Candidate Survey

Durham Region Labour Council Candidate Survey

Submitted: August 28th

The Durham Region is undergoing a Core Services Review. Would you support the contracting out or privatization of services, or sale of regional assets, that may come from this review? Please explain.Under no circumstances would I be in favour of privatising any of our utilities or services, nor am I in favour of a corporate sell-off of regional assets. Rather, I would vote in favour of the opposite: a restoration of public ownership.The Durham Region Police Service recently proposed a 10 year plan for policing that would cost taxpayers 1.1 billion dollars. Do you believe this is reflective of the needs of the people in your community? Please explain.I do not believe it is reflective of our needs. If anything, we stand to suffer the same austerity of the last decade during the 2014 Liberal cuts to public funding that sought to end a provincial $12B deficit. Despite years of a downward trend, almost immediately, violent crime and domestic calls to police more than doubled in 2015 under that hard austerity budget. Before this, the crime rate has been stable without any remarkable changes.Sacrifices included wage freezes, cuts to education and school closures, along with healthcare ( termination of nurse contracts in both emergency care and mental health). These stressors, while continuously increasing police funding, only put more pressure on already strained workers and families along with the most vulnerable: homeless people, seniors and low-income, often disabled, Ontarians.I'm fact, we often end up making cuts to our own community to give to the DRPS: in 2025 our electric bus plan was shelved due to a $33M grant shortfall but Durham Region families still had to fork over an additional $24M to the police, an almost 10% increase from the year prior. Their funding now exceeds $313M a year and the region ultimately purchased diesel buses instead (which cost more to operate and maintain).Will you oppose the Ontario Water Business Law and keep our water public?Yes, I will oppose the Ontario Water Business Law and keep our water public. We must protect our watershed.Workers and families across Durham are facing an unprecedented affordability crisis. How do you see this play out in your community and what steps, if elected, will you take to ease this crisis?I want to cut redundancies and waste in our budget while accelerating affordable housing in Durham Region: a way to do this would be expanding existing initiatives like the At Home Incentive program and mandating local hiring to keep costs low and public funds spend locally.I would work to lower or freeze the budget line for policing. Right now, 1/3 of our property taxes are going toward the DRPS, and they are increasing by $14/month, with those $10 going directly to them.Economic development is often measured by the number of jobs created, but not all jobs offer long-term stability. What specific actions do you believe council should take to attract and retain employers that provide permanent, full-time, quality jobs rather than low-wage or precarious employment?Oshawa and Durham Region is full of quick learners and skilled labour, both employed and unemployed. We can build trucks, cars, EVs and even our own fleet of buses if we were allowed. As such, I believe we can fix a lot of things internally:I would prioritize ending wasteful spending on large developer contracts that pull public money out of our communities. Instead, we would expand the Community Benefits Change program and follow other cities in Ontario, BC and Saskatchewan that mandates hiring local and also providing job training. This has also been shown to keep costs lower while again, keeping public funds in the local economy and investing in continuous job training.In North America, most movies and television shows wouldn't get made without relying on municipal and county services.With our Film Friendly designation, Oshawa plays host to fewer, but mostly large scale movie and television projects and this is only a short list: Star Trek, The Handmaid's Tale, Umbrella Academy, Titans, Schitt's Creek, IT: Chapters I & II and most recently in August 2026, Reacher was filming in Ward 3. By comparison, our contemporaries in London, Hamilton and Ottawa see more mid to low budget shoots but way more frequently.As a filmworker, I believe Oshawa and the surrounding municipalities have a lot of potential for attracting new productions. Before a film crew even arrives, they spend money into the local economy: They book hotels, car rentals, and support space while hiring local labour (carpenters, students, painters, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, security, etc) and shop at local retail and grocery stores while in production. In their downtime, crews spend their paycheques in the community they are working, sometimes for weeks and months at a time: they patron bars, restaurants, and interact with the local residents.We already have Canada's largest backlot in Pickering, along with 3 sound stages and many unique, creatively under utilised locations to scout.I think we should aggressively promote the Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) and Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit (OFTTC) to our advantage and highlight our natural landscapes, unique facades and industrial charm.What will you do to ensure positive labour relations, including collective bargaining rights, both for employees of the municipality/region and outside firms working under contract? In what circumstances is it okay for one group of workers to perform the work of another group of workers?My office will go above and beyond to not just maintain, but strengthen labour relations.
As a third generation auto worker and daughter of a union rep, it would be an honour to serve the workers of Oshawa and Durham.And no, I do not support the hiring of scab or struck labour. I think all workers should be protected by a strong CBA and diligent union.Durham Region has become increasingly diverse over the recent decades. Do you believe valuing and advancing equity is an important part of being an effective municipally elected official? Why or why not?Absolutely. Diversity built Durham Region, so without newcomers and alternative ideas, we could not have accomplished all that we have so far. Immigrants helped shaped the historical labour movement in Canada and Oshawa is no different.How do you intend to engage with your constituents, labour and community organizations between election cycles? If currently or previously elected, how did you do this during your term?I will meet with anyone who wants to help build back Oshawa, not just as a hub of employment, but restored to the progressive, labour backed foundation that it was built upon.Durham Region, especially Oshawa, has a rich history of hosting multiple labour organisations, culture clubs and auxiliary associations, all of which fostered solidarity and community. There's no reason we can't have have more third spaces like Memorial Park or the old Ukrainian Labour Temple and union halls our grandparents hung out at.As a note, these spaces were diverse, interconnected places that fostered inclusion and community while acting as a base for planning the pivotal GM strikes in 1928 and '37. I love that my hometown is full of historical milestones like this.In addition, my office will be available to my constituents after 5pm. Sometimes I end up working the night shift and understand how frustrating it is to try and get anything done in the evenings or nighttime.While I collected my endorsement signatures, my neighbours shared similar grief about trying to schedule calls and meetings with their local services and representatives to get help.The Ontario government recently passed Bill 9, which introduced a standardized municipal code of conduct and new powers to sanction councillors. Under what circumstances do you believe a municipal council should use its authority under Bill 9 to censure or remove a colleague from committees or other appointed roles?Cases of harassment, corruption/ diversion of public funds, sexual misconduct, discrimination etc should be grounds for removal. It's both a workplace hazard and a violation of voter trust.Since the 2025 provincial election, the Doug Ford government has passed many bills that directly impact the operations and processes of municipal governments. What role do local elected officials play in ensuring local voices are not overridden by these provincial decisions?Their role is to protect and amplify the voice of their constituents while being their advocate against austerity, potential corruption or threats to municipal democracy (ie I personally believe Bill 100 a violation of public accountability and voter trust)What local issue or opportunity do you think is being overlooked in this election, and why should residents care about it?Voter turn out has been abysmal for years and residents are understandably checked out of local politics, especially with the spectacle of our southern neighbours eating up attention. I am using this opportunity to try and reinvigorate the passion for diverse organising and community pride that built Oshawa and Durham Region as a whole.There are so many vibrant communities in Oshawa and Durham Region and my campaign seeks to highlight them.Other than those previously addressed in this survey, what are your top priorities as you seek public office?As a devout transit lover, I miss the 11 Grandview Bus. And Ward 3 needs a walk-in clinic and/or library branch.

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