When I was 15 years old, I swallowed nearly 100 extra-strength Tylenol capsules. In those moments, I wanted nothing more than for the years of pain to stop. And this was the only way I knew to make that happen.

Little did I know that overdosing on Tylenol didn’t mean I would pass out and not wake up. It meant I would die a slow and excruciatingly painful death, as the Tylenol destroyed my liver. Continue reading “Mental Health Barriers” →

When one is running for a position on their local municipal or regional council, it is difficult to make campaign promises. You can’t say that you will absolutely accomplish x, y, or z, as you have to rely on a majority of the rest of that Council agreeing with you in order to achieve your goal.

That said, one can promise to work on specific issues to bring them forward in an effort to achieve a particular result.

Continue reading “Meetings, expenses, and the code of conduct…oh my” →

I’ve been posting to social media about the current mental health crisis we’re facing in Niagara, and I felt it was probably most appropriate to share that information here as well.

The initial post was intended to be more of a personal post, but – as I am a regional councillor – there is little I can do publicly that isn’t viewed through the lens of my role as that regional councillor. Continue reading “Mental Health Crisis” →

During the campaign, when specifically asked about balance on Regional Council, I cited this study (released in July 2018): Exclusion or interests? Why females in elected office reduce petty and grand corruption several times. I often paraphrased and repeated the line, “where there are more women, there is less corruption.”

The statement is a sweeping generalization, to be sure. The main argument (with respect to the exclusion theory) is that the presence of women disrupts long-established networks.

Though there are only eight women on what will be a 32-member Council, I am hopeful that – with a nearly 75% turnover in regional councillors throughout Niagara – the long-established networks have been thoroughly disrupted.

Dear St. Catharines:

Thank you. Continue reading “Thank you” →