Affordability
Costs have risen at an unsustainable level for the past few years, and I will work to ensure that the budget is balanced and fair moving forward in order to lower taxes or at the very least link them to inflation, I would propose the following:
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call for a vote again to conduct an independent audit of the budget.
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scrap any wasteful or excessive expenditure.
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push for fairness on shared costs with Brampton including the Police Budget.
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review procurement practices and existing service contracts to ensure that they are open and fair and that the city receives fair market related pricing from all city service providers.Â
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find and increase other revenue sources outside of development levies and property taxes such as advertising, digital infrastructure monetization, parking, public space rentals, events, usage fees and the sale of unused city owned property that is not designated for future use.
Safety
Vehicle thefts, porch piracy and home invasions have risen considerably in recent years causing understandable anxiety. There is also concern about traffic violations and e-scooter graveyards and or dangers, in this regard I propose the following:
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work with the police to ensure they have the tools and support they need while prioritizing areas that would make the biggest difference to the safety of residents.
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work and collaborate with community safety initiatives such as neighbourhood watch.
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provide education around best practices for residents with regards to crime prevention.
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consider city track and trace programs for vehicles and work with insurance companies to incentivize such systems while working with the Police to increase vehicle theft recovery.
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cancel the contracts with Lime and Bird with regards to e-scooters and e-bikes. Start education programs to communicate the dangers to parents and riders, require that these vehicles are insured and licensed and increase penalties for violations if necessary.
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I would also support growing the city initiative of installing physical traffic calming measures while making road improvements for safety.
Investment and Growth
One way to improve our city for all its residents is by growing our economy which would increase revenue, create jobs and improve life for all, we can achieve this by:
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lowering commercial and residential property taxes or at the very least linking them to inflation.
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reducing or cutting development levies on specific housing projects or types of housing to incentivize developers and builders.
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deregulate to aid all business but especially small business.
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speed up licensing and permit approval times through hiring policies and reducing bureaucracy.
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invest in transit.
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increase small business services to aid entrepreneurs.
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offer tax breaks to all forms of business to encourage investment in our city.
Advocacy and Collaboration
There are many issues that concern citizens of Mississauga that are beyond the control of council, in these cases I would collaborate with other levels of government and where applicable advocate for real change, here are some issues where that would apply:
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pressure the provincial and federal government to improve areas that directly impact crime such as a lack of prison and holding cells, poor immigration screening and weak bail laws that fail to prevent repeat offenders.Â
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advocate for harsher penalties where present laws have failed to prevent recidivism.
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pollution - hold the provincial and federal governments to account with regards to the environment, especially around the operation and conduct of industry. Advocate for improved standards in air quality.
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homelessness and drug use - advocate for fresh new ideas to tackle this complex problem such as safe injection sites that do not impact community areas, implement programs that focus on rehabilitation and not just treating the symptoms.
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