Ten things I'll work to pass

I'll take these ten to Council and push for each one I can vote on.

Homes and the money they cost

Sewer space goes first to homes people can afford. With little room left, a written rule sets who comes next and puts unused space back in line.
Finish the rules for basement and garden suites. Not everyone wants one, but each suite adds a home without a new subdivision.
More shops with homes above them, downtown. I'll work to fix the apartment size and parking rules to get more of them built.

How Norwood looks

A written design standard that makes new downtown buildings fit the village. I'll vote against trading the height limit away for perks.
Finish the storefront plan. It offers only a loan, so I'll work to add grants to fix up shops and build homes above them.

Trees and parks

Pass a tree by-law: no one clears land to build on before the go-ahead. Finish the Tree Policy and plant a new tree for each one that dies.
Trees on every new street. Builders plant them along the front of each lot and replace any that die in the first two years.
Keep our parks, trails and old rail land. I'll vote no on any sale of that land. Before any vote, Council sees every plan, past decision and grant tied to it.

How Council works

Council meetings you can get to after work. You can speak at every regular meeting. Each councillor's vote goes on record.

Alto high-speed rail

A Council vote for rail, against Alto as proposed. The Township gives Alto no land or records without a Council vote. It signs no deal to keep Alto's plans secret without a public Council vote. I won't back a route that cuts a farm in two.

What I'll work toward

New buildings downtown, with shops below and homes above
Native trees in place of dead ones
More trail at Mill Pond, and a plan to let us all reach the Trent River
Grants that bring downtown to life: storefronts, festivals and the arts
Community gardens, with raised beds anyone can reach
A safer walk to school across Hwy 7

What I'll vote against

Raising the downtown height limit in trade for perks
Selling park, trail or rail land
Approving a new street of homes with no trees
Rezoning floodplain land for homes
Letting homes get built before the sewer can carry them
Rezoning for a gravel pit before we study water, roads, noise and dust
Deciding what Alto gets from the Township behind closed doors

What do you want done?

Trees: one every 10 metres, or closer?
Which comes first: more Mill Pond trail, or river access?
Should new streets have apartments and row houses, not just one house per lot?
What would bring you downtown more: shops, places to eat or events?
What would you add to this list?