Vote Mark Gerretsen - www.markgerretsen.com

According to information provided by the Downtown Business Improvement Association (DBIA) there have been somewhere in the neighbourhood of 40 new leases signed for business in Downtown Kingston this year alone. In fact, if you drive down Princess Street you will see much construction going on in some locations which were previously vacant. This is a good sign for Downtown Kingston.

Having lived in Kingston my entire life, I have seen a serious shift in the types of business which are in the downtown core. At one time Downtown Kingston was primarily destination shopping (ie. people went downtown to visit specific stores). There was a Loblaws, Zellers, S&R and a local hardware store (to name a few). Downtown now has many more "boutique" style stores now. Unfortunately, since these smaller stores usually don't have the backing of a large corporation they are much more vulnerable to economic downturns as it is difficult to weather an economic storm. Hence, we see greater turnover.

My commitment is to continue to work with the DBIA to explore how to make business in the downtown area flourish by looking at the different challenges faced by downtown business in attempts to keep business alive and vibrant.

Finally, I believe it is also worth noting that many businesses in Kingston experience difficulties during economic downturns, not just those downtown. I believe it is important that we try to help all businesses in our city when we are available to do so.

The KRock Centre (at the time called LVEC – Large Venue Entertainment Centre) was decided upon by the previous City Council whose term ran from 2003-2006. This term of council, 2006-2010, in which I was elected, commence after the project was underway.

Taxes are an important part of any municipal, provincial or federal government revenue stream. No one actually likes taxes or tax increases, however, they pay for the municipal services we have come to expect and rely on.

As a municipality, as like any family, we need to make sure we are living and operating within our means. We need to manage appropriate growth to our tax base without straining or compromising the services we provide. We also need to leverage our use of local tax dollars with partnerships with other levels of government. (ex. matching funding for projects).

Kingston's tax base is made up of about 70% residential and the remaining 30% commercial, industrial and payments in lieu of taxes (from other levels of government). We must strive to ensure we are doing all we can to attract more business to Kingston as well as getting our fair shake from the provincial and federal governments (when we are paid in lieu of the public sector lands in which they do not pay property taxes on). Doing so will help to relieve the burden on the residential tax base and bring Kingston more in line with the mix seen in other municipalities (which is closer to 60% residential and 40% commercial, industrial and payment in lieu of taxes). This will make certain we can continue to deliver the services we all want and need while ensuring the burden on the residential taxpayer is kept to a minimum.

The Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park has already been approved and work is beginning this fall.

Much public consideration and consultation was given before the plan was final adopted after 3 years of discussion. The park is focused around family and events. Some of the amenities are:

• New beachfront area
• New pavilion
• Huge lawn areas for events
• Pathways and benches
• Kingston’s biggest splashpad for children
• Lots of nature and green space
• The consideration of a synthetic ice pad which can be skated on year around

Thank you for your question, I have also heard from others who share your concern. Thank you very much for bringing it to my attention.

I am absolutely committed to ensuring that all animals are treated humanely; period. As a strong supporter of the Kingston Humane Society for the past 15 years, and a pet owner myself, I am aware, and saddened, of the many situations in which animals are being abused. Your organization (Kingston Animal Trust) has now brought to my attention another form of animal exploitation and cruelty which exists. I can commit to you that I am in favour of looking at a variety of ways to make sure we can put an end to this abusive behaviour which, based on your comments, occurs from time-to-time in our community.

I have always been supportive of Dog Parks in Kingston and I will continue to be. I think they provide a great opportunity for not only the important socialization of dogs, but also people! Especially in this day and age when there is less person-to-person interaction than ever before.

In the "Testimonials" section of my website there is a testimonial from Joanne Pirstl, one of the very first people to bring forward the need for dog parks in Kingston. Here is what she had to say about me in regards to my participation in her fight to get dog parks started in Kingston:

"I first met Mark in 2007, when our group was looking for council support for a community project. He was easy to talk to, and really took the time to learn about our plans and concerns. His ideas and approach for Kingston will keep this city a special place to live and work for years to come. Mark Gerretsen is the genuine article." - Joanne Pirstl, Kingston Resident

Part of my platform, which was officially released today, calls for the city to facilitate the building of a new soccer dome. For more information on my platform, visit the "Mark's Plan" section of this website.

