Love drives governance over profit for all neighbors

Full Transcript

00:00:00 SPEAKER_307: Greetings in the love and light of the infinite Creator.

00:00:01 SPEAKER_307: I'm here with Ray Boughton, and he's running for mayor.

00:00:06 SPEAKER_307: Would you like to introduce yourself and why you're running?

00:00:09 SPEAKER_307: Sure.

00:00:09 SPEAKER_307: My name's Ray Boughton.

00:00:10 SPEAKER_307: I'm a resident here in Old Town for at least 23 years, and the reason why I'm running specifically is not really political, but it is personal.

00:00:24 SPEAKER_307: The reason why is because in every town and village and city across North America, we have a major issue.

00:00:32 SPEAKER_307: It's more than a pandemic when it comes to drugs, and I believe I'm called to do something different, and that is to fight,

00:00:43 SPEAKER_307: fight the good fight of faith and purpose in this election for mayor here in 2026 is to deal with the drug issue.

00:00:53 SPEAKER_307: Now, five percent of my platform will probably deal with mobility issues and senior challenges.

00:01:03 SPEAKER_307: So that's why I'm running.

00:01:04 SPEAKER_307: Okay, cool.

00:01:06 SPEAKER_307: And you said you had just finished making your platform.

00:01:10 SPEAKER_307: That's right.

00:01:10 SPEAKER_307: I finally put it all together, my thoughts and my purposes.

00:01:16 SPEAKER_307: And if you want me to share that again, sure.

00:01:18 SPEAKER_307: Go ahead.

00:01:19 SPEAKER_307: Okay, I have three major points, and each point that I have would probably take an hour each to dissect it and also explain it.

00:01:29 SPEAKER_307: But basically, number one is like I said, we're going to deal with the drug issue.

00:01:35 SPEAKER_307: But how are you going to do that?

00:01:37 SPEAKER_307: So my point number one is, and this will be challenging for many people.

00:01:44 SPEAKER_307: I'm going to redelegate the mayor powers act.

00:01:53 SPEAKER_307: It's not an act, but it's the mayor.

00:01:55 SPEAKER_307: But it's the me.

00:01:56 SPEAKER_307: It's it's called the strong mayor powers or power, and our present mayor has downloaded it to the city manager.

00:02:09 SPEAKER_307: But if I am elected, I will take that authority that is given by the Ontario government to reinstate this power, and that's number one.

00:02:23 SPEAKER_307: We can talk about what that means, but number two, and this is a major one.

00:02:31 SPEAKER_307: I believe it's time that Owen Sound becomes who she is, and or who he is, and that would be standing alone.

00:02:41 SPEAKER_307: I'm going to opt out of Grey County as a city, and we're going to stand alone.

00:02:50 SPEAKER_307: And the money that percentage-wise, I'm not sure if it's 23 percent of every tax dollar in property tax goes directly to Grey County.

00:02:59 SPEAKER_307: That's a lot of money.

00:03:00 SPEAKER_307: I think it was like 17 million dollars.

00:03:03 SPEAKER_307: So I don't have all the facts, but it's roughly that.

00:03:06 SPEAKER_307: And that money will help to lower the tax base for property.

00:03:12 SPEAKER_307: I'm going to actually decrease property tax.

00:03:16 SPEAKER_307: Okay.

00:03:16 SPEAKER_307: Now it's not going to happen overnight.

00:03:17 SPEAKER_307: It's going to happen though, because when I'm on the scene, I don't play to lose.

00:03:24 SPEAKER_307: I win.

00:03:27 SPEAKER_307: I just have a question because basically the county maintains like fifty million dollars worth of roads.

00:03:32 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:03:38 SPEAKER_307: You know and Owen Sound.

00:03:38 SPEAKER_307: Yep.

00:03:39 SPEAKER_307: And so like a lot of that is, and I know there's been some discussion about downloading that to the city.

00:03:43 SPEAKER_307: Well, I'm in step with it.

00:03:50 SPEAKER_307: See, without knowing politically all the ins and outs, and that will take a lifetime, anyhow, in municipal affairs.

