CTV News Kitchener reached out people running to become Wilmot Township’s mayor ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 26, 2026. All candidates were given the same questions based on the position they are running for. They were asked to limit their answers to 400 words or less. In fairness to all participants, CTV News Kitchener will only share responses up to the requested limit. Any answers exceeding that threshold have been cut off at exactly 400 words. If you are a candidate that did not receive a survey, or your responses were submitted by the deadline but are not included below, please reach out to ctvkitchenerwebteam@bellmedia.ca Editor’s note: A question regarding the Mannheim water capacity constraints mistakenly referred to the “water capacity shortage in Wilmot” instead of the “water capacity shortage’s impact on Wilmot.” The question, and subsequent answers are unchanged, but Wilmot is not experiencing a water capacity shortage. Stephanie Goertz Q: Why have you decided to run in the municipal election? SG: I decided to run because I became increasingly concerned about the direction Wilmot was heading and how some of our biggest decisions were being made. Over the last four years, council has made decisions that will greatly impact what the future of Wilmot will look like. I have spoken with residents who tell me they are worried about what Wilmot is becoming; some have questioned if they will stay, and some have already put their homes up for sale. I have two children, and I hope Wilmot will be a place they will want to live. Change is going to happen; our current Council has set the ball rolling. Now we need to react and plan for what this means, what we want to protect, what kind of growth makes sense, what infrastructure and services we will need, and how we are going to afford it. We are dealing with issues around water, growth, taxes, infrastructure and farmland. Residents, businesses and community groups have spoken up, but many have told me they don’t feel their concerns have been heard or that what they have said has made any difference. I know firsthand what this feels like. I have spent months, and in some cases years, working with others to bring urgent issues to Council. We have dedicated hundreds of hours, spent our own money, hired experts, researched the issues and delegated to Council. Most times when we delegated, no questions were asked by Council, and no questions were directed to staff about what was presented. We came hopeful, but left feeling defeated. For the past 12 years, I have been running businesses, managing budgets and operations, developing partnerships and bringing large groups of people together to solve problems. A big part of that work has been capacity building - helping people and organizations recognize their strengths, connect with the right partners and turn ideas into action. That experience has shown me how much knowledge, experience and ability already exists in our community. A mayor’s role should provide leadership across the whole township. A mayor should help Councillors work as a team, support them on community issues, build relationships with all levels of government, and bring people together. That is the kind of work I know, and it is why I decided to run for Mayor. Q: In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue Wilmot’s community is currently facing? SG: The most pressing issue, in my opinion, is that Wilmot needs a clearer long-term plan, built with the voice of the community. Growth is coming quickly. Decisions have been made by our current Council that are directing us down this path - from approving large new subdivisions that could quickly increase our population by 6,500 people over the next 6 – 9 years, to rezoning large areas of agricultural land for residential or industrial development, opening additional land for developers, deciding not to take a stronger position on the Mega Site, and submitting a new Official Plan that, in my opinion, does not do enough to protect our farmland, water and rural character. There is more to long-term planning than deciding where we build houses or designate employment land. We need to decide what we want our Township to look like, but also what we need to protect along the way. Then we need policies, budgets and infrastructure plans that actually support that vision. New Hamburg, Baden, New Dundee, St. Agatha, Mannheim, Petersburg, Haysville and our other rural communities are unique. Residents, businesses, farmers and community organizations need to be part of creating a vision for each of them. What do we want to protect? What is missing? Where should businesses grow? What kind of housing do we need? What will make people feel connected to their community? This is also where rural economic development comes in. We should be supporting existing businesses, filling vacant properties, creating opportunities for small, medium and larger employers, and strengthening our agricultural economy. Long-term planning also has to be financially realistic. Roads, water, emergency services, recreation facilities, parks and other infrastructure all require significant investment. If we know where growth is going and what our communities will need, we can plan and budget earlier instead of reacting when we are already behind. And when the community is involved in creating that plan, we can use the expertise that already exists here. We can build partnerships, look at different ways of delivering projects, find grants and other funding, and come up with solutions Council or staff may not have considered on their own. To me, we need to change how long-term planning is done in Wilmot. Q: What is your point of view of the Wilmot land assembly project? SG: I do not support the Wilmot Land Assembly, and I believe this land should remain agricultural. My position comes from years of involvement in our local food system, including being chair of the Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region for 2 years. Farmland is not simply vacant land waiting for another