Five Questions with Carol A. Boileau, running for city councillor

1 – Tell the voters a bit about yourself. What skills and experience would make you a good candidate for Councillor? Also, why are you running for Council?

I am a retired Math and French secondary teacher. Being in a wheelchair for the past 6 years, I have tried to keep myself occupied by being on three city committees (Accessibility, Heritage and Senior Friendly) as well as being on the board of directors for the area’s French radio station, FM 92.1. I am bilingual, have the time to give 100% to the task at hand and am willing to take on the challenge. I have been chair of the Accessibility committee for the past four years but it did not seem to be enough to push the accessibility issue in the area. I believe I need to be on council to make sure accessibility issues are taken care of properly and dealt with in a reasonable time frame. Accessibility is not just for wheelchairs but for seniors, the blind, the deaf, the mute, the ones with mental issues etc. ALL citizens should be dealt with respect and be heard.

2 – In what ways could we improve Economic Development and how can we make Cornwall a friendlier city for small businesses?

We need to attract more businesses in the area. There are too many empty spaces in the Cornwall Square, in Le Village and other business areas. They need to be filled. The small businesses need some kind of incentive to locate in the city and to use up some of these empty areas.

3 – What is your vision for arts and culture? Would you support the building of an Arts and Culture Centre in Cornwall? How should that centre be paid for?

I fully support the new Arts and Culture Centre on Pitt Street but I believe the group that will take charge need to look for subsidies and grants as well as public financial help for most of the funding to pay for this project. The city may be able to help a bit but they should not be counted on for the majority of funding.

4 – Do you support keeping any tax increases to a bare minimum? If so, where would the savings come from, and would you support reducing some services? If you do not support keeping tax increases to a minimum, explain why.

Yes, I would like to keep taxes to a minimum. Savings can come from all the planning before a project is a go, from the public services like the police and fire (yes they are desperately needed but for the city of Cornwall, we really have to keep it to a minimum; we are not Toronto after all). I would like to see the number of administrators for the city be cut.

5 – What has been the biggest accomplishment at City Hall over the past four years OR what has been the biggest issue of concern at City Hall over the past four years?

The City has done fairly well concerning accessibility, but it needs to do more and sooner in order to be fully accessible by the deadline of 2025. Its transparency has increased quite a bit in the last 4 years but there could still be improvements so that many more citizens are aware of what is going on in the city. We need to publicize more about the positives of the city and living here. Our average citizen is getting older and we need to have a good look at what we can do for seniors but still attract the youth to our city.