Elections

Greg Burghall, Candidate for Ward 7 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2014

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Candidate Details (top)

NameBurghall, Greg
ElectionHamilton Municipal Election 2014
AreaWard 07
PartyN/A
Votes0
Email gburghall@gmail.com
Website http://www.GregForWard7.ca
Home289-925-0605
Business
Fax
BioI am a proud father of 4 living in Ward 7.

I have 15 years experience in managing and owning small businesses in the Hamilton area. I would be honored to put my small business experience to work in City Hall.

LETS BRING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY TO CITY HALL!

I will be accountable and transparent to every resident of Ward 7 and of Hamilton. I believe that every dollar spent should give back in some form to the community. When running my businesses, I treated every expense as an investment into my company. Tax dollars should be treated with the same care and scrutiny.

I also believe in participatory budgeting and making all councilors expenses accessible to the public.

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Responses to Questions (top)

QuestionBrief ResponseFull Response
Do you support implementing a Vision Zero for Hamilton, with a goal of eliminating all pedestrian and cyclist deaths on our streets? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy, and if not, why? Yes Yes, I believe in a Vision Zero. We need to start with flashing lights in all school zones during school beginning and end times, as well as better enforcement in these zones. The RIDE program also needs to be stepped up to put out a stronger message to those deciding to drink and drive. I also support affordable bicycle licensing and registration for riders over 18 years old to encourage more cyclists to respect the rules of the road which will in turn gain them more respect and care from drivers.
Do you support the use of participatory budgeting to allow ward residents to propose and vote on local capital projects? Yes As I mentioned in the question about City Hall being more accessible, yes. This is a great idea and shows how innovative and creative our residents are.
Do you support converting more of Hamilton's one-way thoroughfares into complete, two-way streets that support walking, cycling and transit? Yes Yes I do, on certain streets. We need to review each street individually to determine whether a two-way and cycling/transit modification would be appropriate.
Do you support an expanded role for Hamilton to provide more affordable housing? If so, what should Hamilton do? Yes Affordable housing is vital to the well being of many families in our city. The lack of availability makes simply getting by extremely hard for many others. We definitely need to build more subsidized housing and also need to help families get by with what they have.
The Province has shelved a proposal to build a mid-peninsula highway from Niagara Falls or Fort Erie around Hamilton to connect with Hwy 401 or 407 north of Burlington. Do you agree with the Province's decision to put its development on hold? No I wish we could push the mid-peninsula highway through now. Traffic congestion and safety on the QEW isn’t horrible yet, but it will be if we drag our feet any longer. We need to be proactive with these issues rather than waiting until they are unbearable. Look at the traffic problems in Toronto – we don’t want to get that far behind!
Do you support the city's plan to build an east-west light rail transit (LRT) line with full capital funding from the Province? Yes Reluctantly, yes. I’ve read compelling arguments both for and against the LRT plan and to be honest, we won’t know it’s true value unless it is built. The city could desperately use that money elsewhere, such as repairing and upgrading our existing infrastructure, but if it’s earmarked by the province for transit I believe we should take advantage of it.
The Province plans to allow municipalities to use ranked ballots in future elections. If so, will you vote to adopt ranked ballots in Hamilton? Yes Yes, I think ranked ballots are a great idea. This will greatly improve our local democracy. I hope this is later adopted at the provincial and federal levels of government as well.
Do you believe City Hall should be more accessible to Hamilton residents? If so, what steps would you take to achieve this? Yes Yes, I believe City Hall should be accessible to everyone. First off, City Hall and Councillors need to better take advantage of social media to communicate and receive input from their constituents. Secondly, participatory budgeting will help residents have more say in how their tax dollars are spent. The more involvement people have with their city, the more they will care.
The City's Cycling Master Plan is up for review. Do you support improving the plan to speed the installation of cycling facilities and provide more high-quality protected infrastructure like the new Cannon Street cycle track? Maybe I would like to give the Cannon Street cycle track another year to determine its overall effectiveness and safety. I like the idea of it. It looks good and seems like a great idea, however we need to see how people will adapt to and use it before altering other streets. Altering our streets in this manner is expensive, we need to make sure we are going about it the right way before spending more of our residents tax dollars.
Do you believe Hamilton should do more to protect and enhance its built heritage? Yes Our heritage buildings are very important. We are a young country and don’t have many heritage buildings to enjoy and pass on to our children, we need to protect what we have.