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Gloucester-Southgate: Keays — Ottawa's key issues are transparency, cooperation, affordable housing and transit

Being stewards of this city is not a short-term project, and we must not let disagreements about the last vote compromise our ability to collaborate on the next vote.

Ron Keays is running in Ward 10, Gloucester-Southgate: 'Treating affordable housing as a basic human right must be a priority of council.'
Ron Keays is running in Ward 10, Gloucester-Southgate: 'Treating affordable housing as a basic human right must be a priority of council.' jpg

The Citizen invited candidates in the Oct. 24 municipal election to share their thoughts:

Transparency, cooperation, affordable housing and transit are the key issues facing our city for the next council term. My name is Ron Keays, and it is my goal to help our city and Ward 10 serve our community as effectively as possible.

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I am a father of three school-aged children, and have lived in the Ottawa area for more than 30 years. I studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Ottawa and have spent the last 20 years in a client-facing role in the telecom industry.

The most common complaint I hear from residents on almost any proposal council is considering is a lack of information and engagement prior to the vote. An informed populace and council are absolutely essential to build a functioning city. When our LRT plan was before council for approval, Coun. Diane Deans was the one who asked the question about whether the bid had passed the technical threshold. She was not given an answer, and of course the bid on offer had failed badly. Our transit system was approved without our council being given even basic facts about it. That has to change.

Treating affordable housing as a basic human right must be a priority of council. All housing development needs to be viewed through this lens, along with environmental impacts, transit, and walking and cycling access. With the unprecedented rise of housing costs, bold action is required, and I support Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa and other organizations that have been working tirelessly to provide solutions to the housing crisis.

Our transit system is experiencing challenges from all sides. The technical challenges and changing demographics risk crippling the system. I support the proposed Alta Vista Corridor to provide direct access to the University of Ottawa and downtown by bus, car or bicycle. And further reimagining our bus routes around the hubs created by a functioning LRT will allow for significant improvements in efficiency.

I support providing free transit to new Canadians, youth and individuals on ODSP to improve both ridership for our transit system and, more importantly, to open up our city so all of our residents are able to traverse and experience everything Ottawa has to offer.

Cooperation is simple, but too often overlooked. Our last council was mired in conflict and our city suffered as a result.  There will be a lot of new faces in council come Oct. 25, and it is of utmost importance that council enjoys a productive and open exchange of ideas and opinions.

I commit to taking the time to understand what is important to the health and development of each ward, and how it ties in to the city’s overall trajectory. There will be disagreement, but at all times we must respect one another and behave graciously in victory or defeat. Being stewards of this city is not a short-term project, and we must not let petty or significant disagreements about the last vote compromise our ability to collaborate on the next vote.

— Rkeays.ward10@gmail.com

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