There’s an increasing income gap in Waterloo region, and the distance between the richest and the poorest in our community is growing faster than elsewhere in the province, according to the Region’s 2013 Income Gap Report. That’s the main reason I’m running for Council. I want to shrink that gap, and I want Waterloo to be a community in which individuals and families who live at the low end of the
income scale can still enjoy healthy lives filled with dignity and opportunity.
Accessible affordable housing and childcare, and an enhanced public transit system are tools critical to achieving those goals. So is economic development. A successful program of economic development will create a diverse local economy which will make Waterloo region more stable and less vulnerable to economic fluctuations. And it will create more high-wage jobs for those who are able to work, and expand the local tax base to enable us to better assist our neighbours who cannot.
Waterloo region has approved a new economic development strategy, the goals of which are for our community to become a premier location for innovation and entrepreneurship, the most competitive location for new and expanding companies and institutions, a dynamic economic ecosystem, and a community of choice for talented people to live. We’re making some headway toward reaching those goals, but there are still many challenges we need to overcome.
Our economic base remains quite diverse, including agriculture and food processing, financial institutions, manufacturing, education and healthcare, small business and not-for-profits, and tech. But some sectors are doing better than others and some experts worry that our focus on the tech sector may mean that others will be neglected.
We will struggle to attract new businesses and residents until the rail service between Waterloo and the GTA is significantly improved, until the 20,000 ‘orphan patients’ in our region find family physicians, and until our arts and culture and recreation sectors can sustain themselves and thrive.
Arguably the main challenge we face in implementing a successful program of economic development is our lack of a regional approach. The cities and townships that make up our region have historically pursued their own economic agenda, sometimes in apparent competition with each other. Regional Council must take the lead in coordinating these activities, using a consultative approach to resolve some of the confusion and distrust that persists.
I believe that economic and social development aren’t mutually exclusive activities. In fact, I believe the same things that will make Waterloo region an attractive place for businesses to locate will also make it a healthy place for all people to live, with places and spaces that cultivate engagement, inclusion and belonging.
I hope you will support me.
income scale can still enjoy healthy lives filled with dignity and opportunity.
Accessible affordable housing and childcare, and an enhanced public transit system are tools critical to achieving those goals. So is economic development. A successful program of economic development will create a diverse local economy which will make Waterloo region more stable and less vulnerable to economic fluctuations. And it will create more high-wage jobs for those who are able to work, and expand the local tax base to enable us to better assist our neighbours who cannot.
Waterloo region has approved a new economic development strategy, the goals of which are for our community to become a premier location for innovation and entrepreneurship, the most competitive location for new and expanding companies and institutions, a dynamic economic ecosystem, and a community of choice for talented people to live. We’re making some headway toward reaching those goals, but there are still many challenges we need to overcome.
Our economic base remains quite diverse, including agriculture and food processing, financial institutions, manufacturing, education and healthcare, small business and not-for-profits, and tech. But some sectors are doing better than others and some experts worry that our focus on the tech sector may mean that others will be neglected.
We will struggle to attract new businesses and residents until the rail service between Waterloo and the GTA is significantly improved, until the 20,000 ‘orphan patients’ in our region find family physicians, and until our arts and culture and recreation sectors can sustain themselves and thrive.
Arguably the main challenge we face in implementing a successful program of economic development is our lack of a regional approach. The cities and townships that make up our region have historically pursued their own economic agenda, sometimes in apparent competition with each other. Regional Council must take the lead in coordinating these activities, using a consultative approach to resolve some of the confusion and distrust that persists.
I believe that economic and social development aren’t mutually exclusive activities. In fact, I believe the same things that will make Waterloo region an attractive place for businesses to locate will also make it a healthy place for all people to live, with places and spaces that cultivate engagement, inclusion and belonging.
I hope you will support me.