Elect Ian Kuehl to Pembroke City Council

10/25/2022

THANK YOU.

Tonight’s victory is not just a tally of votes – it has been one of the most humbling events that I have experienced to date in my life. To have so many residents of my hometown place their trust in me, is a feeling that I can’t even begin to describe at this moment, but I thank all of you for making this happen and supporting my vision for the City of Pembroke!

There were so many people involved in my campaign, but, in particular, I want to first thank my brother, Kyle Kuehl, without whom this election victory could not have existed. I thank my friends and family for their continued and unwavering support during these last weeks and months. I also want to thank all of my donors, every resident that hosted a lawn sign, everyone who contacted me with advice, questions and information that helped shape my platform, and all of the other candidates who made this a positive campaign to compete in.

Most importantly, of course, I thank those of you who voted – whether you voted for me for any of the other brave candidates that put their names forward. Decisions are made by those who show up and over the last 11 days so many of you took the opportunity to help shape our future together and to exercise your democratic right to make change!

Tonight, the election has ended, but I know that the real work lies ahead in the form of taking action and getting results. I also want to commit to every resident that I will be here for you every day of this four-year term – I will not be a stranger between now and the next election. Thank you all again for your support and I look forward to working hard on your behalf.

Thank you.

10/24/2022

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY!

To vote in the City of Pembroke Municipal Election, you must be:
- a Canadian Citizen who is at least 18 years old;
- a resident of the City of Pembroke or a non-resident of the City of Pembroke and you and your spouse own or rent property in the Municipality; and
- not prohibited from voting under any law.

IN-PERSON VOTING:

10:00am - 8:00pm at the Pembroke Legion - 202 Pembroke St. E.

Please remember to bring One (1) piece of Government Issued Photo ID and, if your Photo ID does not have your Pembroke address on it, One (1) additional document showing proof of your ownership or tenancy or other eligibility to vote in Pembroke (ex: utility bill, Voter’s Letter sent to you in the mail, etc.)

If you need a drive to get to the Pembroke Legion, call 613-735-1013 and my campaign will be more than pleased to assist you

ONLINE VOTING:

Continues until 8:00pm at pembroke.votes2022.ca

For questions or assistance call Pembroke City Hall at 613-735-6821

MY CAMPAIGN:

For information about me and my platform: www.voteiank.ca or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085700373125

Vote for change you can trust!

www.voteiank.ca

10/23/2022

Recreation and events are more than just providing opportunities to get out and have fun.

Over the last several months, I have worked hard to promote a platform that is more than just bald promises, vague assertions or pictures of me asking for your vote with little to no basis for that all important ask.

This platform item is no different.

The reason that recreational activities and events are so important, is because they also help strengthen our sense of community and increase our pride in our City.

In this campaign, I have spoken about the need to recruit medical and other professionals. In addition to doctors, nurses and other health professionals, I know that we are also short on lawyers, trades persons, veterinarians and other skilled jobs.

I announced Operation Homeward Bound, which would help connect local youth to local employers in their desired fields of work in the hope that those strong, early connections would make it more likely that the youth would return home after completing their studies because they already have a good relationship with a local employer and other incentives are waiting for them right here in the home town!

Providing recreational activities and events also helps to instill a sense of pride and appreciation in one's community. I know I have heard it a hundred times - and you have probably heard it too - kids, teens and young adults saying there is nothing to do here. That attitude, whether accurate or not, leads them to want to move elsewhere and to build their lives.

Now, if your first instinct is to say "fine, then leave!", I will ask you - are you sure its a good strategy to give up on these kids so easily?

Pembroke is currently experiencing a critical labour shortage. We have businesses having to shut down shifts, and even close altogether, because they don't have staff to stay open. I know for a fact that there are doctors, lawyers, nurses, contractors and others who grew up here that left and are now living elsewhere. We could use them here!

Giving up on young people that think there is no reason to stay is too easy and we should be doing more. We cannot blame all young people for having sights on the bigger cities. The fact of the matter is, this is just a local form of globalization. Every kid today has access to see what life elsewhere is like and can then set their sights on it. But for those of us in small cities and in rural Ontario, we can't just give up on them. Even if that is the easy thing to do, the clear, black and white, reality is - we need people here filling the jobs that they are working in elsewhere. We cannot run a hospital without nurses and doctors. We cannot run retirement homes without nurses and PSWs. We can't just give up on all job types - Pembroke NEEEDS many of these jobs filled in order to survive.

So let's stop throwing our hands up in the air to give up, and start putting our hands to work to fight to keep much needed younger workers here at home.

