Election Day in Chatham-Kent is Monday, Oct. 26, with polls open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More information is available at ckelection.ca.
The Sydenham Current has sent a series of questions to all mayoral, Ward 4 and Ward 5 candidates who have made their contact information publicly available. The responses from candidates who chose to participate are listed below.
The second question posed to candidates was focused on community wellness:
Council’s previous strategic priorities included affordable housing, mental health and addiction services, poverty reduction, public safety, recreation and active transportation. If elected, what would be your top priorities for improving community wellness, and what specific steps would you take to address them?
MAYOR
Darrin Canniff
“Finding solutions to minimize the negative impact that homelessness and related mental health and addiction issues continue to have on our communities would be a great start in improving community wellness. Steps include:
– increasing our supply of transitional and supportive housing
– Working closely with community partners to offer services and supports to those experiencing addiction and homelessness
– Focusing on public safety and prevention by providing first responders with the training required to deal effectively with residents in crisis
– Supporting the Quiring Foundation in the expansion of its Foundation of Hope model to Chatham-Kent to fill critical local gaps in withdrawal management, treatment, and long-term recovery efforts
– Investigating and implement best practices tested by other communities
– securing subsidy financing from senior levels of government to fund their fair share”
Lauren Anderson
“After 16 years as a nurse, I understand that you cannot solve a problem by simply treating its symptoms. You have to address the underlying causes.”
“That’s exactly how I approach community wellness.”
“My priorities are preventing homelessness, improving access to mental health and addiction treatment, restoring public safety, and ensuring families and seniors can afford to live in our communities.”
“We need stronger collaboration between police, public health, healthcare providers, community organizations, and private treatment and recovery services.”
“I want to expand successful initiatives like our Mobile Crisis Response Team, strengthen early intervention, and pursue provincial funding and partnerships for meaningful addiction treatment and long-term recovery.”
“We also need housing options across all income levels, accessible transportation, and recreational opportunities that keep people connected and healthy.”
“Compassion and accountability must work together. Residents deserve to feel safe, and people who are struggling deserve a genuine opportunity to recover.”
“As a nurse, I’ve spent my career caring for people. As Mayor, I want to build a community that does the same, while protecting the safety and well-being of everyone who calls Chatham-Kent home.”
Michael Bondy
“Our communities wellness is key to our success. I would like to see more dollars targeted to mental health and addiction treatments. Homelessness is obviously becoming a big problem and it is directly tied to mental health and addiction. This affects not only the victims but also the rest of our community as encampments are established and the mentally unstable are drifting through our communities. This has to be a priority as we are a fair and just society. To not give this problem our greatest efforts is unfair to all of us.”
Randy Hope
“Community wellness starts with people having a safe place to live, access to the support they need and opportunities to participate in their community.”
“Affordable housing and homelessness would be major priorities. My proposed Home First CK approach would focus on preventing homelessness, helping people secure housing and connecting them with the supports needed to remain housed. We also need to work with provincial health partners to improve access to mental health and addiction treatment. Housing and support must go hand in hand with reasonable, lawful expectations for public spaces.”
“I would also focus on affordability for families and seniors, including exploring a Seniors Property Tax Rebate, with eligibility and funding details developed responsibly.”
“Public safety, recreation and active transportation matter too. Residents should feel safe using parks, sidewalks, trails and community facilities, and people of all ages should have opportunities to participate in local life.”
“The Mayor cannot solve every challenge alone, particularly when responsibility rests with other levels of government. But the Mayor can bring partners together, advocate for the services Chatham-Kent needs and make sure municipal programs are delivering results.”
“The goal should not simply be to manage problems better. It should be to improve people’s lives and make our communities stronger.”
WARD 5 – WALLACEBURG
Steven Burritt
“I would like to work with existing groups and organizations to meet the needs of residence. If they need extra funding or resources, I would look into that and see what we can do to help them. We need more affordable homes or geared income options because people struggle to pay for basic needs. I would like more duplex or multi-family units built to help with the working poor in our area. If we can get people homes it will help with crime rates and increase safety too. We need better services and transportation options here in Wallaceburg so people can see a doctor or medical services in a timely manner and that will help keep people heathy and help with wait times in E.R. and hospital because they are not waiting for an emergency before seeing a doctor but proactively taking care of their health be it physical, mental, or social well-being. Going to Chatham for appointments is hard enough for most people in their daily lives, people who cannot drive may find it almost impossible so put off important preventative check-ups until their issues become serious and harder to treat. I want the services in Wallaceburg to stay in Wallaceburg and get the funding they deserve. If we want families and children to stay in Wallaceburg we need the arena where kids learn to skate and play hockey, the pool they take lessons, and parks they play soccer and baseball to remain open and maintained. We simply cannot cut taxes and still expect all these services to be funded or they will be moved to Chatham with the expectation that people will go there and not have the option in their own community.”
