My Responses to the 2026 Owen Sound All-Candidates Meeting Questions

October 7, 2026 | Thomas Arakal — Candidate for Owen Sound City Council

Thank you to the Owen Sound & District Chamber of Commerce for organizing the October 6 All-Candidates Meeting, and thank you to everyone who attended and participated.

I was in Group 2, where we were asked three questions with limited time to respond. I answered the questions I felt knowledgeable about and openly acknowledged when I did not have enough information to give a complete answer.

I believe residents deserve honesty. I would rather acknowledge that I need more information than make promises without understanding the facts, costs and consequences.

During the meeting, I emphasized public involvement, reviewing how municipal services are managed, improving affordability and making council more accessible to working residents.

Now that the Chamber has shared all nine questions, I would like to provide more detailed responses. These include the questions I was asked and the questions directed to the other groups.

GROUP 1

1. What concrete steps should Owen Sound take to protect the local environment, safeguard the harbour and watershed, and improve municipal climate resilience?

Owen Sound's harbour, rivers, waterfront, parks and natural environment are valuable assets. Protecting them is important for residents, businesses and future generations.

I support practical environmental measures that deliver measurable results.

My priorities would include:

• Reviewing stormwater drainage, flooding risks and infrastructure maintenance.

• Working with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority and other responsible organizations to protect our waterways.

• Improving maintenance of catch basins and drainage systems to reduce pollution entering the harbour.

• Protecting trees, parks and green spaces while supporting responsible development.

• Considering extreme weather and climate resilience when planning infrastructure investments.

• Reviewing existing environmental programs to understand their costs, responsibilities and results.

I believe we should first understand what programs are already in place, how effectively they are working and where improvements are needed.

Where possible, we should use existing municipal staff and partnerships rather than automatically creating new administrative positions.

I would also support clearly identifying who is responsible for each initiative and reporting measurable progress to residents.

Environmental responsibility and financial responsibility should go together.

2. If you had to distill your platform to one key idea or issue, what would it be?

Accountability and meaningful representation for residents.

I believe residents should have a stronger voice in municipal government, and councillors should be accountable for following up on their concerns.

My proposal is to retain seven councillors elected citywide while assigning each councillor primary responsibility for a geographical area.

Residents would know whom to contact about local concerns while continuing to have access to all councillors. Every councillor would still represent the entire city.

I also propose:

• Holding council and committee meetings after supper so working residents have a better opportunity to attend.

• Organizing quarterly Saturday town halls where residents can raise concerns directly.

• Improving financial transparency through regular public reporting.

• Reviewing spending, management structures and service delivery.

• Providing residents with clear explanations of council decisions.

• Establishing better follow-up and accountability for concerns raised by residents.

I work full-time and understand that many residents cannot attend meetings during normal working hours.

Public participation should not be limited to people who are available during the day.

I believe local government should be accessible to everyone, not just those who have the time or resources to participate.

My guiding principle is simple: Make tomorrow a little better than today.

3. What is your vision for sustaining and growing the River District, and how will you address business retention, safety, and downtown vacancies?

I want downtown Owen Sound to be safe, clean, welcoming and economically active.

A successful downtown benefits the entire community through employment, tourism, investment and a stronger local economy.

I support a long-term downtown revitalization strategy developed with business owners, residents, property owners and community organizations.

My priorities include:

• Improving downtown cleanliness, lighting, sidewalks and public spaces.

• Addressing safety concerns through cooperation with police and community organizations.

• Understanding why commercial properties remain vacant.

• Encouraging responsible redevelopment of underused properties.

• Supporting existing businesses while attracting appropriate new investment.

• Encouraging residential development above commercial spaces where appropriate.

• Supporting events and activities that bring people downtown, including evenings and weekends.

• Improving connections between the River District and waterfront.

• Reviewing existing business improvement incentives and measuring their effectiveness.

Public safety and homelessness must be addressed thoughtfully. I believe we need compassionate support for people experiencing homelessness while also ensuring that residents, employees and business owners feel safe.

I would like to see measurable goals for reducing vacancies, attracting investment and improving public spaces.

A downtown improvement plan should not simply be another report. It should identify responsibilities, costs, timelines and measurable results.

We should strengthen downtown while respecting the financial challenges facing taxpayers.

GROUP 2 — QUESTIONS I WAS ASKED

4. How are you going to address the snow and ice left on sidewalks after a heavy snowstorm?

During the meeting, I acknowledged that I did not have every answer to this question.

However, I raised an important concern:

Are we properly managing our municipal resources, and do we have enough frontline workers to deliver the services residents expect?

I suggested comparing the number of employees involved in these services today with the number ten years ago.

I would like to examine:

• How many frontline workers were involved in winter maintenance ten years ago compared with today?

• How much sidewalk area was maintained then compared with now?

• Has the number of management positions changed?

• Do employees have adequate equipment and resources?

• Are winter maintenance routes and schedules efficient?

• How quickly are sidewalks cleared after major storms?

• Which locations experience recurring problems?

