Cathy (she/her) has been a member of the ONN team since June 2012. Throughout her 20 years working in the nonprofit sector, including as the founding Executive Director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington, she has been passionate about collaboration and leadership in the sector. Cathy works with sector colleagues from across Ontario and Canada, as well as private sector and government officials, to create an enabling policy environment for nonprofit organizations. Cathy’s roots are in the environmental movement and she has been active in municipal politics. She holds a degree in political studies and history from Queen’s University, and attended the Maytree-York University Executive Directors Leadership program. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family and her garden in Erin, Ontario.
To frame our conversation:
Introduce yourself and your background.
Introduce ONN and what it does.
Overview of the NFP Sector particularly in SW Ontario – does it differ between urban and rural communities?
Impacts of COVID on the sector.
You just had a report on the caring economy come out, what did that report highlight and reveal?
Non-profits and municipal governments generally have a very close relationship due to the overlap in the mandates for service. How can NFP, particularly in smaller communities, advocate the same governments that provide their funding?
Megan Stacey is the city hall reporter at The London Free Press. When not live-tweeting political debates or covering local government decisions, she also writes about social issues. She’s picked up Ontario Newspaper Awards for reporting on healthcare serial killer Elizabeth Wettlaufer, as well as the explosion that rocked London’s Old East Village. She lives in London and loves to explore the best of the Forest City, including new restaurants and the beautiful Thames Valley Parkway.
The questions that framed our conversations:
– In general what are the top issues both in London and Middlesex County?
– How is the Mayoral race shaping up in London?
– How are the ward races shaping up? There were a few long announced open council seats how do those races look? Any incumbent’s look at risk?
– What about in the County are there any races you are watching out there?
– There was a lot of controversy around the TVDSB is any of that carrying over into the election?
Dan Mathieson is in his fifth term as Mayor of the City of Stratford and has sat on municipal council since 1995. He is past Chair of the Ontario Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), Past Chair of Kings University College at Western University, Chair of the Stratford Police Services Board, a member of the Board of Directors of Festival Hydro and Rhyzome Networks and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Dan is also a Governor on the Board of i-Canada and a Board Member of Hampton Financial Corporation.
In November, 2015, Dan was awarded the Alumni Award of Excellence from Master of Public Administration, Local Government program at Western University. He was also the 2016 Western University, Public Administration Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, lecturing on governance and innovation in public institutions.
In 2012, Dan was chosen by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, paying tribute to community leaders whose endeavours have set them apart as technology innovators. As well, Dan received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for public service.
Dan has received an ICD.D Designation through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Guelph and a Masters of Public Administration Degree from the University of Western Ontario.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest. Who are you? What is/was your day job (if not a full time politician)? Why did you run for Council?
Paint a picture of Stratford. People have heard of the festival but who are the people? What do they do there? Beyond tourism what are the opportunities and challenges facing the community?
Finally, how does Stratford fit in as an “independent” City surrounded by Perth County.
How does Stratford fit into SW Ontario?
You spoke on TVOs the Agenda in May about Taxation in Ontario. What are the tax challenges facing municipalities?
If municipalities had another revenue “lever” they could pull, what would be the best one?
Thinking back on your time on council, what is an issue, vote or policy that you wish would have gone another way?
What do you think is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office? What are people hopefully going to remember you for in a few years time?
Thinking about your successor or people running for council in general, what is a piece of advice that you give them?
Alison has always had a strong interest in rural economic development and local tourism. She started her own business Warwick Equestrian Development Inc. in 1997. As an equine Canada certified coach she taught for many years as well as running a large boarding business and hosting annual horse shows.
Alison also was a 4 H horse club leader as well as a member at large for the Western Fair Association. In 2014 she was elected as Ward 3 councillor for Thames Centre and in 2018 was elected Mayor.
She currently is serving as the Warden for Middlesex County. She also is chair of the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority and chair of South Central Ontario Region Economic Development.
She was a founding member of the County of Middlesex Women’s Caucus and is a strong proponent of encouraging women to work in leadership roles at all levels of government.
Alison is also a proud member of the Dorchester Lions Club as well as a past president of the North Dorchester Agricultural Society.
