Exit 425

Are you or your neighbours like Wilson? or Gladys Kravitz? or sweet like Mr. Rogers? Colette Descent tells Steve Rae why she is so pumped about World Neighbours Day in Clarington on June 1, and why neighbours are so important...even the cranky ones!

Copy and paste for a link to the Clarington World Neighbours Day Facebook group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3620638018251540/

Joshua Glover joins Exit 425 to discuss why, even censured, he is seeking to represent his constituents and promote Catholic education in general at the provincial and national level. Joshua also discusses how, even under restrictions, he can execute his duties as trustee differently.

Joshua's contact information:

joglover@pvnccdsb.on.ca

905 447 1722

Jamil Jivani was 'booed' from before the March 4 by-election for Durham was called. Booed, by none other than Prime Minister Trudeau. Why was he booed...and who is he anyways? Jamil was not available for interviews during the campaign, and he tells us why. He also tells us why he ran as a Conservative, and what he believes an MP who prioritizes his riding over his party looks like! If you met Jamil Jivan during the election, odds are you did not have 30 minutes with him. Now you do and you can get to know him, just a bit better...whether eventually you boo him, or you cheer for him!

Hockey is still a very white, male world. Even in women’s hockey associations, there are a lot of men. In Clarington, the Clarington Girl’s Hockey Association is now led by a woman: Julie Vanhartingsveldt. Today we are going to discuss how women’s hockey has changed, how it continues to evolve, and how it needs to evolve.

Julie Van Hartingsveldt joins me to talk about the state of women’s hockey in Clarington, and how it came to be that she is the president of this great community organization!

I do reference the AAA Zone organization (led by Cheryl Littlejohn) as the Northshore Wave....not sure where that came from....they are the Northshore Whitecaps with great Seattle Kraken style uniforms. My apologies.

president@claringtonflames.ca

claringtonflames.ca

Check out Clarington Flames on social media.

Murray Simser, the founder and lead cheerleader for Citizn AI speaks to Steve Rae about how Citizn AI will give everyone (Canadians first) an equal opportunity to have a say in how things should be done in terms of governance in all parts of Canada and whatever jurisdiction is next.

Full episodes on popular podcast platforms, and YouTube.

Learn more at citizn.world .

Pranay Gunti is running as an independent candidate and believes we need more voices that are true to their community. "Let's unite as neighbours and friends but not as left or right!" "Let's make this election count!" Pranay sees being independent as a strength, after all, look what's happened with years of representation by the 'big guys'!

Contact Gunit using pranaydurham.ca or even better, using email with info@pranaydurham.ca.

Khaldi Qureshi, your Centrist Party candidate on March 4 believes that you can be the change in the country by voting for someone who will be your voice in parliament. Khalid speaks with Steve Rae of Exit 425, and tells you why he is the person to vote for to do that job!

Call him at 416 938 8264

Email qureshi@khalidrauf.com

khalidqureshi.com

Kevin Mackenzie has problem solving in his nature and believes in the Green approach to making Canada and Durham a better place for all.

Meet Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader at Coffee Time, Couritce Rd. and #2; February 18. 1pm - 3pm.

greenparty.ca

kevin.mackenzie@greenparty.ca

289 356 7838

Grant Abraham is the leader of the relatively new, United Party of Canada, and your 'UP' candidate for the March 4 by-election in Durham. He thinks that you may be ready for a new conversation about how politics is done and what can be achieved in Canada. Starting in Durham!

upcanada.org

Chris Borgia tells us why there needs to be a change of representation for Durham on March 4 to ensure people are cared for and that Durham is represented better in Ottawa; making Durham the priority instead of the party the MP represents!

chrisborgia.ndp.ca

chris.borgia@ndp.ca

Matthew McKenna from Elections Canada speaks to Exit 425 about the March 4, 2024 by-election in Durham; why it's happening; where to find more information about it; and the new boundaries for ridings that will cut us of from North Durham.

elections.ca

Robert Rock is a local councillor who wants to be your MP, Durham! He believes his history of community involvement and the path and history of the Liberals make him the best candidate in our March 4 by-election!

web: rockdurham.ca

email: robertrock@liberal.ca

phone: 905 434 3393

Patricia Conlin, the People's Party of Canada candidate for Durham Riding in the 2024 by-election talks about some of her core beliefs and the core beliefs of her party and why she believes she would be an effective representative for people in Clarington, Oshawa and Scugog.

Patricia's social and email:

patricia@patriciaconlin.ca email

patriciac_ppc Tik Tok and X

patriciaconlin.ca website and Instagram

Exit 425. It's Where We Live!

