EloraFergusToday asked candidates in the upcoming municipal election to tell us a little bit about themselves and their platform.
Name: Jessica Goyda
Occupation: Entrepreneur, municipal councillor and mother of three
How long have you lived in Puslinch? 40 years
Why are you running in this election? I have found serving on council for the past four years to be a very fulfilling experience. It is a privilege and an honour that Puslinch residents have put their trust in me to be a representative of the community and I am eager to continue contributing with meaningful and positive input and impact on the township where I live and work. I want to do my part to ensure my kids and their generation enjoy the same positive experience that I did growing up in Puslinch. Preserving the spirit of Puslinch is something I value and want to invest my time to protect.
What qualifies you to represent Puslinch? Skills that have helped me be successful as a councillor are mostly skills I’ve learned from my own life experiences. Running a restaurant and being a business owner has taught me how to manage finances, how to build relationships, how to empower others, how to be efficient, how to persevere through difficult times, and most importantly how to listen and respond to what the customers need and want.
Being a mother of three young children has taught me time management, patience, empathy, and will to always lead by example.
Working in a family business has taught me how to be an effective team player, it has taught me the value of hard work, commitment and loyalty. These are all different and valuable skill sets that have been learned through life experiences and I am am able to draw on each of them to bring a balanced perspective to council.
Why should people vote for you? I have a passion for the community and I’m willing to work hard. I’m approachable and I listen carefully to others always with a desire to understand concerns, ideas and perspectives. I have demonstrated through this past term of council that I am a valuable team player. I am able to advocate for my position on issues while always remaining open minded about the position of others. I have and will continue to build good relationships with other members of council, with staff and most importantly with the community.
What do you see as the main issues facing residents of Puslinch on a broader scale? Ensuring Puslinch remains financially sustainable is always at the top of my mind. We are very fortunate that Puslinch is in good financial shape, and over the past term of council there has been good long term financial planning. The township is operating without debt, funds have been responsibly set aside and put into various reserves and an asset management plan is in place and considered during every budget decision. These are important tools in achieving financial sustainability and flexibility and they play a critical role in financing capital costs and affordable and stable services. In our community, I am proud to have been involved in the financial planning of the township. I want to ensure we continue to maintain and improve infrastructure, increase recreational opportunities, and incorporate service levels that benefit the community while keeping taxes low. It can be challenging to achieve these goals without finding ways to increase revenues. My goal as a member of council is to contribute in meaningful ways to ensure balanced growth, creative problem solving and good planning as considerations in every decision council makes to assist and ensure the long term financial stability of Puslinch.
What is the most important thing you want to see changed in Puslinch? One of the most important tasks as a member of council is knowing who the members of the community are and understanding what is important to them. Interacting with members of the community allows for stronger relationships and a deeper connection to the township – this is something I find incredibly valuable. Over the last couple of years, there have been limited opportunities for face to face interactions due to the pandemic. Township business has been able to carry on virtually, but it hasn’t been without shortcomings. In virtual meetings, meaning can be lost, faces are squished into small thumbnails and poor internet signals can present challenges. During virtual meetings, council doesn’t even see the faces of those attending in the audience. I feel an important change for Puslinch is to get back to in person council meetings, or at least a hybrid version. During the next term of council, we will need to look at making some modifications to the municipal office to create the space which would allow this to happen while also keeping health and safety measures as a priority. The return of in-person council meetings may seem like a small change, but it is an important step to reconnect with community members which allows for more engaging and meaningful interactions and contributions.
What services need to be improved in Puslinch? When I had the opportunity to go door to door campaigning, the feedback that I heard most was regarding gravel roads and the desire in the community for having those roads paved. Puslinch has many kilometers of gravel roads and to pave all of it all at once would not be feasible but I supported the idea of setting aside funds annually in a Gravel Roads Improvement Discretionary Reserve. The benefits of this reserve are only beginning to show, with Concession 7 being the first to benefit from resurfacing this year, but there are more gravel roads and I continue to be in support of improving and resurfacing those roads gradually and over time.
Is Puslinch growing too fast, just the right amount, or not fast enough? Balanced, well planned growth is critical for Puslinch to remain a stable and sustainable community into the future. Puslinch is unique because it is such a desirable place to live but it’s proximity to the 401 also makes it a desirable location for employment. Growth is a key component for long term, stable financial sustainability, however, Puslinch is a community without municipal services and this combined with Greenbelt Plan policies present a challenge of diminishing opportunities for Puslinch to accommodate growth. Through the Municipal Comprehensive Review process, county planning staff have been looking at innovative ways to look at residential and employment growth. Proposing a Regionally Significant Economic Development Area which would allow the area of Highway 6 and the 401 to be planned and protected for employment uses as well as proposing the historic hamlet of Puslinch to be identified in the Official Plan are some really innovative and creative solutions to address growth constraints. Proactively working to find other innovative opportunities for growth in the township is something I look forward to being part of over the next term of council.
What can be done at the local level about the rising cost of housing? The rising cost of housing is driven by many factors and although it is not a unique issue to our municipality, the economic and market influences of our larger urban neighbours impact the housing market here in Puslinch as well. There is no one single simple fix but it is important that all levels of government work together to implement a comprehensive approach and strategies to tackle the problem. In this past term of council, I wholeheartedly supported a zoning bylaw amendment which permits for a primary dwelling not only to have an accessory residential unit within their primary dwelling but also allows for a second accessory residential unit to be permitted within a detached structure with certain criteria. The ability to now have 2 accessory residential units to every primary unit creates new opportunities for smaller, more affordable housing alternatives where they were not possible before. Exploring other
various types of alternative housing is something that is crucial to continue over the next term. Of equal importance is working together with the county on planning initiatives that address housing. Examples of this include the County’s Attainable Housing Strategy and the Municipal Comprehensive Review Process.
What should be done to address ongoing issues with the aggregate industry? There is no question that gravel is an important resource in the township, but it needs to be balanced with a healthy and sustainable community. Collaboration between the municipality, industry partners and provincial decision makers is key. Continued partnership, membership and participation with TAPMO (Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities of Ontario) is a way to bring the resources and expertise of other aggregate rich communities together with a common interest and shared goal of improving the quality and livability of their respective communities and achieving sustainability long term by developing best practices, and constructive, balanced solutions.
This collaboration and participation allows for more weight to be put behind advocacy efforts with provincial policy makers and regulators to be fair and transparent. In addition to this, at a local level, it is important to keep communication lines open and work directly with local aggregate operators to identify and communicate issues as they arise and to work collaboratively to find opportunities that encourage transparency, responsibility and rehabilitation.
How do we make Puslinch an even better place to live? One of the reasons I love living in Puslinch is because it has such a great sense of community. Growing up here, and still today, I am always amazed at the community spirit, the genuine connection and the sense of belonging. That connection and charm is what makes it a great place to live and something I value and think is important to preserve. Our parks, trails and community centre are spaces that foster this sense of community. Over the last term of council there have been significant investments into township parks. I feel that continuing to value and invest in our community assets such as trails, parks and public open spaces provides all kinds of opportunities to foster connections with each other. Not only do these spaces allow for people to interact with one another and engage in recreational activities, but they can positively impact the local economy as well. Over the next term of council, exploring and promoting opportunities for residents and visitors to access and enjoy the many trails and tracts throughout the township is something I would like to work on and something I think would build upon the already great place we have to live.
