Questions and Answers
1. Does the City/Region need more regulations for new and future businesses to protect groundwater?
Edwin Laryea: YES
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: While I do believe in the importance of protecting our groundwater I do not have sufficient information to say whether current regulations are sufficient to ensure the protection of groundwater. I would want to consult and discuss with environmental experts and city planners before deciding whether we need more regulation is this regard.
2. Do you support a bylaw restricting the non-essential, cosmetic use of pesticides (for lawn and garden care)?
Edwin Laryea: YES. · Pesticides are harmful! They are toxic! . They affect our kids, our food, wild life, and are associated with many health problems! · In fact, I would like to see a very strict control of pesticides. People who need to use them will have to seek special permission from an established government agency! · I want to live in a pesticide-free environment! · Lets promote alternatives to pesticides and try and change the mindset of those who insist on using them!
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: Yes, I do believe that the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes should be restricted. Pesticides have been used as a tool in lawn care; the problem is that this tool is seriously flawed. We must replace this problematic tool with a better one, namely natural methods of lawn control. We have many experts who have spoke time and time again on the dangers of pesticide use, and in consultation with these experts, and the stakeholders in the community (home owners, business owners, landlord and tenant associations) we should craft an intelligent, reasonable bylaw to eliminate the use of dangerous chemicals in our community. But we must do this while educating the public as to the proven alternative methods of taking care of their lawns. We are talking about substances that any member of our community would be outraged to find inside a daycare and yet are intentionally put on a lawn where children play. We are talking about substances designed to be poisons leaking into our water table. We are talking about giving priority to our community's health and well being. We are talking about the choice that makes sense. We must stop poisoning our children and ourselves.
3. The issue of a new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph is still simmering. What is your preferred solution? (ie leave existing road as is? widen existing highway? put in commuter train between K/W and Guelph? build new highway, etc.)
Edwin Laryea: · I would prefer a commuter train but until we can get that done, the widening of the existing Highway # 7 is the best solution. This will be less destructive of the wetlands.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: This is not a City of Waterloo issue it is a Regional one. I will say that whatever solution is found it must be acceptable to the public, it must actually solve the problem of limited access between Kitchener and Guelph, and it must take into account things like environmental consequences (for example, it is unacceptable to destroy significant wetlands to build this road).
4. What are your recommendations for alternate transportation (ie bike/hike trails, buses, LRT, GO train)
Edwin Laryea: · Improve pedestrian and biking linkages; encourage car-pooling; promote a higher quality, higher speed express bus service with special lanes and provide incentives to encourage use of public transit
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: I have not been convinced by any of the LRT information I have seen that it will be implemented well. I believe the idea has significant potential but we need to work on implementation to ensure that we are addressing all the issues we are trying to address and doing so in a financially responsible manner. I believe it would be great if we could convince GO Transit to extend their line right to Waterloo and I am fully willing to work with other officials to try to encourage GO Transit to do so. I believe the Region should work with the Universities to try to come up with some solution that is acceptable to both parties to encourage the use of Grand River Transit for students. However these are Regional issues so I am unsure as to how much effective impact the City of Waterloo Council can actually have on them.
5. What are your solutions for gridlock?
Edwin Laryea: · Maximize the use of public transit · Form partnerships with businesses and other institutions to promote public transit. · Have "Public Transit Days" to promote the benefits of public transit · Provide incentives to encourage non-auto modes of movement · Discourage automobile traffic in the Uptown · Use traffic diversion techniques and traffic calming strategies · Encourage Uptown employees to share rides · Reduce commute time through balanced growth (a balance of jobs and people within the existing urban areas). Encourage people to live near where they work by providing a variety of house choices.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: To reduce gridlock (along with other traffic problems) we either must reduce traffic or increase the size and quantity of the roads. Since increasing the size and quantity of the roads doesn't make environmental or financial sense when we have a better option, we must reduce traffic. This can be done in a variety of ways: ensuring bike lanes where people use their bicycles; reviewing the timing and placement of stoplights to ensure peak efficiency; increased housing close to the Universities which allows students to live close to their place of academic learning and thereby reduces the number of people driving in every day; encouraging carpooling, transit use and other means of reducing the number of cars on the road. These are just some of the ways to reduce traffic and thereby reduce gridlock, however I am not a professional city planner and I look forward to sitting down with the experts and discussing their ideas as to how to deal with this important problem.
