Putting Cambridge First
The ideas, priorities, and opportunities for our city outlined below are the beginning of a larger conversation about the future of Cambridge. They reflect the experience and perspective I have gained over the last decade working alongside residents, businesses, community organizations, and neighbourhoods across our city.
Over the coming months, I look forward to expanding on my platform with other important concerns, creative solutions, and conversations with the people in our city. I believe leadership means bringing people together, listening to different perspectives, and ensuring everyone feels they have a seat at the table.
Working together, we can build a city that truly puts Cambridge first.
A City That Works, For Everyone
Better coordination.
More collaboration.
Faster decisions.
Better coordination. More collaboration. Faster decisions.
Cambridge deserves a City Hall that works with people.
Over the last decade working with the Business Improvement Areas in Galt, Preston, and Hespeler, I have seen firsthand how permit delays, siloed department reviews, inconsistent communication, and unnecessary red tape can frustrate residents, businesses, community groups, and investors alike. Too often, projects slow down because departments are not aligned early enough in the process or applicants are left navigating disconnected systems on their own.
As Mayor, I want to foster a culture at City Hall built on collaboration, accountability, and service.
That means reviewing permit processes and fees to ensure they are fair, transparent, and reflective of real-world needs. It means improving coordination between departments so residents and businesses receive clearer expectations, predictable timelines, and a more solution-focused experience at City Hall.
We need to modernize how the City communicates with the public.
Posting a notice on a webpage or in a newspaper is no longer enough. Residents deserve meaningful engagement opportunities that are visible, accessible, and easy to understand. We need more effective digital communication strategies and improved boots-on-the-ground outreach through community organizations and local partners so everyone can access the information and be informed.
Too often, people only learn about major planning or policy recommendations by staff after consultation has already concluded. Frustration builds when residents feel they were not informed early enough to meaningfully participate. We need earlier engagement, stronger transparency, and a renewed commitment to ensuring people feel heard before staff recommendations and final decisions are made.
I believe Cambridge City Hall should once again feel open and connected to the community. It should serve as a welcoming civic gathering place for events, conversations with City officials, and meaningful public engagement.
At its core, municipal government exists to serve people. Cambridge should be open for business, open to investment, open to collaboration, and focused on helping residents succeed.
I believe we need to place greater value on local knowledge and local talent.
Too often, our city relies heavily on outside consultants with little connection to the community, while local talent, businesses, organizations, and institutions are overlooked in the process. Cambridge should ensure City tenders, requests for proposals, and project opportunities are publicly accessible, transparent, and actively promoted so local companies, community organizations, social enterprises, academic institutions, and creative professionals have a fair opportunity to participate and contribute.
We have incredible resources already here in Cambridge. Institutions like the University of Waterloo School of Architecture have already demonstrated how local collaboration can help tackle complex challenges in creative and practical ways.
Students at the School of Architecture have explored projects reimagining the historic Cambridge Farmers’ Market as a more vibrant community gathering space focused on sustainability, accessibility, and food security. Faculty members, academic leaders, and industry professionals have also contributed research, mentorship, and innovative thinking around housing concepts, placemaking initiatives, and urban design ideas that respond to the realities facing growing cities like ours.
There is also an opportunity to think bigger about how the City partners with local organizations, post secondary institutions, BIAs, charities, businesses, trades, artists, and industry professionals on city building initiatives. By bringing together students, educators, community organizations, and local experts, Cambridge can foster innovation while strengthening relationships with the people and institutions already invested in our community and support our local economy.
These creative minds are already here in Cambridge. They understand our neighbourhoods, care deeply about the future of our city, and are eager to contribute meaningful ideas that reflect the unique character, challenges, and opportunities of putting Cambridge first.
Strong Local Economy
Support businesses, attract investment, and grow jobs.
Support businesses, attract investment, and grow jobs.
I HAVE EXPERIENCE REPRESENTING all three of our BIAs in Hespeler, Preston and Galt.
