Meet the candidates in Ward 24 – Barrhaven East

BARRHAVEN EAST

There are seven candidates running for councillor in the newest ward in Ottawa. Council voted to add a 24^th ward to the city of Ottawa's electoral map for the 2022 election. Barrhaven East stretches from Greenbank Road in the west to the Rideau River in the east, and Fallowfield in the north.

• Projected 2022 population: 52,580
• Projected 2026 population: 53,215

CTV News Ottawa invited all registered candidates to answer a questionnaire and submit a video introducing themselves to voters. (Some candidates submitted the requested 280 characters to describe their platform, while others submitted 280 words – CTVNewsOttawa.ca accepted both).

Guy Boone

Political experience: Served on Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO.on.ca) Governing Council as Eastern Regional Councillor (2 terms; 2016 to 2020)

Professional experience:

Guy is a Safety Engineer with LRT experience, having worked 25+ years on the certification of systems, products & machines. With his extensive knowledge of Safety Standards, he has been a Field Inspector & Auditor in the Transportation, Nuclear, Industrial & Manufacturing industries taking him throughout Ontario, Canada and Internationally. As a supporter of innovation and entrepreneurship, Guy has been a supporter of several entrepreneurial programs in the city helping both Canadian and International educated professionals design and commercialize their products. He has been active in the Barrhaven and Kanata North Business associations in growing and scaling small and medium sized businesses.

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 27 years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  The Rideau River, which is the eastern boundary of the new Ward 24.

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

You can count on Guy to be active in and around the Barrhaven East community. He will create regular opportunities to hear from you personally and listen to your concerns as well as your lived experiences. Guy will bring his safety lens and engineering experience along with your concerns to City Hall to improve and seek solutions.

With your support he will focus on:

• SAFETY: Working to ensure a Safe Community, Environment & Infrastructure.
• Transportation: Meaningful & Effective Transit & Transportation, including all modes (Walking, Biking, Rivers & Roads/Bridges) & reliable LRT.
• Smart Initiatives: Enhanced Recycling & Sustainable environmental practices, promoting use of Open Data to help our community run more effectively with Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Affordable Housing & Economic Development.
• Quality of Life: Parks & Shared Community Resources accessible, support for seniors, growth & development that is essential for Ward 24.  Promoting an active living & vibrant city life with community spirit.
• Transparency & Accountability:  Will always strive to involve residence, local businesses & community stakeholders with issues & decision making.

Guy understands that all the residents of Barrhaven East (Ward 24) also have important priorities. A few that he has heard already at the Door include safer streets with respected speed limits, the need for grade separation at Woodroffe & Fallowfield, police resources that are timely day or night, maintenance of streets in a variety of neighborhoods and garbage collection both at home and in community parks.

Patrick Brennan

Political experience: 6 years School Board Trustee, 3 years representing Barrhaven. worked part-time in a councillor's office while attending Carleton University

Professional experience: Finance-have held positions in retail & commercial lending, management, capital markets and investment management

How long have you lived in Ottawa? Born in Ottawa, have spent virtually my whole life in Ottawa (55 years)

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Wellington Street-Parliament Hill, Supreme Court, Chateau Laurier. We have to get Wellington Street re-opened.

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

We have a great city and Barrhaven East is an excellent place to live.

• As council, we must restore confidence in the LRT and transit.
• In the ward, speeding and crime need to be addressed with additional cameras and greater police presence
• Road resurfacing
• Fiscal responsibility-keep taxes down
• Increase housing supply

Kathleen Caught 

Political experience:  In High School I was Co President.  Algonquin College's student union Lees Ave campus. My mentor was Walter Baker who was Deputy Prime Minister to Joe Clark. Walter Baker encouraged me to work on Ken Binks Campaign, which got me started helping candidates at both federal and provincial levels.

Professional experience: Retired as a financial consultant, previously Mortgage Broker and banker and before that Real Estate Broker. My first career was in Recreation working for municipality of Nepean and City of Ottawa as first hire for the Lighthouse program in Manor Park

How long have you lived in Ottawa? First moved to Ottawa in 1968.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  All trails for biking and hiking around both the west and the east of Ottawa.

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:  (Editor's note: The first 297 words of the response follows)

Neighborhood Watch has been shown to decrease crime rates from 16-26%,lowering the opportunity for crime, and simultaneously reassuring the residents living within the Neighborhood Watch zones. Neighborhood Watch would relieve some of the tension on our policing budget and public resources without having to compromise on the safety and consistency of services we expect from our city, while secondly, it would help foster more communication between the residents, allowing neighbours to develop a stronger sense of community and facilitating the civil engagement needed for positive change.

Housing is a human right not a commodity but it has become a vehicle for wealth and investment rather than a social good. While revenues from real estate have accumulated, our city has become increasingly unaffordable. We can play a key role in protecting and realizing the right to adequate housing. I believe we also must hold landlords to a code of conduct and establish an Anti Renoviction bylaw a need to inform tenants of their rights. A public registry of tenant buyouts and a better enforcement mechanism of property standards with more severe consequences. We need to establish a landlord registry similar to Toronto. By providing all season greenhouses to public housing, senior assisted living, and high schools to grow their own vegetables this will bring our aging population back into community and with excess set up entrepreneurial arrangements to sell to local grocery stores, Thus engaging teenagers and those that are in need of help,to participate in the solutions.

