoming and supportive city.
We deserve inclusive representation
Hire dedicated staff liaisons to help first-time applicants navigate bureaucracy
Expand translation and interpretation services
Explore a dedicated 2SLGBTQ+ community grant program
Strengthen consultation with Indigenous communities, including the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
We deserve empowered neighbourhoods
Give residents real decision-making power with participatory budgeting
Create a mobile stage rental kit to support neighbourhood community events
We deserve compassionate crisis response
Strengthen street outreach programs, like the downtown safety ambassador team, to divert calls to emergency services
Use automated overdose detection sensors to expand public washroom access while reducing risk and managing staffing requirements
Support safe tenting zones in prescribed areas, in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo and neighbouring municipalities
More details: Addiction & mental health support ~ Inclusive governance