Andrii-zvorygin General Meeting Transcript — August 20, 2026
Hook: Transit Reliability Budget Transparency And Affordable Housing Solutions
Andrii-zvorygin · General · August 20, 2026
Summary
Whole Stream Summary The speaker discusses various community concerns including transit reliability, infrastructure maintenance, park amenities, municipal transparency, downtown safety, affordable housing, and waste management services. The speaker notes that residents often walk to work due to unreliable transit and expensive taxi fares, suggesting a need for more consistent service and better road conditions. Regarding parks, the speaker says there is a desire for more active options for children and seating for seniors. On financial matters, the speaker suggests that budget information should be transparent and accessible without requiring specialized knowledge, while noting they cannot comment on specific mismanagement until official numbers are released. The discussion includes suggestions for affordable housing initiatives, such as utilising existing developments for low-cost sustainable dwellings, and the need to prioritize community resources over hiring external consultants.
Top Newsworthy Developments
- Affordable housing under seventy thousand dollars: The speaker identifies the lack of affordable housing as a primary driver of homelessness and highlights a proposal for homes under seventy thousand dollars that would allow residents to manage costs around four or five hundred dollars. While explicitly stating they cannot promise such specific outcomes, the speaker advocates for using city-level permitting opportunities to revive stalled condo and townhouse developments by allowing them to construct low-cost sustainable dwellings instead.
- Connecting People To Local Council Issues: The speaker argues that the current system fails to connect people with the council, citing specific examples like residents feeling unsafe walking downtown without knowing whom to contact for emergencies. To fix this disconnect, he proposes utilising local educated and retired resources instead of outside consultants, establishing neighbourhood gatherings where residents can voice issues directly to ward councillors who then bring them to city council.
- Property Tax and Yard Waste Services: Thomas Arakal argues that current property taxes lack perceived value for residents, noting that he would personally pay a separate garbage fee if it improved service reliability, particularly for seniors who find the existing system inconvenient. He highlights a specific gap in municipal services where yard waste collection is currently unavailable during summer months, despite demand from residents without pickup trucks who need seasonal assistance to trim tree branches.
Key Topics & Sections
Meeting Details
- Jurisdiction
- Andrii-zvorygin
- Body
- General
- Date
- August 20, 2026
- Transcript Status
- Machine transcription, lightly cleaned
- Official Source
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Related Discussion
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Transcript Notice
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors in wording, speaker identification, punctuation, or timestamps.
It is an unofficial convenience copy provided for reading and searchability.
For the official record, refer to the original source materials published by the relevant authority, including the official video, agenda, minutes, and meeting records.
Full Transcript
Reliable Transit and Road Maintenance
Thomas Arakal states that his core campaign focus is working on basics such as reliable transit, noting that current services are unreliable and forcing many seniors and young workers to rely on expensive taxis or walking. He supports extending service hours to 10 p.m. to benefit downtown businesses while emphasizing that expanding transit requires simultaneous maintenance of roads and sidewalks to prevent costly breakdowns. Additionally, he proposes exploring new connectivity routes between local areas like Wasaga, Sober, Wyatton, Markdale, and the GTA to reduce reliance on driving.
00:00:00 Andrii Zvorygin: Greetings in the loving light of the infinite Creator.
00:00:02 Andrii Zvorygin: I'm Andrii Zvorygin.
00:00:02 Andrii Zvorygin: I'm here with Thomas Arakal, who's running for city council.
00:00:06 Andrii Zvorygin: Would you like to introduce yourself, Thomas?
00:00:08 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah, my name is Thomas Arakal, and I work here in Canaportis in Olmazan, and I deliver mail outside Olmazan too.
00:00:17 SPEAKER_002: I never wanted to be involved in any of these things before, but you know what's happening around me made me think.
00:00:24 SPEAKER_002: You know, better to get involved and see and push for some changes.
00:00:28 SPEAKER_002: So what I am thinking to do is work on the basics.
00:00:32 SPEAKER_002: As for me, the first thing I will be able to do any different is I understand what people need.
00:00:39 SPEAKER_002: Okay, that's what my core, core, core idea is like.
00:00:44 SPEAKER_002: Listen to people, be accountable, and be transparent.
00:00:47 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, then work on the basics.
00:00:50 SPEAKER_002: Basic stuffs like transit.