In her spare time she enjoys reading, drawing and spending time outdoors.
The Warden Hat
To frame the conversation below are some topic areas.The first half of the show is standardized (more or less) with each guest talking through these themes.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest. Who are you? What is/was your day job (if not a full time politician)? Why did you run for Council?
Paint a picture of Thames Centre, where is it, what do people do there, who are the people?
Finally, how does your community and constituents fit into Middlesex County and the relationship with London as a whole?
Talk a little bit about the Women’s Caucus. This seems to be somewhat of a unique feature in your region what was the impetus and how has it been going? Where do you hope it goes now that your elected role is ending?
Thinking back on your time on council, what is an issue, vote or policy that you wish would have gone another way?
What do you think is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office? What are people hopefully going to remember you for in a few years time?
Thinking about your successor or people running for council in general, what is a piece of advice that you give them?
Zachary Spicer is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University. He was previously the Director of Research and Outreach with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, an Assistant Professor at Brock University and a Senior Policy Advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Smart Cities in SW Ontario….
A teaser for our conversation. Tune in Thursday night at 7pm to hear the full conversations.
My first returning guest so there are different questions:
1) Outcome of the Zorra Township Review of 4 day work week pilot?
2) Talk about the 2 books that have come out since you were last on:
The Platform Economy and the Smart City Technology and the Transformation of Urban Policy – You edited a book with Austin Zwick.
Delivery by Design: Inter-Municipal Cooperation, Shared Services and Canadian Local Government.
Lifelong Amherstburg resident – Grew up on the predominantly Italian immigrant street, Texas Road. Lived there until marrying and moving to Richmond Street, Amherstburg.
Childhood friends with Laura Elaine (Levack) DiCarlo, who eventually dated and married. We both moved from our parents’ house to our home on Richmond Street, where we still live. Married August 21st, 1993.
Proud parents of Amherstburg’s Bicentennial Baby (first baby born from Amherstburg that year) Emily Kathryn DiCarlo, born January 2nd, 1996. Also proud parents to twin boys, Michael Louis and Vincent Giovanni DiCarlo, born October 17th, 2000.
Education
Attended Stella Maris Catholic Elementary
Graduated General Amherst High School, grades 9-13
Graduated St. Clair College in 1990 from the Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology Program.
Employment
Worked in automotive electronics for years while also running my own automotive electronics home-based business (which I maintained since 18 years old, until becoming Mayor, time being the obvious reason for pausing business.)
Hired at the University of Windsor in 1997 as Supervisor of Audio/Visual Services for entire campus
moved in 2000 to my current position of Physics Laboratory Coordinator in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science
Elected/Appointed Roles
While employed at the University of Windsor, held a Union Executive position in CUPE Local 1393 for 15+ years, 11 of which were as Local President.
CUPE National Union Facilitator from 2012 to 2014
University of Windsor Board of Governors, 6 years (2 terms).
Elected Mayor of Amherstburg in 2014 election, re-elected in 2018
Member of Essex County Council, 2014 to 2022
A teaser below here the full conversation Thursday at 7pm
To frame the conversation below are some topic areas.The first half of the show is standardized (more or less) with each guest talking through these themes.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest. Who are you? What is/was your day job (if not a full time politician)? Why did you run for Council?
Paint a picture of Amherstburg, where is it, what do people do there, who are the people?
Finally, how does your community and constituents fit into Essex County and SW Ontario as a whole?
The second half of the show is a bit more political/policy related. We may not get to all of these topics and this might not be the order we discuss them in.
Obviously Amherstburg has had some turnover in senior leadership positions recent. As a council how do you navigate that when HR considerations etc. but people want answers?
Thinking back on your time on council, what is an issue, vote or policy that you wish would have gone another way?
What do you think is your biggest accomplishment during your time in office? What are people hopefully going to remember you for in a few years time?
Thinking about your successor or people thinking about running for council in general, what is a piece of advice that you give them?
Stephen MacKenzie is the President and CEO of Invest WindsorEssex responsible for advancing economic development to grow and sustain prosperity in Southwest Ontario, Canada.