Throughout my career supporting all three core areas of Cambridge, including Galt, Preston, and Hespeler, I have worked directly with business owners, property owners, developers, and residents investing in our city every single day. I understand both the opportunities and the barriers they face as they work to grow businesses, create jobs, revitalize properties, and give back to our community.
Cambridge has long been built by hardworking people. Like many families, my own moved here for opportunity and stable manufacturing jobs that helped build a life in this city. Manufacturing is part of Cambridge’s identity and remains a critical part of our local economy today. As industries continue adapting to changing technologies, global competition, workforce shortages, and rising costs, the City must be a strong partner in supporting local manufacturers through smart economic development, workforce partnerships, infrastructure investments, and business friendly policies that help them continue to grow and evolve here in Cambridge.
At the same time, we must continue supporting our historic core areas through business retention and attraction strategies, incentive programs, beautification efforts, and investments that help support the businesses and residents located within the historic buildings that give Cambridge its unique character, vibrancy, and sense of place.
To have a strong Cambridge economy means supporting all parts of our city, from our main streets and small businesses to the manufacturers, innovators, and skilled trades that have helped shape Cambridge for generations.
we need to grow our visitor economy.
Cambridge has incredible potential as a tourism, wedding, conference, sports, arts, and cultural destination, but we need to think bigger about how we position and promote our city.
Over the last decade, one of my greatest achievements has been marketing Cambridge in a way that makes people stop, take notice, and see the potential that exists here. Through initiatives like Cambridge Wedding Week, destination campaigns, events, and cinematic video storytelling, I have worked to showcase Cambridge as a city people want to visit, celebrate in, invest in, and feel proud to call home.
Cambridge has one of the most beautiful and unique urban environments in Ontario. We need to champion our riverfronts, historic architecture, restaurants, trails, festivals, arts scene, and local businesses while building stronger civic pride in our city.
Tourism is not just promotion, it is also economic development. Every overnight stay for tournaments, conferences, weddings, and events create spending that supports local restaurants, shops, and businesses across Cambridge.
That is why we need to better leverage the Municipal Accommodation Tax as a strategic investment fund to grow tourism, attract major events, strengthen destination marketing, and generate more economic activity for our city.
We also need to support the growth of industries that bring visitors here, including advocating for additional hotel accommodations especially in our core areas of Galt, Hespeler, and Preston to better support weddings, conferences, tourism, and major events that take place.
I want Cambridge to stand proud, and become a city people actively choose to visit, experience, celebrate, live and invest in.
Economic growth depends on connectivity, SUPPORT, AND GROWTH.
That means continuing to advocate for Light Rail Transit to Cambridge, stronger GO Transit connections, improved local and regional bus service, and active transportation investments that better connect our neighbourhoods, core areas, workplaces, schools, and community spaces. Reliable and accessible transportation infrastructure is essential not only for residents, but also for attracting investment, supporting tourism, strengthening the workforce, and connecting Cambridge to opportunities across the region and province.
But economic growth is not just about infrastructure. It is also about supporting people, businesses, and industries through changing times. We need a City Hall that works collaboratively with local businesses, manufacturers, BIAs, entrepreneurs, community organizations, and post secondary institutions to help foster innovation, investment, and long term opportunities in Cambridge.
We must also recognize that affordability challenges directly impact economic growth and quality of life. Access to childcare, attainable housing, reliable transit, and supportive community services all play a major role in whether people can fully participate in the workforce, support their families, and build a future here in Cambridge. A strong economy depends on a city where people can afford to live, work, and play.
I believe Cambridge should continue embracing the arts, culture, film, tourism, festivals, and creative industries as important economic drivers. These sectors create jobs, generate visitor spending, support local businesses, attract talent, and contribute to the vibrancy and civic pride that makes people want to live, work, and invest in our city.
Cambridge has the potential to be a city that is innovative, connected, ambitious, and confident in who it is. We should always be open for business, supportive of local opportunity, and focused on building a future of putting Cambridge first.
BUILDING PLACES PEOPLE WANT TO VISIT, LIVE, AND INVEST IN.
