Love drives policy over profit for community survival

Full Transcript

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

00:00:01 Andrii Zvorygin: I'm here with Ray Botten, and he's running for mayor.

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

00:00:09 Ray Botten: Sure.

00:00:09 Ray Botten: My name's Ray Botten.

00:00:10 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: The reason why is because in every town and village and city across North America, we have a major issue.

00:00:32 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Now, five percent of my platform will probably deal with mobility issues and senior challenges.

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

00:01:04 Andrii Zvorygin: Okay, cool.

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

00:01:10 Ray Botten: That's right.

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

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

00:01:18 Andrii Zvorygin: Go ahead.

00:01:19 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: But basically, number one is like I said, we're going to deal with the drug issue.

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

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

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

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

00:01:55 Ray Botten: But it's the me.

00:01:56 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: We can talk about what that means, but number two, and this is a major one.

00:02:31 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: I'm going to opt out of Grey County as a city, and we're going to stand alone.

00:02:50 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: That's a lot of money.

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

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

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

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

00:03:16 Ray Botten: Okay.

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

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

00:03:24 Ray Botten: I win.

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

00:03:32 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

00:03:38 Andrii Zvorygin: You know and Owen Sound.

00:03:38 Andrii Zvorygin: Yep.

00:03:39 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Ray Botten: Well, I'm in step with it.

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

00:03:53 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: But that's the vision I have.

00:04:11 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: That's that's my vision, and third.

00:04:27 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: They can't live a life of freedom.

00:04:50 Ray Botten: They're not.

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

00:04:56 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: So I want to give people an opportunity—not judging them, but saying, "Listen, you're caught up into something.

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

00:05:32 Ray Botten: It might even endanger your life.

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

00:05:41 Ray Botten: That's the truth.

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

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

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

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

00:06:26 Andrii Zvorygin: Interesting.

00:06:26 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Ray Botten: Oh, okay.

00:06:45 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: some things are not.

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

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

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

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

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

00:07:25 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: and the reason why it's really marginalizes even my faith because I can't put up that cross flag.

00:07:40 Ray Botten: It's it's not allowed.

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

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

00:07:54 Ray Botten: And there was a time.

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

00:07:59 Ray Botten: I want to say that publicly.

00:08:04 Ray Botten: There was a time, right?

00:08:07 Ray Botten: But my life has changed.

00:08:10 Ray Botten: Okay.

00:08:13 Ray Botten: My life has changed.

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

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

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

00:08:21 Ray Botten: Okay.

00:08:24 Ray Botten: That's but.

00:08:24 Ray Botten: I do follow.

00:08:25 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Where who is normal?

00:08:49 Ray Botten: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: and I do apologize for that.

00:08:56 Andrii Zvorygin: Okay.

00:09:06 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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

00:09:09 Andrii Zvorygin: Okay.

00:09:11 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: That's one of the things that Jesus all asked us, and to forgive and love one another.

00:09:16 Ray Botten: Yeah.

00:09:26 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Well, I won't say, I will say, again, I can't alter what God says, but he's the judge.

00:09:31 Ray Botten: I'm not.

00:09:42 Ray Botten: Right.

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

00:09:51 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: He does.

00:09:52 Ray Botten: I mean, he's he.

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

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

00:10:01 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: What what can I do?

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

00:10:20 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: I have a question: Have you gone to the police?

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

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

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

00:10:45 Ray Botten: It's not a guess.

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

00:10:53 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: and they would have they would be taken out permanently.

00:10:58 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: But see, that's not my issue.

00:11:20 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: When you are, a lot of cases you're not allowed out.

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

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

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

00:12:02 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Why?

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

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

00:12:28 Andrii Zvorygin: How can I help?

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

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

00:12:35 Andrii Zvorygin: Okay.

00:12:36 Andrii Zvorygin: This idea.

00:12:41 Andrii Zvorygin: So, so, what do you?

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

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

00:12:52 Ray Botten: Andre.

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

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

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

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

00:13:10 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: and you're able to explain things so simple.

00:13:23 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: So I appreciate you, but I appreciate you as a person, and I thank you for the opportunity just to share.

00:13:35 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Ray Botten: Okay, this is a great, great question.

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

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

00:14:18 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: And anyone who wants to really know the person, you have to get to know a person.

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

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

00:14:38 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Because I am their brother, and they're my sisters and brothers.

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

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

00:15:05 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: I don't know what the word would be, maybe who would it be.

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

00:15:18 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: And I've not met one person yet.

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

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

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

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

00:16:26 Andrii Zvorygin: Why?

