Joe Van der Vechte – Candidate For Grey Highlands Council

I am running to give the residents of Grey Highlands a voice.  I am talking about all the communities in Grey Highlands not just Markdale.

I am running so the residents can reach out and actually get a response back. I want the people of Grey Highlands to have faith in the council and municipality to do the right thing, to do what’s best for the residents.

I will answer my phone, I will return a call, email or text.

I will have the best interest of the residents and communities in mind when making decisions that will affect them.

I want to set up multiple ways for council and staff to communicate to all the residents of the municipality.

Most of all I will listen and always do what’s best for the residents.

Steps I would take, would be to eliminate the “I wants” from the budget. I will focus on the needs of the community in hopes of keeping taxes low.

I will find ways to improve municipal revenues through new programs that can be run out of facilities we already have.

I will fight to offer incentives to new businesses setting up in our communities.

I will focus on streamlining operations and programming to benefit our residents.

My ideas are to develop incentives for local business owners to expand if possible, and help promote to shop locally.

I would survey our communities to get input on what businesses they would like to see in our communities, and then I would find a way to get them here.

Work with new businesses to set up shop and increase jobs.

Promote our beautiful area to assist in getting the word out that we are open to new business.

4) Do you think the municipality has a role to play in the recruitment
and retention of physicians and other healthcare workers?

Absolutely has a role to play, not only to attract new physicians and health care workers, but to find new ways to retain them.

Our health care workers have been over worked and stressed out with regards to the pandemic and they need our support.

We need to meet with them and listen, I mean truly listen to their concerns and ideas how to make it better.

We need to find ways to get the community behind their support and recognize all their efforts as they are only here to support our communities.

I would personally like to thank all our health care workers for their amazing efforts and dedication getting us through the pandemic.

I would like to see the majority of development around our higher density areas that have the current infrastructure to support it.

I would like to see dedication towards lower income housing, for our seniors, younger community and not just talk about it but make it happen.

I would love to see our farm land, stay farm land and not get developed or turned into industrial factories.

I would also love to see our natural environments stay protected and saved from development so the can provide and protect the natural beauty for all to enjoy.

The more we grow, the more we need to plan so we can not only meet the needs, but also meet the wants.