Editor's note: MidlandToday has asked council candidates in Midland, Penetanguishene and Tiny Township to provide a synopsis of why they are running for public office. Municipal elections take place Oct. 24.
The following response is from Ute Schmid-Jones, who is running for mayor in Midland. For more election coverage, visit our 2022 municipal election page by clicking here, where you can find candidate profiles and other election news.
What is your name, what will be your age on election day, and who are your key immediate family members you rely on for support?
My name is Ute Schmid-Jones. On election day I will be 56 years of age. My family of choice includes friends, community professionals, mentors and a team of Climate Resilience warriors across Canada that I’ve had the privilege of meeting along my life’s journey.
In 10 words or less, why is your municipality the best in the province?
Midland prioritizes collaborating well with other municipalities in Simcoe County.
What prompted you to run as a municipal leader?
Two reasons: I observed a disproportionate representation of women leaders on Simcoe County council. Of those elected representatives, few were using social media tools to inform, educate and promote our region digitally. Some candidates who did have social media profiles seemed to be promoting themselves more than their municipalities. I want to offer voters in Midland a savvy marketing professional who uses social media tools to champion community assets!
Midland Bay Landing is mired in controversy, involving contaminated land, residents wanting to protect parkland, developer visions for the future, and the municipality’s choice for that developer. What is your stance on Midland Bay Landing?
I focus on public service, The vision for this unique section of Georgian Bay shoreline should be directed through public consultation. Taking our time to ensure that we respect the environment and what is best for the community should be our primary concern. Midland Bay Landing is a community asset. It should inspire residents and visitors to engage in the natural shoreline of Georgian Bay through ways that are both recreational and educational. This space has the potential to be a healthy active transportation corridor (walking, cycling, assisted mobility) serviced by eco-tourism and cultural applications.
You will be asked to join committees and other municipal representations. Which are you eager to become involved in?
I have experience serving on the library board, seniors council, heritage and accessibility committees and Midland Community Gardens. Each of these opportunities reinforced that it takes a community of engagement to raise this child we call Midland. I’d certainly like to apply my studies in restorative justice to a position on the Midland Police Services Board!
Voter apathy is always a concern, ranging between 25.7% to 42% of cast ballots across North Simcoe in the last municipal election. Knowing you could be elected without even half of possible voters turning out, what will you do to combat voter apathy so your municipality is best represented?
Bringing the vote to our mobile devices is a positive initiative that should access more voters where they live. I’ve spent many years connecting with residents in Midland and Simcoe County by sharing creative digital content on Facebook group pages in our region. We can invite group page administrators to allow neutral election information posts orienting from the municipality. That would do a lot to inform and share the value of voting in 2022. (Particularly the “Buy and Sell” recycle/reuse group pages that number memberships in the thousands in some of our Simcoe County municipalities)
Single-use plastic campaign lawn signs are definitely not increasing voter turnout in municipal elections. Voters want to know where their candidates position themselves politically. Wasting economic campaign resources on plastic landfill doesn’t resonate well with young people who need leaders to be investing in our climate resilient future.
There are many prominent concerns ongoing in the region, from affordable housing to the opioid epidemic to short-term rentals as well as others. What is one concern that you think the majority of residents are not aware of?
Georgian Bay is undergoing an application process to become a globally established GEO Park. We live on the shores of one of the world’s most pristine natural watershed systems. Our natural land formations in this region are historically valuable, teaching us about how the earth itself was formed. Envisioning a not-so-distant future where more of our residents are gainfully employed in eco-tourism, environmental education & preservation and natural recreational development; inspires me!
The province is planning for a population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by 2051. If now is the time to prepare for that influx, what will you proactively do as your part in the process?
1: Let’s begin with residential “In-filling.”
Currently, Simcoe County offers loans to homeowners to assist with building secondary suites in or on their home property. This initiative will provide a much-needed increase in housing inventory to our region. Garages, basements and newly built secondary suites can house: Urban professionals seeking to escape the commuter challenges of the GTA, an international family escaping a war zone, climate refugees seeking to escape rising water levels or devastating droughts, and Canadians seeking temporary housing refuge after a climate disaster like the fire that consumed Lytton, British Columbia.
2: Let’s ensure that when a single-family dwelling is torn down, a fourplex goes up to replace it.
3: Let’s invite a discussion about transitioning downtown municipal parking lots into low rise sustainable residential housing infrastructure. This would generate more foot traffic to revitalize the core. Visualize the downtown core of Midland-future starting at the NSSRC/Little Lake Park all the way down King St. to our Harbourfront. Families, urban professionals and retired adults engaging with all of the services offered in this safe active transportation corridor will enjoy a quality of life that includes walking, cycling and socializing with friends.
4: Experiment with closing off one or more of Midland’s downtown shopping blocks to vehicular traffic. We could build outdoor exercise/playground equipment in the road space! Visualize a greenhouse installation in our core that provides a unique space for volunteerism and socializing all year round. This could benefit those who struggle with seasonal darkness disorders.
5: Let’s create a co-housing directory to match those with extra housing space with those who need housing.
Recidivism isn’t just on the police and courts. As a municipal leader and crafter of bylaws, what initiatives will you undertake to address crime in your care?
Restorative Justice is the key foundational lens for resiliently responding to crime in our communities: Our region must create a multi-generational Citizen’s Task Force (that includes youth representatives) to address violence in our community. We need respectful and professional input from as many community resources as possible to find solutions for today’s challenges as well as on-going into the future. Many crimes are rooted in poverty and a perceived lack of access to basic human resources and rights. As we elect representatives municipally, provincially and federally who seek to eradicate poverty, through initiatives like a universal basic income, the reasons for most crimes will reduce significantly. Better access to mental-health supports for residents will assist greatly in reducing crime.
Infrastructure projects require taxpayer dollars. What infrastructure project does the municipality desperately need, and does it justify a tax increase from the ratepayers to have it done as soon as possible?
As we prepare all of our municipalities in Simcoe County for a future where we must reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, it would be wise to invest in building solar panel infrastructure on many of our larger municipal buildings. Initially feeding into the province’s electric grid, this will ensure that these buildings, housing important community services and assets, create enough energy through solar and passive solar, to heat, cool and supply all of their energy needs through renewables.
Times change. What is the most aged or obsolete bylaw in your municipality’s code?
Any bylaws that currently perceive the family structures in our municipality as traditionally nuclear need to be revised. Adaptation to and recognizing that what constitutes a family in today’s world extends to multi-generational families, LGBTQI+ families, blended families, and single-parent, single-income earner families, would greatly benefit our community. When we understand the diversity in which our children are being raised, we as a legislated municipality and as concerned and engaged residents, can collectively rise to meet the spectrum of needs for our most vulnerable citizens.
Once you complete your four-year term, what is the legacy you want residents to best remember for your time in office?
Residents of Midland will remember the next municipal term as years in which they felt empowered and inspired to actively be a part of shaping OUR collective future! May we look back on these years feeling respected, heard and most certainly appreciated for the diversity of contributions and assets we all bring to Midland and Simcoe County.