00:00:53 SPEAKER_002: As for me, transit is a big thing because many of us like having two cars, can get away with one car if we have proper transit.
00:01:01 SPEAKER_002: Oh, okay.
00:01:02 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, I spoke to a couple of seniors; they would like to use transit too, because they don't want to drive.
00:01:08 SPEAKER_002: They are driving because it's quite expensive to hire a taxi all the time.
00:01:13 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, and they don't have a choice.
00:01:14 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, same thing with young working people, young individuals, and also you know people with like they work in retail and they walk all the way from downtown to the stores.
00:01:25 SPEAKER_002: Wow.
00:01:26 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, they depend on walking.
00:01:28 SPEAKER_002: Is because the transit what we have is so unreliable.
00:01:33 SPEAKER_002: That's another thing I'm on the campaign on.
00:01:35 SPEAKER_002: So, in terms of the reliability, do you think that most seventy-one percent of people said they wanted the service to go till ten p.m. and that would also help the downtown businesses have business after?
00:01:49 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.
00:01:50 SPEAKER_002: It's I believe Andrew.
00:01:51 SPEAKER_002: It's all connected, right?
00:01:52 SPEAKER_002: We cannot just put the transit on one side by side.
00:01:55 SPEAKER_002: You need to fix the roads, sidewalks.
00:01:58 SPEAKER_002: All has to be worked together because if you don't maintain the roads and infrastructures, getting more transit eventually builds you more cost because it gets breakdown right most of the time.
00:02:09 SPEAKER_002: So as for me, yes, we need to have more transit routes, more direct routes.
00:02:13 SPEAKER_002: Maybe we we have to look for the connectivity between Wasaga, you know, between Sober, Wyatton, nearby cities, Markdale, and you know maybe a few more often routes to GTA, like you know,
00:02:25 SPEAKER_002: where people can head out and you know, most of it driving, driving all the way.
Unreliable transit forces retail workers to walk
Thomas Arakal notes that retail workers at locations like Walmart and Petsmart are forced to walk from downtown because bus routes are unreliable and not on time. He argues that while transit service exists, it functions merely as a "namesake" rather than meeting the actual needs of the community due to insufficient frequency and consistency. Consequently, he emphasizes the urgent need for the system to become more reliable and consistent to address these specific transportation gaps.
00:02:30 SPEAKER_002: But yeah, if we zoom back into Owen Sound, the people you were saying, the retail workers that are walking.
00:02:37 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, I so I know people who work in Walmart, Petsmart.
00:02:41 SPEAKER_002: You know, they walk all the way from downtown towards there.
00:02:44 SPEAKER_002: It's like they they are walking because the route, the buses are not reliable, not on time.
00:02:49 SPEAKER_002: There is no enough service, and there is.
00:02:51 SPEAKER_002: And it's like like you said, they they are done way earlier, so we have a transit, but I feel like it's like a namesake.
00:03:01 SPEAKER_002: I see, but it's not really functioning for the need of the people, you know.
00:03:06 SPEAKER_002: So that yeah, it need to be more reliable, more reliable, and more consistent.
00:03:10 SPEAKER_002: Okay.
00:03:11 SPEAKER_002: Okay.
Parks Infrastructure and Downtown Safety Concerns
The candidate emphasizes the need for improved park infrastructure, including active play options and benches for seniors, while stressing that decisions must be based on direct community input rather than assumptions. He calls for greater transparency and accountability in municipal finances, noting that current staff have not yet provided legally required information and promising to use his authority as mayor to obtain these numbers before making specific comments on alleged mismanagement. Regarding downtown safety, he acknowledges public fears concerning unknown activities and homelessness but frames the issue as one that cannot be ignored or resolved by silence. The excerpt concludes with a reference to another campaign's proposal for affordable housing as a relevant factor in addressing these concerns.
00:03:11 SPEAKER_002: Other thing we're running is basically like you know, on the parks, like you know, we need to have options for the kids to be active, right?
00:03:20 SPEAKER_002: Uh.
00:03:20 SPEAKER_002: Right.
00:03:21 SPEAKER_002: We need to have more, like you know, more infrastructures in the parks, equipments, and you know, even small basketball court or a volleyball court or a pickleball court or all the schools we have,
00:03:30 SPEAKER_002: we can use it or stuff like that.
