Patricia Sylvain: CK Election & Sports Interview
Below are the CK Election and sports interview responses for Ward 4 council candidate Patricia Sylvain of Grande Pointe. Remember to vote October 22.
Name: Patricia Sylvain
Hometown and Ward:Grande Pointe – Ward 4
What’s your sports/recreation background?
I played several team sports in high school. In the past 15 years, I have participated in duathlon (running and bicycling). I am active in Masters Crossfit, and love to be out on my bicycle whenever I have the chance. My children participated in baseball and soccer when they were younger, and my youngest son still plays rec league baseball. I enjoy fishing and support all types of outdoor activities from hunting and fishing to kite-sailing and walking. We have beautiful waters and lots of quiet roads we can take advantage of.
What are your thoughts, or what value do you place in sports and recreation for the citizens of Chatham-Kent overall, and/or when showcasing Chatham-Kent to newcomers?
I place a high value on sports and recreation for all the citizens of Chatham-Kent – no matter what age they are! Active living has proven to improve overall health and wellbeing and to prevent disease, injury, disability and premature death. I believe we have a duty to promote healthy living in Chatham-Kent. Promoting healthy living doesn’t need to equal spending huge amounts of money. Simple, well-planned initiatives that are built on forward- thinking infrastructure improvements to create safe ways for people to get active. I also like to look at data to help make decisions.
One of the hot topics leading up to the election, and over the past decade has been a new twin pad arena for Chatham-Kent. Where do you stand on this? What thoughts do you have?
I hope we can find the means to afford to build a new twin pad arena. This will improve our ability to attract physicians and other professionals that are in high demand in Chatham-Kent. A twin pad arena will also have economic benefits – it will help boost tourism – attracting more hockey and ringette tournaments. It will have social benefits – it will make it easier for parents to enroll their children in skating and hockey programs, as there will be more available ice times. I believe if we use logic and data to guide our decisions and investigate all of our options, work with all stakeholders, and all levels of government, we may be able to make this project work, without a significant impact to the tax payers.
Do you have any other ideas or plans that would impact health, wellness, sports, or recreation in Chatham-Kent, and specifically in your Ward?
My goal is to be able to encourage all citizens of Chatham-Kent to improve their health and well-being by becoming just a little bit more active. It is vitally important to partner with all levels of government and private corporations to be able to provide safe, enjoyable, and affordable means of recreational activity. Simple steps and conviction will get everyone moving in the right direction. In ward 4, specifically, I believe the hot button topics are Agriculture, drainage and safe drinking water. I plan on learning all I can and getting data to support decisions that will positively impact the citizens in my ward.
Anything else you’d like to tell our readers and voters?
Eating local, shopping local and supporting local are other valuable initiatives I am campaigning on. Agri-urban partnerships are vitally important in this area of Ontario. Agriculture in Chatham-Kent is big business and we need to ensure that we maintain our agricultural profile. It is a three billion dollar business, and we need to ensure this sector keeps growing. Adequate drainage is a hot topic in ward 4, as is water quality. I am here to listen to the concerns of the constituents of Ward Four.
I truly support the CK Plan 2035, and believe every decision councillors make should be guided by our CK 2035 vision. A well-intentioned Council along with public support will us there.