Newmarket Ward 1 Councillor Grace Simon looks back on her first council term with some pride, though she lamented the impact of COVID-19.
Still, she said she was happy with the things she was able to help accomplish, such as halting single-use plastic usage by the municipality, Airbnb licensing and starting a youth leadership group.
“I love my community. I love Newmarket. I raised my family here and do business here. This is part of my giving back,” she said. “I’ve been able to do a lot of really special things … I’d love to have another term to continue on doing some of the projects that I've invested in and been apart of."
The realtor will be vying for another term on council, up against challenger Mark Holmes.
A dog park for the ward is something important she would like to push for if re-elected, she said. Other issues she highlighted include more efforts on traffic calming in areas like Copper Hills, as well as basketball courts.
“Those are the things residents have put out there they’d like to see more of in Ward 1,” she said. “We’ll work on that.”
The councillor said there were not any points of regret on decisions in the past term. However, she lamented the limitations on being able to meet with people due to the pandemic and hopes to be able to do that more in the council term ahead.
“I like to be out in the community and be able to be in connection with my residents,” she said, adding she intends to have regular town hall meetings if re-elected. “I love doing that. It’s talking about important topics.”
The councillor did garner some controversy in February after weighing in on the convoy protests in Ottawa against public health measures on Facebook. She criticized the prime minister for not meeting with convoy leaders and likened his leadership and the use of the Emergencies Act to dictatorship. Speaking on the protests, she told NewmarketToday at the time that she “couldn’t believe the unity, peace, and pleasure of Canadians being together for a common purpose.”
“I don’t really need to comment on that,” she said when asked again about the matter and any possible campaign impact. “It was a comment on a federal issue, but not in direct support for convoy.”
As for the race ahead, she said she respects those who put their name forward, and she looks forward to connecting with residents in the campaign.
“My greatest passion is people, and I love inclusivity and diversity, and I’ve done a lot of contribution to that,” she said, highlighting efforts like a local vigil when graves were uncovered at residential school sites. She added that she would like “more community events that really encourage one community, one voice, learning from each other, building bridges where bridges need to be built."
“I’m passionate for people,” she said. “I want to continue to work with them and be a representative of council for them.”
