On Oct. 24, voters in Barrie, Ont., will head to the polls to elect their new municipal government.
Residents of Barrie will elect councillors in 10 wards as well as a mayor to form city council.
There will be a new face taking over the seat of mayor this term, with three-term mayor Jeff Lehman deciding he would not seek a fourth term.
Six candidates have put their hats in the ring for Ward 2.
Wards 5 and 7 were acclaimed, so Global News will not have profiles on their wards.
Global News has not received responses from any of the candidates from wards 3, 8, or 9 yet. If we do, profiles will be created for those areas.
To help voters ahead of this election, Global News has reached out to all of those running for city council and mayor in Barrie with available online contact info. Those running for office were emailed a list of seven questions, and in the coming days, the responses for every candidate who replies will be shared.
What follows are the responses received from those running for Ward 2 councillor, with the candidates being listed in alphabetical order. (This page will be updated if more candidates choose to respond.):
Tif Arshi
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
Did not answer.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
As an Optician in Barrie and Toronto I have spent time caring for the health of our community. I have a BA in business Admin from York University So have the Financial Background and Economics know how on how to cut costs. This also helps me prepare for Barrie’s long term and potentially sustainable long term future. Barrie has fallen behind on its caring and compassion for its city. We need to help our people on the streets and homeowners. It is a delicate branch, and needs a caring hands on approach to solve problems keeping all the various residents in mind and various backgrounds especially as a multicultural hub of Ontario where all are calling home. I can understand all of the different types of people and bring to the municipality the wants and needs of Ward 2 residents.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
In Barrie there are many top priorities right now. Homelessness, along with offering mental health support for our at risk individuals. Along with increasing home prices and taxes along with it. Road repair has always been an issue in Barrie every election and will always be an ongoing problem unless we seek other long term sustainable options.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Barrie’s long term goals are lower taxes, seeking sustainable housing for our homeless and creating more homes and jobs. By using short term money generators like speed cameras will allow us to keep taxes low. Then being able to cut costs allows us to keep our taxes low in the long term. Better oversight on charity committees ensuring that we have all funds reaching their intended goals. Ensuring that our homeless are able to get an education and allow them to get gainful employment.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
First is to find mental health solutions for our homeless and addicts. Road repair is always a broken record every 4 years, but it is a mandatory area to look at. Cleaning up and getting businesses to (re)invest back into our community downtown. Also getting our foot traffic back downtown. Oversight on our charities and getting the money to its intended destination.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I love to golf, and go to the gym. Also in my free time at home I spend my time doing online trading on forex and crypto currencies.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My love of nature and the beautiful beaches Barrie has to offer. Of course our community which I have been a part of for 30 plus years talking and spending time with my neighbours.
Shanicka Edwards
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
Hi, my name is Shanicka Edwards, otherwise known as Shak. I moved to Barrie in search of a better life, and amongst all its beauty, I found the solace I was searching for. I’m fortunate enough to be an aunt, dog mom, founder of my passion project Shak’s World Association, and owner of Shak’s World Community Centre. I’m also a philanthropist, keynote speaker, basketball coach, and entrepreneur.
My role as a Financial Service Advisor has given me all of the tools I require in order to be fiscally responsible with budgets upwards of $180,000,000. I would also like to bring my knowledge of communication with various levels of government to help with receiving funding from the Provincial and Federal Government to complete the projects we need to make Barrie a beautiful, livable city. I look forward to doing my best for Ward 2 and for our City.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I believe I am the right person for the job because I care deeply about my community and its success. I am willing to do the hard work, have tough conversations and be held accountable to my community. This Ward requires someone who is innovative and passionate to bring life back into our City’s Core.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The most important issue we are facing in Ward 2 is the amount of unsheltered individuals we have in our streets. We need to create a long-term, sustainable plan to ensure that we have resources to help the vulnerable people.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
My long-term goals are to see a more interconnected community that offers something for everyone to enjoy. I’d like to see a community with enough housing for its members and jobs that keep young families from commuting out of the City. I want to see Barrie as a City that families buy and stay in for generations to come.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
- Homelessness
- Affordability
- Community Engagement
- Business Development
- Crime Prevention
- Infrastructure/Noise.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
I spend most of my spare time coaching youth basketball or out in nature. I also enjoy community networking events to keep me in the loop about all of the unique businesses we have here in Barrie. Some of my favourite activities also include Acro Yoga, Ice Water Swimming, and Basketball.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
I love our Waterfront, every day I spend time at the Spirit Catcher just taking in the beautiful view of the Bay we have got. I also love all of the different businesses and their owners, Downtown really is its one Community.