00:03:53 SPEAKER_964: But the province will have to grant that, okay, anyhow, because there are certain legal frameworks that everyone has to go through.

00:04:03 SPEAKER_964: But that's the vision I have.

00:04:11 SPEAKER_964: We, I want to become one city, and dovetailing that, I believe that Owen Sound and Meaford is to become one city.

00:04:17 SPEAKER_964: That's that's my vision, and third.

00:04:27 SPEAKER_964: And thirdly, if I can remember, just because I just wrote it off, is I want to have three drop-off places for the drug dealers to drop off their drugs and their money,

00:04:31 SPEAKER_964: because the lifestyle that they're living, as rosy as everyone would think, with the millions and billions of dollars, even from the high echelons, they want out.

00:04:43 SPEAKER_964: They can't live a life of freedom.

00:04:50 SPEAKER_964: They're not.

00:04:54 SPEAKER_964: They're not free to be themselves.

00:04:56 SPEAKER_964: They're not sure who's looking over their back, who's coming for them, and who's going to send them to jail.

00:04:58 SPEAKER_964: And that conscience of a person, you know, most people who, when they commit a crime, I think the statistics is over ninety percent will hand themselves in if they are aren't already caught.

00:05:05 SPEAKER_964: They'll go to the police station say, "I did this," because you can't, you can't live destroying lives and not being able to have, you know, everything go south for you.

00:05:18 SPEAKER_964: So I want to give people an opportunity—not judging them, but saying, "Listen, you're caught up into something.

00:05:27 SPEAKER_964: How would you like to start a new step in your life and just drop it off, walk away from it?

00:05:32 SPEAKER_964: It might even endanger your life.

00:05:39 SPEAKER_964: They may even kill you for what you do.

00:05:41 SPEAKER_964: That's the truth.

00:05:44 SPEAKER_964: But you're going to die in a terrible state anyhow.

00:05:47 SPEAKER_964: Why not do something good for yourself and your family?

00:05:54 SPEAKER_964: And that's that's the third point."

00:06:00 SPEAKER_964: And over those three points, especially the strong mayor powers, there's a lot of unique powers that will be given to any mayor.

00:06:21 SPEAKER_964: There's 169 municipalities that the government has afforded this authority.

00:06:26 SPEAKER_964: Interesting.

00:06:26 SPEAKER_964: Okay, and I know some people because I posted about you on Reddit, and they were mentioning that you had signs up downtown where you were upset with people based on their sexual orientation.

00:06:36 SPEAKER_964: Oh, okay.

00:06:45 SPEAKER_964: Of course, I'm a Christian, and the LGBTQ and people are very upset with me for the number of years, but see, I follow the Word of God, and He says certain things are appropriate,

00:06:48 SPEAKER_964: some things are not.

00:07:01 SPEAKER_964: Now, that's not a judgment on my part.

00:07:05 SPEAKER_964: That is the Holy Scriptures, and there's not one person that I would not be friends in that community.

00:07:08 SPEAKER_964: In fact, I have friends who are gay.

00:07:18 SPEAKER_964: I have friends who are different lifestyles.

00:07:22 SPEAKER_964: There's not anyone I would turn around.

00:07:25 SPEAKER_964: One, I would turn around, but but throughout the years, I have asked council to not have the gay pride flag flying,

00:07:28 SPEAKER_964: and the reason why it's really marginalizes even my faith because I can't put up that cross flag.

00:07:40 SPEAKER_964: It's it's not allowed.

00:07:45 SPEAKER_964: So in the end, the council did put up a pole that through proper channels you can put different flags up.

00:07:47 SPEAKER_964: So no, they're right and correct.

00:07:54 SPEAKER_964: And there was a time.

00:07:58 SPEAKER_964: I'll just say this: there was a time I was homophobic.

00:07:59 SPEAKER_964: I want to say that publicly.

00:08:04 SPEAKER_964: There was a time, right?

00:08:07 SPEAKER_964: But my life has changed.

00:08:10 SPEAKER_964: Okay.