• Are current winter maintenance standards meeting residents' needs?

I believe frontline employees should be part of these discussions because they understand the practical challenges of delivering services.

Sidewalk safety is particularly important for seniors, children, people with disabilities and residents who rely on walking or public transit.

I would prioritize reviewing problem areas near schools, seniors' residences, transit stops, healthcare facilities and other heavily used pedestrian routes.

We should also examine situations where road plows leave snow blocking sidewalks or pedestrian crossings. Better coordination between road and sidewalk maintenance could help reduce these problems.

I am not suggesting that our workers are failing. My concern is whether they have enough resources and whether those resources are being managed effectively.

During the debate, I also emphasized the importance of greater public involvement and holding council meetings after supper so more residents can participate.

Residents who experience these problems should have an opportunity to explain them directly to council.

I would also support a clear reporting and follow-up process so residents can identify recurring snow and ice problems and know what action is being taken.

Before asking taxpayers for more money, I want to understand whether we can improve service through better planning, staffing, equipment and management.

5. What are we doing to promote and beautify downtown? Would you consider tax breaks for business owners? How about a five- or ten-year plan?

During the meeting, I emphasized affordability and the importance of involving residents in municipal decisions.

Many Owen Sound residents are already struggling with property taxes and the rising cost of living.

I support helping downtown businesses succeed, but I do not believe we should simply transfer the financial burden of business incentives onto residential taxpayers.

Any financial incentive must be fair, affordable and demonstrate a clear benefit to the community.

I would support reviewing the City's existing downtown improvement programs before introducing additional incentives.

I would consider:

• Targeted assistance for storefront and building improvements.

• Encouraging the reuse of vacant commercial properties.

• Improving lighting, cleanliness, landscaping and pedestrian areas.

• Supporting local events, tourism and downtown business promotion.

• Encouraging mixed-use development where appropriate.

• Improving safety and accessibility.

• Working directly with downtown business owners to understand their challenges.

• Examining opportunities to attract new businesses while supporting those already operating downtown.

I support a five-year action plan within a broader ten-year vision for downtown Owen Sound.

However, I would want the plan to include clear financial estimates, measurable goals and regular public reporting.

For example, we should track commercial vacancy rates, building improvements, private investment and other indicators of downtown activity.

I would also like to see more residents and business owners involved in developing the plan.

Council meetings after supper and quarterly Saturday town halls could provide opportunities for meaningful public input.

My position on tax breaks is straightforward: I am willing to consider them where legally permitted and financially justified, but they must not become an unfair additional burden on residents.

We should also be fair to existing businesses that have continued investing in Owen Sound without receiving special assistance.

We need a stronger downtown without making an already difficult affordability situation worse.

6. What specific planning, zoning, or policy tools will you advocate for to increase affordable housing options in Owen Sound while preserving neighbourhood character?

During the meeting, I said I would work in every reasonable way possible to improve housing affordability.

I also emphasized that when the City approves new housing development, we should be asking an important question:

Will any of these homes actually be affordable to people earning minimum wage or working in ordinary local jobs?

Building more houses is important, but increasing the number of homes does not automatically make them affordable.

We need housing that local residents can realistically afford.

I would support reviewing:

• Development charges and possible incentives for qualifying affordable housing projects.

• Zoning policies that allow appropriate additional residential units, including basement apartments and garden suites.

• Opportunities for smaller homes, townhouses and modest multi-unit developments.

• Approval processes that may create unnecessary delays and costs.

• Redevelopment opportunities on vacant or underused land.

• Partnerships with Grey County, nonprofit housing providers and responsible developers.

• Opportunities to encourage affordable rental housing near transit and essential services.

• Existing municipal housing incentives and whether they are producing genuinely affordable homes.

I would also support examining whether development agreements and available municipal incentive programs can encourage an appropriate proportion of affordable units, within the City's legal authority.

However, I would not promise that council can simply require every developer to provide housing affordable to minimum-wage workers. We need to understand the planning rules, project economics and available funding.

We must also respect neighbourhood character, infrastructure capacity, drainage, accessibility and the concerns of existing residents.

Housing affordability needs to be considered from the perspective of the people who will live in these homes, not only the people building them.

There is a difference between market-rate housing, attainable housing and deeply affordable or supportive housing. Different needs require different solutions.

I believe the City should work with Grey County, nonprofit organizations and senior levels of government to address these different needs.

Someone working full-time at minimum wage should not automatically be excluded from having a safe and suitable place to live in our community.

My priority is housing that is genuinely attainable for local working people, young families and seniors.

GROUP 3

7. If you don't have a car, it can be really hard to get around. Our buses don't run Sundays, and they stop pretty early. Would you improve transit, and if so, how?

Yes. Reliable, affordable and accessible public transit is one of my campaign priorities.

Not everyone owns a vehicle. Many residents depend on public transit to get to work, attend school, shop and access medical appointments.

I believe transit should serve residents based on when they actually need transportation, including evenings, Sundays and shift-work hours.