So, what does this all have to do with recreation and events?

Simple - people enjoy doing things. Doctors who are looking at settling down in a community often like to stay fit and active. Youth that currently live here hold onto memories of attending local events. These small things can give residents a positive attachment to their hometown.

I remember as a kid attending Pembroke's Canada Day celebrations down at Riverside Park. There were thousands of people, bands playing on a stage all day, kids activities, craft shows, a beer tent, a softball tournament, horse rides, dunk tanks, magicians, clowns, ice cream toting bicycles, games, a barbecue, vendors and more! It was absolutely one of Pembroke's largest annual events! So what happened? How did we go from all that used to be at Riverside Park on Canada Day to the much smaller event that we now have at the Marina? How did moving an event from one location to another so sizably impact this annual event?

For years, Pembroke's very own Waterfront Festival was growing bigger and bigger! The list of performers were reaching A-Level talent! Then, literally a couple of years, it just fizzled out and died. What happened?!?! How did we go from Johnny Reid's jam packed Marina to nothing in a couple of years?

I am committed, if elected, to not only bringing back Pembroke's Waterfront Festival, but also investigating how it was killed to ensure that we learn from those last couple of years and not repeat those mistakes ever again. But you cannot tell me that Pembroke residents just decided that they did not want a Waterfront Festival - I don't believe that, I wont believe that, and I don't think you do either.

As residents of Pembroke, we all see events going on around us - in Laurentian Valley, in Petawawa and elsewhere in the County. I not only believe that we can compete with our neighbours, but if given the effort and the opportunity, I know that we could do even better than they can and take local events to new heights never before seen in this area!

We must also continue to support and grow those events that we are already so proud of. For example, Pembroke's Multicultural Festival is quickly becoming a can't miss event here in Pembroke - we must continue this event and throw our full support behind it!

On the campaign trail, I have also heard recommendations for new activities that we do not currently support. Activities such as lawn bowling, wiffle ball, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee. I know that Pembroke has taken great pride in the recreational fields and facilities that it has built, but we must remember that people's interests and activities can and do change over time.

It took nearly 20 years for Pembroke to get a permanent skateboard park that today is one of the most used summer recreation facilities we have. I sincerely hope that it does not take 20 years to recognize the next "new" thing in Pembroke!

Indeed, it was just this past week that a resident asked on Facebook about providing a fishing location after the current Council voted to take away the bridge over Muskrat River. The resident provided an example of floating dock that could also be fully accessible. It is pretty easy to look at an idea like this from a resident and say sure, but where do we get the money for yet another recreation facility? My answer to that is rather simple: where did you look before replying with you defeatist answer?

I am keen for the City to not just look at what it can offer, but also what it can partner with others to offer! Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) are quickly becoming an easy way for municipalities, businesses and residents to come together to get things done. The best part - this is not a new idea! It is just a new name for something that has been going on for literally hundreds of years!

When the City of Pembroke is faced with requests for new facilities, or a need to replace or renovate an existing facility, I want City staff to be looking at areas where Public-Private Partnerships may save the day and get the work done!

If we have a City that can offer ample recreational activities and events, it means we have happier and healthier residents. Happier and healthier residents are more likely to want to stay in Pembroke and make this City their forever home! Residents that stay in Pembroke, tend to work in Pembroke!

And that is where my platform comes full circle - keep local residents here, make students want to return home after completing their studies. Fill local job vacancies with local residents.

I was proud to return home after law school - let's make sure hundreds, and then thousands, more people follow what I did!

www.voteiank.ca

10/21/2022

VOTING HAS STARTED!

If you are still undecided, I strongly encourage you to check out the Pembroke All Candidates Night, which you can watch online thanks to our very own local YourTV Cogeco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uojHSgS6Ds8

So many residents have told me on the campaign trail that actions speak louder than words. That is why I was so happy to personally organize this All Candidates Nights after the prior debate was cancelled. I want to specifically thank:

Rick Wharton and Festival Hall Theatre - Centre for the Arts for hosting the evening with its brand new seats and new paint job!

Pembroke Mitsubishi, Hyundai Pembroke, Family Auto Rentals & Ottawa Valley Yamaha for sponsoring the event!

104.9 myFM, The Eganville Leader Publishing, and Yourtv Ottawa Valley for not only covering the event, but also independently setting the rules for the evening and acting as question moderators!