The decision by the federal government to close the prison farms was ridiculous, at best. The notion of closing the farms based on the premise that the skills learned by the inmates are unusable is short-sighted and lacks the underpinning-concept of rehabilitation.

Allow me to divert for a moment... When I was in high school, I left the regular classroom setting for one semester to participate in the BCIP (Building Construction Internship Program). This was a program where kids who were disengaged from the "normal classroom setting" spent a semester designing and building a house. At the time the house was being built in the newest subdivision of Kingston Township (now part of the amalgamated City of Kingston), Waterloo Village. The program has been very successful over the years and to-date kids in high school have built nearly 100 houses throughout the Kingston area. I am very proud to have been involved in year one – the pioneer year – of this program. After completing the program I did not become a tradesperson specializing in any of the skills I learned that semester. What I did develop were the skills of teamwork, independence and responsibility, to name a few. After completing this program I went on to attend St. Lawrence College and later received a degree in Economics from Queen's University.

My point here is that the valuable skills learned by the inmates participating in the farming programs are not how to milk a cow or plough a field; rather, the real skills learnt are in the responsibility, pride, sense of ownership and independence that the inmates take from the program; just as I did in the BCIP program over 20 years ago.

During my term on council, I have brought forward a couple things to help the current situation surrounding student behaviour problems.

1. During our budget deliberations of 2007, I successfully urged City Council to inject more money into bylaw enforcement which resulted in the employment of additional bylaw officers who work until 4am. Theses officers assist the police, who are usually extremely busy during the “problematic hours”, in dealing with noise complaints and other bylaw infractions. The additional resources have been successful based on the large number of calls that the bylaw officers handle on behalf of the police.
2. In 2009, I successfully passed a motion through council to establish a Public Nuisance Bylaw, whose aim was to give the police another tool to help curb public nuisance issues throughout the city. This bylaw, when adopted by council, will give the police the ability to fine people rather than a full arrest which is time consuming, cumbersome and rarely yields a fine or punishment.

In addition to this, I am introducing a motion to council at the next meeting, September 22, 2010, which directs city staff to establishment of a new committee whose sole purpose is to deal with student related behaviour problems. This committee will include representation from council, the university and college, the police, bylaw enforcement, as well as student and non-student residents. My hope is this that council will adopt this motion and a forum will be established whereby members of the community can take their concerns and problems which can be worked out and resolved. Ironically enough, a committee of this sort existed roughly 60 years ago and somewhere along the road disappeared.

Affordable housing is a vital component to healthy communities. It helps to provide options in the range of housing where people can live according to their means as fully accepted members of the community.

I support truly-mixed-integrated affordable housing in our community. I think anyone involved in affordable housing, as I have been for the past five years on the Affordable Housing Development Committee, would agree it should be done in a way that integrates the affordable housing stock into our community. Building so called ‘ghettos', complexes or separate projects have proven unsuccessful time and time again – this is something I do not support. To genuinely achieve integrated affordable housing one should not be able to identify units as "affordable" when driving by them. Incorporating affordable housing into our communities benefits those in need while also helping to break down the stereotypes quite often associated with affordable housing.

To build more affordable housing we need to:

1. Continue to work with the federal and provincial governments for more funding.
2. Have an immediate action plan if and when we are successful at getting funding.
3. Work on our administrative process to effectively mobilize plans faster and more efficiently.
4. Match contributions made by our provincial and federal governments. (This suggestion was brought forward in a motion put forward a few years ago by fellow councillor Rob Hutcheson which I strongly seconded.)

City council must continue to remain a strong partner in developing mixed community affordable housing plans.

With respect to Barriefield specifically, I did not support this project because what was being proposed was a social housing complex which resembled many of the "ghettoized" areas we already have in Kingston which are completely against the concepts I previously mention regarding integrated affordable housing.

As a city councillor I have had the opportunity to work with many different organizations and groups to make our city an even better place to live and work.

