https://www.lukasoakley.ca/home daily 1.0 2023-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/acc913fb-9bfa-4d6b-9f04-f7c735238f45/Untitled.png Home - About Lukas I am also a strong advocate for the environment and protecting our green spaces. Though development is unavoidable in its entirety due to pressure from the housing market and the affordability crisis, our County is defined by its natural space and farmland. Thus, as councillor, I will encourage the development of denser housing projects, such a low-rise condos and apartments, with high quality parks and ponds, instead of the sprawling suburban developments that are constantly approved currently. This style of housing will ensure that less land needs to be developed, preserving our wooded areas like Barker's Bush and our farmland. As councillor, I will also support heritage districting and that new developments would fall into line with our current and historical community feel. I am a believer in accurate representation of the constituents of the County of Brant, and in the Province and Country as whole. As a councillor of Ward 2, I will advocate for modifying our municipal elections to use Single Transferable Vote instead of using a simple plurality vote. Single Transferable Vote would allow citizens of the County of Brant to cast ranked ballots, to ensure the results of elections better represent the will of the populace. https://www.lukasoakley.ca/contactme daily 0.75 2023-05-17 https://www.lukasoakley.ca/endorsements daily 0.75 2022-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/1658173512686-RYGJBCQLJ548M0H1OA2O/Andy+Straisfeld.jpg 2022 Endorsements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/1658173752236-U0S2WPG0E0OY6FRIGOXP/Harvey+Bischof.jpg 2022 Endorsements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/1658186853865-C9L6IJW9QCBZTJK24UNA/received_617003776296865.jpeg 2022 Endorsements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/1660084295058-7PKD9IMQ6KRU8PIVY0YW/received_1610921355971308.jpeg 2022 Endorsements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/ee8a2b3c-eb4f-4758-88a1-eee16290e634/309382961_426081219656850_8213654509474116671_n.jpg 2022 Endorsements https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/1094f8b4-2730-410e-bfd7-1f6810fb2348/256764487_186746280315949_1426106777205150456_n.jpg 2022 Endorsements https://www.lukasoakley.ca/platform22 daily 0.75 2022-10-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/14e85f32-4c7f-4f48-84b9-e44097fe10df/A+Vision+for+Paris.png 2022 Platform https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/aad6f0c0-d67d-41a6-b550-f32772ba804e/20210627_194830.jpg 2022 Platform - Environmental Sustainability Environmental sustainability is a key priority of mine, as, if they are lost, we cannot replace our forests, our rivers, or our land. We also cannot stop the approval of developments of our land, with the new mandate the provincial government received in last month’s election. What we can do in our beautiful community is implement a Green Development Standards plan, which will mitigate the reckless pursuit of suburban sprawl that has plagued our community this past decade, and ensure individuals and families can enjoy our natural wonders. In Summary: Implement a Green Development Standards plan to protect our environment Enhanced composting and recycling programs A Green Development Standards plan will hold developers to: Increasing the density of builds, reducing the footprint of the development whilst still meeting the province’s development targets Requiring developers to include more parks and green community spaces Creating bird-friendly architecture to encourage our wildlife to stay local Requiring detailed environmental studies to prevent development from damaging our wildlife https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/7df490e8-a9ea-472e-8807-421678a433e1/20220702_155057.jpg 2022 Platform - Revitalization and Affordability Paris has a rapidly growing population and we need businesses to support that population. A lack og employment opportunities here in the County, in a diverse range of fields, does not benefit us. I, myself, do not and cannot work in our beautiful town, as we do not have scientific or technology sectors in the County. This is also true for my peers, as many people I grew up with have left Paris to find work elsewhere. As councillor, I would work hard to bring more businesses and industries to into the County, so that future generations of Parisians can build a life where they grew up. As a two-fold measure to combat the affordability crisis, I would advocate to end the exclusionary districting in Paris for new developments. This means requiring commercial spaces to be built in, and along side, housing developments like our beautiful downtown. This will encourage the new neighborhoods to be more walkable, create more spaces for new businesses, and provide more attainable housing. In Summary: Encourage more local business Encourage diversified businesses so that those who grow up in the county can work locally Eliminate exclusionary zoning More attainable and affordable housing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/ed1aead4-56fe-46c6-b1d1-0f9c8e15326c/20220625_140546.jpg 2022 Platform - Culture, Heritage, and Inclusivity Our heritage, arts, and culture make Paris the community that it is! More events mean there’s more to do with your family and friends, and tourists will spend more time and money in our town. We need to ensure that our artists have the resources they need to thrive. To that end, I’ll work hard to see that Lion’s Park has family-friendly events year-round; that the downtown can be a hub for local merchants and craftsmen to sell their goods at local markets; and that the Walker Press building can finally be put to use for the sake of the community. All this can be done while seeing new buildings constructed that reflect Paris’ rich architectural heritage. In Summary: Encouraging events all spring, summer, and fall in Lion’s Park Work with the community/developers to turn Walker Press building into an artistic/cultural retail space After traffic calming measured are implemented, pursue having markets/events every weekend in the summer in the downtown. Permanent patios instead of parking Development encouraged to meet community fit and feel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/d487ff49-6433-445b-afa0-0a0875b1e635/20220702_122151.jpg 2022 Platform - Transportation and Infrastructure Our community is at its breaking point in regards to transportation. Our downtown is plagued by traffic slowdowns and unsafe conditions as a result. I would look to solve this issue in three ways We must first re-petition our provincial government to reconsider investing in traffic calming infrastructure, such as the Green Lane bypass in Ward 2. This piece of infrastructure is vital to redirect traffic away from the core of Paris, and finally enable the two halves of Ward 2 to be connected to each other without travelling through another Ward. We must also continue to expand our County's access to public transportation. I would look to expand the hours of Brant Transit, reach out to the city of Brantford again to highlight to them the mutual benefits of merging bussing systems, and to negotiate with the provincial government and companies like Via Rail and GO to expand their rail services to Paris. These measures can ease traffic, and bring more tourists in on weekends to support local merchants! We also need to improve the walkability of our town. We need more sidewalks and more pedestrian directed crosswalks (akin to what we used to have in our downtown), as well as address safety concerns due to the traffic in town. In Summary: Expand public transit Pursue a commuter train station Increase brant ride availability Reapply to expand bus lines with Brantford Improving walkability Reducing traffic through downtown, re-pursuing Green Lane bypass to connect both sides of Ward 2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628c2dca487cc53a05893b9f/a6829122-fbe3-4a9d-9b74-9b98ce54367d/Sojourn+Church+Meet+and+Greet+01.jpg 2022 Platform - Improve Local Representation Local governments affect your lives on a daily basis, and it’s important that you actually know what’s going on, and that your councillors actually reflect the communities they serve! If elected, I pledge to host community events so I can hear your opinions and concerns. I also promise to write to you monthly about the work that’s been done. I will also work to ensure that your vote matters in every election, by shifting municipal elections to a single transferable vote system. My constituents will always be my #1 priority, and I’ll never make you think otherwise! In Summary: Pursue with the council/provincial government moving our municipal elections to a ranked ballot system: Single Transferable Vote Hosting of regular community gatherings to stay in touch with the desires of the community Direct communication Wide office hours, quick response to digital communications Monthly blog posts reviewing progress in the community A easily searchable list of my voting record on issues presented at council to promote visibility and transparency