mark hunter

My name is Mark Hunter and I am a candidate for the position of councillor on Stratford City council. I live in Stratford with my wife, Denise Whitehead, who is an Associate Professor at St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. We have two adult daughters, Laura and Sarah, who are completing their university studies. I am the president of my family’s business, Hunter Steel Sales Ltd. I am also the in-house lawyer for our company. We have five branches in southern Ontario and we employ approximately 75 people.

I worked for two years as a lawyer in a Toronto law firm prior to joining Hunter Steel in 1996. I opened our branch in Guelph in that year and worked in Guelph until taking on the role of president in 2010 when I transferred to our Stratford head office. I am an avid cyclist with a preference for mountain biking. I spent 16 years on the executive of the Guelph Off-Road Bicycling Association and am currently a member of the Wobbly Wheelers, a road cycling group in Stratford.

1. What will be your unique contribution to council?

I have more than 25 years’ experience as a business leader and as a lawyer. That may not be unique, but it is a rare combination. It gives me a perspective that I believe will be helpful on council. I am comfortable working within the provincial legislative framework that governs all municipalities. I also know how to take a project from inception to successful completion. I start by learning enough to understand the issue. From there, I develop a plan with broad input from others, which includes goals to help measure progress and success. I then execute the plan within a limited budget and timeframe.

2. How will you tackle urban sprawl and protect prime agricultural land?

Stratford has a need for new lands, especially industrial land. As we expand, we can limit sprawl by reviewing planning standards, for example, setback requirements. A setback is the amount land between buildings and roads or between buildings. With smaller setbacks, we could minimize unproductive land use. We can also look at strategies for vertical growth rather than horizontal. This would be especially effective in new housing (which will also be needed.) We can limit land use by building more apartment/condominium units and fewer detached houses.

3. How will you encourage businesses and individuals to respond to climate change?

As a city, I believe we need to follow the science-based policies of the federal and provincial governments. The current strategy is to transition from fossil fuels to clean electric power. A city can facilitate this transition by making sure we have sufficient infrastructure. We may need a more robust electrical grid. Houses may need upgrades to enable home vehicle chargers and we will need publicly available vehicle charging stations. By having the necessary supports in place, we make this change easier for all residents.

4. What is your idea(s) to attract new industry to Stratford?

To attract businesses, we need to highlight the qualities that make Stratford a great place to live and work. We have great amenities and Stratford is a beautiful, friendly community. We have good schools including campuses of Conestoga College and the University of Waterloo. We have an educated workforce and we either have, or are close to, an efficient industrial supply network, whether for raw materials or consumables. Stratford residents (including Stratford businesses) like to buy local whenever possible, so moving here may also increase a new company’s customer base.

5. How will you address wealth inequality, homelessness and poverty in Stratford?

This question requires much more than a one-hundred-word answer because it is an extremely complex issue. To solve it, we need to understand the causes of homelessness and poverty. While they are universal issues, the causes can be very specific to each person and may require case-by-case solutions. One thing a city can do to help everyone is to improve the affordability of housing. That could be city-owned housing or rent subsidies in privately owned units.

6. How will you engage and inform the public about current issues and legislation?

Legislation, to me, means an act of parliament or the provincial legislature. The provincial government has a news service people can subscribe to, by clicking the subscribe button at, https://news.ontario.ca/en . For municipal news, I think it would be useful to explore a similar push notification system. I believe a more informed public is better able to make decisions and more likely to get involved. When they are ready to engage, there are committees of city council on which residents can serve to help shape policy. https://www.stratford.ca/en/inside-city-hall/advisorycommittees.aspx

7. Would you support term limits? Why/why not?

I do not support term limits. If we elect someone who is excellent in their position, I believe we should have the option to elect them as long as they continue to perform and are willing to serve. We don’t need term limits to be rid of underperformers. We can simply choose to elect someone else in the next election. A recent example is the 2016 U.S. election. President Obama still had high approval ratings and seemed to be good at leading his country, but he was unable to run for a third term, because of term limits. He...[]

8. What is your plan to better engage youth in Stratford?

I think it is critical for the world that young people realize that their actions, no matter how big or how small, can make a better future. It’s also important for older people to realize that youth can bring a fresh perspective to old problems. They also have the enthusiasm and energy to be good contributors to effective solutions. I think we need to channel that and find ways to facilitate their input. Perhaps your club can suggest the best vehicle for this.