• I took a leadership role and brought interested parties together and actively advocated for the Federal Government to move the Portsmouth Halfway House. After many years of discussion, the Portsmouth Halfway house was officially moved in March 2009.
• I advocated for reasonable dialogue and agreements with our community organizations (such as the Church Athletic League and Domino Theatre) to ensure they were able to continue providing their services and activities to residents. The Church Athletic League has re-located happily to their new home at the Kingston Memorial Centre and the Domino Theatre will now be utilizing the old Harold Harvey Arena.
• I am a member of the Grand Theatre Advisory Board which overseas the strategic direction of the Grand Theatre. I advocate that it provides the entertainment Kingstonians and visitors expect to see.
• I have been member of the Affordable Housing Development Committee for the past five years. As a member of the committee I have learned much about affordable housing and how to best build it (in particular the promotion of mix-income housing, not social housing).
• I am City Council's representative on the Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee. Being part of this group I have become aware of the diverse needs of the accessibility community in Kingston. I have used this information when advocating on behalf of their needs at city council.
• I was a member of the KEDCO board and in 2006 and I initiated the change to the board composition which created greater board member diversity.

During the past four years some of my accomplishments have been:

• Actively pushed to bring forward the revitalization plan for a new family-friendly Lake Ontario Park - a place for all residents of Kingston to enjoy. The result is a final plan has been approved and work will begin this fall.
• Brought clarity on the need to quadruple the traffic calming budget to ensure we have safer communities (2008). As a result Kingston has seen more traffic calming measures installed in the last few years than in recent history. This year alone over 50 traffic calming devices are being installed throughout the city.
• Proved the need to increase more bylaw officers to work evening hours to assist police with noise disturbances and other minor problems. (Bylaw officers now work late into the evening and early hours of the morning on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to assist police with noise complaints and other minor bylaw matters. The response time has improved immensely.)
• Brought forward a motion to inject more money into repairing our local sports fields and building two new artificial fields. The result was Council agreeing to set aside $1.5 million in the capital budget to repair/upgrade soccer fields and build one new artificial field throughout the city.

Affordable housing is a vital component to healthy communities. It helps provide options in a range of housing where people can live according to their means as fully accepted members of our community.

I support truly-mixed-integrated affordable housing in our community. I think anyone involved in affordable housing, as I have been for the past five years, would agree it should be done in a way that integrates the affordable housing stock into our community. Building so called 'ghettos', complexes or separate projects have proven unsuccessful time and time again – this is something I do not support. To genuinely achieve integrated affordable housing we should not be able to identify units as "affordable" when driving by them. Incorporating affordable housing into our communities benefits those in need while also helping to break down the stereotypes quite often associated with affordable housing.

To build more affordable housing we need to:

1. Continue to work with the federal and provincial governments for more funding.
2. Have an immediate action plan if and when we are successful at getting funding.
3. Work on our administrative process to effectively mobilize plans faster and more efficiently.
4. Match contributions made by our provincial and federal governments. (This suggestion was brought forward in a motion put forward a few years ago by fellow councillor Rob Hutcheson which I strongly seconded.)

City council must continue to remain a strong partner in developing mixed community affordable housing plans.

When taxes were frozen in the 90's little work was done to improve our infrastructure creating a massive backlog in our infrastructure needs. As taxes were increased in the early part of the last decade we started to see more improvements in our local infrastructure as a plan was put in place to deal with the backlog. This plan calls for bringing the backlog up-to-date so that we are repairing at the same rate as what is being depleted on an annual basis. It is plan which I have fully supported and at times I have attempted to inject more money into the implementation in order to speed up the process.

Using stimulus funding, and our tax dollars, we must continue on this path until we have the backlog caught up.

As Mayor, I would welcome public input to better understand the issues and to make wise, community supported, decisions. I will be a team player and encourage council to embrace all points of views on various issues we will deal with.

I believe we have tremendous opportunity to expand on transparency measures already in place. To increase community engagement and transparency we should make standing committee meetings and council meetings available live on the internet for residents to watch from the comfort of their home. We must also use social networking opportunities available on the internet as well as maintaining the traditional forms of community engagement we use today.

As a council we have an obligation to appeal to everyone and not just the people who watch council on Tuesday evening on Channel 13. We need to explore other methods of communication to engage all our residents.