VIBRANT CORES & NEIGHBOURHOODS
BUILDING PLACES PEOPLE WANT TO VISIT, LIVE, AND INVEST IN.
Building vibrant and connected communities has been the focus of my CAREER for nearly a decade.
I believe vibrant neighbourhoods and core areas are built through experiences, public spaces, culture, recreation, and opportunities for people to gather and connect. Cambridge is fortunate to have distinct historic cores in Galt, Preston, and Hespeler, along with neighbourhoods across the city that each contribute to our identity.
Our BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS LIKE MANY ORGANIZATIONS play an essential role in CITY BUILDING WORK AND MUST BE SUPPORTED.
Our BIAs, along with many community organizations, charities, and local partners, play an essential role in the work of building a vibrant and connected city.
For example, through a voluntary levy on their property taxes, property owners within our BIAs invest directly into their communities by supporting festivals and events, beautifying streetscapes, attracting tourism, marketing local businesses, and creating experiences that benefit residents, visitors, and the local economy alike.
These organizations deliver meaningful city building work on limited budgets, driven by passionate volunteers, boards, staff, and community leaders who care deeply about Cambridge. The City needs to better support and lean on these organizations as trusted partners by improving collaboration, communication, and coordination across departments.
City Hall should view BIAs and community organizations not simply as stakeholders, but as key economic development, tourism, placemaking, and community building partners that bring valuable on-the-ground experience, local knowledge, and creative solutions to the table.
We also need infrastructure strategies that support vibrancy, growth, and long term sustainability.
That includes addressing the parking realities in our core areas. Residents, visitors, and businesses need practical, accessible parking options that support local commerce and encourage people to spend time in our core areas and commercial districts. I believe Cambridge should explore smart parking strategies that balance free short term parking with paid options for extended stays, helping improve turnover for small businesses while also generating revenue that can be reinvested back into maintaining and improving parking infrastructure.
There is also an opportunity to think more creatively about how parking systems can support our local economy. Revenue sharing models tied to parking in core areas could help support beautification, events, streetscape improvements, and business attraction initiatives. We need strategies that not only address today’s parking pressures, but also help build financially sustainable systems for the future as our city continues to grow.
At the neighbourhood level, we need continued investment in parks, trails, playgrounds, pools, recreation centres, and public gathering spaces. These spaces are critical to quality of life, public health, tourism, and community connection.
I also believe the City should explore expanded sponsorship and partnership opportunities to help maintain and enhance parks, playgrounds, trails, and recreational amenities . Many municipalities successfully work alongside local businesses, organizations, and community partners to support public spaces while reducing pressure on taxpayers. When approached thoughtfully and responsibly, these partnerships can help us maintain vibrant, high quality public spaces while fostering stronger community involvement and civic pride.
Basic maintenance matters too.
Clean, safe, and well maintained public spaces have a direct impact on quality of life, tourism, business activity, and civic pride. More garbage and recycling receptacles, improved trail and sidewalk maintenance, better lighting, coordinated snow removal, graffiti response, beautification efforts, and stronger servicing standards for our historic core areas are all important parts of maintaining a city people are proud to call home.
As Cambridge continues to grow, we cannot lose sight of the importance of maintaining the spaces and infrastructure we already have. Residents should feel that their neighbourhoods, parks, trails, core areas, and public spaces are cared for and respected.
We also need to continue embracing Cambridge’s rich history rather than sacrificing it. Our historic architecture, riverfronts, neighbourhoods, and cultural stories are part of what makes this city special. Through public art, storytelling, heritage preservation, placemaking, adaptive reuse, and thoughtful redevelopment, we can celebrate our past while continuing to grow responsibly and build a city that respects both its character and its future while always putting Cambridge first.
Informed Growth
Balance development with infrastructure, heritage, and livability.
Balance development with infrastructure, heritage, and AFFORDABILITY.
WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER.
Cambridge is growing, and we need leadership that understands both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with that growth.
I support thoughtful growth that balances housing, infrastructure, economic development, heritage preservation, environmental stewardship, and quality of life.
