Hi, I'm Tanya. Nice to meet you!

First, thanks for your interest in my campaign and for digging into who I am and why I am running as a candidate in Stittsville Ward 6. This is an important election and the candidate we elect will be part of some big decisions coming up across the city.

I am running because I think I am the best suited person for the position. If my face or name seem familiar, it may be because I also ran in 2022, or you may have seen me helping out at a public event in the community, or highlighted in the local newspaper. I have spent most of the past twenty years volunteering in a number of capacities in and around Stittsville, but most of my focus has been on municipal advocacy—planning and development, in particular. I have been actively monitoring planning files in Stittsville since 2010, regularly submitting comments or appearing as a delegation at committee.

I serve on a number of charitable and not-for-profit boards and I

spend a great deal of time talking to residents about things that are happening in municipal government and how and why they should get involved (even in non-election years!). Much of my advocacy happened during my many years of service with the Stittsville Village Association, including seven years as president. The SVA was formed 25 years ago partly in response to our drastic reduction in municipal representation as part of the amalgamation process, Since the current association board has switched focus to bringing popular social events to the community, I continue to bring awareness to planning and development files via the Stittsville Advocacy & Community Building page on Facebook and through my personal and other community channels. Stittsville is undergoing rapid change, and it is vital that we secure the infrastructure and services to make sure we are building a livable, functional community and not just a more densely populated one.

Professionally, I am a licensed paralegal and I operate my business from Stittsville. Every day, I advocate effectively for my clients in the areas of landlord and and tenant/RTA issues, administrative tribunals, provincial offences and even small claims. I know my way around legislation, policy and governance. I got my first taste of politics in my 20s, when I worked first as a journalist and then as a legislative assistant to an MP on Parliament Hill. The shameless self promotion that comes along with being a politician feels unnatural but it is worth it for the opportunity and platform to help.

And that's what I'm here for—to help. My family and I have been a part of the fabric of Stittsville for many years. I want us to have a great forward-thinking community supported by approachable, sensible, responsible leadership. Get in touch any time.

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Frequently asked questions

I've distilled my priorties into threee categories: mobility, money, and meeting needs.

Mobility: Stittsville is growing, Ottawa is growing, and getting around is a challenge. Ease of mobility, whether regarding transit, driving, or active transportation needs to be addressed, both in the short term and the long range.

Money: Transparency, accountability and efficiency are traits I value and I want residents to know I will be watching how tax dollars are spent, asking questions, and making concerns known. Projects such as Lansdowne 2.0 need more scrutiny. I will actively support measures to bolster Ottawa businesses, and I also want to work with other councillors, staff, and other cities to lobby the province for more varied funding sources and to ensure the right balance of service-delivery responsibility between levels of government.

Meeting needs is about ensuring residents have what they need in terms of services and timely infrastructure. The gap between growth and infrastructure is often wide, with promises made and then pushed back years or decades. We need to be realistic in what we can afford, when we can realisticlally get it, and what can be done in the interim.

Very little. I live on the edge of Stittsville, and to my constant chagrin, OC Transpo service is not frequent enough, reliable enough, or efficient enough to be a reasonable option for my family. I would love to be able to use transit with ease.

That said, I also don't drive a lot. I run my business from home and I try to keep my money in Stittsville by patronizing other local businesses as much as possible. I purchased my car in 2012 and the odometre is still below 110,000 km. I have a cargo e-bike that I prefer to use for short trips -- and yes, I wear a helmet, ride safely on the street, and am respectful of pedestrians and other vehicles.

Barring a significant shift in how the province determines cities should be funded, property taxes will certainly go up over the next four-year term. It's how we pay for the amenities and services needed to run the city, and any candidate who promises no tax increases is not going to be able to keep that promise.

My commitment is to do whatever I can to ensure your tax dollars are spent thoughtfully. I don't like waste and I'm not afraid to ask questions or examine whether we are getting value on investment.

No, I do not support mandatory Return to Office. From a Stittsville perspective, getting downtown is already a challenge. The highway is congested and transit is not up to the task. Generally, I think it's important to stay efficient and progressive. We don't have to change something that is largely working, and we don't have to do something just because that is the way it was done before.

I ran for election in 2022 as well, the only woman to have done so in Stittsville in nearly twenty years, and this question came up a lot then, too. Admittedly, I wondered if my male colleagues were questioned in the same way. There are several women running this time around, and the same question has been raised.

So yes, I do have children, and yes, parenting them takes a lot of time. I'm also a business owner, a volunteer, friend, neighbour, dog owner and generally competent human. I know how to juggle time and priorities and I can assure you that I would not be running if I thought I could not serve properly. You are in good, responsible hands.