Areas of Impact
Smart Transportation Initiatives
Greg believes transportation decisions should be guided by safety, data, public input, and value for taxpayers. Smarter transportation is not about choosing one way of getting around over another; it is about creating a system that works for everyone.
Road changes affect drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, transit users, residents, and local businesses. Greg believes the City must listen to all stakeholders and make decisions based on evidence, actual usage, safety outcomes, and community needs, not simply the loudest voices in the conversation.
Greg recognizes that many residents feel recent transportation decisions have made driving across Guelph more difficult. While he supports improvements that encourage walking, cycling, and transit use, he believes these choices should expand options rather than create unnecessary challenges for residents who rely on their vehicles for work, family responsibilities, accessibility, and daily needs.
Greg supports practical safety improvements, including reviewing concerns about the concrete parking curbs along Scottsdale Drive that many residents and cyclists have identified as a potential hazard. He also believes the City should make better use of street lane markings and other cost effective measures to improve safety and clearly define road space.
Public transit remains an important priority. As a former member of the City’s Transit Advisory Committee and current board member of the Transit Action Alliance of Guelph, Greg believes transit is an essential public service. However, before asking taxpayers for significant new investment, Guelph Transit must improve reliability, communication, fare options, and the overall rider experience.
Improving Transit Before More Investment
By focusing on smarter planning, meaningful consultation, and measurable results, Greg will work to create a transportation network that serves the needs of all Guelph residents.
Responsible and Sustainable Taxation
Greg understands that many Guelph families are feeling the pressure of rising costs while household incomes struggle to keep pace. That’s why he believes property tax increases should be kept at or below the rate of inflation.
Property taxes are a regressive form of taxation, placing a greater burden on families when incomes remain flat. They should be used responsibly to fund the core municipal services residents rely on every day—not to continually expand the municipal tax burden.
Greg also believes it is important to distinguish between the City’s capital budget and its operating budget. Capital investments can provide long-term value to the community, and each major project should be carefully evaluated based on its need, affordability, and long-term benefit. But it is the operating budget—the ongoing cost of staffing, programs, services, and maintaining expanded operations—that creates continuing pressure on property taxes.
This is where the City needs greater restraint. Every new ongoing commitment today can become a permanent burden on taxpayers tomorrow. Greg will focus on ensuring that operating spending grows responsibly, that existing services are delivered efficiently, and that new commitments are accompanied by a clear understanding of their long-term impact on taxpayers.
When additional investments are needed in areas such as housing, homelessness, mental health, and other social priorities, Greg believes the City should work with provincial and federal partners that have the appropriate revenue tools and broader resources to fund these programs.
By putting needs before wants, exercising discipline in the operating budget, and delivering value for every tax dollar, Greg will work to keep Guelph affordable today while protecting its financial sustainability for the future.
Economic Growth & Financial Stability
Greg believes a strong local economy is the foundation of a stable and thriving community. By supporting business growth, attracting investment, and encouraging sustainable development, Guelph can expand its tax base, create jobs, and generate the revenue needed to maintain the high-quality services residents expect.
Rather than relying on higher property taxes, Greg supports responsible strategies that grow municipal revenue through economic development and tourism. He believes the City should invest in projects that deliver measurable returns and attract spending from outside the community.
One priority is reinvesting Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) revenue into upgrading recreational facilities that attract sports tourism. Better facilities will enable Guelph to host more provincial and national tournaments, generating visitor spending that supports local businesses while creating additional MAT revenue. Those funds can then be reinvested into maintaining recreation infrastructure and funding capital projects that strengthen Guelph’s tourism economy, reducing long-term reliance on property taxes.
Read Greg’s Municipal Accommodation Tax Plan
Greg will also advocate for transformative attractions that showcase Guelph’s strengths, including working with provincial and federal partners to pursue opportunities such as establishing the Canadian Agricultural Museum in Guelph.
By making strategic investments that generate new revenue, rather than simply increasing taxes, Greg will diversify the City’s revenue sources, strengthen its long-term financial sustainability, and keep Guelph affordable while building a more prosperous future.
Smart Growth: Building Housing Where it Makes Sense
Greg believes Guelph needs more housing, but growth must be planned, balanced, and built in the right places.
A major part of the solution is creating more purpose-built housing for students and seniors in areas designed to support higher density, including the Innovation District and other appropriate locations. By working with the University of Guelph, Conestoga College, senior housing providers, and other levels of government, Guelph can create more housing options while reducing pressure on established neighbourhoods.
Read Greg’s full Affordable Housing Plan
For years, many traditional neighbourhoods have experienced increasing redevelopment pressure through student rentals, lot severances, and larger infill projects. Greg believes we can support growth while also protecting the character, trees, and livability that residents value.
When infill development does occur, Greg supports stronger neighbourhood protections, including better tree preservation, improved design standards for multiplexes, responsible severance rules, and stronger construction accountability. New housing should fit the surrounding community, respect existing streetscapes, and ensure infrastructure can support change.
Guelph does not have to choose between building more housing and protecting neighbourhoods. With smarter planning, we can create the right housing in the right locations, strengthen affordability, and preserve the qualities that make Guelph a great place to live.
Growth should be planned—not imposed.
An Affordability Plan: Building On A Caring Community
Greg believes a caring community must support those facing the greatest challenges while also ensuring solutions are sustainable, effective, and responsible for taxpayers.
Guelph’s affordability crisis requires more than short-term responses. Housing costs continue to place pressure on families, renters, students, and vulnerable residents. While the City has an important role to play, lasting solutions require strong partnerships with the Province and Federal Government, along with community organizations and housing providers.
Greg believes Guelph should pursue innovative solutions that address multiple challenges at once. One example is creating a stronger partnership with the University of Guelph, Conestoga College, and other levels of government to expand purpose-built student housing. By providing more students with housing on or near campus, we can reduce pressure on existing neighbourhood rental homes and help return more housing options to young families.
Read Greg’s full Affordable Housing Plan
Greg also believes the City must continue supporting rental assistance, shelter services, and outreach programs that help people move from crisis toward stability. Public spaces must remain safe and accessible, and responses to homelessness must balance compassion with the needs of residents, businesses, and the broader community.
Affordability requires both heart and accountability. Greg is committed to pursuing practical solutions that support vulnerable residents, strengthen neighbourhoods, and protect taxpayers by ensuring municipal decisions are financially sustainable over the long term.
Ward 5 Engagement: A Stronger Connection
to City Hall
Greg believes strong communities are built through active participation, open communication, and a City Hall that listens. Residents should not only have a voice during elections; they should be engaged throughout the decisions that shape their neighbourhoods and their future.
While canvassing across Ward 5, Greg has heard from many residents who say this is the first time they have met someone from City Hall, during an election or otherwise. That needs to change. By the end of the summer, Greg will have visited every home in Ward 5, and he is committed to continuing that level of direct engagement if elected.
Greg believes residents bring valuable knowledge about their neighbourhoods and should have meaningful opportunities to help shape local decisions. For example, responsible infill development must respect neighbourhood character, consider impacts on trees and infrastructure, and ensure growth is planned thoughtfully.
Through regular in-person conversations, virtual town halls, and stronger communication with residents, Greg will work to ensure Ward 5 voices are heard before important decisions are made.
By improving transparency, accessibility, and accountability, Greg will build a stronger relationship between residents and City Hall, ensuring local government is more responsive to the people it serves.