Zac Nicholson
“Municipalities were forced to step into mental health and addiction services due to persistent provincial underfunding in healthcare. However, healthcare delivery remains a primary provincial responsibility, and local municipalities lack the specialized capacity and funding to solve healthcare crises alone. My top priority is to demand that the Provincial Government fulfill its obligation to adequately fund and deliver healthcare services in Chatham-Kent.”
“Holding Queen’s Park accountable for its statutory duties will allow Chatham-Kent to redirect vital fiscal resources back into core municipal services that directly elevate resident quality of life. By refocusing our local investments, we can make meaningful progress in affordable housing, emergency services, transit, and recreational facilities. This ensures local tax dollars deliver tangible improvements to community wellness while holding senior levels of government accountable for healthcare delivery.”
Jim Blake
“I believe council has done an admirable job setting strategic priorities. Many of these have already been identified, in one way or another, in earlier versions of similar documents that have cost thousands of dollars and have gathered dust for years. Identifying issues is far easier than addressing them. We need to examine how to free front-line staff to increase the amount of time and effort needed to provide results on issues we’ve already identified. That may mean more flexibility on a local basis, accessing resources from senior levels of government or developing greater synergies with quasi-governmental agencies and public partnerships.”
Bill Wolsing
“Mental health and addiction are on the forefront with me and I’m sure many of you can agree. The Municipal/Provincial/Federal governments recognise that homelessness and addictions are in every city/town/village across our country. We need to communicate more than ever and explore the shared success stories and positive progress with other Municipalities, co-ordinate with all 3 levels of government to achieve a solid /stable result. Our younger generation need a safe place to hang out after school or idle weekends for activities and guidance to flourish in a healthy environment, now more than ever, this is a community wellness need that used to available.”
Chris Young
“Yes indeed, one of my priorities from the outset of the campaign. The time for pointing fingers is over, it is time to take action. We have fellow citizens living on the streets and in tents as Winter breezes begin to fill the air. There needs to be a permanent shelter in town to assist those less fortunate. It cannot be solely a Municipal effort. It is imperative to bring representatives of federal, Provincial, Municipal and Bkejwanong governments together, along with the Social Service agencies ROCK, The Various Churches to work together on a Truly Wallaceburg Solution. This will begin in my first 90 days.”
Loree Bailey
“Community wellness has been at the heart of much of my professional and volunteer work.”
“Since moving to Wallaceburg in 2013, I’ve been committed to addressing food insecurity. In 2014, I started Wallaceburg’s first community meal program, and I also helped establish a free food pantry. Those experiences have taught me that community wellness begins with ensuring people have access to basic necessities.”
“Through my nursing career and my work supporting people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges and addiction, I’ve also seen how interconnected these issues are.”
“My priorities would be community safety, affordable housing, food security and improved access to mental health and addiction services.”
“If elected, one of my first priorities would be reviewing Chatham-Kent’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan to determine what progress has been made and where improvements are needed.”
“I would also advocate for stronger collaboration between police, healthcare providers, social service agencies and community organizations.”
“I believe we need to measure the effectiveness of existing programs before committing additional taxpayer dollars.”
“People deserve to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, businesses deserve to operate in a welcoming environment, and vulnerable residents deserve access to appropriate supports.”
“We cannot solve every problem overnight, but we can make meaningful progress by working together and focusing on practical solutions.”
NOTE: Mayoral candidates April Colby and Ryan Gow did not send answers to our questions. Contact information was not available for Nelson Burm.
Ward 5 – Wallaceburg candidates Brendan Authier, Dave Brunditt, Jason Debuck, Brent DeNure, David Hyatt and Victoria Stewart did not send answers to this question. Contact information was not available for William Arends. Mark Childs responded by reiterating he is “no longer running” (more details, here.)
Ward 4 – North West Kent candidates John Cummings, Kirk Hooker and Rhonda Jubenville did not send answers to our questions.
