On Oct. 24, voters in Barrie, Ont., will head to the polls to elect councillors in 10 wards as well as a mayor to form city council.
To help voters ahead of this election, Global News 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.
Four candidates have put their hats in the ring for Ward 10.
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.
What follows are the responses received from those running for Ward 10 councillor, with the candidates being listed in alphabetical order. (This page will be updated if more candidates choose to respond.)
Joy Douglas
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 Joy Douglas, a 56 year old small business owner/entrepreneur and government employee (Secondary School Office Assistant) who has lived in Ward 10 and Barrie for 21 years.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I am the right person for city councillor as I am committed to showing up! I will be available for, listen to, and advocate for all Ward 10 residents and citizens of Barrie.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
After spending extensive time with “boots to the ground” during this campaign, the two issues I have heard about over and over again are traffic, and growth. The City of Barrie and particularly Ward 10, are experiencing tremendous amounts of urban growth. Unfortunately with that growth comes more crime, more cars on the road and more houses.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
My long term goals would be to attract new businesses to Barrie, affordable housing through initiatives and provincial government support, and educating citizens about our homelessness and opioid crisis while developing a strategy with specific targets and timelines aiming to address the issues that contribute to homelessness.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
- Community/Growth
- Family (more green space, maintaining trails etc, lights for Golden Meadow Park)
- Safety (slowing down traffic, monitoring of school parks, the new fire hall being built in Ward 10)
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
I spend most of my recreational time in Barrie and Ward 10. We have 2 dogs and walk them every day in our neighborhood. We also ride bikes, skate in winter and use our city parks, paths and green spaces as well as enjoying time with neighbours.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My favourite thing about living in Barrie and Ward 10 is unequivocally the people who live here! Having lived in Ward 10 for 21 years it is so much more than my address. It is my family’s history. My children attended Ward 10 schools, our neighbours became our friends and I started my small local business here.
Bryn Hamilton
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.)
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Born and raised in Barrie, I have spent most of the last 42 years living in Ward 10. After finishing my Masters degree, I’ve worked in the public sector both locally and provincially for the last 15 years. I am an experienced Governance Director and work with non-profit boards all across Ontario. I train boards on how to find cost savings, efficiencies, but above all, provide value for every dollar spent. I will bring this level of accountability to city council.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I have no political or personal agenda. I am not looking to make a career out of politics. I simply want to see change, a city council that’s run effectively, and clear priorities for the city we love. My experience, leadership and skill set are what set me apart. I am the only candidate with a detailed platform outlining what I plan to do and how.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
I share the same concerns as most residents in ward 10, such as safety, access to affordable city run programs, camps, and recreational activities, clean parks and playgrounds, job opportunities, value for our tax dollars, and housing we can all afford to live in.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
We all want a safer city. An affordable city. A sustainable city. A city where we can live, work and enjoy. I will make sure that all Ward 10 residents have a greater voice in city matters by developing a Ward 10 committee. This will help hold me accountable and assist with prioritizing the concerns and solutions for our community. Together we can ensure that Barrie continues to be a great place for residents and businesses to grow and thrive.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Over the summer I knocked on every door in ward 10, introducing myself and learning what matters to the residents in our community. Based on what I heard, I identified the top 5 priorities I will bring forward as the Barrie City Council Ward 10 representative: Affordability, Safety, Council Function, Economic Development, and Homelessness.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love being active and anything outdoors with my kids! I completed my first ironman triathlon last year and enjoy doing smaller races a few times a year.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
I have two kids aged 9 and 11 so appreciate the walking trails, proximity to the water, the parks, safe neighbourhoods, and the friendly community feel in ward 10.
Ken Lloyd
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.)
My name is Ken Lloyd. I am currently a Letter Carrier for Canada Post walking the streets of Barrie. I Joined them after an accounting career with the Ontario Ministry of Finance as a Provincial Sales Tax Auditor which was eliminated with the adoption of HST in Ontario. I grew up in Brampton, and moved to this area in 2000. I have lived in Ward 10 for the past 17 years.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I believe my skill set provides me the ability to find common ground to move this neighbourhood forward. I have a passion to help and the desire to to get things done. I would like to think I’m approachable and willing to listen and help anyone, and everyone, I can.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
After knocking on doors for the past month I believe the rapid growth/development is the largest issue facing Ward 10 and the City as whole. Anyone trying to drive across the city will have a hard time missing the construction on every street it seems. With this growth comes all the issues related to it; more traffic, more speeders, more loud cars, issues with safety in school zones. Everything is related to this growth issue: infrastructure; affordable housing, transportation, more jobs to keep people in the area; and the list goes on and on. All of this in a time when our economy looks to be headed into a recession. Accountability and affordability are going to be large issues. The next term in office won’t be an easy one, that’s for sure.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
Long -term I’d like to see the city come out of this growth boom with something similar to the existing growth plan that council has approved. Which would include meaningful employment locally, to boost the retail and the business economy for years to come. All while being a city that is affordable to all.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
Not surprisingly, my pillars revolve around the growth in my area, and includes affordability, keeping neighbourhoods safe, while continuing the smart development and maintaining a sustainable environment.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I enjoy playing sports, and visiting friends and family.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My favourite thing in this ward is the people. I have lived in the ward for a number of years, watching our children grow, we have always felt a strong sense of community and have had great neighbours. After the past month knocking on doors, and having meaningful conversations, I realize there are many more people like me, just wanting what’s best for our community. I think this community is amazing and would love the opportunity to work with them to keep things great.
Steven Mirtsos
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 have spent the last 10 years living in Ward 10, and went to high school here. I then went to George Brown College for Business Administration and worked for MP John Brassard and MPP Andrea Khanjin. I also volunteer with the MS Society as I have MS, and currently work in the commercial insurance sector working with small businesses.
Q.2 Why do you believe you are the right person for the job?
I believe I am the right person to be councillor of Ward 10 because I will fight for resident’s voices to be heard and to be their voice on council when making important decisions impacting the entire community. Having previously worked in local politics for 3 years, I understand what it takes to achieve actionable results, which is a key proponent of being a great leader.
Q.3 What do you think is the most important issue facing your ward and the city as a whole?
The most important issues facing ward 10 include speeding, poor road quality, and high taxes without yielding any community benefits. The most important issues facing Barrie, as a whole, include increasing crime rates and poor road conditions.
Q.4 Looking down the road, what are your long-term goals for the city?
My long-term goals for the city are to improve our roads by using higher quality tar, to lower tax dollars by eliminating wasteful spending, and lowering the crime rate by working hard to provide our police force the resources they need to have a bigger police force and adequately respond to crimes.
Q.5 What are the pillars of your campaign?
The pillars of my campaign are active listening, respect for the needs of residents, and achieving measurable change in a reasonable amount of time.
Q.6 What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I like to spend time with my loved ones, listen to podcasts about current events, and engage in physical exercise.
Q.7 What is your favourite thing about living in your city/ward?
My favourite thing about my city is Lake Simcoe, because I enjoy spending time by the water and the water always calms me. I feel we all need to have more calm in our lives in our very busy city.
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