John Foster has been a part of the Oakville community since grade 3, when his father came to town to work as mechanical engineer. So John can very comfortably call Oakville home. On September 8th John added his name to the list of candidates running for Regional and Town Councillor. In Ward 4 he is running against Allan Elgar.
“I've lived here my whole life – my whole family is here, and I’m concerned that things don’t go bad, “ said Foster when asked why he put his name into the political ring.
Currently, John lives in the Ward with his wife who is a photographer, and their children. John is a Civil Engineer University of Toronto graduate, and is a minority partner in a Customer Relations Management (CRM) company. He feels fortunate that he can work at home, so he doesn’t have to face the gridlock besieging the town.
Issues he feels that are facing Ward 4 residents is the huge budget administered by Town Hall. In Burlington, there is one councillor for each ward, not two for every Oakville ward which currently exists. That kind of doubling up is wasteful according to John, who believes he could help to reduce the operating budget of the town by 13 percent.
“No-one is reading the budget,” says Foster. “That needs to change!”
He is also concern about the disenfranchised. There are a large number of children whose parents cannot afford to pay for them to participate in sports. That needs to change according to John, who believes that a child being active in a team sport helps a community grow stronger.
To Foster the need to be extremely aware of our environment is crucial to creating a more liveable Oakville. We need to increase our use of alternative energy sources and decrease commuting (emissions) to decrease our footprint. Though saving the Merton Lands is very important, it shouldn’t be the only focus, according to John.
“We need to be talking to each of the business owners and asking:"how can I help you?" states Foster, as he sums up to conversation on how he would create a better environment for business.
Contact John Foster
home: (905) 847-4618
email: [email protected]
Twitter: @John_W_Foster
Website: JohnFoster.ca
Position: Regional and Town Councillor
Location: Ward 4