00:03:32 SPEAKER_002: Not really.
00:03:33 SPEAKER_002: I know from canvassing around the area, people have often said they wanted more benches in parks, especially seniors, so that they could watch their grandchildren playing on the playgrounds.
00:03:45 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, correct.
00:03:46 SPEAKER_002: These these are the things we need to do.
00:03:47 SPEAKER_002: Right.
00:03:48 SPEAKER_002: I agree with this.
00:03:48 SPEAKER_002: Like. we can only do these things once we know what exactly people want.
00:03:53 SPEAKER_002: So, my my basic idea is like, we need to have better connectivity, a connection between the people and the council, and we should work based on what they need.
00:04:04 SPEAKER_002: And also, we would look into the way how we can efficiently manage the money.
00:04:09 SPEAKER_002: Like, I feel like you know there's kind of mismanagement in certain departments.
00:04:14 SPEAKER_002: I don't want to get into details because you know I don't want to comment until unless I have the numbers, or I just want to.
00:04:19 SPEAKER_002: I don't want to blame anybody because it's.
00:04:23 SPEAKER_003: I know that as mayor, I'll be responsible for the budget, and I am allowed to make directives to get the staff to release the numbers so that we'll actually know what's going on.
00:04:35 SPEAKER_003: Because right now, they're not currently meeting the bare minimum of what they have committed to legally providing us in terms of information.
00:04:46 SPEAKER_003: Hopefully they will, but they haven't as of yet.
00:04:49 SPEAKER_003: Correct.
00:04:49 SPEAKER_002: That is another thing.
00:04:50 SPEAKER_002: It should be easily accessible, transparent, and clear, and people should be able to understand.
00:04:56 SPEAKER_002: Like, it doesn't need to have a master's degree to find out this all information.
00:05:02 SPEAKER_002: That's another one thing I want to be like.
00:05:03 SPEAKER_002: When you have transparency and accountability, people like when you spend.
00:05:08 SPEAKER_002: Like, people should know why their money is being spent.
00:05:11 SPEAKER_002: You know, another main thing.
00:05:13 SPEAKER_002: I know we can't do much about it.
00:05:14 SPEAKER_002: But it is also a matter that keeping silent or ignoring those issues will not resolve.
00:05:20 SPEAKER_002: Like downtown safety, right?
00:05:23 SPEAKER_002: Many of the people I spoke to, they want to come to downtown.
00:05:26 SPEAKER_002: They are scared of unknown, like what's going on, the safety, or homeless people.
00:05:31 SPEAKER_002: Like, if as for me, like you know, one of the things I like about your campaign is the way you propose the affordable housing.
Affordable housing under seventy thousand dollars
The speaker identifies the lack of affordable housing as a primary driver of homelessness and highlights a proposal for homes under seventy thousand dollars that would allow residents to manage costs around four or five hundred dollars. While explicitly stating they cannot promise such specific outcomes, the speaker advocates for using city-level permitting opportunities to revive stalled condo and townhouse developments by allowing them to construct low-cost sustainable dwellings instead. This approach is presented as a potential game changer that could enable these projects to sell enough units to proceed with residential construction.
00:05:38 SPEAKER_002: That's a big thing because the homeless problem is mainly because we don't have affordable housing, correct.
00:05:45 SPEAKER_002: And one thing I like about your platform is what you're proposing: the homes under like seven hundred thousand, like you know under seventy, less than hundred thousand dollars, seventy thousand dollars,
00:05:54 SPEAKER_002: where you have to pay like four hundred, five hundred dollars.
00:05:56 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, you can manage a small home.
00:05:58 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, that's what will change everything.
00:06:00 SPEAKER_002: That's a game changer.
00:06:02 SPEAKER_002: As for me, I know we can't promise anything like that, but we can always voice for better, you know, affordable homes.
00:06:10 SPEAKER_002: So it all, as for me, it's all connected.
00:06:13 SPEAKER_003: Yeah, at the city level, there are some opportunities that we could even do at the city level in terms of permitting, because currently we have several condo and townhouse developments that aren't going anywhere.
00:06:26 SPEAKER_003: And if we were to permit them to use those kinds of sustainable dwellings, low cost sustainable dwellings, they might actually be able to sell enough to go ahead with those residential projects.
