FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BILL TEMPLEMAN DECLARES CANDIDACY FOR CITY COUNCIL IN NORTHCREST WARD

Peterborough, Ontario – April 2, 2014

ENHANCED TRANSPARENCY AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT FOR SMART GROWTH

Platform: 

Citizen Engagement:   We need to engage our citizens in meaningful consultations, the output from which should be reflected in council decisions.  Citizenship means a lot more than voting every 4 years.

Transparency: Decisions that affect the community must be shared with the community.  During the 2010 municipal election campaign, did we hear anything about a casino, a huge parkway project or delays in implementing flood control projects?

Cut the growing infrastructure deficit:  We have a growing infrastructure deficit in social housing, flood control and road maintenance.   We need to set priorities, budget accordingly and take action now. 

Taxation & Finance:  Peterborough’s taxes are testing the upper limits of those on fixed incomes.  While taxes will have to rise to keep up with the cost of living, we need to spend these dollars in ways that benefit the broad community, not just a narrow segment.  The building of the parkway would severely curtail the City’s ability to invest in other projects.

Business and Community Development: To attract new businesses, we will have to do a limited amount of prudent investment in order to be an attractive location for new businesses. Selective road widening and re-paving would come to mind as examples.  A casino would not attract new businesses or build our community.  Right now, Peterborough’s leading export is well-educated young people who cannot start their post-graduation careers in their home town. This dynamic can be changed. 

Strong Public Services: The money we spend on public services needs to stay in Peterborough and not be contracted out.  Our public services must continue to be among the assets that attract new investment.

Strategic Planning:  Peterborough must become a strong regional hub as described in Ontario’s the ‘Places to Grow’ legislation.  We need to have a level of economic activity and community services to attract and retain newcomers.  Our planning must include all of Peterborough’s citizens, not just a narrow slice; we need to provide more affordable housing as adequate housing is essential to alleviating poverty.

Planning for Environmental Stress:  We need to be more forward-focused as we plan for a very uncertain future.  Our resources are running out and our ecosystems are under stress.  Extreme weather events, rising energy costs and resource depletion are facts of life.  We must make a sustainability bottom line as important as a fiscal bottom line in all our decisions.                          

Why I am running in Northcrest?

Northcrest is a neglected part of the city in terms of community services.  And it is experiencing most of the residential growth. I want to ensure that Northcrest has the services and infrastructure it will need to host many new residents.

Traffic congestion is a looming issue as newcomers move into the housing developments under construction.  Road widening, smart traffic control lights and improved ring-road access to Lansdowne Street and Highway 115 would address this congestion.

Northcrest is the fastest growing district in Peterborough.  Northcrest needs council representation that involves residents in crucial decisions affecting their neighbourhoods and quality of life.  Citizen engagement is a vital part of the planning process that ensures that these new neighbourhoods are integrated effectively into the fabric of the greater Peterborough community.

Background

·         20 years running an independent professional practice in facilitation, training program design, coaching and writing, private, public, and non-profit sectors

·         5 years as a management development consultant with Royal Trust in Toronto

·         Author (most recent book: Leadership Basics for Frontline Managers) and writer (journals, magazines, web sites & newspapers)

·         10 semesters as a contract faculty, Fleming College, in communications and career-search skills

·         3 years of career coaching with Lee Hecht Harrison, Canada

·         Contract researcher and writer for Nelson Publishing

·         Former corrections youth worker, mental health counsellor, school teacher

·         Raised in Montreal, lived in Peterborough since 2000; B.A. (Concordia), M.A., (U of Toronto)

·         Married, 2 children

Community Involvement

·         Volunteer facilitator for United Way Peterborough

·         Communications volunteer for the New Canadians Centre, Peterborough

·         Member, Peterborough Greenspace Coalition

·         Lobbyist, Save PCVS campaign

·         Researcher, savelocalschools.com campaign to promote neighbourhood schools in Ontario

·         Volunteer board experience with Outward Bound Canada (Toronto)

Contact: 

Bill Templeman, bill.templeman@gmail.com;  phone: (705) 872 6634

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