Transparency in government is something I strongly believe in. It increases accountability in your elected representatives and brings the community into decisions affecting them.

It should also be said there are times when details of a discussion must remain confidential. The outcomes should be reported publicly for the sake of transparency and trust in the process. Exceptions would include instances where we must respect confidentiality of employee matters or when inappropriate disclosure would jeopardize the process (ex. negotiations in the public interest).

The widening of John Counter Blvd. is essential to our east-west traffic flow. The project is currently underway.

Despite the fact that construction has not already begun, there is significant work being done with respect to planning and acquisition of the required land. The City has been working over the past several years to purchase the land along the route. Once all of the land is acquired and ready for construction we are only half done. We also need to get funding from the other levels of government to support the project.

Infrastructure projects of this nature can never (and rarely ever actually happen) without significant funding from the federal and provincial governments - the split it usually 1/3 between each level of government. Our municipality would never be able to responsibly take on the debt load alone. Having said this, after dumping significant funding into economic stimulus it is going to be much harder – compared to recent years – to get money from the federal or provincial governments as they are currently cutting spending. My commitment is to working with the higher levels of government to ensure we get the proper funding in a timely fashion. I will work hard to convince them of the need and benefit of this important project.

The main argument use to suggest cancelling the Poker Run event in Kingston is based on the environmental impact that the boats used during the event contribute to green house gas emissions. In a recent study completed, the overall environmental impact was the equivalent of a Boeing 747 travelling a round trip from Toronto, ON, to Vancouver, ON, followed by another one way trip of the same distance. When we consider how many Boeing 747s travel the world on a daily basis is becomes quite evident that the actual impact of the Poker Run is a small drop in an extremely large bucket.

Having said this, even if we did cancel the event in Kingston, I am convinced that the event would move somewhere else (perhaps to another nearby city or town where the economic impact could not be passed up – despite the environmental impact) resulting in no net reduction of world-wide (or regional) reduction in green house gases.

I believe the right approach is to work with the organizers of this event to find solutions that can minimize the effects of the green house emissions (ex. the purchasing of carbon offsets or the encouragement of environmentally-friendly events during the weekend). Having said this, I do also believe that if we force the organizers of this event to purchase carbon offsets (or similar pay a tax/fee), we must also require the same of other events/activities that contribute to the green-house gas problem we face.

I have supported the proposal to establish a bylaw to allow backyard chickens. I think the program is a worthy one and worth exploring. In other municipalities, such as Vancouver, BC, the program has been quite successful and yielded few complaints. I think it is worth trying out.

Protecting and safeguarding our environment is important for us and for our children's children. We all have an individual and collective duty to make environmentally responsible decisions, especially your government. While on council I have been involved with many environmental initiatives that have contributed to the betterment of our community.

• I initiated the City's Green Fleet Policy to ensure whenever vehicles are purchased for the city, we look at how much pollution is created and how efficient the fuel economy is. Now, the City of Kingston will buy the most environmentally friendly vehicles whenever possible.
• I brought forward a motion to develop a plan to install renewable energy generation facilities throughout the city to offset the city's consumption of electricity in municipal buildings. Council approved the installation of $5M worth of solar panels throughout the city. After 20 years, the city will have generated over $10M in income and profited over $5M.

As a council we need to plan and organize our community in a meaningful way to accommodate and encourage all methods of travel. Transit moves people. It allows them to go to events, visit loved ones and get to their place of work. Effective transit saves energy, reduces green house gas emissions, and encourages residents to get out of their vehicles and try alternatives. Transit alternatives also go a long way to alleviating parking concerns in our downtown. To have a successful transit system, we must promote a plan embraced by people who want to use it, not just those who need to use it.

As Mayor I will continue to pursue options to look at how we get more Kingstonians using alternative methods of transportation like cycling, carpooling, walking and using our public transit.

To do this, we need to continue to work with our community partners on:

• Creating and expanding pedestrian-only streets and zones in our downtown areas and bring awareness to active transportation (ex. the recent Princess Street Promenade).
• Expanding transit routes and reviewing hours for frequency, transit operations and accessibility
• Developing bike only lanes and bike trails to link popular destinations across Kingston.

