Screenshot
Municipal elections are October 26 in Ontario. To help voters make an informed decision here in Cornwall, the editorial board of The Seeker has put together 10 questions for candidates seeking a seat at the municipal council table, whether as Councillor or as Mayor. To ensure fairness, the same questions were sent to every candidate. We sent a total of 10 and they had the option to answer all of them, or pick a minimum of 5. Their answers will be published in their entirety, in the order they are received. We will not edit, correct or modify any responses.
These are Jody Mitic’s Answers. He is running for councillor.
Who are you? Where are you from? What education do you have? What relevant experience do you have? (1 brief paragraph)
My name is J0DY MITIC, I am 49 and Dad to two amazing teenage girls. I was born in Kitchener Ontario then moved to Winnipeg then Brampton.
In 1994 I joined the Canadian Armed Forces as an Infantry Soldier. I was able to achieve the rank of Master-Corporal and the title Master-Sniper and was employed as a Sniper Team leader in Afghanistan. In 2007, I was wounded in action, losing both of my feet to an IED. After my physical recovery, I was then trained and employed in liaison, media and public relations by the CAF before retiring after 20yrs combined service. I was then honoured by the voters and elected to a seat on Ottawa City council in 2014 – 2018 for Innes Ward 2. I served as the Ottawa City Sports Commissioner, Veterans Adviser to the Mayor, and sat on multiple committees including Community and Public Safety, the Environmental Committee and the Community Housing Board.
I relocated to Le Village in Cornwall with my small company, Green Army Coffee (@greenarmycoffee) and will be opening a coffee shop with my partner, who was born in Cornwall. I only had to spend a short amount of time here to know this is where I want to live and make a new life.
I was a cast member of Amazing Race Canada season 1, placing 2nd.
I published a bestselling autobiography in 2015 called “Unflinching the making of a Canadian Sniper” followed by bestselling “Everyday Heroes” a collection of first hand accounts of military personnel.
You can find me at @jodymitic on Instagram and FB and @JodyMitic1977 on X/Twitter or if you see me walking my dog, Athena, in the neighbourhood, don’t hesitate to say ‘Hi’.
In The Seeker’s poll asking constituents about the most important issue facing them, a large majority of respondents answered “taxes/affordability”. What would you do as a Councillor/Mayor to make Cornwall more affordable, and what city services or spending, if any, would you be willing to reduce, change or eliminate to keep tax increases under control?
What I will do as councillor is pledge to protect the Cornwall Tax Payer from the government. There is only one real source of income to our city, besides what it can beg from the province or Feds, and that is the Property Owners of Cornwall. They are not an ATM or Line of Credit for council to use whenever a politician has a “new idea”or pet project. They should be treated as what they are, investors in The Corporation of Cornwall City and I will invest their money where it is needed most, first. I also want to reduce our level of borrowing in order to reduce long term interest payments, with an eye to eliminating any future unnecessary borrowing. I will spend tax payer money on asphalt and 911 services before I waste any of it on interest payments to the Bank. Finally, I will take our case to Ottawa and Queens Park to argue for a piece of all the HST/GST transactions that happen in our City.
Over the past few years, many constituents have expressed concern that the city’s homelessness situation has significantly worsened. What would you do as a Councillor/Mayor to address this issue?
What I will do as Councillor is approach the situation from a holistic viewpoint. Many homeless are geographically transient and or have health issues that likely put them out of a home to begin with. I will encourage and champion programming that will allow us to identify and take account of those that are unhoused in Cornwall and put them on a sustainable path to recovery, reintegration and self reliance. As well as ensuring that Cornwall has enough housing starts to match demand.
Why are you running for Council? What is the most important issue facing the City of Cornwall today?
I am seeking the honour of representing the people of Cornwall because I believe in this City. That is why I chose to relocate here and start a new life. I have served my community my entire adult life and I know I can make a positive difference in my new city.