00:06:38 SPEAKER_003: Yeah, correct.
Connecting People To Local Council Issues
The speaker argues that the current system fails to connect people with the council, citing specific examples like residents feeling unsafe walking downtown without knowing whom to contact for emergencies. To fix this disconnect, he proposes utilising local educated and retired resources instead of outside consultants, establishing neighbourhood gatherings where residents can voice issues directly to ward councillors who then bring them to city council. He emphasizes that all councillors must be easily approachable and urges elected officials to set aside differences to focus on common goods like affordable housing, noting that progress has already been made in this area over the last four years.
00:06:38 SPEAKER_002: Other thing, other thing I want to point out is like current system is not working.
00:06:42 SPEAKER_002: Definitely, we see that it's not working.
00:06:44 SPEAKER_002: So, as for me, we have a lot of resources like people who are educated and experienced and retired in our community, right?
00:06:53 SPEAKER_002: Why don't we use the resources?
00:06:54 SPEAKER_002: You know, you don't need to hire a consultant from outside.
00:06:57 SPEAKER_002: So, we can work on this project with people.
00:06:59 SPEAKER_002: Right now, I find it there is no connection between the people and the council.
00:07:04 SPEAKER_002: And I'm not blaming, but what I'm seeing is like it's not like they don't see the problems.
00:07:09 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, what I see, like I have a colleague writing an email about safety of work, like you know, while walking downtown, she feel scared.
00:07:16 SPEAKER_002: Like she don't know whom to call and where where to go in case of an emergency.
00:07:19 SPEAKER_002: Right?
00:07:20 SPEAKER_002: People are not in their conscious mind.
00:07:22 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, and so the local representatives should help with that.
00:07:25 SPEAKER_002: Correct, because every year they would connect with people, so the people would know who who to go to, and they would have a neighbourhood gathering,
00:07:33 SPEAKER_003: so they can connect with their neighbours and voice any issues, and then the local representative would bring that to the ward councillor, and the ward councillor would bring it to the city council.
00:07:43 SPEAKER_003: Yeah, we need to have a sort of a connection.
00:07:45 SPEAKER_002: Like all the councillors should be approachable.
00:07:48 SPEAKER_002: Like you know, people should be able to contact.
00:07:51 SPEAKER_002: Like who are close to their house or like this.
00:07:53 SPEAKER_002: It should be easily approachable.
00:07:54 SPEAKER_002: That's what as per me.
00:07:56 SPEAKER_002: And other main thing I find what we are missing right now is like we have the problem, but we are not voicing it out.
00:08:03 SPEAKER_002: Like I understand.
00:08:05 SPEAKER_002: Like you know, like.
00:08:06 SPEAKER_002: Owen Sound is a second-tier municipality.
00:08:08 SPEAKER_002: Grey County plays a bigger role, but you know, you go, you being elected as a mayor, you have a big role to play there.
00:08:13 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, so you're from Owen Sound, so the deputy mayor has a role, right?
00:08:16 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.
00:08:16 SPEAKER_002: So and this council has to, like, I feel like sweeping wheel get oil sort of thing.
00:08:21 SPEAKER_002: We need to address and head on the problems.
00:08:24 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.
00:08:24 SPEAKER_003: Without that, you know, and a lot of the mayors and the deputy mayors already know me by name, and we greet each other, you know, at the council meetings.
00:08:33 SPEAKER_003: We all have our differences, right?
00:08:34 SPEAKER_002: Like as for me, those need to be kept aside.
00:08:38 SPEAKER_002: When it is, we should look for a common good.
00:08:40 SPEAKER_002: Yes, and that's where we should be able to agree on.
00:08:42 SPEAKER_002: That's yeah, all exactly.
00:08:43 SPEAKER_003: All I'm trying to do: housing, affordable housing, and is something that most of the people and politicians I know can agree upon.
00:08:53 SPEAKER_003: And so there's a good chance that we'll actually be able to do the affordable rural communities in Grey County.
00:08:58 SPEAKER_003: Correct.
00:08:58 SPEAKER_003: We've already made a lot of progress over the last four years of working together.
00:09:02 SPEAKER_003: Well, me as an advocate, and I'm at the table asking the staff.
00:09:06 SPEAKER_003: Yeah, I agree.
