Guelph Mayoral Candidates Debate at U of G

Candidates vie for student vote

Six of the seven Guelph mayoral candidates met on Tuesday, Sept. 30 for a debate geared towards student issues. With the sole exception of Nicholas A. Ross – who has yet to make a formal public appearance – Jason Blokhuis, Andrew Donovan, incumbent Mayor Karen Farbridge, Councillor Cam Guthrie, John Legere, and Joseph St. Denis exchanged remarks at the University of Guelph’s University Centre in an event hosted by Student Life’s Community Engagement and Global Citizenship division.

Each candidate was given one minute for opening and closing remarks and afforded two minutes to answer questions, as well as an additional 30 seconds for a formal rebuttal if any candidate was singled out. Additional time was decided upon by moderator Galen Fick.

In all, candidates debated two broad-panel questions. Once both questions had been answered, Fick opened up the floor for community questions targeted at specific candidates.

During opening remarks, each candidate took time to restate their platforms, and separate themselves from their competitors. Most of the candidates shared similar views, expressing the need to reduce wasteful government spending while increasing public involvement in the governmental process.

“The make or break issue is a choice,” explained Farbridge. “A choice between building a smart and sustainable city and abandoning everything we’ve built in favour of privatization and slash-and-burn tax cuts.”

Of particular interest were John Legere and Joseph St. Denis, whose platforms, while tackling the issue from different perspectives, focused on the need to restructure the way formal government is run.

“The reason I’m coming to this election is the fact that I’m trying to change the way we do government,” explained Legere. “I have one main point [and that’s] the fact that the power of government is not in [our] hands. We pay the government to do things we don’t decide, and we’re given the idea that this is what we wanted.”

St. Denis, a local icon popular for refusing to wear shoes as a sign of protest against child-labour in developing nations, addressed the topics of government corruption, as well as low voter turn-out in previous elections.

“I’m glad [each candidate] has started by thanking everyone for coming out,” said St. Denis. “[This gathering] is a small smattering of people; a cornerstone of our own ideology is citizen participation in government. Some might call record low turnouts a catastrophic failure.”

According to data from the City of Guelph, 34 per cent of eligible voters decided to cast a ballot in 2010’s mayoral elections.

For students at the University of Guelph, however, voter turnout was a less notable concern. Instead, the two most important issues raised by students were transit deficiencies and the importance of maintaining Guelph’s green space.

“In a survey that we conducted at the University of Guelph, the most predominant issue was transit,” explained Fick. “Priority number two is green space.”

Tackling the issue of privatizing transit, Farbridge and Guthrie clashed. The incumbent mayor remained adamant that privatization was absolutely out of the question. Donovan and St. Denis agreed that consulting experts would be the first step in any of their plans, while Legere suggested allowing wealthier members of the community to shoulder any necessary costs. Blockhuis agreed that public services should remain public, but argued for the need of an advisory council that takes voices from the transit union into account.

Tackling the issue of maintaining environmentalism in Guelph, every candidate argued that future generations should not have to be burdened by a lack of green spaces. St. Denis answered first, and stated that he did not have a specific plan but that he would work alongside experts to tackle the issue.

Donovan echoed St. Denis’ remarks, while Farbridge, Blockhuis, and Guthrie argued the economical merits of maintaining green spaces. Yet again, Legere argued for a reduction in government centrism and an increase in allowing communities to work together to solve problems.

The City of Guelph is also making an increased effort to stimulate on-line voting. A recent poll stated that 52 per cent of voters would cast a ballot if online voting was offered. Voters will be able to sign up and vote on-line from Oct. 7 to 24, while advanced in-person polling begins on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

For unsure students looking to vote, names can be added to the voting list up until election-day on-line, by email, post, or by phone. While voters can sign up at the polls on Monday, Oct. 27, it is recommended to sign up as soon as possible to avoid delays.

