Setting the Foundation 
Greetings Ward 1 residents;

For those of you receiving this newsletter, requesting a lawn sign, following my campaign on Twitter/Facebook or are volunteering, I sincerely thank you for your support.  Collectively we are pushing forward with October 27th in our sights. 

Ward 1 | No Longer Ignored! 
Today marks a milestone in our campaign.  Today, the foundation has been set through our summer canvassing push and now we’re building towards October 27th.  Ward 1 this summer I have had the privilege of personally knocking on over 4,000 doors in our Ward.  To speak with residents about what they care about both today, and into the future.  With the remaining time before October 27th my campaign team and I are committed to seeing the entire Ward (6,000+ homes) and speaking with residents about our collective concerns, passions and desires for Ward 1 and our City.  If you’re receiving this newsletter by email or social media you are one of over 1,100 households, that have personally responded to my invitation to connect.  This is the foundation and strength that will drive change in our Ward and for Guelph at large.  On October 27th we don’t have to ask for change, we simply need to vote.         

By now I’m sure you know what I stand for as a council candidate;

  • Affordability for Guelph families, single income and fixed income households,
  • Accountability at City hall, both financially and in decision making,
  • Advocacy for East Guelph commercial growth, and
  • Two way communication between City Hall and residents. 

While many agree that Guelph is a truly amazing place to live, raise a family and experience life; we’re also facing some of our greatest challenges both as an affordable place to live and as a mandated “place to grow” in Southern Ontario.      
Ward 1 in response to these challenges I believe our current administration is failing to deliver.  In recent years local job creation in Guelph has continued to lag behind the residential growth rate of our city, and unemployment continues to average well above the provincial and national average.  Some refer blame to the “Guelph Factor” because of our treatment of perspective businesses and employers. Regardless, the facts remain; over the past 7 years Guelph has undergone a systematic shift in revenue/tax base from strong corporate/industrial to a residential heavy tax base.  With local employment opportunities in Guelph lagging, Guelph residents have seen their annual property taxes increase significantly above inflation each year and are now shouldering the burden of Guelph’s extraordinary growth ambitions (175,000 residents by 2031); and the budget shortfalls keep coming. 

Ward 1 we need to elect councilors and a mayor focused on facing these challenges and competing for new, local employment opportunities; not standing in the way of perspective employers.  The sustainability and affordability of our city depends on our ability to foster economic development and support residential growth with strong local job creation.  Ward 1, this is the challenge of building a truly sustainable city and the challenge that I’m most excited about.  One that results in social/economic multipliers that benefit all of Guelph and include tax increases in line with inflation (or below), better services, and (if I have my way) East End commercial growth. 

These will be my big picture focuses as your councilor, but I want you to know that I’ve also been listening on my journey through the Ward.  I’ve heard your concerns about;

  • Pedestrian safety and speed control on Grange, Watson Parkway and Auden Rd,
  • Vandalism of our streets and trails, specifically on Starwood and Grange,
  • On-street parking issues, snow/garbage removal on Silurian, Chesterton, York and Elizabeth,
  • Road, trail and park conditions and the scheduling of maintenance/construction projects throughout the city,
  • Stormwater improvements in the downtown and along Stevenson 
  • The environment, and the desire for reclamation and redevelopment of the contaminated IMICO lands off Beverley, and
  • Social advocacy and concerns over unemployment of our youth and working poor.

Ward 1, over the coming weeks I will be expanding on a number of these issues with the release of my broader platform.  Today however, I ask for your support.  Be bold with your voice and forward, share, tweet this email to other residents in Ward 1.  Further, state your intentions by requesting a lawn sign from my website.  We will be more than happy to deliver it and set it up for you. 

On October 27th Vote Dan Gibson for Ward 1 City Council. 
Ward 1 No Longer Ignored!
 
Dan Gibson
www.dangibson.ca    
@DanGibsonWard1 (twitter)
[email protected]
(519) 265-4587