Craig Nixon
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I spent 35 years managing and owning a Transportation and Logistics company based in Barrie, which we sold, and I semi-retired approximately 6 years ago. Our first home was in Ward 2, and we later moved into Springwater Township for many years before moving back into Barrie 3 years ago.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I have the business and life experience. I have the time required to be effective and I care deeply about the future of this great city.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
Ward 2 is Barrie’s largest Ward, both in size and population, and the most important issue will vary depending on what part of the Ward you live in. Affordable housing, dealing with and assisting the homeless, the need for better-maintained roads, the need for controlled spending, and loud vehicles are just some of the concerns I hear while speaking with residents in all areas of the Ward. The biggest issue facing the city of Barrie as a whole is properly controlling the unprecedented imminent growth that we have experienced and will continue to see for many years to come.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Since I moved here, Barrie’s population has grown from 32,000 to its present size of close to 160,000 people. In the next 10 years we will be well over 200,000. My long-term goal is to assist in ensuring that our infrastructure, our employment base and our housing grow along with it. We need to reduce the need for commuting to the GTA by making Barrie more self-sufficient and to be the place where people commute to not from.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
- Honesty
- Experience
- Integrity
- Compassion
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
Golf, relax and spend time with family, especially our 2 granddaughters.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My favourite thing about Barrie is that Ward 2 is pretty much what Barrie was when we moved here and has not lost its small-town feel despite what has grown around it.
Bob Ossowski
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. I specialized in Political Science. I spent over 30 years working in the auto industry at Brampton Assembly Plant. I finished my final years there as a quality inspector. I also spent 11 years volunteering with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, assisting people living in poverty. I spent five of those years as the president of Toronto Central Council, which did $8 million in work with the City of Toronto running homes and shelters. We also ran Marygrove Camp, which provides girls living in Barrie and Simcoe County with a one-week camp experience at no cost to their families.
Presently I am running a small landscaping business and working part-time for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board. Barrie has been part of my life for 20 years, and I moved up here permanently in 2017. I am living here with my wife and family. We reside in the southern part of Ward 2 Brock Park.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
In my 30-plus years working in the auto industry, I demonstrated a strong work ethic, trustworthiness and honesty. I also built a reputation of being uncompromising and going above and beyond in my responsibilities. I made every effort to do my job to the best of my abilities, even if it meant conflict with management. In 11 years of doing charitable work with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, I visited people living in poverty. Brought them food assistance, held school supply drives, collected computers and helped in any way that I could.
I have a passion for helping people, especially those living in poverty and those that are marginalized in society. I believe that I can bring that passion to the city council. I also believe that my life experience can help me make better decisions and also spend the limited tax dollars that the city has to build a better city to live in.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The last several years have pushed affordable housing to the forefront of Barrie’s issues. We need strong leadership with a vision of how to deal with this. The interests of Barrie residents have to come first before profitability for developers.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Reign in development and move towards building a sustainable city that is a place that welcomes everyone and is affordable. So much of Barrie can be redeveloped to meet our future growth targets. Previous commercial development has wasted so much real estate. The land is precious. No more of it is being made so we need to make better use of it.
We have to be more realistic about our spending. Every councillor and the mayor will have “pet projects.” There is a huge difference between what we need as a city and what we want.
We have to take a serious look at the reduction of energy use in the city to meet our emission targets. That will take a strong council to make some hard choices. For example, will we mandate an end to heating with natural gas in new development? How will residents and businesses deal with the higher cost of electrical heating? How can city operations reduce energy use?
We can make Barrie a more liveable city for future generations. It will take a lot of work.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Common sense, respect for the taxpayer and sustainable development. Common sense isn’t always instinctive or something that everyone has. You gain it through life experience.
We have to respect the taxpayer. We have to cater to their intelligence and explain why we are making choices that may not be popular. Barrie has property taxes that are upwards of 30 per cent higher than in Toronto. I am paying taxes on my house that are close to what I paid on a much bigger house in Markham. Something is wrong. Barrie residents were led to believe by previous councils that the condo developments would be good for Barrie. That they would bring in huge tax revenue and benefit the residents of the city. We are not seeing that.
