Right now the top concerns of the electorate revolve around homelessness. Well, I used to be homeless in this city for five years, I've volunteered on the front lines for Our Place Society for three years, and I've advocated for the disenfranchised and marginalized for about four years since. Paradoxically this makes me uniquely qualified to tackle the challenges our municipality faces nowadays, for which there can be no credentials but life experience and fortitude.

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I think I have a lot to offer all age groups, but I've advocated mostly for the young and seniors, both of which are disproportionately represented among the homeless population (according to the latest Point-in-Time count) and each facing its own challenges. Younger people in particular avoid shelters primarily because of safety concerns. Right now we only have one shelter for younger people, which is Out Of The Rain, and it is merely a seasonal one. Also, I have observed that younger unhoused residents particularly struggle to access the legal system, without which they have essentially no rights, therefore investing in legal advocacy services would make a lot of sense. Moreover, I support increased mental health outreach presence, such as expanding the CRCL team to operate 24 hours a day.

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Some of my ideas are more mundane but no less relevant. For example, residents of this city complain a lot about graffiti. One solution would be to increase our investment in murals via My Great Neighbourhood grants, with the understanding that in principle street artists do not paint tags over a mural. I'm sure some young artists in town would be interested.

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Beyond that, I've read reports that young people nowadays struggle to enter the workforce and secure lodging. This climate I think beg for more grants for young entrepreneurs seeking to open their own business or nonprofit organization.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to point out I strongly support preserving our environmental heritage for future generations, with a long-term vision to transition to renewable energy and eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels.