Two councillors to be elected
Martin Fisher
- Tell us about yourself.
I moved to Highgate from Brampton in June of this year (2022). I have lived rurally before, and am so glad to move back to a place away from the hustle and bustle of the GTA. You have to love where you live! I enjoy photography, sailing, and am looking to start flying in the near future. I spent 30 years as a long-distance truck driver, spending a lot of time running from Toronto to Southern Texas, and doing the triangle from Toronto to Vancouver to Los Angeles, and back to Toronto. I ran my own trucking company for 4 years before retiring from the industry. I currently work with a small construction company in the GTA as their Fleet Manager and in-house Paralegal, as well as running The Admiral’s Legal Services. Some things I have been involved in (community service,) I am on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Ontario Paralegals. I was also on a condominium board of directors for two years in the 1990’s. These experiences have taught me how to be effective in working within this type of organization.
- Why are you running in this election?
I am running for office to help make my community a better place to live. I believe that I have the life experience required to effectively contribute to my community in this political capacity. I think that people who can contribute should contribute in their own way. I can listen to people, and convey those thoughts to council so that all perspectives might be heard on any given issue.
- What is the biggest challenge facing Chatham-Kent?
The deforestation issue is a prevalent issue in Ward 3. There is also a common concern that nothing is being done in our ward, for our ward, and that all our taxes are going to the benefit of the City of Chatham. I would like to see that sentiment eroded. I would like to see fibre optic internet availability increased in our ward as well.
- What do you consider to be Chatham-Kent’s biggest asset?
The people. Always the people. Any community is a gathering of people who rely on each other. It could be a Church, school, hockey team, village, town, or municipality. What makes a community strong, and enjoyable, is how we treat each other, and engage each other. People are always a community’s biggest asset.
Matt Lamarche
- Tell us about yourself.
I currently reside in Ridgetown with my wife and our three kids, 11, 8 and 4. Lived in Chatham Kent since 2007, lived in Chatham until 2013 when we moved to Ridgetown. Prior to 2007 I lived a few different areas while attending school but grew up in a town called Bolton about 45 min North of Toronto. I went to school for Agriculture, never grew up on a farm but not far from Bolton was the country so grew up working on farms. Went to college and got my ag diploma, then lived out West in Alberta while getting my degree in Ag business.
I currently work for Corteva (Pioneer), while working full-time I obtained a Grad diploma in Seed Technology and Business from Iowa State, I also teach pesticide safety to farmers part-time.
I like to get out and Hunt and Fish when I can in my spare time. As a hobby I collect model farm toys, started that when I was a kid and just continued on with it.
- Why are you running in this election?
I am running for council because to be honest, I think I can do a better job. I think a lot of concerns fall on deaf ears and that the people in the community feel that they are not being listened to and I am hoping to change this perspective. I want people to know that they are being listened to. It doesn’t mean that every concern or problem is going to get fixed overnight but what people appreciate is knowing that there are people who take them seriously and will do their best to make sure that these issues are being brought forth.
- What is the biggest challenge facing Chatham-Kent?
There are a few challenges facing Chatham Kent, not sure if one is really bigger than the other. Taxes are a big concern for people, I mean no one likes paying taxes to begin with but the consistent rise in taxes over the last few years has people concerned. Affordable housing is another challenge, if we want to attract people to Chatham Kent and keep people for that matter, the housing situation needs to be looked at especially with the number of houses being purchased by outside investors and being rented out at prices that most can’t afford, there has to be a balance. A large concern in the rural areas of Chatham-Kent is this tree cutting by-law, something needs to be done here but it needs to be mutual meaning we have to work with farmers not against them. With my many years working in the ag industry and right on the farm in many cases, I am very much aware the impact on both sides of the fence on this issue but I think there is a solution that we can work together on.
- What do you consider to be Chatham-Kent’s biggest asset?
One of our biggest assets is our ability to serve our surrounding communities. We have quite large cities on all sides of Chatham Kent, Windsor to the west, London to the east and Sarnia to the North all quite heavy on the Industrial footprint. I think we have the ability and the assets to attract a lot of spin off work that comes from the large industries that reside in the larger cities and our proximity being located in the middle of this triangle so to speak makes us ideal from a transportation aspect.
I can’t go without mentioning Agriculture in Chatham Kent as well is a huge asset. The Ag Industry in Chatham Kent is responsible for almost 16,000 jobs and we are one of very few areas in Ontario to produce many specialty vegetables and crops including, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, pumpkins and not to mention Canada’s first commercial rice crop was harvested right here in Chatham-Kent and I think that is something to be very proud of.
Moréna McDonald
- Tell us about yourself.
I’m 34, grew up in Ridgetown, and moved back to town 10 years ago after living in Toronto. Since then, I’ve had great experiences working as a reporter, volunteering for many organizations across Chatham-Kent, planning events, and now working in marketing and communications for two local companies.
Those experiences taught me a lot about how much the people of Chatham-Kent can care about each other and about what’s possible when communities come together.
- Why are you running in the municipal election?
It’s been an amazing experience working with community groups, volunteers, and leaders across Chatham-Kent. I’ve worked on and volunteered for many community events to help revitalize communities and to help non-profits, small businesses, and individuals in need. One of those events is the Dresden Night Market that friends and I created in 2017 and continue to organize twice every year. It’s only possible thanks to the collaboration of small businesses, community groups, volunteers, grassroots organizations, and community leaders.
As a resident of Ward 3, I want to help community groups and individuals in this part of CK to work together to create and grow their own unique events and revitalization projects. We can revitalize our downtowns and our community to become a place where new businesses want to invest and where tourists want to visit. As a councillor, I will stand up for our small communities to protect what we have so we can start growing into our full potential.
- What is the biggest challenge facing Chatham-Kent?
Chatham-Kent isn’t alone in dealing with and addressing climate change, affordability, homelessness, and recovery after the pandemic. Our biggest challenge is division. We need to listen to each other and collaborate on how we address these problems. From residents to businesses to community groups, and all levels of government, we need to understand what the problems are and figure out ways to make positive impacts together.
- What do you consider to be Chatham-Kent’s biggest asset?
How quickly we can rally together for a common cause. We’ve seen it with fundraisers, massive food drives, online voting contests, and more. Coming together is our biggest strength and is the key to all the great things we can build and achieve together.
(182) YourVote CK: Morena Mcdonald, Ward 3 (East-Kent) Candidate – YouTube
Steve Pinsonneault
(No response)
John Wright
(No response)