I would support:

• Reviewing options for evening and Sunday transit service.

• Improving reliability and connections between routes.

• Exploring free or reduced-cost transit passes for high school students through partnerships with school boards and other organizations.

• Examining regional transit connections with nearby communities.

• Reviewing ridership, operating costs and service performance.

• Comparing the existing contracted transit model with the possibility of bringing transit operations back under City management.

• Investigating whether Owen Sound could operate its own transit service using leased buses instead of purchasing them outright.

I believe leasing buses is an option worth examining because it may reduce the initial capital investment required.

However, we must compare the full long-term costs, including leasing, maintenance, insurance, staffing, administration and vehicle replacement.

I would also want to consult transit users, employees and unions representing relevant municipal workers to better understand the operational implications.

I am not suggesting that bringing transit in-house would automatically save money. I want council to examine the available options and determine which model provides reliable service at a reasonable cost.

I cannot promise that every route can be expanded immediately. Any improvements must be supported by realistic financial planning.

My goal is better transit for residents without placing an unnecessary additional burden on taxpayers.

8. If faced with budget constraints or unexpected revenue drops, what areas of city spending would you prioritize, and where would you look to find efficiencies?

Responsible spending, affordability and financial accountability are central to my platform.

I have proposed a two-year municipal property tax freeze as a goal, supported by a comprehensive review of spending and service delivery.

Residents are already facing significant financial pressure.

Before asking them to pay more, I believe council must demonstrate that existing tax dollars are being used efficiently.

My priority would be protecting essential services, including public safety, roads, sidewalks, water and wastewater infrastructure, and other core municipal responsibilities.

I would review:

• Management and administrative structures.

• Frontline staffing levels compared with service demands.

• Consultant and external service contracts.

• Procurement and purchasing practices.

• Program performance and measurable outcomes.

• Underused facilities and duplication of services.

• Opportunities for cooperation with Grey County and neighbouring municipalities.

• Debt obligations and long-term infrastructure costs.

I would like council reports to provide multiple practical options for major decisions, including their costs, benefits, risks and long-term consequences.

I believe we should look for efficiencies in administration, procurement and management before considering reductions to essential frontline services.

Financial transparency is equally important.

I have been looking for the City of Owen Sound's 2025 audited financial statements and want clarification on their publication status.

If they have not yet been released, I believe residents deserve to know why, when they can expect them and whether any outstanding matters are affecting their completion.

I would support timely publication of audited financial statements, clearer budget information and quarterly public financial updates.

A two-year tax freeze would require careful financial planning. I would not support ignoring essential infrastructure needs or reducing legally required services simply to achieve a political target.

Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going, how decisions are made and what results they receive.

9. Businesses, residents, and visitors have raised concerns about litter and waste management in Owen Sound. What specific actions would you support to improve garbage collection, cleanliness, and the overall appearance of Owen Sound?

Clean streets, parks and public spaces are important for community pride, public safety, tourism and business activity.

I would begin by reviewing existing waste collection and public-space maintenance services.

My priorities would include:

• Reviewing public garbage bin locations and collection schedules.

• Identifying recurring litter and illegal dumping areas.

• Improving cleanliness downtown, at transit stops, in parks and along the waterfront.

• Providing residents with an accessible way to report problems.

• Improving follow-up and accountability for service requests.

• Reviewing waste management contracts, staffing and operational efficiency.

• Supporting community cleanup initiatives.

• Improving public education about waste disposal and recycling.

• Ensuring appropriate enforcement of existing dumping and property maintenance bylaws.

I would also examine whether seasonal adjustments are needed in areas with increased tourism and public activity.

I believe businesses, community organizations and residents can play a valuable role in identifying problem areas and participating in cleanup initiatives.

Before introducing new programs or additional spending, I would review whether existing resources are being used effectively.

The City should establish measurable service expectations and review whether complaints and recurring problem areas are being addressed.

The goal should be a cleaner city through better coordination, service delivery and accountability.

My Closing Message

I entered this election because I believe residents deserve a stronger voice in the decisions that affect their everyday lives.

I am a taxpayer, a husband, a father, a Canada Post rural mail carrier and Vice President of CUPW Local 582. I have also worked in operations management and have a background in technology and financial planning.

These experiences have taught me the importance of listening, teamwork, financial responsibility and understanding problems before making decisions.

I do not claim to have every answer.

However, I believe a good councillor should be willing to ask difficult questions, listen to residents and frontline workers, examine the facts and make informed decisions.

I want to make council more accessible by holding meetings after supper, organizing quarterly Saturday town halls and giving residents clearer geographical representation.

I want to improve services while respecting the financial challenges facing taxpayers.

I want housing that working people can afford, a safer and stronger downtown, more reliable transit and greater accountability for municipal spending.

I am an independent candidate, and I believe public service should come before personal interests.

One voice. One vote. One responsibility to the residents of Owen Sound.

Make tomorrow a little better than today.

Thomas Arakal
Candidate for Owen Sound City Council
https://sites.google.com/view/arakal