Prioritize Problems and Lower Taxes
Thomas Arakal emphasizes the importance of raising concerns for Owen Sound even if the municipality has limited direct influence, noting that persistent requests can lead to securing more grants, though he explicitly states uncertainty about whether those requests will be successful. He advocates for prioritizing problems and understanding specific issues to create opportunities for public participation and having voices heard. Ultimately, Arakal connects these efforts to the potential opportunity of lowering taxes when working with the community, without guaranteeing that tax reductions are a certain outcome.
00:09:07 SPEAKER_002: Like you, you need to raise the concern.
00:09:09 SPEAKER_002: Like you know, what that's what I'm trying.
00:09:11 SPEAKER_002: Like you know, even though Owen Sound doesn't have much role to play, like still it has a voice and it should be raised.
00:09:18 SPEAKER_002: And even you know, they can ask for more grants.
00:09:21 SPEAKER_002: I'm not sure that we may get it.
00:09:23 SPEAKER_002: Maybe we may not.
00:09:24 SPEAKER_002: But if you don't ask, you know, you keep asking, right?
00:09:27 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.
00:09:27 SPEAKER_002: So, yes, that's all.
00:09:29 SPEAKER_002: The idea is like push, push, address the problems, understand what's the problems, prioritize.
00:09:35 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, yeah, and give people the opportunity to participate, have their voices heard.
00:09:40 SPEAKER_003: Exactly, and then that also gives us opportunities to lower the taxes when we're working with.
Property Tax and Yard Waste Services
Thomas Arakal argues that current property taxes lack perceived value for residents, noting that he would personally pay a separate garbage fee if it improved service reliability, particularly for seniors who find the existing system inconvenient. He highlights a specific gap in municipal services where yard waste collection is currently unavailable during summer months, despite demand from residents without pickup trucks who need seasonal assistance to trim tree branches. Arakal emphasizes that while he advocates for these improvements, any new fees or expanded services must be carefully prioritized within the bigger picture and driven by direct input from the community rather than imposed unilaterally.
00:09:46 SPEAKER_003: Yeah, the thing about taxes—that's what made me even start getting into all these things.
00:09:52 SPEAKER_003: Paying property tax, I don't find a value.
00:09:54 SPEAKER_003: I'd even pay a garbage tax to get my garbage out.
00:09:57 SPEAKER_002: I lived in many other provinces before moving here, I never had to pay the garbage tag extra because I understand the idea, but you know my property tax is still going up.
00:10:09 SPEAKER_002: And as for me, adding a separate garbage tag, I don't know whether how much that need to be revisited and relooked.
00:10:17 SPEAKER_002: It's it's inconvenience for many people, especially for seniors.
00:10:22 SPEAKER_002: You know, other funny thing, we don't have a service even to take out the yard waste.
00:10:27 SPEAKER_002: Yes, I've heard.
00:10:28 SPEAKER_002: At least one person I canvassed also wanted yard waste.
00:10:32 SPEAKER_002: The seniors, like at least there should be a system so that at least when in summer, at least when they want to trim the branches of trees, yeah, everybody doesn't have a pickup truck.
00:10:39 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, so so we have at least a seasonal.
00:10:42 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, seasonal yard waste stuff.
00:10:43 SPEAKER_002: These all things you will only understand when you talk to the people, and you know, as for me, they pay the property tax, and that all all they asked was for a basic small thing.
00:10:53 SPEAKER_002: Like so, you need to look into a complete bigger picture and prioritize.
00:10:57 SPEAKER_002: You know, yeah.
00:10:58 SPEAKER_002: That's that's all what I'm trying to push for.
00:11:01 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, the city should serve the people.
00:11:03 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, and you know we're servants of the people.
00:11:06 SPEAKER_002: Exactly, and that's that's a point, right?
00:11:08 SPEAKER_002: We are there to do the job to serve the people.
00:11:12 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, but this input has to come from the people, and only you can do it if we are connected.
00:11:18 SPEAKER_002: Okay, all right.
00:11:19 SPEAKER_002: Thank you so much, Thomas.
00:11:21 SPEAKER_002: Thank you, Andre.
00:11:22 SPEAKER_002: Okay, until next time.
00:11:24 SPEAKER_002: Love and light.
Unofficial machine-generated transcript for convenience. Please verify against official source materials for the authoritative record.