00:16:29 Andrii Zvorygin: Go ahead.

00:16:33 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

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

00:16:35 Andrii Zvorygin: Okay.

00:16:35 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: and so so they don't have a path forward.

00:16:42 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: And so, what I was thinking as a proposal, because it dovetails with the fact that the energy is running out,

00:16:54 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah, yeah.

00:17:09 Andrii Zvorygin: No, I I talked to, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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

00:17:28 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: and they know it, and the Hormuz crisis has just accelerated the trend.

00:17:36 Andrii Zvorygin: Yes.

00:17:53 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

00:17:58 Andrii Zvorygin: Um.

00:17:58 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

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

00:18:00 Andrii Zvorygin: So as well as community land trusts.

00:18:00 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Yes.

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

00:18:59 Ray Botten: Okay, sure.

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

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

00:19:05 Ray Botten: Now that's one answer.

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

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

00:19:26 Ray Botten: Okay, all right.

00:19:28 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: You know, it's not about just having a house and having your this and that.

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

00:19:52 Ray Botten: They don't now.

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

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

00:20:09 Ray Botten: Who's amending the bylaws?

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

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

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

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

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

00:20:32 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: And then there's people that are not, and they lose everything overnight.

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

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

00:21:01 Ray Botten: I'm not.

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

00:21:06 Ray Botten: I'm saving lives.

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

00:21:09 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: There, by the way, they're both wonderful people.

00:21:41 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: I hope to interview them too.

00:21:54 Ray Botten: Okay, Carol Merton.

00:21:57 Ray Botten: She she's been.

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

00:22:00 Ray Botten: But she has a strong heart.

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

00:22:06 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: So all four of us have something to offer.

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

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

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

00:22:31 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: Okay, there you go.

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

00:22:45 Ray Botten: But the truth is the truth.

00:22:47 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: But every, and I can be totally transparent here.

00:23:01 Ray Botten: I have yet to have a person.

00:23:03 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: The people are already speaking.

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

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

00:23:22 Andrii Zvorygin: And who are we?

00:23:24 Andrii Zvorygin: We're their servants.

00:23:25 Andrii Zvorygin: We're not.

00:23:26 Andrii Zvorygin: We're not above.

00:23:27 Andrii Zvorygin: We're below them.

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

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

00:23:33 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: And I need wisdom.

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

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

00:23:50 Andrii Zvorygin: Oh, okay.

00:23:54 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: help the government.

00:24:22 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

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

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

00:24:30 Andrii Zvorygin: Yeah.

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

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

00:24:44 Andrii Zvorygin: Um.

00:24:49 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: Yes.

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

00:24:59 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: And I brought this up, and they ended up changing the CAO who was organizing these.

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

00:25:47 Ray Botten: Excellent.

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

00:25:53 Ray Botten: I'm a I'm a straight shooter.

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

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

00:26:02 Ray Botten: I know a few things.

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

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

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

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

00:26:36 Ray Botten: Okay.

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

00:26:44 Ray Botten: That's what I hear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

00:27:40 Andrii Zvorygin: It is time to stand alone.

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

00:27:47 Andrii Zvorygin: 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 Andrii Zvorygin: We need Gray County to keep ourselves fed.

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

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

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

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

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

00:28:31 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: 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 Ray Botten: and yes, exactly, and to feed the people in Owen Sound.

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

00:29:02 Ray Botten: That's right.

00:29:02 Ray Botten: I total agreement.

00:29:03 Ray Botten: Do you?

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

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

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

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

00:29:15 Ray Botten: Yes, yes.

00:29:15 Ray Botten: You know, and everyone wins.

00:29:17 Ray Botten: Many communities, right?

00:29:18 Ray Botten: Yes, and everybody wins.

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

00:29:22 Ray Botten: Right, right, exactly.

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

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

00:29:42 Ray Botten: Yeah, yeah.

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

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

00:29:49 Ray Botten: Yeah, yeah.

00:29:49 Ray Botten: Well, okay.

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

00:29:52 Ray Botten: It's voluntary.

00:29:53 Ray Botten: Yeah.

00:29:53 Ray Botten: All these other.

00:29:53 Ray Botten: Can I have it?

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

00:29:55 Ray Botten: Just.

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

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: No, I'm gonna.

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Just give me one second.

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: We don't get paid.

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Right.

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

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

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

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: We don't.

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

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Thank you so much.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: I have to go.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Okay.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: All right.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Thank you.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Thank you for your time.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Thank you.

00:29:57 Ray Botten: Okay.