IF YOU ARE READY TO VOTE:

Vote Now Online: pembroke.votes2022.ca
Vote In Person: October 24th - 10:00am to 8:00pm @ Pembroke Legion

For more information on my campaign: www.voteiank.ca

If you need assistance in voting online or if you need assistance getting to the Pembroke Legion on October 24th to vote in person, my campaign will be happy to help - call 613-735-1013 or e-mail [email protected]

www.voteiank.ca

10/19/2022

MyFM Pembroke has recently run a news article titled "Pembroke Regional Hospital working to address staffing shortages".

This article should concern us greatly.

First, however, I applaud the efforts of the Pembroke Regional Hospital who has, like many health care providers, successfully fought to provide our area with critical medical care at time when a global pandemic was causing havoc and pressures on almost every area of health care delivery. I especially applaud the hard work and dedication of our health care workers who, during that same pandemic, have been working under the most straining conditions on the front lines of it all.

As the first candidate in this Pembroke City Council Election to put the recruitment of medical professionals at the top of my platform, I understand and know that we need to do more and The City of Pembroke should be a partner in those efforts with the Hospital and others.

If elected, I have already pledged to use every resource the City has to recruit new doctors and that can, and should, be expanded to also look at other health care professionals, including nurses.

I have also announcement Operation Homeward Bound, which is an initiative I am proposing to connect local youth with local employers at an early age to try to make lasting connections. If a young person is interested in nursing, as an example, and is given opportunities to meet local employers, to volunteer, to find summer employment and to make a real connection, that same student may be more likely to return to that employer when their schooling is over instead of leaving Pembroke to work elsewhere. We have all had to look for jobs in the past. Where would you rather apply for a job? With someone you know and have worked with in the past or a complete stranger in another city? We can also look at providing monetary and other incentives to Pembroke youth who return home to work after completing their education.

As I said during the debate, selling our city to our own youth should be the easier recruitment effort. We must stop ignoring the fact that our youth are leaving the area in droves to live elsewhere. Looking at these youth, many of whom are educated students, and saying, "silly kids, you just don't know what is good for", is ignoring the fact that their leaving is causing actual and measurable consequences for our local workplaces and economy.

We should be putting in effort to lure back our best and brightest.

I recognize that most issues are neither singular nor existing in a vacuum. Many issues have multiple causes and require complex fixes from different angles.

The shortage of nurses, doctors and medical staff must be looked at in a greater context of Pembroke current's labour shortage. One solution, among a variety of efforts, to the medical recruitment issue can be to focus on retaining local youth and local students from our very own Algonquin College Pembroke Campus. It is about providing appropriate incentives, it is about trying to keep our own youth and our own students at home, it is about making sure that Pembroke is a place that young persons are proud of, happy with and wanting stay for.

That is why I have tried to build a campaign platform that doesn't just respond to individual issues and concerns, but that works broadly to identify areas that can help Pembroke succeed and grow. Medical recruitment goes hand in hand with Operation Homeward Bound which goes hand in hand with residential development and housing costs.

A political campaign, like life, cannot just be broad statements without action items or discrete points on specific issues. A good campaign needs to have organization, vision, planning and accountability. I have tried very heard to provide Pembroke residents with a platform of change that they can trust.

For more information on my campaign, visit www.voteiank.ca or check out my page.



https://www.pembroketoday.ca/2022/10/18/pembroke-regional-hospital-working-to-address-staffing-shortages/

The Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) is working to address staffing shortages. Vice-President of Clinical and ...

10/17/2022

VOTING HAS STARTED!

Vote Now Online: pembroke.votes2022.ca
Vote In Person: October 24th - 10:00am to 8:00pm @ Pembroke Legion

For more information on my campaign: www.voteiank.ca

If you need assistance in voting online or if you need assistance getting to the Pembroke Legion on October 24th to vote in person, my campaign will be happy to help - call 613-735-1013 or e-mail [email protected]

www.voteiank.ca

Together, let's take Pembroke to the next level.

10/17/2022

The issue of roads is often one the biggest topics in any municipal election, but the reality is that this issue often comes down to one thing - money.

Fixing Roads:

I think it is relatively safe to say that if the The City of Pembroke was awash with cash, we would not be driving on what have been described as some of the worst roads in Canada. The reality, however, is that fixing even just a few blocks of road can cost literally millions of dollars and most of this money often comes from grants from the federal and provincial governments.

That, however, is the top issue - the easy issue - but it is not what I am hearing from most residents. Yes, they will say that roads needs to be done, but when you actually take a moment to engage and talk with voters, which I have done as I went door-to-door all across this city, is that they know that the City can't afford to re-do every road next year.

Where residents do seem to get angry is when a road that was just done around the corner is being re-done again. When roads that were done within the last 5 years are already cracking and requiring potholes to be filled. When it is July and the large pothole in front of the voter's house has still not been taken care of despite multiple calls to City Hall.