00:08:13 SPEAKER_964: My life has changed.

00:08:13 SPEAKER_964: The value of one person is infinite.

00:08:15 SPEAKER_964: So if I've offended people in the past, I apologize.

00:08:17 SPEAKER_964: I sincerely don't want to hurt anybody.

00:08:21 SPEAKER_964: Okay.

00:08:24 SPEAKER_964: That's but.

00:08:24 SPEAKER_964: I do follow.

00:08:25 SPEAKER_964: I won't say traditional, but the relationship with Jesus, and he loves everybody, and I can't agree with what he doesn't agree with, but that's that's not an issue with me.

00:08:27 SPEAKER_964: Anybody and everyone is welcome in my heart, and I purpose to reach out to anyone who's called different, because really, what is different?

00:08:38 SPEAKER_964: Where who is normal?

00:08:49 SPEAKER_964: And so again, I just want to say, if I've hurt you in any way, please, please, know that I sincerely want to love everyone, and where I've offended, I probably have,

00:08:52 SPEAKER_307: and I do apologize for that.

00:08:56 SPEAKER_307: Okay.

00:09:06 SPEAKER_307: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:09:08 SPEAKER_307: I was gonna just you know, because I'm working on creating a Jesus discipleship parade, okay, with various churches.

00:09:09 SPEAKER_307: Okay.

00:09:11 SPEAKER_307: And I know that you know they differ on doctrine and various things, but Jesus is in common, and one of those things is do not judge.

00:09:15 SPEAKER_307: That's one of the things that Jesus all asked us, and to forgive and love one another.

00:09:16 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:09:26 SPEAKER_964: And so the idea just to comment on that, and I think that you you you were basically on the same page now.

00:09:31 SPEAKER_964: Well, I won't say, I will say, again, I can't alter what God says, but he's the judge.

00:09:31 SPEAKER_964: I'm not.

00:09:42 SPEAKER_964: Right.

00:09:50 SPEAKER_964: What and he doesn't force it.

00:09:51 SPEAKER_964: First of all, he doesn't force anybody to do anything other than what is in your heart, and he has a standard.

00:09:51 SPEAKER_964: He does.

00:09:52 SPEAKER_964: I mean, he's he.

00:09:59 SPEAKER_964: From the basic thing, he wants people to be safe.

00:10:00 SPEAKER_964: Okay, you can't let a little child walk across the road by themselves.

00:10:01 SPEAKER_964: They have to learn to look at all the different directions before they cross, and that's where I am in life.

00:10:04 SPEAKER_964: What what can I do?

00:10:12 SPEAKER_964: Well, what I'm called to do.

00:10:20 SPEAKER_964: And I believe this is a gift from God, is to fight for those who are suffering in addiction, and those who should be protected from being targeted, because this is big, big business.

00:10:21 SPEAKER_964: I have a question: Have you gone to the police?

00:10:33 SPEAKER_964: Because earlier you said you have known some of these people in drug cartels.

00:10:36 SPEAKER_964: Have you gone to the police about this?

00:10:40 SPEAKER_964: Or no, there's a lot of things that I know firsthand.

00:10:45 SPEAKER_964: It's not a guess.

00:10:49 SPEAKER_964: It's not just an association.

00:10:53 SPEAKER_964: And the reason why I keep that low key is for the safety of those who might know another person that knows another person, and their life would be on the line,

00:10:57 SPEAKER_964: and they would have they would be taken out permanently.

00:10:58 SPEAKER_964: And my life for those who do know me at the different levels of, and I will say it's organized crime.

00:11:02 SPEAKER_964: They know from, I'll just say a family member that I didn't know how much was involved until this person passed away, and then there was things revealed.

00:11:17 SPEAKER_964: But see, that's not my issue.

00:11:20 SPEAKER_964: Whether you're making a million dollars or ten bucks on the hour or whatever for the underworld, that underworld is something that nobody ever wants to get involved with.

00:11:34 SPEAKER_964: When you are, a lot of cases you're not allowed out.

00:11:45 SPEAKER_964: But I didn't join them.