Tools such as secondary plans are essential to guiding that future. Areas like Hespeler Road, Preston, and historic Galt, Downtown Cambridge, will continue evolving significantly over the coming decades, especially with planned transit investments and intensification targets.
growth must be collaborative and transparent.
Residents deserve meaningful opportunities to understand and shape the future of their city. Better visualization tools, improved public engagement, and clearer communication can help people better understand development proposals and long-term planning decisions.
We also need to acknowledge that tensions around development and heritage preservation have grown because many residents feel their concerns have not been adequately heard. I believe most people want balanced outcomes. They want growth and investment while also protecting the rivers, heritage buildings, neighbourhood character, and public spaces that make Cambridge, Cambridge.
Our natural and built heritage are competitive advantages that cannot be replicated. We must protect what makes Cambridge unique while still planning responsibly for future growth and housing needs.
Housing affordability must remain a priority as well.
The City should continue exploring partnerships and planning tools that support mixed-income and attainable housing options for seniors, workers, families, and vulnerable residents.
Addressing homelessness and housing instability also requires collaboration. Municipal government cannot solve these challenges alone, but it can bring together regional partners, housing providers, healthcare organizations, businesses, and community groups to pursue coordinated and compassionate solutions.
We need leadership that brings people together, moves conversations forward, spearheading meaningful action that provides real results.
Focus on the basics that improve everyday life.
Clean, Safe, Welcoming Streets
Focus on the basics that improve everyday life.
The basics matter.
Residents deserve clean streets, safe public spaces, reliable infrastructure, and civic spaces that reflect pride in our community.
Accessibility must be treated as a necessity, not an afterthought.
We need more accessible public washrooms, access to safe drinking water, improved trail amenities, and public spaces that are welcoming and usable for everyone. Cambridge’s parks, trails, and core areas are among our greatest assets and should be supported with the infrastructure needed for people to fully enjoy them.
We also need to continue working closely with the Region, Province, healthcare providers, social agencies, and community organizations to address homelessness, addictions, mental health challenges, and encampments in a compassionate and coordinated way.
The goal should always be to ensure people have access to safe housing, support systems, and pathways to stability while also maintaining safe and welcoming public spaces for the broader community.
Civic pride is reflected in how we maintain our city.
Working streetlights, maintained roads, clean trails, beautified streetscapes, flowerbeds, signage, banners, and well-kept parks all contribute to how residents and visitors experience Cambridge. These are not luxuries. They are core municipal responsibilities,
We can achieve this through stronger collaboration with community organizations, BIAs, volunteers, neighbourhood associations, and residents who want to help improve public spaces and community life.
Cambridge has a strong history of community-led festivals, beautification projects, and collaborative initiatives like the Core Area Bike Patrol that helped create vibrant, safer and welcoming spaces. We should continue building on that spirit of partnership and civic pride.
Cambridge’s future should be built on collaboration, practical leadership, and a commitment to putting Cambridge first.
That is the kind of city I want to build as Mayor of Cambridge.
Without Raising Taxes
Responsible Leadership for Cambridge
Without Raising Taxes
REDUCE
Reduce inefficiencies and delays through better coordination between City departments.
PRIORITIZE
Prioritize local partnerships and talent to reduce reliance on costly outside consultants.
PURSUE
Pursue Provincial and Federal funding opportunities to help offset infrastructure and community project costs.
REVIEW
Review major capital projects, permit processes, and fees to ensure they are necessary, financially responsible, and reduce unnecessary barriers, costs, and spending.
GROW
Grow tourism, events, conferences, and visitor spending to increase local economic activity and Municipal Accommodation Tax revenue.
EXPAND
Expand sponsorships, grants, and public private partnerships to help support parks, trails, beautification, and community spaces.
IMPLEMENT
Implement smart parking and infrastructure strategies that help offset maintenance and operational costs while supporting local businesses.
FOCUS
Focus on preventative maintenance, responsible growth, and long term infrastructure planning to reduce costly future repairs and protect taxpayers.