I’VE DONE THIS
JOB BEFORE.
I’m new to Collingwood Council, not to elected leadership.
Full-time elected leadership
I’ve held full-time elected roles where I chaired the meetings, represented about 15,000 people, and was responsible for more than 150 employees and a multimillion-dollar budget.
Built and delivered
I helped build a business that sold for $36 million. I know how to set a plan, hire the right people, manage the money and finish what we start.
Worked with every level of government
My career has had me working with the provincial and federal governments, including multiple Premiers and Prime Ministers. That’s the table Collingwood needs to be at for water, wastewater, housing and recreation funding.
Rooted here
I live here with my wife Michelle, a school teacher, and our two boys. I founded the Collingwood Volleyball Club and Collingwood Flag Football, and I volunteer with the Optimist Club.
I know how the municipal system works. I just haven’t been shaped by it. I bring fresh eyes and a record of getting things done.
COMMITMENTS,
NOT CONCEPTS.
These are commitments I’ll be held to, and I’ll report on each one publicly.
- Storm drainage. A prioritized list of problem streets with real dates attached, published so you can see where your street is.
- Wastewater capacity. Clear answers on hookups and a published servicing queue, so homeowners, builders and businesses know where we actually stand. Keep the wastewater plant’s site, scope and financing on track for a decision by 2028.
- Multi-use rec facility. The Town has the 725 Tenth Line site. I’ll put the partners, the delivery plan and a real project team in place so it actually gets built.
- Arts centre. Bring the arts community, local business and funding partners to the table, test the candidate sites fairly, and set out a real plan and funding path.
- Show our work. For every commitment: what was promised, what it costs, the timeline, who’s responsible, and whether it’s on schedule. A quarterly public dashboard, starting in my first 90 days.
- Weekly updates from the mayor on what’s happening at council and at the town, in the places you already are.
- A real line to the mayor for every local organization, not just formal committees.
- Partnerships that deliver. Working with the County, the Province, neighbouring towns, local business and our not-for-profits to get things built, not just studied.
WITHOUT STRETCHING
THE TAX BASE.
- Protect the tax levy. If development charges fall short on our $44.4M share of the water plant, borrow against water and wastewater rates, not property taxes, and publish the 2027 to 2030 rate impact first.
- Fund big projects creatively: partnerships with other towns, private investment and naming rights, so taxpayers aren’t stretched.
- Contract out only where a full comparison shows better value or service, with service standards and a way out in every contract.
Where that figure comes from: the water plant expansion is estimated at $270 million, the Province is putting in $150 million, and Collingwood carries 37% of what is left while New Tecumseth carries 63%, split by water consumption. 37% of $120 million is $44.4 million. Before the provincial funding, Collingwood’s share was $99.9 million. The Town has not published the $44.4M figure itself — it is the arithmetic on the figures it has published, for a plant that is not due to finish until 2031, so it will move.
My 62-page Vision is the long-range picture of what Collingwood could become: the Collingwood Club, Central Park, the harbour and more. Those ideas are there to start a conversation with you. The commitments above are what I’ll deliver.