00:11:47 SPEAKER_964: They know me, and they know that I love them just as much as anyone else.

00:11:58 SPEAKER_964: And I have a rapport with some people.

00:12:02 SPEAKER_964: And yes, I'd be a man of special interest to national security as well as international security because of what I know, but that's never going to be divulged—not even in a courtroom.

00:12:05 SPEAKER_964: Why?

00:12:10 SPEAKER_964: Because I'm a man of integrity.

00:12:14 SPEAKER_964: I—I don't purpose to hurt someone.

00:12:28 SPEAKER_964: How can I help?

00:12:29 SPEAKER_964: That's why I'm here to serve this community, whether in or out of politics.

00:12:31 SPEAKER_964: So I'm wondering what is your angle then, because you said that you're running for mayor to promote.

00:12:35 SPEAKER_964: Okay.

00:12:36 SPEAKER_964: This idea.

00:12:41 SPEAKER_964: So, so, what do you?

00:12:49 SPEAKER_964: What message do you hope to get across?

00:12:49 SPEAKER_964: What changes do you hope to see that will, say, help these people get out?

00:12:52 SPEAKER_964: Andre.

00:12:53 SPEAKER_964: By the way, Andre, thank you for inviting me on your channel.

00:12:56 SPEAKER_964: I want to acknowledge the greatness of who you are over the years.

00:13:04 SPEAKER_964: Not just meeting you during this public campaign, but you have a genuine, genuine heart.

00:13:04 SPEAKER_964: A genuine heart for people, and I want to acknowledge that.

00:13:10 SPEAKER_964: Okay, and I want to acknowledge also that when I was just sharing before, we're we're being live here on film, that you have a wonderful God-given gift in writing,

00:13:15 SPEAKER_964: and you're able to explain things so simple.

00:13:23 SPEAKER_964: But some of the issues are complex, but you make it not just readable but enjoyable, and for better terms, a lay person who can, who from the top, makes it simple for us to understand.

00:13:26 SPEAKER_964: So I appreciate you, but I appreciate you as a person, and I thank you for the opportunity just to share.

00:13:35 SPEAKER_964: Going back to the question, which was, and I forget, what changes do you hope to see that will help these people get out in a peaceful way?

00:13:44 SPEAKER_964: Okay, this is a great, great question.

00:13:59 SPEAKER_964: I've served in outreach ministry here in Owen Sound and abroad in Africa.

00:14:10 SPEAKER_964: I served in Nigeria nine times as a missionary.

00:14:18 SPEAKER_964: I've experienced things of privilege to be a part of people's lives, especially in crisis and when they're broken.

00:14:22 SPEAKER_964: And anyone who wants to really know the person, you have to get to know a person.

00:14:25 SPEAKER_964: So at the street level, I'm never going to change that.

00:14:29 SPEAKER_964: I'd rather be amongst the people who are suffering and hurting and tormented,

00:14:38 SPEAKER_964: and be a part of their lives in a productive way because they know me on the street as Brother A. Everybody knows me as Brother A. Why?

00:14:43 SPEAKER_964: Because I am their brother, and they're my sisters and brothers.

00:14:49 SPEAKER_964: And in order for change to happen, you have to give opportunity, which there is in the community.

00:14:52 SPEAKER_964: I can't say there's not, but what is.

00:15:05 SPEAKER_964: There's not, but what has happened is that it's not a pandemic no more, no, no, it's worse than that.

00:15:09 SPEAKER_964: I don't know what the word would be, maybe who would it be.

00:15:14 SPEAKER_964: It's worse than a pandemic.

00:15:18 SPEAKER_964: I've not met one person and I meet hundreds of people every week, okay, every week I have thrown out the question to eighty, ninety percent of them, and I ask them,

00:15:39 SPEAKER_964: this could you please tell me if you know someone that has not been affected by drugs, whether by your family or by your yourself, if you're addicted, or a friend or some family member.

00:15:53 SPEAKER_964: And I've not met one person yet.

00:15:59 SPEAKER_307: So we have budgets to fulfill and physically to be very good at making sure the budget's there.

