Page 18 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 90

18 Issue #90 July 2020
One On One With Our Local Members of Council
Interview with
Glen Grant
hen he first ran for City Council 17 years ago, in 2003—just shy
Wof 58 years young, life-long Cornwall resident Glen Grant felt Iterm on Council. Raised in ‘the Rice Home’ in Ingleside, MacIsaac
like he needed a goal. “My first goal was to replace the Si Miller arena
and the Bob Turner Centre with a modern new facility,” he says. “With
the assistance of a community team, and dollars from the provincial and
federal governments, the Benson Center was built. However, it took 11
years to fulfill that goal.” To this date, Grant spent 13 years on council.
A Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School graduate, Grant continued
his education at Humber and St. Lawrence Colleges. He worked at Domtar
Fine Papers for 40 years, where he filled many different positions.
“Politics takes many forms,” says Grant. “I was involved in the labor
movement for 25 plus years. This includes being president of a union at
Domtar for 10 years and President of the Cornwall and District Labor
Council. I have participated, for over 25 years, with Federal and Provincial
Riding Associations, serving as a Riding Association Board member and
President. I have also served as Campaign Manager and Campaign Chair
for numerous federal and provincial elections.”
Being involved in the community in various volunteer organizations and
recognizing the improvements required in some of the city’s infrastructure,
such as recreation facilities, he decided he could use his experience to
make improvements locally. “Plus, I enjoy working with people in a team
environment,” he says.
Another of Grant’s major goals is the acquisition of the waterfront lands
from the federal government. “City Council is currently in discussions
with the Federal government to investigate how this can be accomplished,”
Grant explains. He also wanted to be involved in the expansion of the city.
“Being a member of the Economic Development Committee, serving as
Chair of the Committee, allowed me to assist with this goal,” Grant says.
During this period there has been major development in our Industrial
Park and other areas of the city.
Being a municipal politician has its rewards and its challenges,
according to Grant. “The most rewarding aspect of holding office is the
ability to assist residents to solve issues either in their neighborhood or in
the city at large,” he says. “Another is to look back at the city when I was
first elected and to see all the major improvements over my years in office
and to realize that I was part of those improvements.” He cites having to
deal with things beyond municipal control, such as the reliance on federal
and provincial funding, as among the challenges. “Another challenging
aspect is getting residents to vote at election time,” he says.
After 13 years in office, Councilor Glen Grant, who does not plan
on running for any political office in the next round of elections, has a
message for his constituents:
“I want to thank the residents that voted for me over the years and
hope that I did not disappoint them,” he says. “I tried to take away my
own personal point of view when making decisions on issues presented
to City Council and tried to see what would be best for the community. It
is very rewarding when residents approach you and give you encouraging
comments, criticism and advise on your performance.” Grant plans to
continue his contribution to the municipality as a volunteer on city and
community committees.
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Interview with
Jennifer MacIsaac
ngleside’s Jennifer MacIsaac is roughly half-way through her inaugural
is proud of the community that she is serving. “My husband Paul and I
chose to raise our two boys, Alex and Ethan in South Stormont and one
day, we plan to retire here as well,” she says.
With a background in communications, finance, and marketing,
MacIsaac currently works for the Seaway International Bridge Corporation
as Community Relations Coordinator. Elected to her first term in 2018,
MacIsaac says that it’s her passion for her community that prompted her
to run for her office. She explains, “We have an amazing community
that is growing and thriving, and I want to play a part in helping to build
the vision for South Stormont’s future, to help it flourish into its amazing
potential.”
Building relationships with residents and stakeholders is a priority for
MacIsaac. “We need to invest the time to really listen in order to understand
the needs of our residents,” she says. “I think this Council has done a
really good job so far at increasing communication. I am really pleased
that Council meetings are now being recorded for future reference, and
livestreamed so that residents can be more informed. I hope that we can
increase public engagement at budget time this fall as well.”
Another of her priorities is supporting local business and industry and
encouraging new investment in the community. “We need to maintain our
assets, and that means a few different things; from investing in repairs, to
protecting our schools,” she says.
She also has words of praise for the way South Stormont municipal staff
and council have handled aspects of the COVID crisis: “I’m quite proud
that municipal staff from various departments were so quick to assist our
local businesses in adapting their patio spaces in order to accommodate
restrictions placed on them due to the pandemic.”
Of course, being a municipal politician comes with its challenges and
its rewards. In terms of challenges, MacIsaac says “There are not enough
hours in a day. There are so many great ideas and projects that I want to
be a part of and help develop.”
In terms of rewards, she lists effecting change, bringing forth ideas (her
own or supporting those of residents, other members of council and staff)
and seeing projects come to fruition. “I really enjoy having the opportunity
to work and get to know so many residents,” she explains.
Asked if there was anything she’d like the electorate to know about her,
MacIsaac says, “I want constituents from every part of the municipality to
know that they can reach out to me with their ideas on ways to improve our
community. I am here to listen and chat and bounce ideas off of. We have
a large community with residents who come from diverse backgrounds
and have many talents to offer. I really want to help people come together,
to work collectively to make cool things happen for South Stormont!”
Jennifer MacIsaac can be reached at jmacisaac@southstormont.ca ,
613-662-9210, or through Facebook messenger.