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Council candidate Viktor Karklins looks to protect Orangeville’s recreation opportunities

October 8, 2026   ·   0 Comments

With the upcoming municipal election on October 26, we invited each candidate to respond to the same three questions about their reason for running, priorities and vision for the municipality, qualifications, and contact information.

1. What made you want to run for municipal office?

After running as a candidate in the last federal election, I noticed that so many of the issues that I cared about most were local municipal issues. So much so that one of the active council members came up after the debates and recommended I consider running for town council in the next election. 

And they were right, seeing as one of the things I cared most deeply about was making sure that our municipal infrastructure can support not only current but future growth. 

If you don’t have enough water purification capacity, you can’t build houses or attract businesses, and if you don’t have future-ready internet capacity in the ground, you can’t bring in new businesses, let alone work comfortably from home!

I’ve also always felt like if you can make a difference you should, so when my kid asks why his favourite playgrounds keep getting torn down so quickly but are so slow to go up, it makes me want to roll up my sleeves and make things happen instead of just ignoring it. 

So, simply put, I want to run for municipal office because I care about Orangeville and want to help make it even better.

2. What do you see as the biggest issues facing the municipality?

I’m deeply passionate about outdoor activities and youth sports and recreation, and while many things are good right now, I think they could be great with continued focus and investment from the municipality. 

Some of my fondest memories are of playing youth sports as a kid in Orangeville (and our team photo is still hanging in Guest Wok after all these years!) 

However, I think if we aren’t careful, many of the sports and recreation facilities and programs available locally will fade, and that would be a huge loss to the community and the businesses that partner with them. 

Additionally, the bones of our town, meaning the pipes, roads, and cables that connect us and make up our infrastructure, need to be invested in. 

Having worked in municipal government, I saw firsthand how a lack of investment in key infrastructure can lead to a cap on growth and scare away tourism and business investment. I was even able to be a part of multi-million dollar projects to help fix those issues, and I don’t want to see Orangeville end up in the same predicament. 

Finally, I think we need proactive zoning to protect our community from AI data centres and more.

3. What makes you best suited for the role?

Orangeville is my home. It is where I grew up, and it is a community that I care deeply about. The same school that I went to as a kid is where I now drop my kid off in the mornings, and I still smile nostalgically every time I drive by the places that I used to live.

I also left for a while, as many of us do, and lived in communities both large and small. I worked in municipal government, worked for a telecommunications company that brought internet to rural communities, and even finished up a Master’s in Business Administration before coming back here, where I now teach business, design, and finance courses at a nearby college. 

One of the things that makes Orangeville so great is that it is an amazing place to call home and raise a family. 

With Island Lake right there, multiple swimming pools and arenas, and small-town charm that’s movie-set worthy, I think this is a community worth fighting for in battles both big and small. 

I also think I’m uniquely suited for the role as someone who cares both about balanced budgets and the heart and soul of this community.

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