Four questions I would suggest you ask Kitchener and regional council candidates at public meetings or if they come tapping on your door leading up to the Oct. 22 election:
1. Why has there been a shortage of neighbourhood public meetings by Kitchener and regional councillors as they start to shortlist potential sites for what I consider to be commendable and necessary supervised safe-injection sites for drug addicts, one currently located in Ward 10 on Water Street North near St. John’s Kitchen.
2. Why have regional councillors delayed the important issue until late summer while an estimated seven local residents die every month from opioid overdoses?
3. As an incumbent Kitchener councillor, how did you vote on the controversial issue of making the city responsible for clearing all snow from sidewalks at a cost of $170,000-$770,000 for pilot-project experiments that could lead up to a questionable annual cost of at least $4 million for taxpayers.
4. Again, as an incumbent, while Kitchener boosts “Love My Hood” programs and pledges to safeguard its established residential communities, how did you vote on the recent Breithaupt office tower and parking garage development in the Mount Hope area? A development that residents and this councillor are convinced will erode the Midtown community, have some homeowners staring straight at high garage walls and set a negative precedent for other older neighbourhoods on or near Light Rail Transit.
Pin the questions on your fridge and don’t forget to vote.