I am not going to pretend that I have a magic solution to fix all of the roads in Pembroke, but I am also not going to pretend that City Hall handles this issue perfectly either.

Communication:

I would like to see the City better explain to residents why roads that are selected for repair were selected.

I would like to see the Operations Department publish a map on the City of Pembroke website that rates every road in the City on a scale so that residents know where those roads that they are most concerned about are in the City's mind - because how can you lobby for your needs if you have know idea where the City has you at?

I would also like to see a time commitment set so that every resident with a road complaint is responded to within a short timeframe.

Money:

The City should of course continue to apply for every dollar of grant money that it can find from other levels of government and other sources.

At the same time, the City must have a plan in place if outside grant money is cut back or dries up. It appears that Canada will soon be entering a recession and we all know that both the federal and the provincial governments spent billions upon billions of dollars that they did not have during COVID-19. What is the City's plan if the monetary taps are turned off? What is Plan B? Is there a Plan B? And can we share that plan with the residents of this City who pay for and expect their roads to be kept to a modern standard.

Safety:

In addition to the fixing of roads, I have also heard a lot about road usage. In particular, many residents feel unsafe on their own roads. They have issues with speeding, a lack of sidewalks, a lack of crosswalks and other dangerous or unsafe road features.

I was proud during my time on the Police Services Board to be the one responsible for parts of Bell Street and Angus Campbell Drive becoming a Community Safety Zone where fines are doubled. This is an excellent tool to get the point across to road users - and police - about what areas we see as being particularly vulnerable.

The City must also continue its ongoing efforts to make sidewalks and crosswalks more accessible - an issue that I know is already being done gradually across the city. I support these efforts and hope that additional money can be found to speed up these efforts.

Snow Plowing:

Can you believe that I dared to even mention the "s" word this early in the Fall?

But winter is just around the corner and I have met two elderly women on the campaign trail, separately and by coincidence, who both described to me how there have been occasions where they have been stuck in their homes unable to get out of their driveways because the city's plow had gone by and the snow berm that it left at the end of the driveway was too heavy for them to shovel. She said when she spoke to a Councillor about this issue, he simply directed her to Snow Angels Canada to find a volunteer snow shoveller to assist her, but she said she couldn't figure out how the program worked or how to get in touch with someone.

This has long been a problem, but new technology, including the use of snow gates on plows, and new plowing techniques are being used in other municipalities to try to reduce snow berms at ends of driveways. This is absolutely a safety issue - especially for seniors - and should be explored immediately.

The City should also better assist those in need, not simply by telling them about a resource, but by guiding them to a resource and ensuring that the resident's need is met.

Conclusion:

Yes, roads and infrastructure is usually about money, but there are other concerns that the City of Pembroke could better address and I hope to be an advocate in that regard if elected as your new Pembroke City Councillor.

www.voteiank.ca

10/15/2022

We all pay a lot of money for our properties in The City of Pembroke - not just the higher purchase prices, but also some of the highest property taxes and water rates in all of Renfrew county!

It is therefore rather annoying when City Hall thinks it knows how to use your property better than you do.

For years now, a debate has been raging in Pembroke over the city's ban on backyard chickens. But why? Why are we telling residents, especially during a time of massive inflation and skyrocketing food prices, that they can have cats and dogs and indoor birds and other animals, but not a bird that would literally help put food on the table?

That is why I am proposing that The City of Pembroke reverse course and allow for a permit process whereby any resident wishing to keep egg laying chickens in their yard can, with the written approval of their neighbours, do just that. I know that some residents wish I was going further - that there should not even be a need for permission from neighbours - but sometimes small steps can lead to big gains and so I ask you to consider this as a positive first step or a trial. This does, however, take away the argument that chickens can be a nuisance to neighbours.

Campfires have also been a topic of much interest. Again, I see this as nothing more than City Hall worrying without need or cause. The residents of Stafford (now Laurentian Valley) enjoy roughly the same style of neighbourhood as most Pembroke neighbourhoods. The City of Kingston - a large urban centre with high density housing - recently created a fire permit system: https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/emergency-services/kingston-fire-rescue/open-air-fires .

In 2019, Pembroke Council, thanks to a motion made by Councillor Brian Abdallah, considered just a one year pilot project permitting recreational backyard fires using rules developed from similar burning bylaws in other Ontario communities, but even this short trial period was voted down by Council - defeated by a vote of 4-2 with Councillors Brian Abdallah and Pat Lafreniere voting in favour of the motion and Mayor Mike LeMay, Deputy Mayor Ron Gervais, and Councillors Ed Jacyno and Christine Reavie voting against (Councillor Andrew Plummer was not at this meeting). See: https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/news/local-news/pembroke-council-says-no-to-backyard-bonfires-but-is-exploring-idea-of-public-fire-pits .