00:16:09 SPEAKER_307: But if people are dying on the streets, which they are, and unreported, hundreds and thousands across North America.

00:16:10 SPEAKER_307: And in Owen Sound, there's a lot more going on that's reported.

00:16:19 SPEAKER_307: We don't want to know.

00:16:26 SPEAKER_307: Why?

00:16:29 SPEAKER_307: Go ahead.

00:16:33 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:16:34 SPEAKER_307: So the way that I approach it, sure, or understand it, is as a systemic issue.

00:16:35 SPEAKER_307: Okay.

00:16:35 SPEAKER_307: That people are put in a place where, like many generations, like the Zoomers and the millennials, don't really have access to homeownership or a place to live,

00:16:41 SPEAKER_307: and so so they don't have a path forward.

00:16:42 SPEAKER_307: And then some of these people they turn to crime in order to try to make ends meet or to try to get ahead.

00:16:51 SPEAKER_307: And so, what I was thinking as a proposal, because it dovetails with the fact that the energy is running out,

00:16:54 SPEAKER_307: and we're going to need thousands more farmers in Gray County in order to feed the people, and that's a research study that you're you're not talking off your head, are you?

00:17:01 SPEAKER_307: Yeah, yeah.

00:17:09 SPEAKER_307: No, I I talked to, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:17:28 SPEAKER_307: I talked to leading researchers around the world on a monthly basis.

00:17:28 SPEAKER_307: Okay, and they run all the numbers, and we've been talking about it for years, and we've been seeing the oil, just you know, the reserves, the gradually depleting since 1985, and they know it,

00:17:32 SPEAKER_307: and they know it, and the Hormuz crisis has just accelerated the trend.

00:17:36 SPEAKER_307: Yes.

00:17:53 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:17:58 SPEAKER_307: Um.

00:17:58 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:17:58 SPEAKER_307: And so, with that, we could create therapeutic farms.

00:18:00 SPEAKER_307: So as well as community land trusts.

00:18:00 SPEAKER_307: So instead of having, because currently our policies are structured in a way that you're not allowed to build an affordable home because that would lower the value of the homes near it.

00:18:02 SPEAKER_307: And so we have to create something expensive to keep up the property values, at least in the interim, until we have a better retirement plan for the elderly than hedging on the house down.

00:18:04 SPEAKER_307: And so the idea is you would have a central facility that could have your showers and your kitchen and a getting together place,

00:18:15 SPEAKER_307: and then around it you could have something as simple as yurts to start with, so that people could buy in, even like fifteen or twenty thousand dollars,

00:18:27 SPEAKER_964: and then they would have a place to live, and they would have land to cultivate with low input methods, and they would provide for the community, have a sense of purpose.

00:18:36 SPEAKER_964: Yes.

00:18:45 SPEAKER_964: In response, it's not a response, but I'd like to respond to that.

00:18:59 SPEAKER_964: Okay, sure.

00:18:59 SPEAKER_964: You, we had an interview a number of years ago, and you have you have not lost your sight.

00:19:04 SPEAKER_964: You you have purpose to to be on point for exactly what is needed.

00:19:05 SPEAKER_964: Now that's one answer.

00:19:14 SPEAKER_964: I know there's other answers.

00:19:24 SPEAKER_964: You're running for mayor, and I want to let you know that you're worthy of a vote by everyone.

00:19:26 SPEAKER_964: Okay, all right.

00:19:28 SPEAKER_964: And with with the sustainability that that comes in community is all about relationship, and this is what I've heard you talk about.

00:19:42 SPEAKER_964: You know, it's not about just having a house and having your this and that.

00:19:42 SPEAKER_964: Well, everybody's got that now.

00:19:52 SPEAKER_964: They don't now.

00:19:58 SPEAKER_964: The younger generation, the twenty-year-olds, not only can't afford a house, they can't afford rent, and that's the truth across the board.

00:19:58 SPEAKER_964: So we are forced into something that politicians need.

00:20:06 SPEAKER_964: They know, but who's who's changing the bylaws?

00:20:09 SPEAKER_964: Who's amending the bylaws?

