A little about me

I'm Victoria Stewart. I'm a mother of three, a widow, a non-profit leader, and someone who believes strongly in the importance of community.

My path to where I am today hasn't exactly been a straight line. I returned to school as an adult and graduated with my Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration and Economics in 2016, beginning a new chapter in my career at a point when many people are already well-established in theirs. Since then, I've built a career in non-profit and community leadership that has given me the opportunity to work with some incredible people and organizations across Chatham-Kent.

Family has always been a huge part of my life. Like most people, I've experienced some wonderful chapters and some incredibly difficult ones. Becoming a widow changed my life in ways I never could have anticipated. Those experiences have shaped my perspective on what matters, how quickly circumstances can change, and just how important it is to have strong communities and people who show up for one another.

They've also taught me that life doesn't always go according to plan—and that sometimes the opportunities you didn't expect are the ones that lead you somewhere meaningful.

How Wallaceburg became part of my story

Wallaceburg was one of those unexpected opportunities.

More than five years ago, I became the Centre Manager of the Wallaceburg Adult Activity Centre. I came to Wallaceburg for a job, but somewhere along the way it became much more than that.

Running a community organization meant becoming part of the community itself. I got to know members and their families, local businesses, volunteers, community organizations, and municipal staff. I became involved in community initiatives and built relationships that extended well beyond the Centre.

I saw a community with an incredibly strong identity and people who care deeply about its future. I also heard the frustrations—the feeling that Wallaceburg sometimes has to fight harder to be heard, concerns about economic development and the downtown, infrastructure, services, and the challenges facing residents in their everyday lives.

Over those years, I developed a genuine affection for Wallaceburg and the surrounding area.

When I left the Centre earlier this year to become Executive Director of the Active Lifestyle Centre in Chatham, I didn't stop caring about Wallaceburg. In fact, one of the things I hadn't fully anticipated was how much I would miss being part of the community every day.

I'd already been thinking about the possibility of running for Council while I was still working in Wallaceburg. Changing jobs happened before nominations opened, but it didn't change the reasons I'd been considering it in the first place.

I still wanted to contribute.

Experience that can make a difference

My work in the non-profit sector has given me an unusual view of municipal government: I’ve spent years working alongside it from the community side of the table.

As Centre Manager of the Wallaceburg Adult Activity Centre, I was responsible for organizational leadership, governance, budgeting, grant development, community programming, partnerships, and day-to-day operations. I worked with boards, volunteers, businesses, community organizations, residents, municipal staff, and members of council. I helped take ideas from an initial conversation through planning, funding, and implementation.

During my time at the Centre, successful applications I prepared secured approximately $475,000 in competitive grant and project funding for Wallaceburg. This included funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, New Horizons for Seniors, Ontario’s Seniors Community Grant Program, OACAO, Together CK, and the Seniors Active Living Centres Program.

In total, I managed more than $750,000 in grant funding during my time at WAAC. That was in addition to overseeing organizational budgets supported by membership and program fees, fundraising, donations, and other operating revenue. Securing funding was only one part of the job. I was also responsible for managing budgets, meeting reporting requirements, coordinating partnerships, and ensuring funded projects and programs were properly implemented.

Experience working with the Municipality

My municipal experience also extends beyond funding and committee work. As WAAC’s primary contact with the Municipality, I led the process for renewing the Centre’s lease and, two years later, amending it to include the outdoor space and allow fundraising for an elevator and shed. I reviewed the proposed terms, raised questions and concerns with municipal staff, and presented the agreements to the Board for its consideration and approval.

That attention to detail mattered. During the amendment process, I identified an inconsistency that would have increased the Centre’s rent to cover elevator maintenance beginning on a predetermined date rather than when the elevator was actually installed. I worked with the Municipality to have that issue addressed. I also arranged for the Centre to use the Municipality’s charitable receipting authority for the elevator project, opening the door to larger donations and additional fundraising opportunities.

I worked with municipal staff on several improvements to the municipally owned building as well, including replacement flooring throughout the Centre, new LED lighting, and improved building security. These experiences taught me how municipal processes work in practice: how to review details carefully, ask the right questions, work through administrative requirements, keep a Board informed, and follow a project through to completion.

I currently chair the Chatham-Kent Seniors Advisory Committee and also serve on the Age-Friendly Committee and the Celebration of Older Adults Committee. These roles have given me further experience working within municipal processes, contributing to community-wide discussions, and bringing residents’ needs and perspectives forward.

A good idea is only the beginning.

You also need to understand how to make it happen. You need to know what resources are available, who needs to be at the table, what barriers stand in the way, and how to build enough support to move an idea forward.

Working closely with older adults over the past several years has also given me a firsthand appreciation for issues that affect people’s ability to remain active, independent, and connected to their communities. Affordability, accessibility, transportation, recreation, social connection, and access to services aren’t abstract policy discussions when you’re regularly talking to the people affected by them.

At the same time, my work across Chatham-Kent has shown me something else that I think is important for a Ward 5 councillor: representing Wallaceburg well doesn’t mean working in isolation from the rest of the municipality.

Moving Ward 5 priorities forward requires more than strong advocacy at the council table. It also requires someone who can build relationships, find common ground, and earn support from colleagues representing communities across Chatham-Kent.

I believe my experience gives me the ability to do both.

Why I'm running

I'm not running because I think I already have every answer.

In fact, I think one of the most important responsibilities of an elected representative is being willing to say, “I need to learn more about that."

Good decisions start with listening—to residents, businesses, community organizations, municipal staff, and people with expertise and lived experience. They require asking questions, looking at the evidence and being willing to consider perspectives that may be different from your own.

But listening and studying an issue can't be where the process ends.

Eventually, decisions have to be made. Priorities have to be set. And good ideas need people who are willing to do the work required to turn them into action.

Wallaceburg is a community I know, care about, and believe in. I know its challenges, but I also know its strengths and its potential. I believe Ward 5 deserves strong representation from someone who will listen carefully, advocate effectively, and work constructively with others to get things done.

That's the kind of councillor I want to be: thoughtful in how I make decisions, practical about what can be accomplished, and determined to turn good ideas into meaningful action.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse