ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Yvonne
Yvonne is a Councillor for the Town of Collingwood.
She is an experienced leader and a strong voice on Council, using common sense to stand up for Collingwood's interests. Yvonne knows how to get things done.
OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS SHE HAS:
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Ensured Collingwood's approach to development is appropriate and takes into consideration the community’s needs first.
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Developed detailed recommendations to increase affordable housing for people who work in Collingwood together with the Affordable Housing Task Force.
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Successfully advocated to lift the provincially imposed cap which means new family doctors can now set up a practice in Collingwood.
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Championed policies for families and neighbourhoods including the traffic calming policy, safer streets initiatives, the creation of more daycare spaces, and the implementation of more bike lanes.
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Led the initiative to update the Town’s Official Plan planning document - it is 20 years out of date.
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Stood up against racial injustice and brought forward changes to the Town’s bylaws and advocated for a federal criminal law to ban hate speech.
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Secured a $500,000 donation to green our community with tree plantings and pollinator gardens.
Yvonne is a fighter who knows the ins and outs of development from her previous career as a lawyer. She was a leader in the field of municipal, property tax and land-use planning law in Toronto for 27 years and chaired the Canadian Property Tax Association. Representing landowners, developers, municipalities and residents, she knows how the system works and how to help Collingwood get the best deal.
Yvonne has been determined in her efforts to connect residents, community organizations, business, and local government throughout Southern Georgian Bay. She believes in collaborative solutions to economic, social, and environmental challenges in our region when it makes sense to do so.
She participated in a regional committee of council members from surrounding Towns to make progress on physician recruitment and retention in South Georgian Bay and sits on the Board of the Institute of Southern Georgian Bay
Yvonne has been an active volunteer with our region’s vibrant arts community. She sat on the Board of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts and served as Chair of both the Board of the Purple Hills Arts & Heritage Society and of what was known as the Public Art Committee in Thornbury.
Yvonne is married, lives in Collingwood and has five children with her husband. Yvonne and her dog Byron can be seen regularly walking the trails in Collingwood.