use. It is part of our food system, our rural economy and our long-term food security. Once it is paved, we do not get it back. I have also not seen evidence that Wilmot is a suitable location for a 770-acre industrial site, or that a site of this size is needed. The Region has confirmed there is still no specific company or end user identified. Water and wastewater are major concerns for me. The Region’s 2025 Water and Wastewater Monitoring Report identifies remaining wastewater capacity in the Baden-New Hamburg system for approximately 9,100 additional people. Based on the maximum units in developments already approved or moving forward that I have reviewed, along with new long-term-care capacity, we could already be approaching 8,000 additional residents. That is before all future residential and employment lands identified through our new Official Plan are developed. Wilmot will also need wastewater capacity for our existing employment lands, future schools, and sport complexes. We also cannot ignore the health of our Nith River. Regional studies state that any expansion of the New Hamburg wastewater plant is limited by the river’s capacity. The WilmotCAN report raises concern about current phosphorus levels and the impact on fish and aquatic life. Water is another major concern. Baden’s B1/B2 wells were taken out of service because of high nitrate levels, residents around the Wilmot Centre well field have raised concerns about the reliability of their private wells, and we are already dealing with questions about where future water capacity will come from. Before removing hundreds of acres of farmland and adding a potentially significant industrial water user, I believe we need to understand the full impact on our groundwater, recharge areas and the water supply our residents, farms and businesses depend on. Saying no to this site does not mean saying no to economic development in Wilmot Township. I would work with the Region and Waterloo EDC to dedicate time to developing the employment lands we already have that have remained undeveloped across from the Recreation Centre. We can grow our economy without sacrificing farmland. Q: What is your plan to address the water capacity shortage in Wilmot? SG: In 2019, the Region increased pumping from the Wilmot Centre wells by approximately 30 litres per second. Wilmot Council and residents were not told about that increase at the time, even though the 1980 Wilmot water-taking policy was still in place. Then, this summer, the Region voted to temporarily take another 15 litres per second. What makes this especially concerning is that residents around the Wilmot Centre wells have reported problems for years, including wells running low, difficulty getting enough clean water for everyday use, and changes to ponds and wetlands. As Mayor, I would formally request the complete studies, groundwater monitoring data and pumping records — information that, to my knowledge, our current Council has not requested in full. I want to understand what changed over those six years and what impact the additional pumping has had on groundwater, private wells, ponds and wetlands. Residents who believe their wells have been affected should not have to fight alone for answers. I would also focus on keeping more water in the ground and wasting less of what we already have. Wilmot’s own reports say our sanitary sewer system has high levels of groundwater and rainwater leaking into it. That clean water takes up wastewater-treatment capacity. We need to prioritize finding, measuring and repairing those leaks, including using newer technologies that can help us identify problem areas faster. I would also review our smaller water systems. Petersburg is getting a new municipal water system, and we need to understand how that system will operate and what it means for future Regional water use. Residents in St. Agatha and New Dundee have also told me about recurring brown water. Those concerns need to be investigated rather than accepted as normal. Finally, new growth has to be tied to confirmed water capacity. We need to know how much water we have, where it is going, where we are losing it and how much growth it can actually support before approving more demand. On my website, I outline the specific policies I would advocate for, including looking at the combined impact of development and water takings, requiring simple water-impact reports for major projects, baseline testing of nearby private wells, regular public reporting on groundwater levels and water use, and asking the Province to pause new or expanded water-taking approvals when there is evidence that a groundwater system is under serious pressure. Natasha Salonen Q: Why have you decided to run in the municipal election? NS: I am running for re-election because I believe the work we began over the past four years needs to be carried through. When I first ran in 2022, I believed Wilmot needed change. This term has involved a significant amount of foundational work: confronting financial practices that were not sustainable, strengthening the Township as an organization, planning more deliberately for our infrastructure, completing a new Official Plan, reinstating the Prime Minister’s Path with a larger educational scope, and navigating significant changes imposed by other levels of government. One of the clearest examples is our financial reset. For the 2026 budget, I brought in KPMG to work with the Township, introduced a zero-based budgeting approach and required a much more detailed examination of what it actually costs to deliver the services Council has approved. We are also moving toward long-term financial planning so future decisions about taxes, infrastructure and services are made with a clearer understanding of their consequences. But rebuilding the foundation was never the end goal. Wilmot is entering a period in which decisions about growth, infrastructure, water, affordability and our relationship with other governments will shape this community for decades. I was born and raised here, and Wilmot is still