Main Issues
1. Sports and Recreation Facilities Issue:
Our children need neighbourhood play areas. Neighbourhood sports facilities are sadly lacking. The missing outdoor tennis courts, ice rinks, basketball courts and soccer fields are a discussion topic many youth have brought to our attention. I have seen what is available in our neighbouring communities such as Malton, Etobicoke, York and other places. When I see and compare it all to my own neighbourhood, I can really see what our kids in our area are lacking. Our family listens to our sons and daughters and their friends discussion about their friends having to play on the streets because of the lack of space that has been planned to be recreation facilities for them. I feel this is an important area that should be looked after. Children are our future and their health depends on us providing them with places to play sports and have fun!
2. Providing Adequate Health Care Issue
Another area that needs improvement in our neighbourhood in terms of creating a healthier community is the issue of health care. I am committed to ensuring that our residents receive a high quality of care and services to meet the diverse needs of our population in a timely and effective manner. This includes lobbying the provincial government for increased funding so that wait times for essential health care services are reduced. It is my hope that we can quickly be on par with the rest of Ontario for how long our residents must wait to receive care.
3. Seniors and Long-term Care Facilities:
For our growing population of seniors, we need to increase the amount of space available in regionally-run long-term care facilities. Furthermore, expanding the reach of our Adult Day Services, is another way Peel Region can strive towards ensuring that those at most risk of being isolated are given the opportunity for recreation. In addition to this, seniors living at home often complain of the lack of community and recreation services in our wards geared towards them. Having a place to socialize is one way we can improve both the mental and physical health of our parents and grandparents. We also need to recognize that many of our seniors come from diverse cultural backgrounds and that linguistic barriers do exist for them. Because of this, they need services geared to them in a language they can understand. I want to work to improve the lives of our seniors through improving existing programs, and creating new ones where they are lacking now.
4. Infrastructure
Another issue that many residents have spoken to me about is the lack of adequate infrastructure in our community. The statistics show that our region is one of the fastest growing regions in Canada. However, for residents of Peel it is not hard to see that our infrastructure development is not keeping up with the pace of our population growth. It is a fact that our streets are crowded due to poor planning. An outcome of this lack of proper infrastructure is the high rate of accidents and because of this we suffer having to pay higher auto insurance rates than other communities in Southern Ontario. I believe that both the region and the city need to look after this essential service as soon as possible, before further growth is approved. For example, the proposed development north of Countryside Drive between Airport Road and Dixie Road in Ward 9 is of great concern to me. Will our existing infrastructure, as well as what is planned to be developed be able to handle this growth?
5. Children’s Service
Children are our future, as a your representative I will fight to bring full dollar value from the provincial government to make sure that we are treated equally when compared with the rest of Ontario. Our wards do not have any regionally-run childcare facilities and thus our families must travel to other wards or neighbouring cities to have a place for their children to be looked after. I will fight for an increase in the quality of childcare services provided by the Region. Services such as the Region of Peel’s Learn.Play.Care. Child Care Centres, Special Needs Programs, Parenting and Family Workshops and Early Learning Programs are all vital to the community. I will work to ensure that these programs continue to grow to meet the demand in our growing population.
6. Safety
Safety is of utmost concern to me as a member of this community. Our residents deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes and neighbourhoods. For this reason, I believe that we need to increase the presence of our Peel Regional Police. In order for this to happen, more funding is required. I will do my best to ensure that the Peel Regional Police is receiving adequate financial aid from the provincial government. I also understand that our community is diverse and that our police forces need to represent that diversity. Therefore, I fully support the force’s active attempts to recruit so that it is reflective of the community they serve.
Although I have only mentioned a few important issues on this page, I am aware that there are many concerns that the citizens of our wards, city and region have. Therefore, I ask that you make your voice heard by contacting me to learn more about my positions. I am here to listen.
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