Davenport Deserves Better.

My name is Simon and I am a long-time Junction Triangle resident. My background is in geospatial analysis and I spent 5 years working in Transportation. I've seen the inner workings of government and I have the firm belief that it's under-delivering what we pay it to do while sticking its hands into our lives where they don't belong.

Ward 9 faces significant challenges in the coming years. Thousands of new housing units are being built in towers along Dupont St - do we have the infrastructure to handle it? The squeezing of new housing into small spaces ill-equipped to carry residents around efficiently is a direct result of overly restrictive zoning - government needs to get out the way and let the market supply the housing the public needs and allow more low-rise multiplex development.

Transit is lacking - residents are waiting up to half an hour for buses on Lansdowne. We need more buses and more bus drivers. The small things add up. Service frequency matters.

We need seamless fare integration with GO and UP and the 905.  One trip, one ticket.

The municipal government needs to get smart with its finances. For too long we have relied upon milking taxpayers to pay for services. The City needs to get into the commercial real estate game; we need retail and services at every subway station, paying rent so you can pay less property tax.

We need the government to stop trying to regulate our personal lives. Two years of lockdown and restrictions have immensely damaged our economy, our collective mental health, and our trust in each other. As Councillor I will not tell you how to live; I will work for you to make this city liveable, efficient, and clean.

Davenport Deserves Better.