Let's Talk GP

Let's Talk GP
I first got excited about politics playing ball hockey.

I was running a ball hockey program in a junior high school. It was fun- many students were immigrants who had never held a stick. This school was in a rough neighbourhood. Lacking opportunity and belonging, most of the students became disillusioned. They seemed apathetic about most things.

One day, I walked into the school and there was a noticeable buzz in the air. These kids who didn’t get excited about much were brimming with energy. And kids who despised authority figures were eagerly telling me about one they loved.

An election was happening. Earlier that day, one of the candidates had visited. And he didn’t do a quick ten-minute photo op. He visited every classroom, asked great questions, and then listened. This was huge for many kids. Teens who were new to the community got invited into shaping it. Others who had been around long enough to feel that their voice didn’t matter received a voice.

This was exciting to see. As I run for Council, I want to create experiences like this.

We live in a day where people get disillusioned by and disconnected from government. They don't feel represented or heard by their leaders. They feel powerless to shape their community. I am running for Council because municipal leaders are the best positioned to change this.

I want my time running for Council to be about conversation. I plan on knocking on thousands of doors. I will be around the community and look forward to getting stopped and questioned. I’m going to be active online, especially on the GP Round Table Facebook group. On May 9 I am hosting what I hope becomes the first of many GP Round Tables (details here). Throughout the election time, my main goal is to listen well. Then I want to help shape the conversation of this campaign season and of the next Council. I want to make sure that we are discussing the issues that you think are important.

I want to be a part of making our city connected. I’ll share more about what this means in my next post. But part of a connected city is having a connected Council. If elected, I want to be a part of helping our city leadership become more connected with the dreams, issues, desires, ideas, perspectives, and challenges of our community.

So I want to begin my campaign by asking: what questions do you think need tackling? What are the questions that we need to be asking myself and the other candidates? What are the questions that Council is going to need to address in the next four years? I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment, give me a call or email, or post this on Facebook and tag me.

-Dylan