Municipal Elections 2022- Meet the Candidates

Ward 1

David Campbell

Hi, I’m David Campbell.

For the last 4 years, I have been one of your Councillors in Ward 1. I live in Ward 1, just off of Shannon St. I was born and raised in Orillia and have lived in Ward 1 for the last 26 years with my wife Nancy who works at OSMH. Our daughter Emily grew up here in Ward , went to Regent Park Public School and recently graduated from University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering.

In 2018, in 2018 I asked for your vote, I felt very strongly that I was ready for the role of Councillor. I had worked for a Municipality for many years and had taken  courses to further understand how things worked from a governance standpoint. I thought I would ‘hit the ground running’ once elected. Well, I got elected and it turned out I had a lot to learn. The organizational structure and even terms that were used were quite different from what I was accustomed to. So, I took some more courses, did my homework, asked a lot of questions behind the scenes and really gained an understanding not only of how things work, but how to get things done within that structure. I started to feel confident in my role and looked forward to the challenges that were to come.

Then COVID hit, an emergency was declared and the Emergency Management Team was activated. Rather than take a back seat, I chose to say involved. I joined the Economic Recovery Task Force in hopes of helping our businesses and the local economy survive this unprecedented crisis. Through the See You on the Patio program and other initiatives, I’m proud to say that we did help. I have personally had business owners tell me that, without those initiatives, they would no longer be in business.

Of course, I continued to respond to every email, phone call or text message that I received and tried my very best to help in every situation. So it was, in fact, a very busy term. In those 4 years on Council, I have never missed a Council or Council Committee meeting. I Have been absolutely committed to doing my job as Councillor to the best of my ability and, if you choose to have me continue, I give you my word that I will continue to do just that.

Paul Cain

My name is Paul Cain and I am running as a candidate for Orillia City Council in Ward 1. I currently work as a Business Analyst at Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital where I have worked for the last 28 years. Previous to my Analyst role, I worked in IT as a programmer and database administrator as well as a system administrator. Every day, I work independently and as part of a team to realize improvements and deliver exceptional quality. I’ve served on numerous committees and working groups, using Lean and project management skills to map processes and make improvements.

Having always been in Orillia, I have lived in Ward 1 for 19 years with my wife, where we are raising our three children, the oldest of which has just gone to university. The parks and greenspaces are very important to me. As a fun-runner I have spent hours pounding the pavement on the trails around Tudhope and Couchiching parks.

Previous to COVID, I volunteered at Excel Taekwondo, and later on, co-owned Alliance Taekwondo with four others, teaching both children and adults martial arts. I served as President for a year before leaving the organization.

I hope to be elected as your Councillor in Ward 1. I am running for Council because I want to serve the community and improve the quality of life for everyone. I want Orillia to have a fiscally responsible, accessible, and accountable city council.

Rick Sinotte

Common Sense – Local – Approachable

My name is Rick Sinotte and I am running for Councillor in Ward 1.  I have lived and worked in Orillia for over 50 years.  Married to Marilou for 35 of them.  We have 5 boys between us, with 2 still living and working here.  Josh Sinotte and Frank Ripley.  I own Sinergy Clothing in Orillia, a clothing store that provides clothing for teams, schools and businesses.  (Orillia Terriers, and Patrick Fogarty to name a few.)  I also owned and/or operated Club 404 – Rix and Cell Block, all non-alcoholic night clubs for teens. Before concentrating on clothing full time I operated the two busiest bars in Orillia, Wizards and Company.  Coaching, umpiring, managing and sitting on several sports organizations has taken up most of the last 25 years. 

My goals for Orillia if elected are common sense goals.  Roads paved and snowplowed properly, tax-payers money spent on Needs not Wants.  Common Sense decisions on Council.  Housing for seniors and young adults alike.  Somehow get Orillians back into the workforce.  Ball diamonds repaired and arena upgrades.  Inform voters of decisions so they are aware of where tax money is going.  Eliminate as much as possible consultation fees and feasibility studies.

I am not a big fan of expanding Orillia.  I am not a fan of how we revamped Front Street.  I am not a fan of taking away wetlands.  I am a HUGE fan of Orillia.

Whitney Smith

My name is Whitney Smith; I am a 4th generation business owner in Orillia and was proudly born here and continue to do life here. I love Orillia! I am the founder and CEO of The Smith Investigation Agency Inc., a national private investigative agency and the largest female-owned PI business in Canada, which operates from coast to coast in six provinces.