He has spent 27 years in economic development organizations in Connecticut, Nova Scotia and now Ontario. Prior to joining IWE, he served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region and previously held the position of Senior Vice President of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.
Before joining CERC, he was the Director Economic Development in Stamford Connecticut. In Halifax, Stephen was a Senior Executive Major Projects for the Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development’s Investment and Trade Division. Previously he spent four years with the TD Bank, and later served in sales and marketing functions at different organizations in both Canada and Belgium.
Stephen has been a part-time lecturer at European University and Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. He received a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, completed his MBA at European University in Belgium, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and a Board member for the Canada-United States Business Association (CUSBA).
Who are you? What was your journey becoming President & CEO of Invest Windsor-Essex
You are the head of a regional organization, so please paint a picture of Essex County for someone who hasn’t been here before?
Finally, how does your community fit into SW Ontario as a whole?
The second part of the show we dig into more specific discussions.
People only tend to hear about ECDev when good news happens (plant opening/funding) or bad news (plant closing/bad data). What is Economic Development? What do you actually do day to day?
Is Economic development just a race to the bottom?
Economic Development vs Community Development – Hear a lot about war for talent, amenities and quality of life for employees. To me there is almost a ven diagram overlapping economic and community development.
How do you see those systems interacting and how could they interact better? I think there is a perception that economic development is more important than community development. Is that true?
Are community benefit programs something we need to better explore in Canada?
As an example Regional transit, Waterloo region has one of the most robust regional transit systems connecting Waterloo-KW-Cambridge in under two hours. You can currently barely get across Windsor in 2 hours by transit. If we had a robust regional transit system, remove a competitive advantage of other communities, and get people to places quicker.
You are a regional economic development organization. How do you balance the particular municipal needs vs bigger regional picture?
Can you talk to me a bit about Automobility, what is it? The word doesn’t exist in the Webster’s dictionary. What is it, and why is it the future of Windsor-Essex?
Admittedly I struggle to understand what it is and how it is different not just a more narrow version of what are already doing?
If you could wave a policy magic wand, and could change a policy, municipally, provincially, federally or internationally what would you change?
Is there an event or reason for a listener to come to Essex County in the next few months?
After serving 14 years as Councillor for Ward 1 in North Dumfries, I entered the race for mayor and was elected in 2014. Seeking re-election in 2018, I was once again successful in confirming my place as mayor of North Dumfries and Region of Waterloo Councillor for the 2018 to 2022 term. I believe in a strong Regional Council which enables and reinforces the strength of the seven municipalities which make up the Region of Waterloo. I proudly serve and cherish North Dumfries and its people.
I graduated from Conestoga College from the Recreation and Leadership Program as well as the Advanced Business Application and holds a Canada Customs Introduction to Customs and Customs Duty Drawback. For 32 years I organized and Chaired the Community Police Advisory Committee for North Dumfries, I also Chaired the Seniors Advisory Group, was a member for the North Dumfries Smart and Caring Foundation and a Warden of Christ Anglican Church.
I was a volunteer at a grassroots level organizing blood donor clinics, teaching learn to skate and swimming as well as coaching hockey and ringette.Past employment included Youth and Preschool Director, Life Skills Coach, Assistant Aquatic Director, and Inventory Planning /Logistics Coordinator. When I was successful in winning the seat as the Mayor of North Dumfries, I retired from my job and choose to dedicate my time working for the people of North Dumfries.
At the present time I sit on Administration and Finance Committee for the Region of Waterloo, Budget Committee for the Region, Community Services, Library, and I am Vice-Chair of Planning and Works at the Regional Level. I also sit on the Grand River Accessibility Committee as the Regional representative. Some of my other appointments are, Vice- Chair of the Grand River Conservation Authority, Jack Young Civic Award Committee, Board member of Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology, was Chair of the Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities of Ontario for 5 years and presently I sit as a Board member of TAPMO. I also sit on the Board of Energy.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest:
Who are you? Your path to becoming Mayor of North Dumfries
Describe your municipality as a whole. Paint a picture for someone who has not been to your town or community before or has only seen it as a sign on the side of a road.
What is working, and what is not, what are you building towards?