home for me and my family. I want to continue bringing the experience, relationships and understanding I have developed over this term to those decisions. My goal is to build on the work already underway and help Wilmot move through the changes ahead without losing the character and sense of community that make people want to call this place home. Q: In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue Wilmot’s community is currently facing? NS: I believe that the most pressing issue is affordability in its broadest sense. That includes property taxes, but it goes well beyond the tax bill. Can young people afford to build a life here? Can someone living on a fixed income afford to stay in the community they have called home for decades? Can businesses afford to remain and grow here? And can our municipalities afford to maintain the infrastructure and services residents rely on without continually passing deferred costs on to future taxpayers? Those questions are all connected to the decisions we are making about our finances, infrastructure, housing, growth and water infrastructure. Over the past four years, much of my focus at the Township has been on putting Wilmot on a more sustainable financial footing. The next step is turning that foundation into greater predictability: making disciplined decisions about spending, distinguishing needs from wants, properly funding the infrastructure we already own, growing our tax base responsibly and planning far enough ahead that residents are not repeatedly faced with sudden financial pressures because difficult decisions were deferred. But affordability cannot be addressed only at the Township table. Approximately 56 per cent of a Wilmot property owner’s tax bill goes to the Region of Waterloo, which funds services including policing, transit, housing and shelter, public health, emergency services and waste management. As Wilmot’s representative on Regional Council, I believe I have an equally important responsibility there to scrutinize spending, advocate for the services Wilmot residents need, and continually ask whether ratepayers are receiving appropriate value for the taxes they are paying. Municipal government cannot solve every affordability pressure people are experiencing. But at both the Township and Regional tables, we should be disciplined about the things we do control, continually examine how public dollars are being spent, and consider affordability as part of every major decision we make. Q: What is your point of view of the Wilmot land assembly project? NS: The land assembly is a Provincial and Region of Waterloo-led priority and project. Municipalities operate within a provincial framework that has changed considerably. Ontario’s Special Economic Zones Act now gives the Province significant powers, where a zone and project are formally designated, to modify or exempt certain requirements, including municipal by-laws. The Wilmot site has not been designated a Special Economic Zone, but the legislation gives new tools for provincial priorities. My approach is therefore to be realistic that this project is happening, while being clear about what I expect for Wilmot. I have consistently advocated for affected landowners to be treated fairly and respectfully, for the Region to be accountable for its actions and for information to be made public wherever legally possible. When crops were destroyed on Region-owned land, I brought the motion at Regional Council that resulted in a commitment that existing crops would not be destroyed ahead of harvest. And I have advocated for residents to delegate on this matter regularly. At the same time, I believe we now need to consider what this site could mean for Wilmot as most of the land has been sold. A major employer could bring new assessment and well-paying jobs to Wilmot. That matters for affordability. Expanding our industrial tax base could help diversify the burden currently carried heavily by residential taxpayers. But economic development cannot mean putting a large employer on a piece of land and calling that success. Whoever ultimately comes to this site needs to become a genuine community partner with Wilmot; employing people here, supporting local businesses and organizations, contributing to our community and understanding that they are becoming part of Wilmot, not simply locating within our municipal boundary. Wilmot needs a meaningful voice in the practical decisions around infrastructure, transportation, water and wastewater, environmental impacts, community amenities and how the site integrates with the surrounding rural area. That is where the relationships I have built at the Region and with the province matters. The province does not have to give Wilmot a voice in this conversation, my responsibility as Mayor is to ensure our community has the relationships needed to be welcomed at the table and to secure the best possible outcome for our township. The land assembly is materially advanced, we must ensure our landowners continue to be treated fairly and Wilmot is represented so there can be a positive impact for Wilmot. Q: What is your plan to address the water capacity shortage in Wilmot? NS: We do not have a water shortage, the Region has a water infrastructure challenge limiting the ability to pump, treat, store and move water through the system to where it is wanted. Wilmot sits over part of the Waterloo Moraine, one of the most productive groundwater systems in the Region, including the Wilmot Centre well field, and one of the most important water recharge areas. The issue is not whether water exists beneath us; it is whether the Regional infrastructure required to sustainably access, treat and distribute that water can keep pace with maintenance needs and growth. The Region has identified aging infrastructure and critical maintenance requirements as factors in the constraint, and many of the solutions now underway involve repairing, rehabilitating or upgrading existing infrastructure. As Wilmot’s representative on Regional Council, my focus is on ensuring those