We must do everything we can to ensure our safety and our loved one’s safety in our homes and in our neighbourhoods. Each and every day, we should feel safe and be safe when we walk up and down our streets.

Speeding and the failure to obey stop signs were the two main concerns as I spoke with residents. Seeing a car travelling through the neighbourhood at a high rate of speed leaves you feeling afraid for your well being and of those with you. Not knowing if a car will obey a stop sign can leaves me with a sick feeling that something terrible could happen.

Enforcement, engineering and education can help improve safety on our roads.

Enforcement usually involves having police on site to act as a visible deterrent to prevent speeding, and to stop those who drive at excessive speeds. As residents, we can also work together to report streets that are often most at risk, or drivers who display reckless behaviour. I can work with the police as the neighbourhood’s liaison and to ensure regular police presence. Given there are far more streets than officers, this has an important but limited effect to reduce speeding.

Engineering includes items such as adding stop signs and larger speed signs. In some cases, items such as speed humps or chevrons can be used. Our residents deserve most effective and permanent solution that will reduce the frequency and severity of traffic violations in their neighbourhoods.

Education includes speed display boards that shows the speed of the vehicle and the posted limit. Speed display boards are known to be effective at reducing speeds of those vehicles travelling in excess of the limit, while not interfering with those who are obeying the limit. Education also involves increasing the awareness on the local speeding issue by talking to your neighbours. A local group of neighbours can also note cars and plate numbers and send those in through Road Watch. The police do respond to these requests and they can be an effective tool to ensure neighbourhood safety.

Together, with our residents from Ward 3, police and town staff, I am confident that we can make you feel safe in your neighbourhoods again.

As a resident of Newmarket, I am proud of our quality of living, and the abundance of green space is a huge part of that.  People of all ages use our parks and trails to enjoy a breath of fresh air and experience a sense of well-being for surrounded by grass, trees and open space.  In fact, many residents settled in Newmarket to raise their families in such an environment.  In order for us to protect our standard of living in Newmarket, we must protect the remaining green space in our neighbourhoods and ensure that it is ready for our families to use.

I worked hard to protect the green space, now named Philmore Hamilton Park, for the families of Ward 3.  Without our collective determination, this space would have been sold by the town for additional housing.  Philmore Hamilton Park is now enjoyed by many families.  Our system of bike and pedestrian trails is also frequently used by both the young and elderly for recreation and exercise.

Let’s work together to improve areas such as Charles Van Zant Park, and many others.  Let’s find ways to promote better and more use of our green space.  We can work together with our Council to direct taxes to maintain our park projects and possibly invest in new ones.

Coming soon there will be an opportunity to participate during our 36th Annual Holland River Clean-up on May 3^rd.  This is a practical way to both help and meet your neighbours with the same concerns as you.  It’s also about taking pride in your neighbourhood by putting in effort to keep it clean.  I`ll be there at the Holland River Clean-up, and I hope to see you there.

From our family doctors treating our family members, accountants doing our taxes, a Real estate agent selling our house, or a babysitter taking care of our young ones.  Experience makes the difference between doing a poor to mediocre job compared to a fantastic job.

I have a thorough understanding of the difficulties of this job, such as taking a homeowner’s call, because I’m already familiar with the situation having dealt with many like it before. One of the benefits of having served in the past is simply knowing your way through the red tape and bureaucracy.  On top of my dedication to my family and the families in Ward 3, my experience in municipal politics will allow me to be an effective representative that can get things done.

I look at my time in office as a continuation of my community service in everyday life.  I believe that my experience in positions listed below will greatly help me be your family’s voice on Council.

• Proud husband of 35 years to Becky, together with five children and seven grand-children
• Foster Parent, York Region Children’s Aid Society, 1980 to present
• Two term Newmarket Town Councillor: 2000 to 2003 (Councillor at Large), and 2006 to 2010 (Ward 3 Councillor)
• Founder / business owner of Woodhouse Insurance, 1979 to present
• Advisory Member, Judicial Review Board, Financial Services Commission of Ontario, 2003 to present
• Vice Chair and Board Member, Newmarket Public Library, 5 years
• Founding chair, board member and volunteer, INN From the Cold, 10 years
• Church Elder, chairperson, youth leader and teacher, local church, over 20 years
• Former president and board member, Newmarket Chamber of Commerce, 5 years
• Former chair, Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, 2 years
• Former president and board member, The Financial and Life Insurance Professional Association, 4 years