Benjamin Danyluk

Phone: 519-818-5455
Email: bendanyluk@gmail.com

2022 Windsor Election Rose City Politics Candidate Questionnaire answers:

1. What is your prior political experience?

I have no political experience.

2. Why are you running?

I am running for mayor because, our administration is to focused on decorative and/or legacy projects to address the real problems. They play kick the can on all our real issues, compounding the problems, until they are to to big to ignore and inflating the costs to fix. Like how our rent costs have nearly doubled, or how its gonna take $170m to repair the neglected affordable housing apartments. Hearing city council approved a $32m glass canopy, was one of the first reasons I decided to run.

3. What do you do currently for a living?

I am currently a welder/fabricator.

4. What is the biggest issue affecting the ward you are running for?

Some of the issues in my ward are: public safety, decaying infrastructure, affordable housing, traffic inforcement, and an inequality of focus. A majority of what has been done in ward 4 has been focused mainly on the walkerville area. Ward 4 is much bigger then walkerville.

5. What is the biggest issue affecting the city of Windsor?

The main issues for our city: I would have to go back to our addmistrastions lack of focus on real issues before they become a major crisis. Affordable housing, the decay of a majority of our infrastructure, and down town core. Our ever growing homeless issue(they need help now, not in five years). Accessibility to mass transit, especially to our manufacturing areas on the outskirts of our city.(Oldcastle and out off Patillo RD) Traffic and crime inforcemant, and the lack of rehab and mental health programs. Most if not all of the list issues are having a negative impact on our business and tourism sectors.

6. Are you seeking any endorsements?

Yes I would like endorsements.

7. Have you received any endorsements?

No I do not currently have any endorsements.

8. Will you continue the “hold the line on taxes” policy?

If elected, I have no intent on raising taxes. We have a lot to fix in our city, so we need to get creative on ways to make money, aside from bleeding out, our already struggling populace.

9. Do you support the mega-hospital location?

The location of the hospital dose not affect me personally, as I do not have mobility issues. Never the less it should have been placed in a central location. Once again we are making our elderly and mobile impaired citizens, travel long distances to utilize amenities. Its also not practical to have emergency vehicles rushing down our high traffic roads during rush hours. (Dougall, Howard Walker ect) Especially on the express way. Traveling at 100 m/h, its not easy for 2 lanes to just shuffle over, potentially causing delays if not accidents.
This is why we need at least a 24h emergency center.

I do see the potential, if staffed properly the hospital could bring people to our city. Much like how we now have to travel to the london hospital, for procedures we can’t currently get here. We must also keep in mind that ontario already has a medical staffing problem. Once Ford privatized health care, the private hospitals will pay more and poach most of our medical staff.

10. Do you support strong mayor legislation?

I do not support the strong mayor legislation. Despite what some people may think, running the city is not a 1 person job. These are Civil servant positions, not ruler positions. Councilors are suppose to represent the people of their ward. The one complaint I keep hearing across the board is the lack of ability to contact there councilors. We are getting to big for the councilors to properly represent their wards. We need to either make the jobs full time positions, or split up the wards and have a few more councilors. Lessening the councilors authority only takes away what little voice the people actually have.

11. Should the city use taxpayers dollars to bring jobs to the area?

The city has always used tax dollars to bring work to the city, in various forms of corporate welfare. There is nothing wrong with this when done right and the city benefits more then the initial investment.

An example of not being smart, when the city invested $10m to run the tram into the cs wind yard. Their hand outs were ending and the company left roughly 2 years later. Before handing out money like that you need to make them sign a term deal.

12. If you are running in a ward with an incumbent who is also running, why is change necessary, and why are you the person to deliver it?

We all know why Drew needs to go. I will leave this one alone before i say something I probably shouldn’t. Refer back to previous answers.

I feel I would be good for the job because I have a wide range of skills and perspectives. From my manufacturing experience I understand the importance of preventative maintenance. I also know what it means to have to chose between buying food and paying rent. We need to fix problems while there small and make decisions base on whats best for the many and not just the select few.

13. How many hours per week do you plan to allocate towards council business if elected?

As much time as is needed. There’s a lot that needs fixing and there is no magic wand.

14. Do you live in the ward you are running for?

Im running for mayor, there for I am running for all wards.

15. What agencies, boards, or committees do/have you served on, and in what capacity?

I was a health and safety rep on a committee for a little over a year at a weld shop.

16. What person, animal or fictional character should be Windsor’s unofficial mascot?

Walter White, my little Bug (boston/pug).