Absolutely. Cultural development in our community (along with other social elements) is directly linked to the quality of life we experience as residents.

What many people don’t realize is that there are also serious economic impacts by having a high quality of life in our city. For example, the number one question asked of recruiters by new business looking to setup in here is “what is the quality of life like in Kingston?” By ensuring our quality of life – and hence the cultural vibrancy – is amongst the best in our region we will continue to attract good business opportunities to our community. Good business means more local tax dollars for further investment in our quality of life – and so the cycle continues.

It is this sort of “balanced approach” (in terms of the economic, cultural, social and environmental development) that is vital for a vibrant and prosperous municipality - an approach that I am wholeheartedly committed to pursuing if elected mayor.

City council recently endorsed the proposal to bid on the event. As part of the proposal there is significant work planned for capital improvements to the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. As part of that work, and the current work being done to revitalize Lake Ontario Park, Kingston will be in fine form to host this event which promises to bring roughly $30M in investment into the community. As mayor, I will continue to work with the sailing community to ensure we put forward the best case for Kingston to hold this event!

Yes! The arts community is a vital part of Kingston which adds immensely to our quality of life. A good quality of life is important for several reasons. Not only will it add to the enjoyable lifestyle of Kingston's current residents, but it helps to attract business to Kingston! Sitting on the board of directors at KEDCO (Kingston Economic Development Corporation) I have learned that one of the most important concerns for businesses looking to relocate to (or setup in) Kingston was a high quality of life for its employees. In order to ensure we can maintain a high quality of like in Kingston we must continue to support the arts community.

After being elected in 2006, city council increased funding to the arts communities by five times its previous level – something I strongly supported. This seed money is allocated to different arts groups by the Arts Advisory Committee for the purpose of encouraging and fostering the promotion of the arts in Kingston.

The arts community includes: art, music, dance, performance, literature, film, craft and other arts.

I voted in favour of keeping the Rural Affairs Committee.

I believe it is essential to have a committee which can receive input and make recommendations to council on the needs of rural residents. The formation of the committee was part of the amalgamation agreement made 12 years ago when the rural area agreed to be merged with the City of Kingston. Unfortunately, the town hall meetings which will now be held twice a year will be one directional only (council receiving input without back-and-forth discussion) with the rural residents and the ultimate decisions of what to do on rural matters to will be left in the hands of council and the mayor – of which all but two are urban representatives.

Yes, I do own rental properties. About 12 years ago I started a property management company. I started out by purchasing old houses and small apartment buildings. Most of the buildings I purchased were in a state which needed much attention as little work had been done throughout the years before I came along. I have spent many hours over the years renovating buildings (usually with one or two hired employees) and hanging out in Home Depot (so much so I know most of the employees by first name!). My mission has always been to rent quality accommodations. Some of the units are student rentals - quality student rentals.

I take much pride in the work I have done over the years and have included below a testimonial from one of my previous tenants. All of my properties are in good repair and adhere to the building codes and bylaws of the city. I am also extremely proud to say that many of the neighbours that live around my rental properties speak very highly of the work I do to keep the properties in good repair. In fact, many of them are such strong supporters of mine that they are displaying my election lawn signs on their front lawns. If you click on the "Community" tab located on the top of my website amongst the pictures you will see a shot of myself and Boyd Hartley, a non-student resident who resides a couple doors down from some of the properties I manage.

Here is the quote I previously mentioned:

"As a property manager, Mark was extremely responsible and courteous. The house was in good condition, well maintained and a pleasure to live in. Mark was very reasonable and responsive to any concerns that I had. He was pleasant to interact with." - Emma Goodall, Queen's University Graduate.

As of right now (September 28th) there are two all candidates meetings that have been planned.

The first is on October 5th and is being put on by the Chamber of Commerce. It is being held at the Ambassador and starts at 7:00am - this is a breakfast meeting. I believe that tickets must be purchased in advance for this event - if you are interested, you should contact the Chamber of Commerce directly.

The second is on October 12th and is being put on by the Kingston Arts Council. This event is open to the public and being held at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour at 7:30pm in the Press Lounge.

