Archive

Orangeville candidate hopes to bring residents’ voices to council chamber

August 11, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Grant Spence says he wants to help Orangeville taxpayers be heard by town council.

And he hopes to have a prime vantage point from which to do that as a member of council after voters mark their ballots in the Oct. 24 municipal election.

Put simply: “My platform is focused on making the voice of those in the community we live in heard by council,” he said.

Spence, who has called Orangeville home for the past six years, has already gotten some success bringing neighbourhood concerns to town hall. Part of a sidewalk that had been ripped up and swept away by winter snowclearing operations some years ago was fixed after Spence’s lobbying this summer, he said.

“I identified a few concerns and issues within my neighbourhood, specifically, which I took action on and was happy to see some results from my actions,” he said. “There are other concerns that neighbours have brought to my attention recently and I would like to potentially address those issues in this role [on council].”

One of the concerns Spence has heard repeatedly from people in his neighbourhood is the need to quell the noise pollution from souped-up cars tearing up the Blind Line and College Avenue area.

“Dangerous speeding in 40 km/hr zones is another issue that needs to be addressed, as younger families continue to move into Orangeville, as our community grows,” he said, adding that slowing traffic is a key issue he’d like to see addressed.

Several neighbourhoods have Yield signs at three-way intersections. Some concerned residents would like to see the signage changed to Stop signs.

Finding cost-effective ways to make Orangeville’s pathways and walkways brighter in the dark so everyone can feel safe using them is another concern residents have brought to him on the hustings, Spence said.

“I have heard from those concerned about walking at night, where no light is provided,” he said.

Orangeville should investigate the possible use of low-cost solar-powered options for trail illumination. You know the lights: The batteries are charged by the sun during the day to power their operation at night.

“Orangeville is not unsafe,” Spence said. “Nor is it a place where crime prevails. But we do have coyotes and other wild animals roaming in neighbourhoods and everyone should be able to feel safe as they walk through pathways in the community at night.

“It’s a feature that nearly all safe and well-developed communities make a priority to achieve and Orangeville should be no different.”

Readers Comments (0)