For those that know me or have been involved in Barrie Minor Hockey will have guessed why my campaign banner is double blue. The reason is simple; the double blue is synonymous with Barrie Hockey. I can say without a doubt my fondest memories of growing up in Barrie are from the times spent with my friends playing hockey at the Dunlop arena and rinks all across Canada.
It was great to see Barrie Minor Hockey Association return to using the double blue when it recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary. This picture is of the Major Bantam Team I played on that was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Great memories of growing up in Barrie and proudly representing the city in our Double Blues!
Recently I was able combine my love for hockey and passion for investing in our city's youth by creating the Start Talking Cup with fellow BMHA Alumni John Kelly. This event has been held at the Barrie Molson Centre for 4 years and raised over $70,000 for the Youth Programs at our local Canadian Mental Health Association Branch. I was also honoured to work on this event with old team mates and long time friends, Rick Schaly and Terry Wilson, and most grateful to them for sharing their talents to make this event a success.
This event provides a glimpse into how I will approach the role of Ward 8 Councillor. I am a firm believer in working toward the 'cooperative advantage'. By working together and sharing our talents we can simply do more.
As a councillor I will be committed to working with my colleagues on council and the members of our community to create both a better Ward 8 and City of Barrie.