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Fortin: Why should you give me your vote in Ward 4

‘I will listen to you and I will be a true guardian of your tax dollars’
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Ward 4 candidate Pauline Fortin.

Why vote for me? Because I will have your back Ward 4 — that’s a promise and it's time Greater Sudbury starts winning.

Greater Sudbury is a wonderful city with wonderful people. It is an outdoor paradise in every direction, every season of the year. Yet it feels broken and backwards. As your councillor, I will bring my lifetime of acquired skills, leadership and passion to council. Together, we will move our city forward and put behind us the division and dysfunction of the past four years.

I will bring a new energy and a focus on listening to the people. It is worth remembering that before amalgamation, there were 68 elected politicians. We went from 68 watchdogs of our tax dollars to only 13 and it seems like we don't even have that many. 

Certainly Ward 4 is without one now. All we seem to have are councillors addicted to OPM — Other People’s Money. I will be your true voice and a true watchdog of the public purse.

All too often the loudest or most powerful voices are the only ones being heard. We are governed by too many councillors and city elites with their own priorities, agendas or pet projects and the will of the majority is not even considered. 

But not with me. I will listen to you and I will be a true guardian of your tax dollars. I will spend OPM like it was my own. Foolish and wasteful projects, such as a $100-million library/art gallery that we cannot afford and so few want will never get my approval unless it has yours.

Homelessness, addiction, mental illness, police and fire services, a new arena, our horrible roads and decaying infrastructure — these are the real needs we must address and as your councillor I will face them head on. No buck passing, no denial. Just commitment and hard work, each and every day.

Here are a few more of my commitments to Ward 4 and the things I will work hard for every day.

I will meet with and listen to the existing Community Action Networks and other local groups and I will hold regular town hall meetings to listen and learn from you, the citizens.

I will continue to fight alongside my sidewalk girls to bring Notre Dame Street in Azilda up to the urban standard of safety and mobility – paved shoulders will never be “good enough.”

I will create a Whitewater Park restoration group to bring Azilda's crown jewel back to its former glory as well as look at ways to expand, promote and enhance this area including regular vendors and farmers markets. No more excuses, no more delays, no more neglect

I will continue to support the local Donovan/Elm West groups to improve and restore such an important part of our city's heritage including promoting the expansion and development of Donovan businesses and the creation of a "downtown" Donovan/Elm West.

We will also get the Donovan Days back next year in full force

I will work to clean up the derelict and abandoned properties throughout the city starting with our old hospital.

I will seek to increase Healthy Community Initiative funds and make sure they are spent on important and necessary local projects and fairly distributed throughout the ward.

I will advocate for a re-opening of the trailer dump stations that were closed with the support of Ward 4's current councillor.

I will support a motion to examine what can be done to decentralize services and return some autonomy to the outside communities. Greater Sudbury is much more than just downtown and I will be a councillor that understands that.

I will seek to grow our city by fixing our long-broken permit, zoning change and building development approval process — it is too slow, expensive and intimidating and this needs to change once and for all.

I also believe we need to take a look at returning to weekly garbage collection, just like all the other northern municipalities continue to provide.

I will fight to make sure not just Whitewater but all three of our city trailer parks remain open.

I will support zero-based budgeting and a review of why our city spends 43 cents of every dollar on wages and benefits which seems to be so much higher than everywhere else.

I will always have Ward 4’s back and I will do you proud at city council.

Pauline Fortin is seeking the Greater Sudbury city council seat for Ward 4.


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