6. Do you support defining an urban border that puts an end to urban sprawl to protect farmland and natural areas?
Edwin Laryea: YES. · Sprawl is consuming open space and increasing automobile dependency. Our rural land and farms must be protected. · I will help set boundaries to urban sprawl and will encourage higher intensity and density within the urban boundary, through "infill' and "brownfield" development. · This will save our valuable agricultural lands. But we have to make the business of farming viable!
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: Our farmland and green space must be protected to ensure the sustainability of our growth. I believe we can successively combat sprawl by creating phased development charges to steer growth into centralized areas. By setting higher charges on the edge of town we control sprawl, and with gradually lower charges as one approaches the centre of the city we encourage a thriving core.
7. Do you believe that our size should be limited to our carrying capacity (ie groundwater resources, geographical barriers, impact on natural environment)
Edwin Laryea: · Yes. Growth has to be limited otherwise it will destroy the environment and will diminish the quality of life. · The ecosystem can only tolerate so much. The Region's water supply and other systems cannot be overtaxed. · Studies should be conducted to find out whether the region's air quality etc. could handle the projected population increase. The crucial question is the livability issue.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: We must be sure that any growth we undertake is sustainable. This means we must take into account our environmental resources and ensure that we grow responsibly, not haphazardly.
8. What measurable initiatives can you take to improve air quality locally?
Edwin Laryea: · Reduce vehicular idling · Reduce automobile usage · Promote increased transit ridesrship using creative methods · Have more Commuter Challenges and "Leave Your Car at Home " days · Establish a Corporate Fleet Challenge program to see who can get their workers to use non-auto modes · Restrict the nonessential use of pesticides · Make sure that we get our food locally to prevent trucks from bringing them in. (this causes pollution) · Encourage certain activities to be done at night to reduce energy usage and the subsequent pollution.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: We need to better educate the public as to the problems with air quality and the ways that each citizen can help ensure clean air to breath. Air Quality Ontario has a good website for explaining some simple ways to improve air quality. Encouraging an increase in the use of transit and non-car forms of transportation (such as bicycles and rollerblades), as discussed in #5 (dealing with gridlock and reducing traffic) is a good start towards improving air quality.
9. How do you envision reaching zero waste?
Edwin Laryea: · Maximize waste diversion programs · Aggressively enforce recycling and diversion programs · Force fast food restaurants to use recyclable containers. Phase this policy in over a 3-5 year period. · No grass clippings and leaves in land fills. Recommend individual composting or city-led composting where necessary. · Eliminate the disposal of organic matter in all landfills within 5 years · Promote a user-pay program over a period of time as a disincentive to waste production. Use an escalating payment system. The more you produce, the higher the fees! · Use the free tag system. Each household receives a number of tags to be attached to their garbage bags for pick-up. Once the tags are gone, you have to pay to receive additional ones. (Use the same escalating system as above) · Bring back the bottle return policy and extend it to cans if possible. · Introduce an incentive program that will reward efforts to reduce waste · Explore and gather best practices for waste reduction and disseminate this information to the public. · Force manufacturers to take back items that cannot be recycled · Establish a "Fix-It-And-Reuse Depot" as a drop off point for items that can be repaired and redistributed to others. Manufactures will be asked to pay a premium for this or they can take their items back and dispose of them themselves.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; three simple words that mean so much for our environment, and they are the path to low or zero waste.
10. How do you see the City/Region 20 years from now?
Edwin Laryea: · A vibrant , prosperous, clean, healthy and a sustainable Region · Zero waste or significantly reduced waste, improved air quality, reduced greenhouse emissions · Affordable housing everywhere · An efficient transportation system that is environmentally friendly · A revitalized Uptown with nixed houses, pedestrian and bicycle paths, open spaces · An engaged community with citizens taking an active part in civic issues · The Centre of the Canadian technology but with a variety of other jobs · A Multicultural Centre of activity with people from different backgrounds interacting and working collaboratively · The elimination of pesticides and the promotion of alternative gardening
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: The City of Waterloo must listen to its heart, and at its heart are its people. I envision a Council that responds to the needs of all of our citizens. I see people happy in their community; I see high-quality homes at affordable prices in convenient locations; I see a greater respect for the academic institutions that do so much for our great city; I see a greater level of cooperation with our neighbours; I see rules that make sense, are enforced, and that can change when situations warrant. We must continue to respect the environment in which we live; we must continue to improve our homes and businesses; we must continue the revitalization of the uptown core; we must strive to develop a transit system that is effective and serves the needs of our society; we must value those who put so much time and effort into our community; we must increase our living and working space without decreasing our green space; we must encourage development in our city while respecting the concept of sustainable growth.