Great Question! If you are away on Voting Day (October 25th) as well as both Advance Polling Days (October 16th and 20th) you can always proxy your vote to someone else. If you don't have anyone who can vote on your behalf, our office would be more than happy to offer someone to proxy your vote. Either way, proxy forms are available at our office for pickup or can be delivered to you by calling us at 613-507-6275 or emailing officemanager@markgerretsen.com.

Kingston is blessed to have three great post-secondary institutions: Queen's University, St. Lawrence College and RMC (Royal Military College). The residents from the City of Kingston benefit from the three institutions enormously. They support our local economy incalculably, they foster our ability to be on the cutting edge of innovation, and they bring about the employable skills demanded by the employment sectors of both today and tomorrow.

The key challenges are with respect to student behaviour problems which occur off-campus. It is, however, important to note that the vast majority of students do not engage in unacceptable behavior; rather, it is a small number of students that unfortunately create a bad reputation for the rest.

As I am currently a city councillor, I introduced a motion at our last council meeting to setup a permanent committee of council which recommends with respect to dealing with student behaviour problems. In order to ensure inclusion from all stakeholders, members of the committee will include: the police department, bylaw enforcement, college and university representatives, student association representatives, non-student community representatives and one member of city council. The motion was unanimously passed by council.

A balanced approach to government.

A balanced approach that realizes that if we want to attract business and jobs to Kingston, create the best place to live in Canada, harness our ability to protect the environment and promote a cultural vibrancy a thriving community needs, then we must realize that all four of these important pillars of sustainability must work together.

We must encourage business to generate a healthy economy to create the jobs that will allow us to pay for the social and cultural needs of our community. We must provide the necessary cultural and social environment to encourage business and employment to locate to our great city. And we must protect our environment to ensure the economic, social and cultural qualities of our community continue to flourish for generations to come. These four pillars are so completely intertwined that in the long run their individual stability can only be measured by their collective union.

With a balanced approached we will begin to realize what we individually and as a community can be. And Kingston can be a lot of things.

Kingston can be a leader in innovative green technologies and green jobs by working with the industry leaders, educational institutions, and trusted experts.

Kingston can be the greenest city in Canada by continually thinking outside of the box and pushing for creative solutions in the promotion of a healthy environment.

Kingston can be a community with a vibrant culture by ensuring that we continue to invest in our arts communities and serviced-based groups.

Kingston can be a city open and ready for business by working with developers and looking for investment opportunities to bring good business ventures and employment opportunities to our community.

Kingston can be a leader in reducing poverty and providing affordable housing by coming up with new and creative concepts of tackling these ongoing realities.

And finally, Kingston can be a city that delivers reliable and efficient municipal services to its residents by encouraging our city's government to develop creative ways of delivering them.

I am a firm believer that the city is going to continue to grow east. In my mind it makes the most sense logically. What's interesting is that there are just as many vehicles heading east in the morning and afternoon as there are heading west at the same time. This means that just as many people live in the east and work in the west as live in the west and work in the east. Therefore, a crossing which can handle the volume of traffic demanded by the citizens of Kingston is a must. The traffic problem already exists and will only continue to get worse.

Having said this, infrastructure projects of this nature can only be done with significant money from both the federal and provincial governments (from a debt financing point of view the City of Kingston could never do it alone). If elected, I will work with both levels of senior government as quickly as possible to maximize the amount of subsidy they will provide to solve the traffic problem which currently exists.

We have great people who uphold the highest standard in our public services. The larger question on this issue is what best serves our community? When exploring our options we have an obligation as a council to look at all options that make sense and best serve our people.

What's important is to work with our unions. We need to continue to communicate with them on our community priorities and getting their feedback on possible effects and outcomes prior to making these important decisions that could affect them.

Hiring consultants is important and at time legislated by law. For example, in order to just apply to the province or federal government for money for the third crossing of the Cataraqui River, we must complete an environmental assessment (handled by a third party consultant). The province and federal government would not even consider an application without this having been completed.

Having said this, I do not support hiring consultants when our staff can adequately handle the work required. This is something I would work to ensure: that consultants are only hired on when staff are not able to complete the required work.