Ward 2 candidate campaigns on disability inclusion, lowering property taxes, and road fixes

Karina Gaudier says she wants to see a “big change” in Ward 2 and at city council – and she wants to bring her background in finance and business as well as her experience advocating for people with disabilities to the job.

Gaudier, who is running for the Ward 2 councillor seat in the Oct. 26 municipal election, is focusing her campaign on three areas: finding efficiencies at city hall to help lower property taxes, fixing roads and improving opportunities for people with disabilities.

Ward 2 is in Kawartha Lakes’ northeastern region. The ward includes the communities of Bobcaygeon, Burnt River and Kinmount.

Gaudier lives in Bobcaygeon and owns Autism Workforce Solutions, a company focused on helping employers create more inclusive workplaces. She is also the author of A Practical Guide to Autism in the Workplace. Gaudier has autism, something she says has shaped both her career and her advocacy work.

“I want big change,” Gaudier told Kawartha Lakes Weekly. “I think we should be running city council like we would run a corporate balance sheet – we have to be fiscally responsible, we have to be efficient, we have to be inclusive.”

If elected, Gaudier said she would push council to take a closer look at the municipal budget and spending, with the goal of finding efficiencies and making better use of infrastructure dollars.

Gaudier also wants to provide what she describes as “strategic relief” for property taxpayers, saying rising tax bills are putting pressure on residents.

“Instead of taxing people, let’s figure out an efficient way of getting them money elsewhere,” she said.

Roads are another major priority for Gaudier, who said they are the issue she hears about most from Ward 2 residents.

“What I hear the most from residents is that the roads are horrible,” she said.

Gaudier’s third campaign priority is improving opportunities for people with disabilities, something she sees as both an accessibility issue and a way to address labour shortages.

She said Kawartha Lakes has a municipal accessibility plan, but she wants to see it translated into action to better remove barriers in businesses and public spaces.

Gaudier said there are also opportunities to address local labour shortages by helping employers hire people with autism and other disabilities.

“We have local labour shortages, but people are not, for example, hiring autistic people because they do not have the right tools to do so,” she said.

Asked what distinguishes her as a Ward 2 candidate, Gaudier pointed to her own experience with autism as well as her background in finance.

“I’m autistic – that’s the biggest thing,” she said. “But I also bring in a lot of finance and compliance governance experience.”

Gaudier said she hopes that combination of experience and advocacy will help her bring the change she is promising to Ward 2.

“If you want fiscal responsibility, if you want your roads fixed, if you want to protect your tax dollars, I’m your person, and also, we need a little bit of change, so I hope to bring that change,” she said.