00:20:13 SPEAKER_964: And who's creating the space that's there for for generations to come?

00:20:14 SPEAKER_964: So I'm all for what you're sharing with with the strong mayor power.

00:20:16 SPEAKER_964: And I think it should be limited to for a certain time.

00:20:20 SPEAKER_964: I don't think it should be there like where it's oh there's the dictator.

00:20:28 SPEAKER_964: No, I believe we're in a time that we need to have a certain because. it's a crisis, okay?

00:20:32 SPEAKER_964: So people are dying; they're not having their house; they can't afford the food, and they're making good money.

00:20:40 SPEAKER_964: And then there's people that are not, and they lose everything overnight.

00:20:49 SPEAKER_964: The stories are horrendous, and we could talk about it.

00:20:56 SPEAKER_964: But believe me when I say this: talks over.

00:21:01 SPEAKER_964: I'm not.

00:21:04 SPEAKER_964: I'm not running for mayor to get a vote.

00:21:06 SPEAKER_964: I'm saving lives.

00:21:07 SPEAKER_964: You're saving lives, and we're going to have a generational change.

00:21:09 SPEAKER_964: And if we don't, I can I can assure you 100 that our economy, which is very fragile at this very second, it'll be every man for himself, and the rule of law,

00:21:15 SPEAKER_964: which is supposed to be right now, will not be, and that's what will happen unless we do something, and you're doing something, I am, and and two other candidates thus far.

00:21:30 SPEAKER_964: There, by the way, they're both wonderful people.

00:21:41 SPEAKER_964: If you don't mind me mentioning their names, because I want to acknowledge the greatness of who they are as well.

00:21:44 SPEAKER_964: I hope to interview them too.

00:21:54 SPEAKER_964: Okay, Carol Merton.

00:21:57 SPEAKER_964: She she's been.

00:21:58 SPEAKER_964: She has helped so many people, especially in the healthcare area.

00:22:00 SPEAKER_964: But she has a strong heart.

00:22:04 SPEAKER_964: She knows what she's doing.

00:22:06 SPEAKER_964: Richard Thomas, I don't know Richard too well, but he has always been forthright, very honest, and and very particular in what he does.

00:22:07 SPEAKER_964: So all four of us have something to offer.

00:22:14 SPEAKER_964: Whoever becomes mayor, I wish I wish them the very best because it won't be easy.

00:22:16 SPEAKER_964: You're on the front line, and and even city staff might not want to do what the mayor says.

00:22:22 SPEAKER_964: There's too much, what you would call.

00:22:31 SPEAKER_964: I don't know, leadership from below that rules over the leadership that was intended to, you know, it's called the deep states.

00:22:35 SPEAKER_964: Okay, there you go.

00:22:44 SPEAKER_964: I don't want to attack anybody.

00:22:45 SPEAKER_964: But the truth is the truth.

00:22:47 SPEAKER_964: Okay, if we're going to enter this political realm, we're going to get hit from different sides because no, not everybody's going to agree with us.

00:22:50 SPEAKER_964: But every, and I can be totally transparent here.

00:23:01 SPEAKER_964: I have yet to have a person.

00:23:03 SPEAKER_964: I've already talked to hundreds of people, hundreds already, since being a registered candidate a week ago, week and a half ago.

00:23:07 SPEAKER_964: The people are already speaking.

00:23:15 SPEAKER_964: What they're saying, and what are they saying?

00:23:18 SPEAKER_964: Is anybody listening to what they're saying?

00:23:22 SPEAKER_964: And who are we?

00:23:24 SPEAKER_964: We're their servants.

00:23:25 SPEAKER_964: We're not.

00:23:26 SPEAKER_964: We're not above.

00:23:27 SPEAKER_964: We're below them.

00:23:28 SPEAKER_964: We're listening to them, and what makes great leadership is to follow by example.

00:23:28 SPEAKER_307: And I'm not here doing my own thing.

00:23:33 SPEAKER_307: I'm doing what the Lord, my Jesus, tells me to do, as well as being under leadership from a pastoral sense.