What is your region, how does the relationship work with Upper level government in Waterloo region?
Finally, how does your community fit into SW Ontario as a whole?
The second part of the show we dig into more specific discussions.
In the 2016 Census you grew by 9.1% and in 2021 Census, North Dumfries grew by 4%. The Waterloo region grew by 9.7%. You have had rapid growth, your neighbours are growing rapidly. How do you manage that?
You are apart of what is possibly one of the most economic and demographic dynamic regions in Canada but you are rural community of less than 15,000 people.
Housing is “THE ISSUE” across the province. How is it impacting your community?
Given some of the rapid growth of your neighbours do you risk losing some of your rural character? I would assume some of your settlement areas like Ayr and Reidville have grown more rapidly compared to the general rural populations?
You had a 3.8% tax increase proposed back at the end of last year. You had direct admin to come back around 3%, where did that land?
If you could wave a policy magic wand, could change one thing municipally Provincially or Federally what would you change?
What is an event or reason for a listener to come to your community in the next few months?
Al Strathdee was first elected Mayor in 2014 and is now serving his second term. He is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, with an Honours BA in History and Political Science and also is a graduate of the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Education. Al is a business small operator and has always been actively involved in several community organizations. Al and his wife Gloria have three children. Al enjoys travel, music and spending time with family.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest.
Who are you? Your path to becoming Mayor of St Mary’s
Describe your municipality as a whole. Paint a picture for someone who has not been to your town or community before or has only seen it as a sign on the side of a road.
What is working, and what is not, what are you building towards?
What is your region, how does the relationship work with Upper level government in Perth County
Finally, how does your community fit into SW Ontario as a whole?
The second part of the show we dig into more specific discussions.
In the 2021 Census St Mary’s grew by 1.7% while Perth County grew by 6.2%, what are you taking from that growth pattern?
Housing is “THE ISSUE” across the province. How is it impacting St Mary’s?
I like to assume that COVID is getting close to wrapping up. What should we be watching in St Mary’s in 2022
If you could wave a policy magic wand, could change one thing municipally Provincially or Federally what would you change?
What is an event or reason for a listener to come to your community in the next few months?
Born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Mayor McNamara and his family have called Tecumseh home since 1981.
After working at Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. as a Power Engineer for 28 years, Gary retired in 2011. He has been married to Heather for 47 years, is the father of two grown sons, and proud grandfather of four.
Residents of Tecumseh first elected Gary to Tecumseh Town Council in November 1991. He was then voted in as Deputy Mayor in 1998, and as Mayor for the Town in 2003. Re-elected to the position of Mayor in 2006, acclaimed in 2010, re-elected in 2014 and acclaimed once again in 2018, Gary has successfully, and with the highest level of integrity, held this office for 15 years.
Gary’s County colleagues entrusted Gary by voting for him as Deputy Warden of the County of Essex from 2000-2003 and again for the 2010-2014 term. In December 2018, they reaffirmed their confidence in Gary’s abilities, electing him as Warden for the County.
To frame the conversation below are some topic areas.The first half of the show is standardized (more or less) with each guest talking through these themes.
The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest. Who are you? Your path to becoming Mayor of Tecumseh and Warden
Describe your municipality as a whole. Paint a picture for someone who has not been to your town or community before or has only seen it as a sign on the side of a road.
What is working, and what is not, what are you building towards?
What is your region, how does the relationship work with Essex County. You are the first Warden we have had on the show, speak to that.
Finally, how does your community fit into SW Ontario as a whole?
The second part of the show we dig into more specific discussions.
Between 2011-2016 Tecumseh shrank in population, between 2016-2021 barely grew while the rest of Essex Country grew faster than provincial and national averages. What happening?
City/County relations/structure – Waterloo Region which is integrated with cities on regional councils vs Windsor-Essex Model.
I like to assume that COVID is getting close to wrapping up. What should we be watching in Tecumseh in 2022? What about Essex County as a whole?
Obviously it is a provincial election year, what is one policy issue you want to hear from parties?
If you could wave a policy magic wand, what would you change?
What is an event or reason for a listener to come to your community in the next few months?
SW Ontario Council Watcher 