A candidate for Ward 8 in Windsor outlined his plan to keep the momentum going if he's re-elected to the next term of council.
Gary Kaschak outlined his plan on Thursday at Kinsmen/Norman Park.
Kaschak was first elected in 2018, and says from being apart of bringing affordable housing to the ward, improvements to parks, and the new splash pad in Fontainebleau Park a lot of progress has been made but there's more work to do.
Some of the focuses if he's re-elected include expanding and enhancing traffic calming methods in Ward 8, ensuring streets and neighbourhoods are safe, and making sure the new hospital continues to move forward.
Kaschak says trying to deal with aggressive driving is something he's brought up in council chambers previously, and plans to do so again if re-elected.
"You start with reducing speed limits in residential areas to 40 km/h, add some traffic calming methods and we will put a dent into this aggressive and excessive speeds here moving forward. So that's certainly something that we want to continue with," he said.
He says they've also given residents options if they want speed humps on certain streets throughout the ward.
In terms of hospital support, Kaschak says 95 per cent of people in Ward 8 want the project to move forward and he's committed to it as well.
"Certainly we don't want to go back to the bottom of the barrel on the process," he continued. "I want to ensure that the process, the location and the funding for the hospital continues to move forward and be a strong voice at the council table along with the provincial government to ensure that happens."
Kaschak says he would also continue the work on affordable housing and curbing homelessness in the city.
He says the previous term of council made some good strides, like the H4 which is in the process of finding a permanent location, but that the next term will have work collaboratively with community partners because there's a need for more mental health and addiction supports.
"We need wrap around services, we need outreach workers, and we need a 24/7 facility that if people want to go to for help, and not necessarily a hospital but some type of facility. Where they can go and say I need some help and I don't want you to release me in four hours, and that they can stay there for a couple of days to get all of the help they need," Kaschak said.
Other focuses for Kaschak include continual development of Ward 8 Parks, as he says there are more upgrades needed to more of the 11 parks within the area and to continue with improvements on roads like Jefferson, Rose, Buckingham, Empress, and others starting next term.
He says after retiring from the CBSA following his election win in 2018 he's dedicated the majority of his time to being a councillor, enjoys meeting and talking to residents, and hopes to be able to keep serving in the next term.
Kaschak is in a two-person race for Ward 8, against Gemma Grey-Hall.