00:23:37 SPEAKER_307: And I need wisdom.

00:23:43 SPEAKER_307: I did forget one issue that I was going to say, but there's a lot going on.

00:23:45 SPEAKER_307: But I just want to listen to what you have to share, Andre.

00:23:50 SPEAKER_307: Oh, okay.

00:23:54 SPEAKER_307: Well, I was going to say that regarding those policies that you were talking about, that I have done a lot of advocacy, of sending emails and things like that.

00:23:56 SPEAKER_307: Like, so when I first joined the county four years ago, because people had kind of told me that they felt that my ideas were very good and that I needed to, you know,

00:24:08 SPEAKER_307: help the government.

00:24:22 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:24:23 SPEAKER_307: So I sort of started going to the county as.

00:24:26 SPEAKER_307: it's the highest level of government around here.

00:24:30 SPEAKER_307: Yeah.

00:24:36 SPEAKER_307: And at that time there was a lot of tension, and there was some infighting.

00:24:37 SPEAKER_307: And Blue Mountains was planning on leaving, and West Grey was suing the county.

00:24:44 SPEAKER_307: Um.

00:24:49 SPEAKER_307: And so I went in and I, you know, sent them emails, talked to the mayors and the deputy mayors about kindness and compassion.

00:24:49 SPEAKER_307: Yes.

00:24:58 SPEAKER_307: And the different policies, and you know,

00:24:59 SPEAKER_307: they wanted some kind of education on you know how to be mayors and how to be good mayors and making these policies and I provided that for them and I mean of course they knew

00:25:03 SPEAKER_307: from their own experience but I was just adding on and so because there were different things like for example they kept having these presentations these very expensive presentations,

00:25:14 SPEAKER_964: and almost every meeting, they were spending ten, thirty thousand dollars on some presentation from some people from some other county, and it gave us nothing other than a few page report.

00:25:26 SPEAKER_964: And I brought this up, and they ended up changing the CAO who was organizing these.

00:25:40 SPEAKER_964: So now we're not we're not wasting tens of thousands of dollars.

00:25:47 SPEAKER_964: Excellent.

00:25:53 SPEAKER_964: You know, I think you bring up a valid point.

00:25:53 SPEAKER_964: I'm a I'm a straight shooter.

00:25:56 SPEAKER_964: Okay, I'm not the politician.

00:26:00 SPEAKER_964: I don't know all the ins and outs of municipal affairs and housing.

00:26:02 SPEAKER_964: I know a few things.

00:26:09 SPEAKER_964: One thing I do know is that everyone needs a place of safety.

00:26:12 SPEAKER_964: Okay, and we're not we're not addressing that.

00:26:25 SPEAKER_964: The safety and security I hear every day from every age group.

00:26:28 SPEAKER_964: I'm not going downtown on Sound because it's unsafe, even in the daytime.

00:26:36 SPEAKER_964: Okay.

00:26:44 SPEAKER_964: Yeah, I hear that every all day long.

00:26:44 SPEAKER_964: That's what I hear.

00:26:47 SPEAKER_964: And going back to the strong mayor power, that if I was mayor or whoever would take take take it back to the authority that was given to the mayorship,

00:26:47 SPEAKER_964: the mayor has the has the right to share what the budget will be.

00:27:01 SPEAKER_964: The mayor will have the authority to hire and fire city staff.

00:27:04 SPEAKER_964: The mayor will have the right to create or veto bylaws, and with that, there's there's some stipulations.

00:27:10 SPEAKER_307: It has to be within the provincial mandate, but the provincial mandate, you know, take away politics.

00:27:16 SPEAKER_307: Everyone wants everyone, not everyone, but the ones with good conscience want the best for someone else, their well-being.

00:27:27 SPEAKER_307: That's why we have a provincial status, and it's downloaded to the region and now to the municipality.

00:27:35 SPEAKER_307: But I, Owen Sound, I want to say this: Owen Sound has come of age.

00:27:40 SPEAKER_307: It is time to stand alone.

