By Angie Sullivan
As voters prepare for the October 26 municipal election, Regional Councillor candidates Naomi Davison and Geoff Fardy have outlined their positions on key issues in response to questions from The Georgina Post.
Their answers address affordability, economic development, public transit, housing, emergency services and community safety, highlighting their different priorities and approaches to representing Georgina at the York Region council table.
The Candidates’ Responses
1. Why are you running for Regional Councillor?
Geoff Fardy: I love Georgina, but rising tax increases risk pricing many residents out of the area. I want to bring my experience, skills, and contacts to the local and regional table to improve our day-to-day lives—enhancing services while keeping taxes responsible and affordable. I have the business experience and skills to see the ways that we can work with our York Region partners and ensure we get the most out of our regional dollars.
Naomi Davison: I’m running because I want to continue putting my experience to work for Georgina. I’ve served on council for more than a decade and have a positive track record of working with residents, businesses and community organizations to solve problems and move good ideas forward. During that time, we’ve seen major investments, including the recreation facility in Keswick, built at no cost to the taxpayers. I also bring 20 years of small-business experience and experience working for four municipalities. My husband and I raised our daughters here. We’re invested in this community, and I want to continue helping Georgina move forward.
2. What would be your three top priorities as Regional Councillor?
Geoff Fardy: Transparent Budgeting: I am committed to full transparency, ensuring every town dollar is responsibly allocated. When spending taxpayer dollars, there should be no secrets and the members of our town should be able to easily access information. Spending is important to improve Georgina for everyone but excess, wasteful spending is less likely when budgets are clearly communicated.
Effective Partnerships: Relationships are KEY to success. I plan to use my corporate and political -connections to help entice companies to provide sponsorships and influence to bring businesses to our town. These relationships must be met with a solid plan and Georgina needs to have attractive qualities and a willingness to support business needs.
Community Safety: Support of our emergency services is critical to prioritizing public health and safety. Working together with neighbourhoods to implement the right balance of traffic calming measures with emergency vehicle access is key.
Naomi Davison: My three priorities are affordability, housing and protecting our environment. On affordability, I’ll continue pushing for responsible budgets and tax increases residents can manage. On housing, I’ll advocate for more rental, ownership, affordable and non-market options so young people, families and seniors can stay in Georgina. And as we grow, I’ll continue to make protection of Lake Simcoe, the watershed and our farmland part of our planning decisions. We can welcome responsible growth and new investment without losing the natural environment and quality of life that make people want to live here.
3. What steps would you take to keep York Region and Georgina tax increases affordable?
Geoff Fardy: We must discern between the nice to haves and the must haves, bylaws that govern how we spend our development charges should be re-evaluated, reducing operating costs, look for sponsorships and outside grants and revenue sources.
Naomi Davison: My goal would be to keep tax increases as close to the rate of inflation as reasonably possible while maintaining the services residents rely on. That means carefully reviewing spending, looking for efficiencies and making sure we get good value for tax dollars. With major facilities such as the new Civic Centre and MURC now in place, we also need to maintain them properly, as well as all of our other built assets. I support continuing to contribute to capital reserves so roads, buildings, vehicles and other assets can be maintained and eventually replaced. Cutting maintenance today can cost taxpayers considerably more tomorrow.
4. What would you do to attract investment, create local jobs and strengthen Georgina’s economy?
Geoff Fardy: Georgina needs to create an environment where our current businesses can thrive by reducing permit fees, providing incentives for employers who are hiring and training staff, and carefully evaluating the economic impact of our decisions(like business harming construction). Once we foster a culture where local businesses succeed, external investment will naturally follow.
Naomi Davison: Georgina is getting more attention as a place to invest, and we need to build on that. I would strengthen our economic development and business concierge services so businesses can get permits, approvals and answers without unnecessary delays. We should also make better use of York Region’s Small Business Enterprise Centre to help local entrepreneurs with advice, training and support. I want to continue attracting employers to the Keswick Business Park while helping the businesses already here grow. Tourism is also an opportunity, and we should do more to promote our waterfront, events, communities and local businesses together.
5. How would you improve public transit in Georgina?
Geoff Fardy: Transit in Georgina needs to be a balance of efficient service and fiscal responsibility. I will work closely with York Region to secure better funding, improved scheduling and Georgina-dedicated vehicles to ensure that we have service even when other areas have a big event taking resources.
Naomi Davison: On-demand transit has improved local service, but longer trips can still take too much time and involve too many connections. I would work with YRT to improve connections between Keswick, Sutton and Pefferlaw and look seriously at using the Highway 404 corridor for an express or rapid bus connection to Newmarket, including GO and Viva connections. We should keep on-demand service where it works well, particularly in lower-density areas, while improving scheduled service where demand supports it. Residents need a realistic transit option for getting to work, school, appointments and other parts of York Region.
