Karen Redman (Incumbent)
Narine Dat Sookram
*Responses are posted unedited and have not been fact-checked*
Housing: I fully support the majority of these initiatives. But short-term encampments or pop-up outdoor housing like the Better Tent City are unsustainable, costly to tax payers, and dangerous to not only those living there, but to others around them. We must focus on pragmatic solutions such as permanent housing options, mental health facilities, and addiction centers.
Public Safety: The WRPS must continue to be funded - crime in Waterloo Region has been escalating dramatically for years and reallocating their resources will just embolden criminals further. We need to balance our policing with attention and support given to the unique issues our Region faces, but not by eliminating or reducing resources. Allowing for open-use of drugs in our community is not an environment I want my future children to be apart of - we should not encourage addiction in this manner and should instead focus on support systems that target drug users in a non-punitive way.
Indigenous Sovereignty: These are very agreeable positions, however, eradication of historic monuments is not something the people of Waterloo Region want (based on survey data), and is not something that should be celebrated - our Canadian history is deeply rooted, and we must celebrate our Indigenous community members through remembrance of our past misdeeds, and the acknowledgement that as a community we can move forward together.
Social Services: I do agree that public water should be accessible, however, public washrooms create an environment for abuse in their current form as they are not monitored. Safe consumption sites should be carefully established with location and utilization as primary considerations - a safe supply of drugs begins to cross the threshold of tax-payer funded enabling of addiction. The level of destruction to our economy, businesses, children's development, mental health, drug abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, and so on that was justified through poor modelling and even poorer mandates is something that should never be replicated.
Transportation: The vast majority of Waterloo Region residents travel by personal vehicle, carpool, or public transportation. As time has progressed, less and less people are choosing active modes of transportation as the Region expands. Focusing on this type of infrastructure is not a practical use of tax-payer funding - we must future proof our expanding city by focusing on data driven policy specifically. The reduction of speed limits fails to make roads safer, or slow drivers down - this is according to Waterloo Region's own Traffic site - we must invest in natural barriers that slow drivers, such as chicanes, and raised environments/natural structures.