Candidates Profiles

Jason Blokhuis

What some would call a career student with four university degrees (and quite the seasoned traveler, to boot), Blokhuis is running for Mayor in order to break up the perceivable two-man fight between Farbridge and Guthrie. Though some close to him have questioned his sanity after throwing his hat in the ring, Blokhuis is running to ask questions and point out issues that others have not mentioned or have barely considered. His focus is on a smaller, more efficient city government, responsible and sustainable development, and an end to property tax increases. Blokhuis’s platform is centered on policy and projects and the needs of the City of Guelph, instead of, as he puts it himself, “vote for me because of my name,” or “vote for me because I am already your Mayor.”

Andrew Donovan

Donovan, the son of a fire fighter and grandson of a police officer and veteran, wants to continue the family tradition of serving the community by becoming Mayor of the City of Guelph. This University of Guelph grad (originally from Bolton, Ontario) studied Political Science when he attended Guelph. Donovan’s focus for his campaign is to address the City’s debts of $118 million through strategies such as the privatization of the transit system and a freeze on all public sector wages. Donovan also looks to increase transparency and communication between the citizens and government, creating an “Open Source Democracy,” and publicizing all public sector wages in order to build trust with the people of Guelph.

Karen Farbridge

Driven by a strong belief in community, responsibility, and hard work, Farbridge, the current Mayor of Guelph, is running for re-election to continue working for the people of Guelph, who make the city caring, green, and prosperous. Farbridge believes that “[the people] deserve more than slash and burn tax cuts. [The people] deserve value for [their] hard-earned dollars.” Farbridge also believes that together, the community is building the city it needs for today and tomorrow – for this generation and the next. Farbridge is proud of Guelph, as it boasts high value from taxes, great services for families, and one of the lowest crime rates in Canada. Farbridge wants a vote from you to help continue her journey to strengthen this trend.

Cam Guthrie

A father, coach, and an ever-present member of the community, Guthrie is running for mayor to create a “Better Guelph.” The plans for this Better Guelph include limiting taxes by controlling excessive spending, delivering cost-effective and efficient core city services, and creating a transparent government that avoids costly mistakes. Guthrie also wants to work towards eliminating the “Guelph Factor” by changing the culture at City Hall, rebuilding trust, and valuing business, as well as supporting downtown without the use of a punitive tax levy while promoting development that ensures all corners of Guelph are equally respected. Guthrie’s message to voters is that “[he’s] running for Mayor because [he’s] running for you.”

John Legere

With a strong focus on introducing a “truly representative government,” not only for Guelph but Canada as a whole, this 40-year-old business owner and father of three believes that we as a people have the ability to govern ourselves. Legere wants to promote a government where the majority of opinion would rule, rather than the opinion of a selected few. By changing to this style of representation, Legere can build trust between the government and the people of Guelph, as well as promote transparency. Legere is thankful that he lives in Guelph and for “the ability to represent” its people.

Nicholas A. Ross

With no website, no real signage, and a phone number listed only for texts, Ross seemed to be a mystery candidate. But on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Ross made a trip to The Ontarion to share a picture for our election issue, and to share a bit about why is he running for mayor. Ross said the main focus of his mayoral campaign is “building apartments for the disabled and homeless,” this is an important issue for Ross, as he has been homeless since May of this year. “There’s more to [my plan] but time is flying. Talk is cheap [and it’s] more about action.” Ross explained, “I tried to fundraise, but that didn’t work out.” Ross concluded by stating, “If I [ran] this city…the people can just come up to me and say [their] thoughts because, I am not a ghost. I’m a human just like you.”

Joseph St. Denis

St. Denis, who more frequently goes by Shoeless Joe, is a self-made philosopher who wants to “bring the beard back” to politics. Known for his advocacy on the abuse of children and workers in the shoe-making industry, St. Denis is a grassroots, for-the-people candidate that believes we should be involved in our political lives. While he has ideas for taxes and transparency, St. Denis is more focused on life-long political education, increasing voter turnout (which in the last election was an appalling 33 per cent), and the City’s issues with hard drugs and narcotics distribution and abuse. Shoeless Joe wants to identify real issues that are affecting the people and do something about them, in hopes of inspiring the population to get involved and participate. Only then, believes St. Denis, can Guelph boast a “healthy democracy” and proper representation.