[All] All Candidates meeting

[Lanteigne]

Hi Everyone!
I just got back from the all candidates event on the Environment. It was an awesome night. The place was packed. I jotted down ideas rather than ID's because the evening passed very quickly and I was at the back of the room and couldn't pick up all the names. Plus I stepped in and out several times missing some of the speakers. 
Either way these are the ideas gleaned from the various candidates tonight. 

Many of the candidates voiced their strong support for sustainability initiatives, recycling, the Country Side Line and climate action and the Greenbelt. Some called to expand the Greenbelt and green spaces in our Region. 
A couple of the delegates mentioned the importance of greater partnership with local Indigenous groups with one Kitchener reps recommending a local recognition and ratification of the UN Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). By embracing a stronger relationship in line with the recognized rights of the Haldimand Tract we can build upon shared sustainability initiatives and paths to reconciliation. 
Jefferson Salamanders was mentioned by a rep who felt proud to see our region closed an area trail for 5 weeks to allow the animals a chance to migrate and breed without encroachment. Another fella mentioned his desire to protect Hidden Valley which was nice to see.
Raising the topic of Hidden Valley with delegates would be valuable at this time. Be sure to talk to your reps about that. 

The delegates often mentioned their support for the Regional commitment to reduce 80% of emissions by 2050 and a few called for that pace to be bumped up sooner. 
One speaker mentioned how we still have to expect 700,000 people into our Region and several voiced that this growth should happen up not out.
There were calls to ban plastic straws, plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic cutlery. One fella stated that 91% of it isn't being recycled so it is important to phase it out. A lady out in Wilmot plugging the Apple Butter festival noted how folks come in from out of town to the events and the events produced lots of bottled water waste and pollution at the cost of the municipality handling the mess so the need is there to not only bump up recycling, green bins and waste diversion but to promote plastic bottle free options for people wanting drinks. 
One lady running for Ward 3 from North Dumfries stated how they live on the "other side" of the country side line. She voiced concerns of area residents who are worried about the Kitchener urban sprawl and encroachment right up to the line. They already see heavier traffic, more pollution etc. She said it is important to consider the welfare for the folks on the other side of the line. These are the folks on wells living off grid. Their sustainability needs are different. 
(Lulu Note: She got me thinking we need to implement more sustainable initiatives in the rural areas than downtown core since they have less tax dollars to work with. Renewable savings can save a lot of municipal funds for smaller communities running on a smaller budget. The less money one has the higher the worth of the dollar.) 
Another fella from Wilmot Township said we have to put the focus on Conservation, Efficiency and Technology. Another fella said we need to focus on these three issues: Environmental, Social and Fiscal. 
One fella, named Andre, running in Ward 5 in Kitchener had the concept for establishing a local carbon budget for the Region and with each new projecting coming in, find out if we are working in or outside the budget and if it's outside, how can we create carbon offsets. 
Mayor Jaworsky of Waterloo spoke of the local initiatives including the 80% carbon by 2050, the commitment to clean up Silver Lake and the money saved by the Region in switching to LED bulbs. There are many successes seen with implementation of conservation efforts in our Region. 
Folks spoke of the need to foster the connectedness of communities, more investments in public transit to serve a wider area. LRT expansion etc. 

One lady who did door knocking stated that environment didn't show up in discussion but traffic did a lot. People are noticing far heaver traffic in our area and it's creating greater delay getting around. 
Jeff Henry mentioned how his family bypassed car ownership so the options for alternative transportation are out there and they work, they just need to be promoted more with the public. The dialogue between city and community is a fundamental part of the successes we've seen.
Diane Freeman spoke of her year round cycling in the Region and the importance of trails and cycling lanes. We've made progress and there is more stuff we can do in the days ahead. 
Mark Whaley spoke of  accomplishments made and the importance of how groups in community helped make these ideas happen. It's important we work together to continue this.
Another fella running as rep in Ward 2 in Waterloo stated folks want more roads to Wilmot Line but he took the time to talk to them about the moraine and once they understood the situation they accepted the need to keep traffic off that road. He stated the need is there for folks to communicate the importance of conservation in lay mans terms to the community and that will better support local conservation initiatives.  
(Lulu Note: back in the day when folks bought a new home they had welcome kits that contained a west side waterloo brochure taking of the natural features, trails and conservation efforts.. I don't know if they still do that but via real-estate agents I'm sure we could craft a little document to remind new home owners that we are in the largest region in Canada dependent on groundwater. The cleaner we keep our environment the safer our water) 
This one lady running for ward 7 in Waterloo mentioned how 30% of the landfill is construction waste. She saw a lot with a house that was going to be demolished to build a building. The house was still in good shape. The land owner said she was free to take the house if she wanted to pay to move it so she arranged for that and they refurbished it as a Habitat for Humanity dwelling. She said we could do a great deal with the idea of reusing and refabricating these homes being raised and recycle more of the construction debris filling up our landfills. 
There were folks who said they were still learning of the issues and although they may not have much details on them they are willing to learn which is good to see. One fella suggested we host more town halls to engage more public dialogue like this. 
(Lulu Note: One thing that was surprising was the lack of dialogue regarding quarry pits. Not a single delegate mentioned gravel issues. We need to bump up awareness there.)
Overall it was a very successful event. Great turnout and excellent attendance by the candidates. That was impressive!  Thanks to Susan and all the folks who helped put this together. Well done! 

Lulu :0) 

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