BIOGRAPHY
I have been a resident in Wallace Ward for 32 years with my husband, Doug. We have two sons, Kyle and Noah. We are proud of our farming operation which involves dairy, poultry and honey production.
My professional background was based in the field of education and I recently retired after being an elementary school administrator for over 20 years. My greatest achievement was building a new school in Kitchener. After retirement, I have started my own clothing boutique and I enjoy hosting events.
My community involvement has been very rewarding. I have been actively involved with the Listowel Agricultural Society for over 25 years. I am currently the Chair of the North Perth Community Committee for the United Way which focuses on fundraising efforts. I am also a member of the Hope Links Advisory Committee. In 2017, I co-chaired the Wallace-Mapleton Concerned Citizens Committee to Stop Wind Turbines. Through council, I have served on the Library Board, Economic Development and co-chaired the budget.
I am seeking re-election as a councillor in Wallace Ward after serving one term from 2018-22. I have worked hard to learn, listen and respond to the needs of our residents. I come to each meeting prepared. I ask questions and fully engage by sharing comments and ideas.
North Perth faces many key issues including doctor recruitment, labour shortages, affordable/attainable housing for each generation, and elevating agriculture in our economic development strategy. It would be a privilege to serve as a councillor to address these issues.
ISSUES
Similar to all communities across Ontario, North Perth has a critical labour shortage which touches every sector of our community. Labour shortages are evident in our hospital emergency room, medical clinics, in classrooms, daycare facilities, on farms, in restaurants, with trades, on construction sites, with transport, municipal departments, retail, business services, our banks… and the list could go on forever. Workers are being transported to our community just to keep the doors open and businesses running. Without workers, essential and non-essential services could become more limited. Conducting business with optimal productivity is not achievable without workers.
So what can our municipality do about labour shortages in North Perth when this is becoming a global issue? Is the easy answer just a mass hiring campaign in every sector? Unfortunately these efforts have been unsuccessful.
One way to address the labour shortage issue is through affordable and attainable housing. How does affordable and attainable housing contribute to increasing the workforce? When new workers, doctors and professionals are making employment choices, local housing is top of mind. Workers are looking to ensure that their travel costs can be reduced. Workers are looking for rental units that are both available and affordable based on their income. Home rental to home ownership is always a goal. Housing options for workers to graduate to larger homes for raising a family have to be available and financially attainable. If home is where the heart is, it may be time for our municipality to work towards providing affordable housing opportunities for our workforce, so they can call North Perth home and keep the heart of our community thriving.
What are constructive ways that the Municipality of North Perth can support more affordable/attainable housing? This could involve providing some incentives to developers to work on these types of projects. Lower development charges could be an example as an incentive without impacting taxes.
Housing projects could also be developed by the municipality through grants in partnership with other government levels and social agencies. No one wants to see taxes increase in order to create new housing units. So instead, these projects could be funded through grants and some initial investment. But cost recovery would be built into affordable rental fees and purchase agreements. Some municipalities have purchased existing local buildings and through grants and partnerships, funded renovations to create affordable housing units through cost recovery from rental fees and purchase agreements.
More needs to be done through our Official Plan and through bylaws to allow for home owners to renovate single family homes to accommodate extended family members or to create small rental suites. Tiny home developments could also be a consideration in order to maximize the use of land with independent housing units that are more affordable.
If home is where the heart is, then it is time for the municipality to take the lead with facilitating affordable/attainable housing to attract a larger workforce to choose North Perth to work, live and play.
Contact Info: landriessen67@gmail.com (519-291-3105).
