Qavi Aziz

Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to address both encampments and permanent housing.candidate's own words

I would support a coordinated housing-first approach that connects people living in encampments with appropriate shelter, supportive services and pathways to permanent housing. Enforcement should be coordinated with the availability of adequate indoor alternatives, while municipalities must also maintain safe and accessible public spaces for the entire community. This requires clear cooperation among municipalities, the Region, the Province and community housing providers.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on housing?candidate's own words

North Dumfries has different circumstances from the larger urban municipalities in Waterloo Region, and I believe housing solutions should reflect local conditions. At the same time, housing affordability and homelessness are regional challenges. I support increasing housing choices within appropriate settlement areas while protecting farmland and environmentally sensitive areas, and working collaboratively with the Region and other levels of government on affordable and supportive housing.

• Adjust signal timing, curb use, or intersection design
• Prioritize active transportation improvements during routine resurfacing
• Focus improvements around schools, transit corridors, and commercial areas

1. Prioritize expanding coverage area
2. Prioritize lower-cost or incremental transit improvements
3. Prioritize maximizing operational efficiency
4. Use transit to shape land use
5. Invest in rapid transit to anchor growth

Yes, but roads should take priority; sidewalks cleared after

Yes, for specific groups

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on transportation?candidate's own words

North Dumfries is a rural township, so transportation solutions must reflect our geography, population and ridership. Many residents will continue to depend on vehicles, but residents who cannot drive should not be isolated. I support practical and financially sustainable connections between Ayr and the broader regional transit network, starting with solutions appropriate to community needs and expanding as demand justifies it.

If you selected "Yes, for specific groups" above, which groups?candidate's own words

Seniors (ex. extend Older Adult Day Pass pilot), People with disabilities, Low-income residents

Please describe one criterion or principle that should not be compromised when making transit investment decisions.candidate's own words

Accessibility and financial sustainability. Transit investments should provide meaningful access for residents while remaining appropriate to community needs, ridership and what taxpayers can reasonably afford.

Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words

North Dumfries is a rural township, so transportation solutions must reflect our geography, population and ridership. Many residents will continue to depend on vehicles, but people who cannot drive—including some seniors, youth, people with disabilities and lower-income residents—should not be isolated. I support exploring practical and financially sustainable connections between Ayr and the broader regional transit network, starting with solutions appropriate to actual community needs and expanding as demand justifies it.

Please name one specific street, corridor, or project where you would prioritize these changes.candidate's own words

I would prioritize improving practical transit connections between Ayr and Cambridge, giving North Dumfries residents better access to employment, education, shopping, health services and the broader regional transit network.

Describe one concrete policy, incentive, or decision you would prioritize to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Where possible, explain how it balances environmental goals with fiscal responsibility.candidate's own words

I would prioritize climate risk and lifecycle-cost analysis for major municipal infrastructure projects. Decisions should consider not only the initial construction cost, but also long-term maintenance, energy use, flooding and other climate-related risks. This can protect the environment while also helping taxpayers avoid more expensive repairs or replacement costs in the future.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on sustainability?candidate's own words

For North Dumfries, sustainability also means protecting the farmland, forests, natural areas and water resources that give our Township its character. I support responsible growth that considers environmental impacts from the beginning, while ensuring municipal requirements are practical, evidence-based and financially responsible for residents and taxpayers.

1. Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
2. Promote and support low-barrier spaces for local producers to distribute and sell food
3. Partner with other levels of government to develop local food hubs that reduce costs and barriers for small businesses
4. Leave local food livelihoods to the private market
5. Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers

Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to strengthen the local food system.candidate's own words

I would support protecting productive farmland from unnecessary development while making it easier for local farmers and producers to connect directly with residents through farmers' markets, community events and other low-barrier opportunities to sell locally produced food. This supports both farmland preservation and our local rural economy.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on food systems?candidate's own words

Agriculture is an important part of the identity and economy of North Dumfries. Food security should include helping residents in need, but also protecting productive farmland and supporting the farmers and local producers who sustain our food system. As our Township grows, we should be careful that development does not unnecessarily remove valuable agricultural land from production.

1. Require detailed cost and risk analysis before approving
2. Limit outward growth unless full lifecycle infrastructure
3. Use development phasing tied to infrastructure capacity
4. Prioritize infill and intensification where infrastructure
5. Proceed with outward growth to address housing supply

Describe one concrete zoning, planning, or development decision you would support (or oppose) that reflects how you would balance these priorities.candidate's own words

I would support appropriate small-scale and missing-middle housing within existing settlement areas where roads, water, wastewater and other infrastructure can support it. I would be cautious about expanding settlement boundaries onto productive farmland when reasonable opportunities for housing exist within our existing communities.

Please describe one concrete example of a growth or infrastructure decision you would support or oppose using this approach.candidate's own words

Before supporting a settlement-boundary expansion, I would want a clear analysis of the full infrastructure and servicing costs, including long-term maintenance. Where possible, I would first support appropriate housing growth within existing serviced areas rather than extending costly infrastructure onto productive farmland.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on growth?candidate's own words

North Dumfries needs housing, including options for young families and seniors, but we should not have to choose between housing and protecting our farmland and rural character. I support smart, responsible growth that makes better use of existing settlement areas, ensures infrastructure can support development, and protects productive farmland and environmentally sensitive areas wherever possible.

What can the municipality/region do, if anything, about land which sits vacant for years because it is being used as an investment (land banking)?candidate's own words

Land that has been approved and serviced for development should not remain vacant indefinitely while the community faces housing pressure. I would support examining the legal tools available to the Township and Region, including phased approvals, servicing agreements with reasonable construction timelines, and other measures that encourage approved land to be put to productive use. Any approach should respect property rights and provincial legislation.

It should be more transparent and accessible

Please describe one concrete example of a trade-off you would support (or oppose) when costs rise faster than revenues.candidate's own words

When costs rise faster than revenues, I would protect essential services such as fire protection and necessary road and bridge maintenance before funding non-essential expansion. If necessary, I would rather phase or defer a discretionary capital or recreational expansion than place an unaffordable burden on taxpayers. We should protect what we need and carefully time what we want.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on budgets?candidate's own words

Fiscal responsibility does not simply mean cutting services or promising that taxes will never increase. It means setting priorities, pursuing available grants and partnerships, examining long-term costs before making commitments, finding efficiencies where practical, and protecting essential services. I believe taxpayers deserve both good services and careful stewardship of every public dollar.

If you chose "It should be more transparent and accessible", please describe how.candidate's own words

Residents should be able to understand where their tax dollars go without having to be municipal finance experts. I would support plain-language budget summaries showing major spending areas, year-over-year changes, major capital commitments and their long-term costs, along with meaningful opportunities for residents to provide input before final budget decisions are made.