I'm there with you.

I got asked recently, "Where have you been?" Well, let's start at the beginning. My husband and I moved from Oakville to Paris to raise a family in a small town. Yup, Oakville was a town when I was raised, and Glen Abbey wasn't there; it was all farmland.

Yes, farmland was above the QEW in the 80s and 90s.  Ian and I watched as our town developed from a small town to a suburb of Toronto, host of the Bell Canadian Open.  Our family was one of the last to have milk delivered to our home. Yes, we had a MilkMan!

Family Reunions were held at the family apple orchard. However, my riding stable has been replaced by homes, the golf course where our friends were married has been replaced by homes, and most of the farmland has been replaced by homes.

We decided to move out of Oakville, fell upon Paris on a drive, and bought a house a week later that has been part of the County of Brant ever since 2003.

In 2007, we were blessed with our one and only daughter.

Within months of her birth, I survived a massive car accident. Still, I went back to work after using my maternity leave to recover (sick time and maternity weren't an option) and still attending physio 5 days a week!

Hard Work Pays Off: I continued to work for another 10 years, in compliance and business analysis till 2017.

We are watching Paris grow and have seen the construction of Cobblestone Public School and Sacred Heart School to replace the old schools, which are now Queensview. It was hard to find infant care in Paris, not because of space but because of the family values; no infant care needed. Our daughter was the first child registered with Paris Child Care for Sacred Heart Day Care. Carrigan attended Sacred Heart from the age of 2 until graduation in 2021. Brant County has been part of our lives through by-law, swimming lessons, Brant County Day Camps, the Paris Fair, and the Downtown Santa Claus Parade. We have family traditions; we began to be part of the community. Carrigan was “person of brant” in 2018. We provided Canada Day fireworks for the town after they stopped at the fairgrounds (licensed), until the growth stopped it.

All was quiet until 2015, when we came home from vacation to find most of the trees along Rest Acres Road had been removed. Not only the destruction of the forest and its inhabitants, but also that Paris is expanding into a suburb?

Expansion is correct; they are reinventing the small town of 8,000 in 2003 to 15K in 2021, now with a name brand in the downtown core, at the expense of heritage buildings to build cookie-cutter homes. Annexing should not be permitted, but that is another conversation. Small town means small businesses, supporting local. I have been going to the same stores since I moved to the County of Brant.

Life changed in an instant later in 2016, and then the fight began for my health and for people with disabilities. Yes, I am disabled, but that doesn't stop me.

After 2 major surgeries between 2018 and 2020, I was able to focus on life again, minus COVID and my battle to fight for my rights. Our journey to find a new home in Brant County, with its small-town values, focused our search on Wards 4 and 1.

We moved to Burford in 2020, after 2 years of searching. This small town is what I love. “Life is better in Burford.”  

Here we are in Burford, moving into our new home; the neighbours are out greeting us! Back to Small Town Living. Within 2 months, I am on a call with the county, presenting the facts about municipal water and sewage.  Here begins my 5 years of council meeting recordings and research. I ask the hard questions about what is happening in Brant County.

We lost my father-in-law unexpectedly, and 8 months later, "Ma," or my mother-in-law, required 24-hour care for dementia. We are a family, so "Ma" moved in with us, caring for her during palliative and hospice care till she passed in our home in April 2025.

The question “Where have I been?” is easy: “I am a daughter, wife, mom, employee/consultant, caregiver, taxi driver, advocate, foster fur mom, and I am a woman who takes it all on.” I am in the trenches with you!

Change is Constant, and unexpected in life. The one thing that won't change is me; I'm there with you.

Why am I running? Because Ward 4 doesn't need urban development; it does not require municipal water and sewage for smart development. We are a community; together we can plan for the County of Brant's future without losing what makes it home.