ryan doyle

BORN AND RAISED in Stratford Ontario. I have 39 years of perspective and appreciation for living in our beautiful city. In 2012, I decided to buy my first home on Avonwood Drive. In 2014, I joined the Board of Directors for Perth Condominium Corporation Number Five, and earned the homeowners trust when they elected me President in 2016.

I work as a Systems Designer for Ancillary Operations at Wilfrid Laurier University. I have worked there since 2006. It is a rewarding career because I am directly supporting student success and experience. I am passionate about learning new technologies that support tomorrow's leaders, entrepreneurs and our local economies.

1. What will be your unique contribution to council?

For seven years I have served as President of my Condominium Board and I have experience chairing public meetings, understanding and building capital and operational budgets. As well I am the Chief Negotiator of OSSTF District 35 WLUSA (Wilfrid Laurier Staff Association). I have 15 years of experience in labor relations and political action. These skills are transferable so that I can make sure our MPP Mathew Rae , our MP John Nater and our Mayor elect are tasked with ensuring Stratford gets our fair share of federal and provincial funding such as the Federal Government's announcement to provide two ...[]

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

I will speak out against Provincial Ministerial Zoning Orders. Stratford has its own process and currently we hold the lowest unemployment rate in all of Ontario. We should be careful on how to annex and award lands to future manufacturing and commercial projects to ensure they are green facilities and contribute to green manufacturing. We can also densify housing and build more apartments buildings in the downtown core and other suitable locations.

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

First, make the City an example. We should start to change out our municipality vehicles from gas and diesel to electric. We should reserve our land for manufacturers that build parts for green products, such as batteries for electric vehicles. We can also look at investing in solar panels in the city to aid in powering electric vehicle chargers or signs, anything that will help our electrical grid in the city to offset the new demand.

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

Encourage the University of Waterloo to keep expanding their programs here. I would like Conestoga College to do the same. I would also like to see UW build a residence near their campus downtown as originally planned. The University and Colleges do attract new commercial industry which in turn produce good paying jobs. While the Real Estate market boomed to the point that the majority of Ontarians are priced out of housing, we need to create affordable housing so that these employers can attract people to work for them. A city cannot thrive without new young professionals who can afford ...[]

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

While taking advantage of federal funding to build affordable housing, hopefully in the downtown core, this will free up room in the city's budget to divert to the Social Services Department where we can task them too, evaluate and report on the needs of the current homeless population. People forget that there is no one solution to the issue, and that people have their own unique issues where if we understand them, we can develop a plan for each individual so that they are able to live with dignity and contribute to our great city. We also need to develop ...[]

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

I am dedicating my personal website ryandoyle.ca to my campaign. There I have a Facebook group link for the general public to join. When I am elected the website and Facebook will be used for official municipal political messages from myself. I will also expand the social media accounts to include twitter, Instagram and tik tok, which I will link to ryandoyle.ca. If there is a larger issue requiring a round table, I will attempt to organize a hybrid meeting so that all citizen stakeholders can participate.

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

I am divided on this issue. Term limits do work well to turn over politicians, however in a municipal context you're generally creating a plan that is 10 to 50 years in the making. Term limits aggressively turn over your leaders every 8 years (two terms generally) and without a party system in the municipal governance, you could be disrupting plans and incurring wasted tax dollars because there is no party system with common goals. As a municipal elected official, at least every four years if your elected by the public, you should be able to continue. This is no ...[]

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

I would partner with community leaders who want to or are investing in youth programs in Stratford. If land is needed to create more parks, or recreational activities, I will be an advocate for the city to invest in this area. I will support a new larger YMCA facility and will engage over social media with the youth in Stratford. I would also participate in any school organized events that would lead to a forum where youth can ask questions and voice what you think you and your friends need in our city for you to enjoy and thrive in ...[]