If a large urban centre like the City of Kingston feels that it can appropriately regulate small backyard fires, please tell me why a small city like Pembroke can't see fit to do the same?

Needless to say, year after year residents everywhere are being subjected to more and more regulations. Some of them may very well make perfect sense - none of us really want a group of young students next door blaring music at 3:00am if we need to get up the next morning for work. I am not running on a platform to do away with all by-laws.

I am, however, committed to reviewing existing by-laws that restrict the use of our property to ask: is this completely necessary? can it be re-worked to allow for more freedom? has its purpose come and gone?

I am also committed to asking of any new by-laws: are the proposed restrictions as limited as possible? should the restrictions have a set time period before they simply die (also known as a sunset clause)?

As Canadians, we are all guaranteed certain rights and freedoms that are subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. The key here is that any limits - no matter how big or how trivial - must be justifiable in a free and democratic society.

10/12/2022

The majority of Canadians now agree that there are actions that we can all take in order to reduce our climate footprint and become more environmentally friendly.

This is of course not a new trend: forest management techniques have been around for decades (including here in Renfrew County), recycling and composting initiatives were introduced locally in the 1990s, and even large multi-billion dollar manufacturers are focusing more and more on producing environmentally friendly products.

The City of Pembroke created a Climate Action Advisory Committee and I am keen to see this committee maintained so that it may continue to advise Council on new and emerging environmental issues and areas in which the City can improve its carbon and environmental footprint.

I would like The City of Pembroke to continue installing more electric vehicle charging stations - including in the Downtown Core - so that our city is leading on this issue today instead of finding itself lagging behind years from now. Electric cars will help combat wild fluctuations in the price of gasoline that is having a negative effect on all of our pocketbooks.

The City of Pembroke also should consider what environmentally friendly requirements can be mandated for new builds and commercial site plans, including requiring electric vehicle charging stations.

Council should also consider individual grants to offset the cost of installing renewable energy products in homes and businesses.

Finally, as The City of Pembroke renovates its buildings and replaces its vehicles, it should look at what environmentally friendly options may be available while remaining fiscally responsible.

www.voteiank.ca

10/12/2022

Immediately following the 2018 Municipal Elections, Pembroke City Council voted itself a MASSIVE pay increase (the vote was 5 to 2 in favour: Mayor Mike LeMay, Deputy Mayor Ron Gervais, Coun. Christine Reavie, Coun. Pat Lafreniere and Coun. Ed Jayno voted in favour and Coun. Brian Abdallah and Coun. Andrew Plummer voted against).

Now, I will admit that the reasoning for the MASSIVE pay increase was not unsupported. For many decades, municipal councillors in Canada paid tax on only two-thirds of their council honorariums. In June, 2017, the federal government removed the exemption that made one-third of council honorariums tax free - municipal politicians would now have to pay tax on all of their income just like the rest of us.

The majority on Pembroke Council, however, decided that they should be above this new tax and instead decided to give themselves a raise large enough to cover the new tax amount. In other words, Pembroke City Council decided that you, the taxpayers, should pay their taxes! See: https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/news/local-news/pembroke-councillors-will-be-compensated-for-the-one-third-tax-break-they-are-about-to-lose

But why did Council not make this change in 2017 when the new tax came into effect - why wait until late 2018? I can only presume that Council's hope was to wait until after the 2018 election, pass the vote on the MASSIVE pay increase in December, 2018 when taxpayers were focused on the holiday season, and hope that voters would forget about this selfish act over the course of the four year council term.

My immediate proposal, in light of the difficult economic times that we find ourselves in, is to freeze council honorariums for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors for the 2022-2026 council term. Secondly, I propose amending the Procedural By-law to require that any motion to increase council honorariums should have to be done between January 1st and June 30th of an election year so that the matter is front and center in that year's election campaign and not swept under the rug four years earlier.

I do not disagree that Councillors put in a lot of time and effort, and I am not saying that some Councillors don't work hard on behalf of the people they represent, but ordinary employees can't vote themselves a pay rise when the government increases our taxes and neither should municipal councillors! And when Council does choose to increase its honorariums - which very well might make sense and be acceptable to the public as has been the case from time to time in the past - it should be done transparently in front of the voters.

www.voteiank.ca