BIOGRAPHY
My name is Neil Anstett and since 2018, I have been proudly serving as your North Perth councillor for the Listowel Ward. My wife Amelia and I have been proud residents of Listowel since 2015 and are proudly raising our sons Everett and Duncan in Listowel as well. My family has a long history of public service and volunteering, and I am proud to follow in their footsteps and serve my community. I was always told, get involved and serve your community and you will both be better for it.
Since moving to Listowel, I have been actively involved as a coach with minor hockey and was extremely proud to be a part of a coaching staff who helped to bring back-to-back Juvenile All-Ontario championships to Listowel. I am also an active member at my church. Prior to being elected in 2018, I served as vice chair of the Brockton Police Services Board. I was also proud to be a member of the Grey Bruce Crystal Meth Task Force, which worked to stop the use of crystal meth in Grey and Bruce counties.
Since being elected to council in 2018, I have been a dedicated and passionate member of North Perth council. I take great pride in personally responding to every resident who contacts me with an issue.
BIGGEST ISSUE
There are many issues that are very important in this election, however, in my opinion, strategic planning and future growth (and everything that goes with it) is the most important issue facing North Perth over the next several years. If the last two and a half years have taught us anything, it is that strategic planning is something that is not simply a nice thing to have, it’s a must.
It is no secret that North Perth’s population has grown rapidly over the last several years; current projections indicate that these trends will continue for many years to come. New housing developments in Listowel and Atwood are great additions to our community, however, with these new developments comes new infrastructure which is critical if we want to make North Perth a desirable place to live, work, and play. The dream of owning a home is still out of reach for far too many people – North Perth council needs to be proactive and work with the federal and provincial governments to ensure that everyone has access to housing.
Looking at a higher level, new investment in North Perth is also something that the next council will need to aggressively pursue. Having desirable amenities, and commercial investment, are things that will go a long way in attracting new residents to North Perth and keeping current residents here. Having served on council since 2018, I have always been a fierce advocate of all North Perth residents and your interests, investments such as the New Skills and Training Centre that has provided employers with a training option for their employees close to home. With so many businesses struggling to find and retain employees, investments like these will go a long way in making North Perth a desirable place to start and grow a business. Also, as inflation and the cost of living skyrocket, North Perth council needs to ensure that we don’t add to your burden through unnecessary spending.
Like many municipalities, our infrastructure is aging and is nearing the end of its life cycle. Ensuring that we have a robust strategy in place to address infrastructure needs over the next five, 10, 15 years is going to be critical for North Perth. Our municipal budgets over the next several years are going to require a great deal of strategic planning and critical thinking, to come up with creative solutions to address the needs of North Perth.
As I have outlined above, having a councillor who is experienced, knowledgeable, and a critical thinker is going to be crucial over the next four years. North Perth Residents deserve a councillor who is prepared for meetings, understands complex municipal issues, knows how to find efficiencies in budgets, and is available whenever you call or have questions or concerns.
Serving as your municipal councillor for these past four years has been a great privilege, and I am asking for your support on Oct. 24 so I can continue in this capacity and continue to serve you and your interests.