investments happen and that Wilmot’s water resources are protected in the process. There has already been significant progress including through my motions, as of January 2027 the temporary 15L/s being transferred from Wilmot will no longer be pumped out of the township and any further increases to Wilmot pumping cannot happen until the Water Supply Strategy comes back to council. I will continue pressing for the Region to catch up on the infrastructure investment required to support both existing communities and planned growth, while ensuring that solving a Regional infrastructure problem does not come at the expense of Wilmot’s long-term groundwater security. I opposed rescinding the Region’s 1980 Wilmot water-taking policy before the Water Supply Strategy was complete. I believed we still need to understand the long-term implications before permanently removing that protection. Protecting private well owners is part of that same responsibility. I brought forward the motion directing the Region to overhaul its groundwater interference policy so residents would have a fairer and more independent process. The revised policy has now been approved following public consultation and includes independent investigation and an appeal process. I want accelerated investment in Regional water infrastructure, long-term asset planning, continued groundwater monitoring, transparent sharing of data and independent scrutiny where appropriate. Wilmot does not lack water. The challenge is ensuring the infrastructure exists to sustainably access, treat and deliver it while protecting the groundwater resource for the people who live here today and for generations to come. Kristopher Wilkinson Q: Why have you decided to run in the municipal election? KW: I’m running for Mayor because I believe Wilmot needs strong leadership focused on affordability, accountability and protecting what makes our Township such a great place to live. Over the past four years on Council, I have consistently pushed for greater fiscal responsibility, questioned spending and advocated for better long-term planning. I believe taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going and that every dollar is being used effectively. At the same time, Wilmot is changing. We are facing significant decisions around growth, infrastructure, water, agriculture and economic development. Those decisions will shape our community for decades. I’m raising my family here, and I want Wilmot to remain a place where families can afford to live, businesses can succeed and our rural communities and agricultural heritage are protected. I believe my private sector experience and four years on Council have prepared me to provide the leadership Wilmot needs. I’m running because I believe we can strengthen our community while being more disciplined with taxpayers’ money, more transparent in our decision making and more responsive to the people we represent. Q: In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue Wilmot’s community is currently facing? KW: Affordability and the financial sustainability of the Township are the most pressing issues facing Wilmot. Residents have seen significant increases in the cost of living, and municipal government cannot ignore the pressure that higher property taxes place on families, seniors and businesses. At the same time, Wilmot faces substantial infrastructure needs and growth pressures. That makes long term financial planning more important, not less. My approach is to bring greater discipline to the budget process. I support tying annual levy increases much more closely to inflation, requiring new spending to be offset wherever reasonably possible, finding efficiencies in how we deliver services, reducing unnecessary reliance on consultants, and prioritizing preventative maintenance before infrastructure becomes more expensive to repair or replace. We also need to grow our commercial and industrial assessment base so the burden of funding municipal services does not continue falling disproportionately on residential taxpayers. Fiscal responsibility does not mean eliminating the services residents rely on. It means establishing priorities, measuring results and making sure taxpayers are receiving value for their money. Q: What is your point of view of the Wilmot land assembly project? KW: I support economic development and bringing good paying jobs to Waterloo Region, but I have serious concerns about how the Wilmot Land Assembly was undertaken. The Region says the objective is to assemble a large, shovel ready employment site capable of attracting a major employer and significant investment. Economic development is important, but so are transparency, respect for property owners, protection of agricultural land and meaningful public consultation. From the beginning, residents deserved more information about why this particular location was selected, what alternatives were considered, the infrastructure implications and the long term impact on Wilmot. Going forward, I believe Wilmot needs to have a strong voice at the Regional table. Any development of these lands must carefully address infrastructure, transportation, groundwater, agricultural impacts and the financial implications for Wilmot taxpayers. I also believe the community deserves considerably more transparency as the project progresses. Economic development should benefit the community hosting it. As Mayor, my responsibility would be to make sure Wilmot’s interests are represented throughout that process and that our residents are not simply expected to absorb the consequences of decisions made elsewhere. Q: What is your plan to address the water capacity shortage in Wilmot? KW: Water capacity is one of the most important infrastructure issues facing Wilmot, and we need both immediate action and a long term plan. As Mayor, I would advocate strongly at the Region for the water capacity Wilmot needs to support appropriate residential and economic development, while ensuring our groundwater resources and private wells are protected. Wilmot cannot properly