Sami Elhajjeh is a rookie Local Councillor who is a self proclaimed idealist because of the hope he has for his community and the residents he represents. Hear his thoughts about what lies ahead for Courtice including his ideas about downtown, development and what brings him joy!

You can reach Sami at selhajjeh@clarington.net

Granville Anderson, our Regional Councillor shares the things that he looks forward to, for Exit 425 in the coming year, along with concerns at the local and regional level. Granville also talks about getting Santa to come back to Exit 425.

Granville can be reached at ganderson@clarington.net, or by phone at 289 928 2522 or 905 419 2517.

Mayor Adrian Foster joins Exit 425 again and shares that we shouldn't be too concerned about MZOs but still havent heard what will replace development charges! Exciting things and issues, with Mayor Adrian Foster!

Feed the Need In Durham (www.feedtheneedindurham.ca) CEO Ben Earle and Board President Gail Nyberg speak with Steve Rae about what poverty looks like in Exit 425, Clarington and Durham and what we can do to help Feed The Need help those most in need, incuding what we need to share with our political leaders.

You have probably already heard or have seen Dan McTeague ont eh news today as the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy. Certainly as long as Dan McTeague was a Member of Parliament he has spoken clearly and answered questions directly. He continues to do that as he speaks with Steve Rae, Exit 425, about the role of the MP, personalities in the news, and energy policy in Canada.

Mark Carlos of Redemption House Recovery talks to Exit 425 about poverty in Durham in the 61st episode of Exit 425, the first episode of Season 2, and the first part of a series about poverty in Exit 425, Clarington and Durham.

Strong Mayor Powers were introduced to Ontario in a limited way in September of 2022, and more broadly July 1, 2023.

Mayors in Ontario typically are elected by the whole community that they represent, but on their council, have the same voting power that other councillors have, who were elected to represent a portion of their community. In Ontario, that means mayors, even of the largest cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga and London were expected to build consensus around their ideas in order for them to pass. This would be much more easily done in communities like Clarington where there are 6 councillors in addition to the mayor on Council…versus 20-30 in other places.

Strong Mayor Powers are granted according to The Strong Mayor, Build Better Faster Act so the justification for them is pretty clear.

Adrian Foster joins me today to explain the effect of Strong Mayor powers, the rationale for it, and how he sees that being applied in Ontario...and a few other things.

 John Mutton has been a local councilor and the Mayor of Clarington. He is still involved in municipal politics and affairs through his business, Municipal Solutions, and his work with the provincial government. 

City and town councils vary in makeup in Ontario but basically elect councilors to represent sections of the municipality, and mayors (or something similar) are elected by the entire municipality. In Clarington we have one mayor for all, and elected by all of Clarington, 2 councilors that represent 2 wards each on local and regional council, and 4 local councilors who represent and are only elected by each of the 4 wards or sections that make up Clarington.

What does it mean to have Strong Mayor status....how will this affect how municipalitites and municipal cpuncils work? Without the Strong Mayor status, Mayors only have one vote in council decisions, despite representing the whole community. Their influence comes by persuading other councillors to support the by-laws the mayor introduces na dliving and dying by the decision of council. In a big council like Toronto, that can lead to stalemate. Strong Mayors can get that consensus or can use their power to get 1/3 of council to support their idea. In Clarington, that means convincing only 2 other members of council. In Toronto, that means an additional 8 or 9 members of council, but not a majority of the 25 (+ the mayor =26). Strong Mayor powers can only be used for provincial priorities, such as housing, which is shy the powers are outlined in a housing act (below). As a developer and close supporter of the Doug Ford Conservative government, it is not surprising that he is frustrated by the reported reluctance of Mayors Foster and Carter (Oshawa) to use the Strong Mayor powers to speed up development.

Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/s22018

Mike Schreiner does not fit the bill of a stereotypical politician. He was named the most forthright leader in Ontario in the 2018 election, when he was first elected to the provincial legislature. His affable smile and, conservative appearance are what we see of the business degree and masters degree holder with experience in the food distribution business. He is experienced building a business, focusing on local and sustainable food businesses. He is not a theorist when it comes to the ‘Green ideals’; he was actively putting them in place prior to his election as Green Party leader and MPP for Guelph. Mike is a dad of 2 and a husband, and a pretty normal person.

On episode 56 of Exit 425, Steve Rae speaks with Mike Schreiner about what to look for in a politician, the Greenbelt, bills 23 and 28, where the Greens fit in terms of politics in Ontario, as well as Mike's favourite coffee!

Businessman, family man and paddleboarder Sami Elhajjeh was elected to represent Exit 425 (Ward 1) on the Clarington Council, in October of 2022. Find out what Sami has learned in the first few months with significant provincial legislation and a budget to build.