Lastly, sustainable development. We need to redevelop much of the land along Mapleview and Bayfield. Encourage builders to build commercial/retail with housing above. Build mixed-income communities where residents can live, work and shop. Cap the height of new developments to six stories and rely on using more sustainable materials like wood and less concrete. New housing can be prefabricated right here in Simcoe County, creating employment close to home.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare, I coach and officiate in I.S.S.F. pistol shooting. I.S.S.F. are shooting sports that are events in the Olympics and other national and international programs. I coach at a beginner level, plan competitions, and I am involved in national-level officiating. I hope to oneday qualify for international level competitions.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
As a child, I had always been attracted to water. I always wanted to live close to it. I’ve achieved that dream living in Barrie. It feels like home here, and there isn’t another place that I would want to move to with my family. Ward 2 still has a small-town feel about it. There’s a great library downtown and small shops. Schools and plenty of parks. People are friendly. You can get to any part of Barrie in about a 15-minute drive.
Greg Peach
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself, including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
To give you a bit of background on me, obviously my name is Greg Peach and my wife, son and I live in Ward 2 in Barrie ON. My wife and I have been residents of Ward 2 since 1994 and have very much enjoyed raising our sone here. I transitioned from working for an engineering firm and doing contract administration for MTO road projects to the sign and print industry in 2003. I am a volunteer at heart and have been involved in Scouting all my life and still volunteer in several roles locally and nationally within Scouts Canada.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
Through my professional and volunteer experience, I have been very successful and being able to see the multiple sides to an issue and bring people together to discuss their viewpoints and find the middle ground so that things can move forward to the successful completion. I am able to connect with people from all walks of life and feel with than and being open and honest, will allow the residents of Ward 2 to feel connected to City Hall again.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
There are several issues facing us, but the number one thing is allowing the voice of the residents to be heard again and to make sure that they feel engaged with the issues that affect them. Yes, we are dealing with crumbling roads and aging infrastructure as is most parts of the city but our ward is one of the older sections of the city so there is much to be prioritised.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
For long term goals, we need to make sure that the city is very forward thinking in its planning stages to ensure that the growth that is coming is delt with appropriately. The city has been very reactionary dealing with the past growth and to that end, has had to deal with several issues more than once. I would like to ensure that future planning ensures that we have less impact on the environment and includes 15 minute or walkable communities. I also would like to ensure the city has a well laid out plan for affordable housing to address the needs of those suffering from homelessness as well as our seniors who are struggling financially.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
- Be the strong voice for Ward 2
- Fix crumbling roads and aging infrastructure
- Safer neighbourhoods
- Fiscal responsibility
- Improve public transportation
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love being outdoors, whether it is walking along Kempenfelt Bay, biking along the rail trail, canoeing for the day or week long trips!
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
I truly love our city and have enjoyed much of what it has to offer over the years. We have spent countless hours down at the waterfront with our son, we enjoyed having a boat down at the city marina for several years, the parks and recreation programs offered in the summer or even the ease in which we can travel to other parts of the province being so close to the 400 highway. I want to ensure that is going to an option for those that come after us.
Tracy Strohm
Q.1 Please give a brief background of yourself including what you do for a living and how long you have lived in the area? (If you are an incumbent, please state how long you have held the position.)