6. How would you ensure that paramedic response times in Georgina meet provincial or York Region targets?
Geoff Fardy: I plan to lobby the Region to increase and expand allocation of budget to Georgina with the goal of adding one dedicated ambulance team to each of our 3 local stations. I also plan to work closely with our Fire Department to see how they can assist with bridging the gap in paramedic response times.
Naomi Davison: The new joint fire and paramedic station planned for south Keswick is an important step, and I’m proud to have supported and advocated for improved emergency-service coverage in my role as a local and regional councillor. It will strengthen coverage in Keswick while also providing additional support to other parts of Georgina. Going forward, I would continue monitoring response times, population growth and call volumes and advocate for the staffing, vehicles and facilities we need. When someone calls 911, where they happen to live in Georgina should not determine the quality or timeliness of the response.
7. What would you do to increase affordable and deeply affordable housing in Georgina?
Geoff Fardy: To have a healthy housing market we need to jumpstart the housing cycle. Right now we are missing the crucial middle rung of the ladder–options for seniors, first time buyers and renters. I would work with the Region to increase housing programs and advocate for policies that require developers to include a meaningful percentage of affordable units in new housing projects (inclusionary zoning). Giving seniors viable transitions from their large 3 or 4+ bedroom homes will start the domino effect and free up larger housing for families.
Naomi Davison: We need more housing choices, not simply more housing. I would advocate for more non-market housing, including affordable rental, supportive housing and smaller ownership options. Young people and young families should be able to rent or buy their first place in the community they grew up in, and seniors should be able to downsize without having to leave Georgina. That will require partnerships with York Region, senior governments, non-profits, co-ops and private builders. We also need efficient approvals and infrastructure funding so projects that provide genuinely affordable housing have a realistic chance of being built.
8. What steps would you take to address crime and public safety concerns in Georgina and ensure the community receives appropriate police coverage?
Geoff Fardy: Our neighbourhoods need a visible, active police presence where it matters most, this can only be achieved by increasing our allocation of officers to Georgina. CCTV cameras at key high-risk intersections, similar to rollouts in places like Brampton. Cameras act as a strong deterrent, making it harder for criminals to target homes and local businesses and escape undetected.
Naomi Davison: Georgina presents a particular policing challenge because we cover a very large geographic area, with communities spread from Keswick to Sutton, Pefferlaw and our rural areas. I would continue pressing for policing resources that reflect our geography, population and local needs. I would also like to see Georgina have a stronger voice in police governance, including having the mayor or regional councillor considered for a position on the Police Services Board when appointments are made. Georgina needs to be heard when policing priorities and resources are decided, and we need clear measures to determine whether those resources are working.
9. Residents are concerned about speeding and overall road safety. What would you do to improve safety on regional roads?
Geoff Fardy: I would review all speed limits – Georgina also has some notable dangerous intersections that are in need of street lights. I would also look to add turn lanes on Ravenshoe road at McCowan, Kennedy and Catering Road. This will allow better flow and safety. Our residents know the conditions of their areas better than anyone else. I will work on some sort of feedback/reporting system that will track repeated reports and flag for investigation.
Naomi Davison: Speeding is one of the road-safety concerns I hear regularly from residents. Georgina had begun using automated speed enforcement in Community Safety Zones, but municipalities no longer have that tool available. That means we need to use every option that is still permitted: road design, traffic calming, signage, education and targeted police enforcement. I would use speed data, collision information and resident complaints to identify problem areas and work with Town and Regional staff and YRP on the right response. Residents should also know what action is being taken when they raise recurring safety concerns.
10. Please share one big idea you have for Georgina.
Geoff Fardy: I have been listening to the residents of Georgina, they want to be informed and they want to have a say in how their tax dollars are being spent. My big idea is to give every taxpayer a direct voice on major municipal spending and policy decisions before they ever hit the council table. Because Georgina is so spread out and people communicate differently, we can’t rely on just one method. We need a mix of online polling, newsletters, and regular in-person town halls. The goal is that people aren’t just voting blind—they’ll get a clear, upfront breakdown of actual costs and timelines first.
Naomi Davison: I’d like to build on The Link in Sutton as a true community-services hub for Georgina. We already have York Region services and community organizations operating there, so we don’t need to start from scratch. I’d like residents to be able to go to one place, explain what they need and get help navigating housing, mental health, food security, employment and other supports. The idea is simple: one door in and no wrong door. Better coordination would help people get support earlier, reduce duplication and make the services we already have easier for residents and families to find and use.
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