Wilmot — Mayor
2 candidates responded · 0 of 0 section answers were “did not respond”
Clive Woolner See responses
Stephanie Goertz See responses
- Require detailed cost and risk analysis before approving
- Prioritize infill and intensification where infrastructure
- Use development phasing tied to infrastructure capacity
- Limit outward growth unless full lifecycle infrastructure
- Proceed with outward growth to address housing supply
- Focus incremental density near transit, schools, and commercial areas
- Require area-specific planning studies before permitting additional density
- Housing Navigation and Ready-to-Build Program: We need to make it easier for residents to actually create housing. I would support a hands-on municipal housing navigation service to help homeowners understand the steps involved in converting a single-family home into multiple units or adding a secondary unit. We should also create a small set of pre-reviewed building designs for common secondary units or additions that meet municipal requirements, helping residents understand what can be built and potentially reducing unnecessary delays in the approval process. The Township should also maintain clear, current information about available federal, provincial, regional and other funding programs that may help homeowners create additional housing.
- Use public engagement to inform design, not to veto density
- Phase or adjust density in response to neighbourhood concerns about design or servicing capacity
- Work with neighbourhoods before development applications come forward to create a shared vision for how their community should grow. make planning information easier to access and understand. Asking residents to interpret technical zoning rules, planning reports and blueprints can lead to confusion because people are left to imagine what the proposed changes will actually look like.
- Pair density approvals with targeted infrastructure upgrades
- Use development charges or conditions to fund needed upgrades
- Incorporate natural assets and green infrastructure into infrastructure and servicing decisions. Use solutions such as wetlands, naturalized stormwater facilities, infiltration areas and other green infrastructure to manage stormwater, reduce flooding and pressure on conventional infrastructure, while protecting groundwater and natural systems.
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
Before adding more land for development, we need to understand our existing and planned capacity for water and wastewater, schools, roads, emergency services and municipal finances, as well as how much land is already zoned or approved for development and how many homes that land can accommodate. Wilmot is already facing a significant infrastructure funding gap. We have already approved growth that expands onto farmland, requiring new roads, water and wastewater infrastructure that will need to be maintained and eventually replaced. Our asset management planning should account for this planned new infrastructure as well as what we already own.
Please describe one concrete example of a growth or infrastructure decision you would support or oppose using this approach.candidate's own words
I would support amending Wilmot's new Official Plan policy that directs the Township to work with the Region, other levels of government and partners to identify strategic sites for small, medium and large-scale employment opportunities. I support economic development, but I don't think Wilmot should be actively identifying additional sites for large-scale development until we understand the growth we have already planned. The Regional mega-site demonstrates why this matters.
Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on growth?candidate's own words
Growth decisions in Wilmot are not made by Wilmot Council alone. Regional decisions about water, wastewater, transportation and growth can have significant and sometimes very different impacts in our rural townships. I believe we need to do more to ensure Regional Councillors from Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge have opportunities to understand those impacts firsthand. That means getting out into the townships, meeting residents and farmers, seeing the land and water systems affected by major decisions, and hearing directly from the communities that will live with the consequences. There is significant distrust in Wilmot about how some major Regional decisions affecting our community have been made. Rebuilding that trust will require more than better communication after a decision has been made. It requires transparency, meaningful engagement and a willingness to understand local conditions before decisions are made. Regional Councillors are elected from different municipalities, but when they sit at Regional Council they are making decisions for the Region as a whole.
Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words
Development charges may help pay for construction of growth-related infrastructure, but new infrastructure becomes a long-term municipal responsibility. Council should understand what today's expansion means 10, 20, 30+ years from now.
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
Rural municipalities should ensure that employment lands are actually available to create diverse employment opportunities for residents. This is particularly important for youth, young adults and people without vehicles, who benefit from having jobs available within their own community. Wilmot has employment lands that have remained undeveloped for many years, while additional land has now been designated for employment growth. Before continually adding more employment land, we should understand why existing designated lands are not developing and consider appropriate tools to encourage them to be put into productive use. With water allocation being a major concern across Waterloo Region, I would advocate for time-limited servicing allocations
On the ballot but have not responded to survey (2)
- Natasha Salonen
- Kristopher Wilkinson (current Ward 2 councillor)
Full candidate list: CBC Waterloo Region election coverage ↗