I am a retired educator and business owner who has lived in Barrie for most of my life. (St. Vincent St, Bellevue Cres, Mulcaster St., Brock St., Victoria St. and Owen St. for the past 26 years.) I attended and taught at both Prince of Wales P.S. and Maple Grove P.S. I went to Eastview SS for my high school years. (Tracy Daniels) In my younger years I swam competitively, taught swimming, and lifeguarded in Barrie and across Ontario and in Quebec. I also spent quite a bit of time around BMHA happenings, my dad coached, my mother was president of the Ladies Auxiliary and my brother played. (Just a note, it was my mother who insisted that since the “Ladies Auxiliary” raised most of the money that they got voting seats on the BMHA board.) My mother Jacquetta Daniels’ example of working hard to get what is needed for the greater good was a great lesson. I graduated from the Trent/Queens Concurrent Education Program in 1979 and was fortunate to be hired by the Simcoe County District School Board. In my professional life I taught Kindergarten to Grade 8, was a program Consultant, Vice Principal and Principal. During this time my husband and coached the Barrie Y Neptune Swim Club, the Barrie Trojan Swim Club, renovated a couple of older homes, raised a daughter and I worked hard for my school communities. I (Tracy Daniels) was a founding member of RecreAction Barrie, a citizens group that conceptualized, fund raised and monitored the design and construction of the Allandale Recreation Center. Along with Terry Paddison I co-chaired the City of Barrie Recreation Advisory Committee. I am most proud that we were able to advocate for the extension of the walking path from Centennial Park both north and south and initiate the negotiation for the exchange of land with CN for the property and building that became the South Shore Center. Subsequently, I put my energies into raising my family, fully recovering from a Brain Tumour and working hard to make change in my school communities as a supportive leader. Upon retirement I purchased a business and ran it for 4 years, so I understand the frustrations of small business owners. I am now retired and am ready to give back to this wonderful community.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
There are great candidates for this position, but I feel that can use some of my many skills to help our city move forward while preserving our neighbourhoods and lifestyle. I’ve watched Barrie grow and prosper in both positive and negative ways it is time to plan and think out of the box to deal with issues such as the homeless, development of housing, and infrastructure.
I always make decisions after gather as many facts as possible. (The teacher/librarian research skills are very useful). I like to use the lens of who will this decision benefit and who will it harm both in the immediate time frame and in the future. (I like to look at what are the motivations for the proponents.)
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
- There are many issues facing our city, but I believe the top 3 are:
1. Development: Our city is growing fast, and we need to make sure that we do not loose the character of our downtown and neighbourhoods to developers and land acquisition companies who operate with the bottom line as their guide. I have lived in the inner core for most of my adult life and have sadly watched the core loose its vibrancy. We have developments happening without the supportive infrastructure such as a grocery store and an increase in our parks. Often the developments are proposed and flipped for various reasons with no recourse to the city or its citizens. This has been happening since the A and H block debacles. Somehow, we need to be able to legislate processes that hold developers to their plans and stop Barrie from being the recipient of speculation and other processes. I am aware that the province has quietly removed many of the city’s jurisdiction regarding development, but we can certainly try. - Homelessness: Our growing homeless population is a sad example of poor planning provincially. The practice of releasing people from provincial facilities and providing them with a bus ticket with Barrie as an option inflates our population of homeless and increases the amount of reoffence and/or mental illness including drug and alcohol problems. I know Mayor Lehman has tried to bring this issue up at AMO but we must find other ways of advocating for these citizens. We cannot keep doing the same things that we have been. Supportive housing with treatment/assistance needs to be funded and provided by all levels. Our agencies such as The Busby Center, Elizabeth Fry, The Salvation Army, Canadian Mental Health, Youth Haven and many others try hard to make things better for their clients, but they are limited by enveloped funding and mandates. As a city we need a two-pronged approach, a) changes to the provincial release strategies b) supportive housing with the goal of independence being client centered.
- Infrastructure: The least visible but an important part of our growth is the redesign and upgrading of our infrastructure such as sewers and roads. In Ward 2 we will soon be undergoing the restructuring of the Sophia Creek watercourse. This will affect homes and roads from Maple Grove School area to Downtown. As a Councillor I can keep citizens apprised of progress and the necessity for this project.I also think it is time for us as a city to require grey water recycling in all new and renovated designs. A goal in the future would be to have brown water recycling built into larger developments to take the pressure off of city plants and make Barrie a greener city.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Long term I realize that Barrie will continue to grow but our growth and intensification needs to support the citizens not the developers. Our downtown needs to be revitalized and services for our growing senior population need to look beyond the nursing home. We will need to allow for zoning that supports congregate living, shared ownership of housing for the single elderly in neighbourhoods.
As a city we need to attract more jobs and business that support a living wage and promote housing at many levels of affordability.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Promoting good and smart development.
Working collaboratively with all levels of government and existing agencies and stakeholders such as the homeless population to begin to provide services with the ultimate goal of eliminating homelessness.
I have the experience and background to make good and sometimes hard decisions that support the citizens of Barrie.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I like to collect Antiques. I also like to walk and swim.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
Barrie is a wonderful city with many opportunities. Kempenfelt Bay is a fantastic resource that provides many recreational opportunities within and close to the city. I used to love to walk downtown both during the day and evening. Some work will need to be done to make our downtown vibrant again.
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