Bill McKeeman, Amanda Steinhoff-Gray running for Ward 3 councillor in Kincardine

Bill McKeeman and Amanda Steinhoff-Gray are in a race to represent Ward 3 on Kincardine council, in the fall election.

BILL McKEEMAN

Bill McKeeman (right), lives in Inverhuron with his wife, Julie, a local artist. They have two properties there, one on Lake Street and one on Victoria Street. They have three children: Jennifer, the nurse; Sean, the architect; and Brian, the jet pilot.

“I’m semi-retired but still participating with certain projects, including trying to publish a book I wrote which features Inverhuron,” says McKeeman. “I am active, I bike, golf, sail, cross-country ski, play seniors’ hockey in town, and more.”

He is running for council because after talking to a number of people it seemed like a good way to give back to the area he loves and help the region grow, while protecting its heritage, culture and strong sense of community.

McKeeman decided to run for Ward 3 because his great-grandfather settled in Glammis in the late 1800s and opened a general store on the northwest corner in town. 

“My grandfather was born there and later moved to Kincardine where he served the community on the school board, was Justice of the Peace and division court clerk,” he says. “We have been coming to Inverhuron our whole lives and in May of 2020, we moved here. As a fourth-generation resident, I feel a very strong connection to the area and care about what happens here.”

While he has no municipal government and is not a politician, McKeeman did report to a board during his business career and chaired several business-related committees.

After talking to people, he believes the major issues facing Kincardine, are related to growth, or perhaps more accurately, planning for growth. It can be speed bumps in Inverhuron, or traffic travelling too fast on small streets.

More serious issues are the demand for housing which is way beyond the supply, or the hospital not having the resources it needs to meet the growing demand.

AMANDA STEINHOFF-GRAY

Amanda Steinhoff-Gray (right), 42, lives in Tiverton and works at Bruce Power.

“I am lucky enough to be raising my family in the same village where I grew up,” she says. “I have a lot of family in the area and you have likely seen many of us at various events as volunteers or entertainment.

“Over the years, I've done a lot of volunteer work for a number of different organizations, ranging from the Walker House to various rescue organizations for animals, large and small.”

She is running for council because she loves her community and believes she can make a difference.

“I believe that I am approachable and always willing to advocate for others,” she says. “Serving as a councillor will allow me to use the skills that I have developed, both academically and professionally, to make our municipality a place where people want to live. 

“As a life-long learner, I believe that I bring an open mind and willingness to dig into the issues facing our municipality. I want to foster a sense of inclusion for all members of the municipality, whether they be life-long residents or new arrivals.

“Council should be approachable and should not just listen to, but act on, different perspectives. These are qualities that in my experience as a resident, have been lacking in the past.”

Steinhoff-Gray says that when long-time Ward 3 councillor Randy Roppel announced he was no longer running for council, she wanted to make sure that Ward 3 had a strong voice to advocate for initiatives that have been started, such as road reconstruction and maintenance, as well as culvert replacement.

She also knows there is a strong desire for the fire agreement with Arran-Elderslie to continue, as it ensures faster response times for those residents living further away from the Tiverton and Kincardine fire departments.

Steinhoff-Gray has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as well as a Masters of Arts in Political Science with a focus on policy and legislation.

“Upon completion of my Master's degree, I had the opportunity to work as a legislative assistant at Queen’s Park before going on to complete a Bachelor of Education,” she says. “I've also participated in community groups, working with the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (now the Ontario Land Tribunal), and have given considerable attention to the Planning Act.”

She says that with the amount of growth Kincardine has had, the municipality struggles with the balance between the need for development and sustainability, particularly when it comes to protecting the natural environment.

“I support using tools like a private tree bylaw and amendments to the Official Plan to ensure that developers are no longer permitted to clear-cut development property with no regard to the environment,” she says. “Additionally, I believe that we need to look at the hard and soft infrastructure available to our community, particularly with the developments being approved.

“Hard services, such as sewage treatment and water, are lacking, and it is very important not to forget the soft services that contribute to livability, including recreational services for those communities surrounding the Town of Kincardine. Council should be using the tools at its disposal to ensure all parties to the development process are contributing to the net benefit of the existing community.

“With growing costs of living in the area, we will need to give serious consideration to sustainable and attainable housing. Council needs to push the county to take the lead and provide incentives for construction of all types of housing, particularly rental units.”

Another item she believes needs attention, is doctor recruitment, especially with the growing list of residents in need of a family doctor.

“I am a strong advocate for the revitalization of the Kincardine hospital and would push council to give consideration to expanding the services available at the hospital.

“If elected, I will push for council to set firm goals for the term, and to continuously report to the community on our progress toward achieving them. Once goals are identified, we can easily identify stakeholders and get to work. Reporting on progress will provide transparency to ensure that councillors are accountable for their actions (or lack there of), something else that I believe you, as voters, are entitled to.”
 

---

The Municipality of Kincardine council consists of the mayor, deputy mayor, three councillors-at-large, two councillors for Ward 1, one councillor for Ward 2, and one councillor for Ward 3. Use the Ward Map to find out which ward you live in, and which candidates will appear on your ballot.

Kincardine will be using an Internet/telephone voting system for the 2022 election. As in the 2018 election, there will be no paper ballots. Electors will receive a notice in the mail providing instructions and a secure PIN number to use to vote using either the Internet or telephone.

You can check here to see if you have been registered to vote. If your name does not initially appear, try including your middle name, a different version of your address (i.e. CONC 6 instead of Concession 6) or check to see if you appear at a previous address. NOTE: If you use the on-line registration tool, you must still present at the municipal office with appropriate identification to complete your voter registration and be eligible to enter the voting system to cast your ballot. 

The voting period opens Monday, Oct. 17, at 9 a.m., and closes Monday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m.