I believe the biggest issue Cornwall faces is getting in its own way for the future. We cannot allow ourselves to miss the current and looming opportunities because we are stuck in the past or got distracted by lesser matters.
Many constituents have expressed concerns about accountability and controversy surrounding Council. What could you do as a Councillor/Mayor to improve transparency and accountability?
As Councillor I will endeavour to do my work in as transparent and responsive a manner as possible. I will also advocate and push Cornwall council to implement term limits to increase political turnover and foster greater participation by spending the next four years encouraging a greater voter turn out. Hopefully to above 50% of available eligible voters.
We constantly hear about the Art Centre and the water meters. Many residents have expressed the view that these were bad decisions on Council’s part. Both projects are being implemented, but they remain a sore spot for some voters. Would you consider revisiting or changing decisions made on those projects?
As Councillor I will ‘never say never’, but I also understand how these projects can go. I am keen to see how the Art Centre looks once I can see the file and ask some questions before I make any promises. It could be a project the next generation will thank us for in the end. As for the water meters, I believe that is a ship that has sailed. Water is an incredibly important ingredient in a civilized well functioning city and it costs an incredible amount of money to have clean potable water reliably flowing from our taps. To ensure Cornwall’s water system is sustainable, there must be a true accounting of everyone’s usage. However, I believe that some procedural processes can be updated to allow more tax payer input before a full Council vote. Perhaps even putting some decisions to a public vote in the future.
What would you do to improve our relationship with Akwesasne? What does Truth and Reconciliation look like to you? Explain how Cornwall can take steps toward it?
The best advice my father ever gave me was ‘if you want to get to know someone, stick out your hand and say Hello.’. As Councillor I will take every opportunity to interact with our neighbours and increase personal, business and government relations.
As a Canadian, I personally acknowledge and believe that Truth and Reconciliation is vital to Canadian unity and our Identity as a Nation.
There is no guide book for the steps Cornwall can take towards Truth and Reconciliation, which is why this is an opportunity to lead the way. As long as Cornwall approaches it in good faith and sincerity, future relations with Akwesasne should do nothing but improve for the benefit of us all.
Cornwall’s municipal government relies on experienced and qualified staff to deliver services to residents. What would you do as a Councillor/Mayor to ensure the city can attract, retain and support the best possible people in senior positions?
What I will do as Councillor is encourage the corporation to promote from within and invest in retaining the staff we already have, while also encouraging the corporation not to hesitate to go looking for new staff wherever they may be found.
Healthcare is primarily a provincial responsibility, but access to healthcare is a major concern for Cornwall residents. What can the City of Cornwall realistically do to help improve healthcare access, and would you make it a priority as a Councillor/Mayor?
I almost lost my life 20 years ago when I was wounded in Afghanistan, so I understand the importance of modern medicine when you really need it. It is also unfortunately an issue that is Canada-wide. As Councillor, I will use the tools already in place with cooperation from the Province and local partners to continue to recruit and retain front line Healthcare services and related medical businesses and industries.
Many residents are concerned about crime, vandalism, drug use and a general decline in their sense of safety. What can the city realistically do to address these concerns, and where should municipal responsibility end and provincial or federal responsibility begin?
As Councillor, first of all, I will acknowledge and accept that the situation is exactly what it looks like, and many residents do fear for their safety and shouldn’t have to. Decline cannot be argued with because it is a part of reality and you can see, smell and touch it. Indeed in my past as a Soldier, I witnessed the results of allowing a society to implode on itself. That said, I chose Cornwall because I believe in Cornwall and I see nothing but potential here.
As Councillor, I will use my security background and liaison with the Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire, Cornwall SDG Paramedic and Cornwall ByLaw as well as the O.P.P., RCMP, CBSA and all other security stakeholders in the city. I will encourage increased cooperation between all agencies and funding of new training, tactics, equipment and strategies and be sure they are adopted. And finally, that the proper attention is placed where it is needed most to achieve more positive outcomes than have been experienced in the past.
About the Author