My great-grandfather owned Smith Meat Market downtown Orillia, and my Grandpa Reg (Reginald) Smith owned Reg Smith motors, where Hwy 11 Chrysler is as. Additionally, he sat on council in Orillia, was active in the community and was an avid businessman in town, my Father Michael Smith worked in the car business like his Father before stepping into the real estate world and becoming one of Orillia’s biggest developers in the 80’s and 90’s. There was a need for affordable housing, so he developed five apartment buildings to provide much-needed housing in Orillia.

When I am not operating my business, I am involved in my church as part of their eldership/leadership team and assisting with our local missions outreach in the Simcoe – Muskoka area.

I look forward to being a council member like my Grandfather once was. I get to proudly represent my family as the 4th generation business owner here as well as being a part of my community. As a business leader, I am excited to share my expertise and skills with the city of Orillia to see our beautiful city continue to grow and succeed.

Ward 2

Alan Bayne 

Hi there. My name is Alan Bayne and I am running for Orillia City council ward 2. 

I was born and raised in this fine city and now its time to give back and help out for the future. 

As a former business owner, I have been involved as a supporter and fund raiser for a number of service groups and organizations. 

Here are my top 3 issues that I would like to see addressed in the coming year for city council. 

1 - Affordable housing. As we move to the future, we have to look at affordable housing not just for the homelessness but working citizens that are struggling to make ends meet. 

2 - Recruitment of more doctors and nurses to the city of Orillia. As the pandemic hit everyone hard and we see a shortage of nurses and doctors, we need a strong recruitment incentive to the city to entice future employment to the city. 

3 - Defender of small business.  Again the pandemic has hit small business very hard and I would like to see a strong representation from the city to support all small businesses in the city, not just in the downtown core. They should all be looked at as equals.   

As a city representative, I will be dependable, personable and reliable for the next 4 years and beyond.  

Brian Hare

Ward 3

Jay Fallis

As one of Orillia’s current City Councillors, I have been very passionate about participating in city politics. I have sat on over 15 different committees and you may have seen me around at various events and business openings.

I am very active in Orillia. I have been teaching part-time at Georgian College; I volunteer for both Helping Hands and the Lighthouse Shelter; and I wrote for the Packet & Times as a political columnist. Growing up, I was a student at Park Street Collegiate Institute.

I also have a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto and I have worked as a political aide at Queen's Park and the House of Commons. Additionally, I have been published in thirty newspapers across Canada including the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and Calgary Herald.

I recognize how important small business is in our community. Money spent at a small business goes right back into the local area. Additionally, small businesses provide good and unique employment opportunities for Orillians.

While on City Council I have supported many projects, initiatives, and motions that benefit the small business community. Some of these include:

• Tiers 1 & 2 of Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) grant program
• Dr. David Potter's efforts and budget request to explore opportunities to create a ‘Orillia Area Innovation Hub’ within Orillia
• Planning principles that support the development of small business
• Funding to procure a new vehicle for the DOMB

Contact:

Phone: 1-705-801-VOTE (8683) Email: fallisforthefuture@gmail.com Website: www.fallisforthefuture.com

Zak Gariba 

My name is Zak Gariba, I have lived in Orillia for the past 15 years, and I am a candidate for Councillor for Ward 3, Orillia.

I am the senior founding pastor of Jubilee Celebration Centre and served the community of Orillia for the past 15 years in this capacity. For the past two years I have been on the committee for Orillia Waste Management Committee WMAC during this time through the introduction of clear plastic garbage bags and this has resulted in Orillia’s land fill being reduced by about 40%.

A healthy economy very much relates to a healthy community. My top priority I am concerned about is health care including physician recruitment, health teams, nurse practitioners and walk in clinics. My family and I don’t have a family doctor so this really hits home. I will work hard to bring family doctors and nurse practitioners working in conjunction with Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital to set up new walk-in clinics in the city to meet the demands, and to ease the pressure in the emergency department of the hospital.

Safety and security are important issues to residents and business owners. This includes speeding and safety on our roads, snow clearing during the winter months and safety in our downtown core. To support small business I would like to see more free parking and increased police presence to create a more safe, secure and family friendly atmosphere in our downtown core, and city streets, to support residents and local businesses.