You can reach Sami at selhajjeh@clarington.net.

Exit 425's Regional Councillor (Wards 1 & 2 Clarington) Granville Anderson shares his priorities, thoughts about the Clarington budget, the greenbelt, and community safety. If you need to communicate with Granville, email him at ganderson@clarington.net.

Marc Kealey is a lifelong liberal and Liberal. Stephen Ledrew refers to Marc as a 'Liberal Bigshot' so his perspective on changes to the Greenbelt and what needs to be in place to protect it, may surprise you a little bit. Or will it? Marc has high praise for Durham's leadership as we move into a period of rapid growth.

Mark Morissette, known in Courtice for his involvment with Courtice Commuity Connect, along with Janice Jones form our panel for this conversation about local coffee, municipal spending on infastructure and charities, greenbelt changes and getting our residents engaged in local governance!

Steve Rae, Exit 425, speaks with Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster about the effects of recent provincial legislation on how we live and how much we pay in taxes in Courtice, and throughout Clarington (and Durham and Ontario?).

David Piccini is the provincial member of Parliament  for Northumberland-Peterborough South and the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for Ontario, in the Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government. David is the first Clarington MPP (or MP) to speak with Exit 425.

In Episode 50 of Exit 425 since the summer of 2021, David talks about his government's approach to education workers, the greenbelt and municipal government reforms, these past few months.

David also talks about what Clarington needs him to advocate for and why  he hopes future education contracts are settled quickly.

Thank you for supporting Exit 425. Current affairs information and education that goes where you want. This episode #50!

Tim is the Executive Director of Environmental Defence, who for over 35 years has worked at every level of government to protect our water and create livable communities, among other really important things. They seriously know about what the most recent round of provincial legislation affects.  Find a wealth of background information at environmentaldefence.ca.

Tim and Steve talk about changes to the greenbelt, the history of the greenbelt, the integrity of decisions made and the precedents for future decisions about the greenbelt. 

Tim and I discussed, outside of the recorded interview, how Environmental Defence is not an organization that believes we should live off the grid and be anti development. They are concerned about the integrity of the decisions made around the greenbelt in terms of democracy as well as ecology. 

In episode 48 we introduce the new Exit 425 Hometown Panel, and actually get to speak to half of them! Meet Courtice stars Jim Boate and Janice Jones today, and anticipate meeting Mark Morissette and Kelly O'Sullivan, Co-Admins of Courtice Community Connect on our next Hometown Panel.

Find out the Panel's thoughts about the best part of living in Courtice as well as some ideas for making it even better! The real character of our panelists is revealed in the 'Spot Quiz', a new feature on Exit 425 to get to know guests better! 

Since 2014 Jennifer French has represented Oshawa at Queen's Park as a member of the NDP caucus.  Oshawa is immediately adjacent to the Courtice, and Clarington, and Oshawa has an interest in what happens on the rural urban frontier that is sweeping across Clarington.

Jennifer joined Exit 425 to talk about what has gone on at Queen's Park with the education workers and the 'Keeping Students in Class' Act ; concerns over legislation that affects the Greenbelt and what that means for Durham and Clarington; some encouragement for Claringtonians and Courticians (are those even words?) with regard to the municipal waterfront park... I even tried to get some dirt on what Jennifer sees happening on the Government side of the legislature...are they getting along over there?

The Ontario government has, from time to time, implemented legislation to change the way education in Ontario works. At face value, Bill 28 makes sure that in the post-covid-lockdown days, students are able to remain in class. But, what else is at stake? Will the Ford government be transparent with us so we know where we are really going. 

My voice on this interview is terrible, but I wanted to record Michael Barrett's views on this while it is in the news and being discussed. Michael Barrett has a wealth of experience, knowledge and perspective with his experience as a president of a successful company, and a trustee for nearly 20 years!

https://medium.com/exit-425

Todd McCarthy 905 697 1501

Kathleen Flynn believes that as a trustee for Clarington in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, together with you, a difference can be made for the children of the KPRDSB. Kathleen believes that her intersectional experience as a parent, student, teacher, school administrator, community member and educational researcher and professor, makes her the best choice to be one of your next three Clarington trustees for the KPRDSB.

Bernard Sanchez thinks that an infusion of fresh ideas is needed in Clarington to properly address Investments, jobs and taxes; safety, security and housing…things that he has identified as priorities.

Bernard Sanchez also believes that he is the right person to become the next Regional Councillor for Wards 1 and 2 in Clarington….Exit 425! Bernard is here on Exit 425 to tell us why!

Granville Anderson spends his days solving problems. As a mediator by profession, he has been  a school board trustee, a member of provincial parliament, and a regional councilor in Clarington for wards 3 and 4. Now Granville is running to be the regional councillor in wards 1 and 2. He says, if elected on October 24,  he will use  his experience and natural ability to bring people together to get things done.