Transportation with LRT and OC TRANSPO to be reviewed to be reflective of post pandemic conditions. Having hybrid models for federal employees has resulted in empty buses and cancelled buses. This is creating chronic problems that need to be reviewed along with the inquiry results to come to better solutions.

Richard Garrick

Political experience: This is my first time running for office. However, I have been heavily involved in the community since I was 14 years old.

Professional experience:  My professional experience covers a wide range of professions and fields which has given me a unique perspective of our community. I am a teacher, former youth worker and non-profit coordinator. I have worked to advocate for our at-risk populations, taught in special education and I have also worked in the customer service industry.

How long have you lived in Ottawa?  I have lived in Barrhaven for over 30 years.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Our city provides so many amazing locations and landmarks, but my favourite spots are along our rivers and waterways.  The Chapman Mills Conservation area in Barrhaven East is a beautiful spot where go to walk my dog and enjoy nature, along with the Baxter Conservation area.  I especially love the falls at Hogs Back which is where I go to relax and enjoy the sound of rushing water.

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:  

I have had the privilege to have lived in Barrhaven for over 30 years.  My family is here, I have taught here and I call Barrhaven East home. I have grown up in this community and I have seen the many changes Barrhaven has gone through over the years. It is with this knowledge combined with my experiences that make me your best candidate for Barrhaven East. 

We need to restore faith in our transit system and ensure that the LRT project continues to Barrhaven. We need to bring a stronger police presence to the area with a community focus to keep our residents safe. We need more youth and senior programs in Barrhaven to make sure residents both young and old can stay active in our community. We need to improve our aging infrastructure and make our roads, sidewalks, paths and parks safer and more accessible.   We have to work with our community partners and business leaders to grow our ward and we need to grow sustainably while being environmentally conscious.  Barrhaven East needs a strong voice at council that has extensive knowledge of the ward, has a vested interest in making sure that we grow while also remembering our sense of community and a councillor who is not afraid to speak up for their residents.  I am this candidate for Barrhaven East.  On October 24th, I would be honoured to have your vote. For more on my ideas and platform, please visit richardgarrick.ca.

Dominik Janelle 

Political experience: Green / First-time Candidate

Professional experience: I have worked as a Timekeeper for the Nepean Minor Hockey Association (NMHA), a Soccer Referee with Ottawa South United (OSU), an evening Team Supervisor at Tim Hortons, a Mover for Cassidy’s Moving and Storage, a Clerk at Party City and as a French Tutor with Ottawa Catholic School Board. In my University years, I worked as a Student Software Developer at Rockport Networks, a Software Application Developer at Statistics Canada, a Junior Programmer at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and as a Engineering and Computer Science Intern at Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC).

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 13 years cumulatively.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Parliament Hill and Chapman Mills Conservation Area are my two favorites.

Describe your platform in 280 characters or fewer: I'm on focused on a progressive vision for our great city. 

To address issues within transit, housing and fighting for a 1-year tax freeze to combat our growing city debt while being able to use the full spectrum of my accumulated experience and active presence in Barrhaven East.

Wilson Lo 

Political experience: Worked with city councillors’ offices over the last two years managing their inquiries (requests, general questions, complaints) for OC Transpo.

Professional experience:  Managed city council inquiries for OC Transpo and helped manage @OC_Transpo in that time. Bus operator for seven years before that, drove in Barrhaven a lot (it’s what persuaded me to move here).

How long have you lived in Ottawa?  Thirteen years, moved here in September 2009 for university.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Barrhaven-specific: Chapman Mills Conservation Area, Nasa Foods. City-wide: Remic Rapids Park, Lieutenant’s Pump (sometimes on the same day).

Describe your platform in 280 characters or fewer:  Ensuring our infrastructure and services, like roads, transit, police, and recreation, among others, don't fall behind as our community continues growing. Also ensuring we are responsible with money, both spending and revenue.

Atiq Qureshi

Political experience: Associated with OLP, & was Director in NPLA from 2017 - 2021

Professional experience: 26 Years at various positions in accounting, finance & taxation. Budgeting, costing, Internal Audits etc. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 17 Years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark? Museum of History

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

Alternate solution in lieu of LRT i.e. partnership with crown corporation in lieu of half of the agreed funding by federal i.e., 16.5% Federal funding rather than 33.333% We can bring commuter trains for residents. Existing Via Rail track goes through 7 Wards. It is 1/3 of Ottawa population, 350,000. We can generate 141Million/year revenues. Adherence of OC Transpo Scheduling and to change the transit system and adopt a ring approach via adding more effective routes to connect suburbs i.e. Kanata - Barrhaven - Findley Creek and within these communities towards shopping, recreation & Schools. 

Improvement of roads infrastructure with elevated bike tracks. My priority will be to make sure that resident of my ward gets fair share of development & services in lieu of their taxes.

Use of existing spaces in the community and identifying non-profit and community organizations that can provide cost-effective training and coaching for youth. 

Coordinate with health practitioners and pharmacists to organize quarterly health education workshops for seniors.

Instead of increasing property taxes for residents, I’ll find alternative ways to fund city planning projects and to reduce water and sewer costs.