Ward 4

Janet-Lynne Durnford

Janet-Lynne is committed to working with other members of council, residents of Ward Four, and all citizens to ensure a bright future for the Sunshine City.
She is a frequent volunteer, a former Farmer’s Market vendor, and has served on the boards of the Orillia and District Arts Council and Mariposa Arts Theatre. She is a cofounder of Mosaic Productions, a theatre company that has raised over $50,000 for local women’s charities. As co-host of Rogers TV Arts Scene Orillia, she has promoted our vibrant arts community.
As a teacher, Janet-Lynne has practised the skills of leadership, clear communication, empathy, and teamwork.
She believes that the future of economic development in Orillia depends on partnerships, such as the potential Innovation Hub and cybersecurity services cluster. She also believes that Orillia can build on its reputation as an arts destination to attract tourism and small business, and build community connections.

Joe Winacott

Being a business owner in our beautiful city it is extremely important to have representation at council. A business owners’ perspective on council and at the voting table is defiantly needed.  I believe its important to have candidates that have expertise in all different areas, a good mix will make the city successful.  I have owned and operated two successful restaurants in Orillia for over the past 20 years and with that I have developed skills that will assist me in being a successful candidate. (Current Studabakers, 14 years).

I feel communication has been lost over the past and I want to bring that communication back, let our constituents be reminded that we are working TOGETHER for a better Orillia.  For me there is no “I” in politics, it’s a WE. I want to create awareness and have open communication with the citizens of Orillia, getting their input, there ideas and being the vessel to bring that information back to council. If elected a few platforms I will be working into is Communication between constituents and their elected representative, Community safety, helping seniors with rising cost of inflation, and to help with the city’s Parking issues that has been created in the down town. We want our businesses to be successful in the down town core yet we don’t have anywhere for them to park. The new townhomes are only allowing one space per, that is going to take more parking away from customers, employees, waterfront and tourists.

Paula Hill-Coulson

Paula was born and raised in Orillia’s north ward.  Growing up working in the family business she learned the importance of grass-roots fiscal responsibility and the need to support the community.

Paula’s track record as a volunteer, demonstrates her life-time commitment to giving back to the community she loves.

She has been actively involved in the Rotary Club of Orillia since 2015. She currently sits on the Rotary Board of Directors, the Sustainable Orillia committee and the Aqua Theatre fundraising committee.

She has demonstrated leadership skills and a creative flair for problem solving.  During the pandemic Paula created the Rotary “Take-out-Tuesday” promotion/fundraiser. This event, which helped various restaurants stay open, was awarded the Chamber of Commerce – Chris Bellchambers Achievement in Business Award.

Paula has been honoured with numerous leadership awards, including 3 Rotary Theme Awards:

2016-2017 Rotary Serving Humanity, 2019-2020 Rotary Connects the World, and 2021-2022 Serving To  Change Lives.

As a mother of two young adults, she is passionate about environmental issues for future generations, and recognizes the need for economic development and well-paying jobs. A well-planned revenue growth strategy would help support the inherent needs of Orillia’s population projection.

Paula has been self-employed for much of her adult life and is currently an MTO Licensed driving instructor.  She is continually reminded of the importance of timely road and infrastructure maintenance, a growing demand for safety measures and accessibility issues on our streets and neighbourhoods. 

Tim Lauer

Born and raised in Orillia, I have spent the past 50 years working as an independent contractor. Currently I work in real estate.

I became involved in municipal affairs in 1991, accepting an appointment to Orillia’s Committee of Adjustment. In 1997 I was elected to Orillia Municipal Council and served 4 terms concluding in 2010. Re-elected in 2014 I am currently serving my sixth term of Council. My partner is Rhonda Sunstrum who is an involved and active community member. We have raised two sons and now have three most entertaining grandchildren. 

My personal involvement in economic development, sports, recreation, police services, arts, social services, education and the environment have given me a keen awareness of how important all aspects of our community are to the overall health of the City. These involvements helped me understand and appreciate what a successful organization or project looks like. I know what it takes to get from the good idea to the final product and I know how to work with all kinds of very different people to achieve a common goal.

Most importantly it has also allowed me to interact with the people whose energy and creativity drive this City and to share a sense of responsibility with those same community-minded people to make a difference.