00:27:43 SPEAKER_307: We're the big brother, and we have the most population out of the nine municipalities.

00:27:47 SPEAKER_307: In total, we got a hundred thousand in Gray County, and I know that basically, at least how things are organized right now, we can't feed ourselves independently.

00:27:58 SPEAKER_307: We need Gray County to keep ourselves fed.

00:28:00 SPEAKER_307: But I wanted to just continue on that point that basically, many of the things were adopted, and Blue Mountains is now securely part of Gray County.

00:28:09 SPEAKER_307: The warden is actually the mayor of Blue Mountains, and West Grey.

00:28:12 SPEAKER_307: West Grey, as well as Hanover, have made amends, and no one is suing each other anymore.

00:28:18 SPEAKER_964: And they work together as a team that's cohesive.

00:28:21 SPEAKER_964: I'm gonna have to use the facility in a minute.

00:28:28 SPEAKER_964: Okay, and so I just wanted to say that.

00:28:31 SPEAKER_964: But one of the things that I've been advocating for is to have carrying capacity-based zoning and having the land hasn't been addressed,

00:28:40 SPEAKER_964: and that is why I feel I was called to be mayor so that I could be there to actually move these motions, to actually get people homes, to help help everybody, and feed feed them,

00:28:53 SPEAKER_307: and yes, exactly, and to feed the people in Owen Sound.

00:28:56 SPEAKER_307: Yeah, we need thousands more low input farmers to bring down the food prices.

00:29:02 SPEAKER_307: That's right.

00:29:02 SPEAKER_307: I total agreement.

00:29:03 SPEAKER_307: Do you?

00:29:04 SPEAKER_307: I think it's not just a wonderful idea.

00:29:06 SPEAKER_307: Anyone who thinks of others first, this is this is the way you do it.

00:29:10 SPEAKER_307: Because and we do it together in this community that you you're publicly sharing.

00:29:14 SPEAKER_307: It's about community, right?

00:29:15 SPEAKER_307: Yes, yes.

00:29:15 SPEAKER_307: You know, and everyone wins.

00:29:17 SPEAKER_307: Many communities, right?

00:29:18 SPEAKER_307: Yes, and everybody wins.

00:29:19 SPEAKER_307: So how can anybody lose if everybody wins?

00:29:22 SPEAKER_307: Right, right, exactly.

00:29:23 SPEAKER_964: And and in terms of the strong mayor, at least from my my perspective,

00:29:29 SPEAKER_964: I found that you know you were saying about my writing and just you know giving that the people that love and the explanation often.

00:29:37 SPEAKER_964: Explanations often helps them just kind of smooth in, and where we're all on the same page.

00:29:42 SPEAKER_964: Yeah, yeah.

00:29:43 SPEAKER_964: And so we don't need to do any force.

00:29:47 SPEAKER_964: It's just all voluntary and in love.

00:29:49 SPEAKER_964: Yeah, yeah.

00:29:49 SPEAKER_964: Well, okay.

00:29:50 SPEAKER_964: I like you said that at the end.

00:29:52 SPEAKER_964: It's voluntary.

00:29:53 SPEAKER_964: Yeah.

00:29:53 SPEAKER_964: All these other.

00:29:53 SPEAKER_964: Can I have it?

00:29:54 SPEAKER_964: No, I'm on the air right now.

00:29:55 SPEAKER_964: Just.

00:29:55 SPEAKER_964: We're just doing a video.

00:29:56 SPEAKER_964: So, yeah, I'll just give you one second.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: No, I'm gonna.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: I'm not gonna miss you.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Just give me one second.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Everyone wants to be paid for what they do, and both you and I are not that.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: We don't get paid.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: We've never been paid, right?

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Right.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: And if we do get paid, well, that's just bonus.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: That's just just bonus, and we're probably worthy of it.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: But all the programs are always financed.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: That's the only way they do it.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: We don't.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: We do it from the heart to help someone because that's the right thing to do.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Thank you so much.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: I have to go.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Okay.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: All right.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Thank you.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Thank you for your time.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Thank you.

00:29:57 SPEAKER_964: Okay.