plan for its future if the infrastructure needed to support that growth is uncertain. We also need to focus on what we can control locally. Wilmot has identified significant infiltration and inflow in our sanitary sewer system, meaning water that should not be there is consuming valuable capacity. Addressing those deficiencies through targeted infrastructure investment can recover capacity, reduce treatment costs and make better use of the infrastructure taxpayers have already paid for. Longer term, water and wastewater capacity must be integrated into our growth and capital planning. Before approving significant new development, we need to understand where the water will come from, whether our wastewater system can accommodate it, what infrastructure improvements are required and who will pay for them. I support growth, but it needs to be responsible and sustainable. Growth should follow infrastructure capacity, not the other way around. Clive Woolner Q: Why have you decided to run in the municipal election? CW: First, let me say I’m not your average candidate. I decided when I entered this race, I would tell people the truth, not what they wanted to hear. My philosophy is simple. Tell the people the truth and let them decide who will represent them best in office. I do not want to be elected based on promises I cannot keep. I want to be elected by constituents who understand where we are at and what we must do to go forward. Any numbers I have used in my campaign are available from public sources and can be verified if requested. For the last four years I have observed numerous occasions where Wilmot has been managed questionably. The tax increases over the last four years have been extremely high. Top employees were getting anywhere from 10 per cent to 18 per cent increases in one year. Overall payroll rose by 24.6 per cent. There have been four Chief Administrative Officers in four years and five Chief Financial Officers in six years. It became very apparent there were some very serious structural issues in the Township office and the corporation. Given my background of operating a business for 30 years and my education obtained getting my Master of Business Administration I believe I have the skills and leadership required to have a significant impact on the Township. Q: In your opinion, what is the most pressing issue Wilmot’s community is currently facing? CW: I believe the most pressing issue is the lack of fiscal responsibility. The 2025 budget proposed a 50 per cent increase in taxes. This was irresponsible and inappropriate. It created a lot of distrust between council, management and residents. It damaged our reputation in Waterloo Region, making it harder to attract investments either as residences or new businesses. As of now, the Township has not released its 2024 or 2025 financial statements. They are two years behind on filing financial information reports with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. These two items combined are threatening our ability to get grants from the upper tier governments. In the 3 years ending 2025 Wilmot experienced limited population growth of less than 1 per cent population. Yet during that time Township employee expenses rose by 24.6 per cent. Why? Q: What is your point of view of the Wilmot land assembly project? CW: While it’s important to have land available for large scale developments, its location is poorly thought out. We should not be taking prime farmland for industrial spaces. Industrial development should take place along existing transportation routes which are designed to handle the traffic. Currently, the access to the 401 via Highway 7&8 in Kitchener is strained during most peak hours to the point of it being dangerous in both directions. Secondly, the secrecy around it has created a lot of distrust in the community. While a battery factory and a data centre have been speculated there is no known concrete commitment from any company. The one thing no one is talking about is the future of solid waste handling when the Erb St. landfill is full. Given that there is a hydro corridor there is a possibility the region could use this for a location for a solid waste to energy plant. Indications in the 2025 solid waste study indicates it would take 15 to 20 years to get a project like that online and it would have to be in conjunction with another municipality. Wilmot’s Official Plan removes our ability to provide any determination of its final use. Q: What is your plan to address the water capacity shortage in Wilmot? CW: The region has said there is no water capacity shortage in Wilmot and that we have enough capacity for our future growth. The Petersburg water system has been redesigned from being a system contained in Petersburg to a system that will be connected to the Waterloo Regional water supply. The Knipfel well has a capacity to supply 1,400 homes. The new homes will not be in the Petersburg area. I would not allow the region to hook up onto the Wilmot owned water distribution system in Petersburg without making a substantial contribution financially and guarantee that the Wilmot wells will not be pumped beyond a fixed level. The region has proven to be deceptive in not disclosing their excess pumping of the Wilmot wells for the last seven years. This is not acceptable. In the rural areas where individual private wells have been going dry, the region must stand ready to compensate fairly the people who have lost their water supply. In the past the region has proven by doing their own investigations and offering a measly $4,000.00 as compensation that they have not been serious about assisting those that have lost their wells. Wells and related pumps can easily exceed $20,000.00. I hope that the region’s new policy on compensating well owners who lose their wells due to drops in the water table will be fairly compensated and that the procedure for claiming compensation is not so expensive that it’s actually cheaper to drill a new well yourself rather than fight for compensation from the Region. Only time will tell.
