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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 Lisa Olmstead’s Answers. She is running for councillor.
Who are you? Where are you from? What education do you have? What relevant experience do you have?
My name is Lisa Olmstead, and while I’m originally from Montreal, I am proud to have called Cornwall my home for over 4 1/2 years. As a master stylist with over 27 years of industry experience, I bring a unique blend of practical business sense, as well as a deep community connection to this electoral race. Having successfully run my own business and balanced budgets, I understand financial accountability, but most importantly, I feel that my career has built my capacity to truly listen. For nearly 3 decades, clients have trusted me with more than just their image. They have trusted me with their stories of their families, their health struggles, and their financial worries. For me, being behind a salon chair for so many years has built a rare and unfiltered connection to every day people.I have a genuine desire to make our city better, and I’m running to bring real concerns, balanced budgets and my proven ability to listen, directly to City hall.
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?
We can’t keep raising property taxes to fix budget gaps. To ease the burden on our taxpayers, I feel we need to focus on growing our revenue and expanding our tax base rather than cutting essential services. We need to fast track stagnant brownfields, such as the proposed LOCK18 Into thriving neighborhoods. Cornwall has already been successful in doing this with the Cotton mill district and Belfort Estates. By turning empty, contaminated lands into hundreds of taxable residential units, this will undoubtedly inject millions of dollars into new and recurring revenue that will help to stabilize our municipal tax rates. With that being said, I have already listened to the concerns of our community regarding public health pertaining to projects such as these,and I want people to know that I will always prioritize strict human health standards over fast tracking development deadlines, by ensuring that “soil washing” programs meet Ontario’s rigorous provincial parameters that are enforced by the ministry of the environment
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?
I believe our city needs a proactive strategy that balances community safety with human compassion. I think that expanding mobile outreach teams would be a good start to helping our most vulnerable directly where they are. We need to stop stalling projects such as “Bridge housing “ and our next city council needs to aggressively pursue our city’s share of provincial funding. Homelessness is deeply tied to mental health and addiction, which are provincial health care responsibilities. I will relentlessly lobby Ontario for funding to support transitional housing as well as dedicated treatment beds in Cornwall.
Why are you running for Council? What is the most important issue facing the City of Cornwall today?
I am running because I feel that our city is at a critical crossroad. I believe that this upcoming election is a very important one. We need a responsible council that is focused on practical solutions, not political drama.The single biggest issue facing Cornwall from my perspective, is balanced growth. We are caught between a housing crisis, rising affordability pressures, and the legacy of our city’s industrial past. I’m running because I would like be a part of bridging those gaps.I want to see that our city expands, and that it is done in a way that keeps living affordable, protects our taxpayers, and keeps public spaces safe and accessible for everyone
Many constituents have expressed concerns about accountability and controversy surrounding Council. What could you do as a Councillor/Mayor to improve transparency and accountability?
I feel that public trust has been shaken, and that it’s time to open up the doors to City hall. Our residents have the right to know the intentions of City hall before plans are finalized.I think that all major plans should be clearly presented to the public weeks in advance before before having a final vote.This way, it gives our community a real chance at voicing their concerns, and allows them an opportunity to ask important questions. I would also advocate for clearer financial dashboards. I feel that council expenses, public contracts and city spending should be posted on the city’s website in simple and easy to read quarterly updates, and not buried in a complicated multi paged PDF report.I would also vote to limit “in council” camera sessions to the minimum legal requirements of our municipal act. If we are discussing tax dollars,I firmly believe taxpayers have the right to hear the conversation.
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?
Okay, I’m just going to be brutally honest, and I know it might be uncomfortable for people to read,but, here goes! The contracts are signed, the money is committed and both plans are legally underway, wether we agree with them or not.In reality, stopping them now would trigger massive legal penalties and waste millions more of our taxpayer’s money.I refuse to focus on re-fighting the past. If I’m elected, I want to use my time at City hall finding effective ways to manage the future. As for the Arts Centre, we need to make sure it doesn’t become a permanent drain on taxpayers. I will push for an aggressive business plan that maximizes tourists crowds, looks for corporate sponsors and community rentals, in order to help it pay for itself. I also strongly believe that an audit should definitely take place on the Arts Centre.As for the water meters, I would like to ensure that the water rate structure rewards conservation, but also protects people on fixed incomes, as well as hardworking families from from sudden unimaginable utility spikes by lobbying for a “cap” on maximum payment amounts.
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?
Healthcare is absolutely a provincial responsibility, however the shortage of family doctors is a huge local crisis. I think that we need to expand Cornwall’s medical recruitment program by offering more competitive local incentives in terms of relocation grants, as well as looking for ways to improve on our current medical scholarship grants. This issue is more than just about attracting doctors to Cornwall, it is also about giving them incentives to keep them here in our city.
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?
I think it is really important that everyone feels safe and reassured when walking down their own streets, but honestly, many of us don’t. A lot of residents have voiced their concerns to me over a lack of visibile foot and bicycle patrol in our city.I will always support our local police, as well as our community’s safety by advocating for more visible police presence while making sure our taxpayer’s don’t feel the pinch.I would be open to exploring potential ways we could have more civilians in charge of administrative work, thereby freeing up more of our trained law enforcement officers, allowing them to be out in our community rather than tied to a desk if it isn’t legally necessary.
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