John Henry has been an emergency responder, entrepreneur, is married to an entrepreneur, has been a ward councilor, an election reformer, mayor, and in 2018 was elected as the Chair of Durham’s Regional Council.

In 2022, John Henry believes that he is still the best choice to be the Chair of Durham’s Regional Council, running on the 4 platforms of broadband for all our communities; supporting our agricultural community; dealing with the challenges of the homeless, mental health and addictions; and preparing the Region for the post pandemic recovery and the expected doubling of our population by 2051.

Steven Conway wants to be your Local Councillor on Clarington’s Municipal Council after the October 24th election.  In this episode of Exit 425, Steven will share with us his record of activism, public involvement and his ideas to make life in Exit 425 better. Basically, Steven will tell us why he should be the next local Councillor to represent Ward 1, Exit 425, on Clarington’s Municipal Council.

He has been a counsellor of children, an investment counsellor, a local councillor and mayor. Adrian Foster the incumbent mayor in Clarington has been counselling many years but as a councillor and mayor in Clarington has been on council for 19 years; Mayor for 12 years. His campaign motto is 'Keeping Clarington on Track’ using his foundations of real accomplishments; real experiences and real leadership. Adrian Foster joins exit 425 today to tell us why we should re-elect him Mayor, on October 24.

Tom Dingwall is a lifelong resident of Durham region and a resident of Clarington who brings a lifetime of service and accountability to his candidacy for mayor of Clarington, promoting a platform of fostering a thriving local economy, improving community services, along with transparency and community involvement!

Joe Neal knows Wards 1 and 2 pretty well. He has been representing Exit 425 and more since 2010 in the capacity of Local Councillor and Regional Councillor, where, since 2014 he has been representing both Wards to council and to the Regional Council. Joe has actively defended and promoted the interests of Clarington and especially Wards 1 and 2 in matters of the Exit 425 interchange, the Go Train, the Anaerobic Digester, our Courtice Waterfront, and more. He claims to have the experience and ability to bring a renewed level effectiveness to council that seems to be missing.

After 34 years in public education as a teacher, coach, vice principal, principal, and Education Officer working with and advising the Associate Director and Director of the Durham District School Board, Paul Brown knows his way around a board of education. On October 24, Paul would like to be elected as one of your Clarington trustees on the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. On this episode of Exit 425, the podcast,  Paul tells us why he thinks his experience makes him one of the best choices for that job!

Sheikh Hossain is a newcomer to Clarington, but at 3 years is also almost a long term resident. Bottom line, he loves it here and is proud to live here. Now, this real estate agent wants to serve you and the rest of his community by bringing his perspective and know-how to the Kawartha Pine RIdge District School Board to help ensure that the children of this community receive the best education possible, which can only strengthen the community and country. Sheikh Hossain joins Exit 425 to tell us why he should be one of 3 trustees to represent Clarington on the KPRDSB.

Sami Elhajjeh is a long time resident of Courtice who wants to work to make our taxes low; protect and sustain the natural environment that drew so many of us here, and provide good, accountable and responsible government. To do this, Sami would like to earn your vote on October 24 to be Exit 425’s new local councillor on the Clarington Municipal Council.

Kevin Mackenzie is the incumbent in the race for two Trustee seats on the  Peterborough Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, Board of Trustees, representing Clarington for the next 4 years. Kevin is motivated by God to be involved and ensure the students of Clarington have a safe, inclusive, high quality learning environment where they can grow up and learn.

On this episode of Exit 425, Janice Jones, a past guest of Exit 425 and the Local Councillor for Ward 1 in Clarington,  is here to tell us why we should elect her to be the next Regional Councillor for Wards 1 and 2 on October 24!

Alphonse Ainsworth enters the race to become a trustee for Clarington on the Peterborough Northumberland and Clarington Catholic district school board with experience as a superintendent and director in Northern Ontario, where he understood that being a conscientious team player was critical. As residents in Bowmanville, the family commitment to Catholic education continued in the PVNCCDSB as his wife Linda is in her last term as a trustee. Alphonse joins Exit 425 to tell us why he should be one of Clarington’s two trustees on the PVNCCDSB after you vote on October 24, 2022.

Robert Livingstone claims to be a vision and a voice for a better community! On issues from Community to Taxes and Transportation, this local businessman has ideas to make life in Ward 1, Exit 425, better than it is today! Robert joins me today on Exit 425 to tell us all why he thinks he is our best choice for Local Councillor Ward 1 on Clarington Council when Exit 425 residents hit the polls in less than 1 month!