11. Should Cambridge fit into the Region's future? If yes, how?
Edwin Laryea: · If the intent is for Cambridge to "fit' in and conform, whether it likes it or not, then my answer is a resounding NO. But if it is a question of being part of the Region, then I will say Yes. · Cambridge stands to gain a lot from the Region. It already receives more than it puts in. The October 16 K-W Record revealed that Cambridge fared well in areas such as police, Welfare payments, Social Housing, Child Care, Ambulances and Public Health. · There are several areas where Regional cooperation is vital to the health of this area. Cambridge can tap into the intellectual pool that is available in the Waterloo area. The Region's projected economy and general growth needs a concerted effort to bring it to fruition. · Other areas such as Tourism, Transportation, Waste Disposal etc, can be managed in a more cost-effective way if they are done region-wide.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: I'm not familiar with most of the information surrounding this issue, as it is mostly a Region of Waterloo or City of Cambridge issue. If we do have increased connection (via LRT or some of the other proposed solutions) then I can see more of a benefit to Cambridge and the surrounding municipalities to staying within the Region.
12. How do you propose to obtain the maximum level of forest coverage for this area?
Edwin Laryea: · Forest coverage is vital for our environment. It acts as a "living buffer' and filters the air for our use. It also offers tremendous benefits for water quality and for fish and wildlife habitats. · I will obtain maximum level of forest coverage by protecting the forest; curbing urban sprawl, stopping development near and around sensitive areas and preventing the unnecessary cutting of trees. · I will support the planting of more trees and other reforestation projects · I will recommend a yearly environmental audit, if it not being done already, to assess the health of our forests and take the necessary action to 'repair' them, where necessary. · I will promote workshops, outreach and public forums to educate the public about the importance of forests. · I will push for public policies that support the preservation of our forests.
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: We must ensure the protection of our parks and green space. As for obtaining a maximum level of forest coverage, I would want to discuss this more fully with city planners and environmental experts before venturing an opinion.
13. How can you best work with community groups and concerned citizens to achieve environmental sustainability?
Edwin Laryea: · First and foremost, the effort should be community-led · I will encourage City Hall to support community groups because it has the regulatory powers for enforcement · I will ensure that funding, expertise and training is provided · Neighborhood associations will be empowered to build on their community assets and to take the lead on environmental issues. · I will always seek community groups' input and direction · I will provide in-kind support and easy access to information and best practices in environmental issues. · I will make sure that Regional programs and training are be available to community groups · I will give them all the recognition they deserve
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: Consultation & Transparency are great things. We must be interacting with the citizens to ensure that their best interests are being taken into account, and to ensure that their concerns are being dealt with. At the same time, any citizen must be able to easily access clear and concise information as to what the government is doing on their behalf. I look forward to working with volunteer groups and concerned citizens in dealing with their issues, including environmental sustainability. We should be taking better advantage of the technology available to us; an online forum would easily allow for interaction between community members and their representatives.
14. How would you support and develop lifelong environmental education in the City/Region?
Edwin Laryea: · Invest in the collection and the disseminate of best environmental practices to all stakeholders · Partner with educational institutions to do R & D and to provide workshops on environmental issues · Encourage educational institutions to make environmental education an integral part of their curriculum · Continue the City of Waterloo's "Environment First Policy" and encourage everyone to do the same · Use public meetings/forums to educate community members about the environment · Conduct community "meetings in a box" sessions to promote community-based environmental decision-making. "Meeting-in-a Box" contains all the information needed for home discussion groups on a particular topic. The box can be signed out and used by neighborhood groups. · Use flyers, brochures and Newsletters to educate the community
Stephen S. Skrzydlo: