Well known community advocate Christina Bisanz has entered the race to represent her home Ward 7 in the upcoming Newmarket municipal election. “Newmarket, and Ward 7, specifically, are quickly growing and changing. We need leaders on Council who will seek community-centred solutions for the challenges that come with that growth and change, along with a bold, strategic vision for the future of Newmarket,” said Christina.

Most recently Christina has been recognized for her efforts and advocacy as a founding member and chair of the Glenway Preservation Association. “I have always been engaged. I believe that you get what you give, and giving to my community has been a priority for me,” Christina said. As a resident of Ward 7 for over twenty years, Christina’s record of local community involvement includes being a member of the Parent Council for St. Nicholas elementary school, founding chair of the Newmarket Public Library’s Pathfinders to Employment community collaborative, member of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce’s Prosperity Steering Committee, member of the Southlake Regional Health Centre’s Health Sciences Commission, founding director of the Newmarket-Aurora chapter of CARP, director with the Human Services Planning Board of York Region, and volunteer with Belinda’s Place shelter for single homeless women.

Christina’s involvement outside of the local community is equally impressive. Currently, she serves as a consumer representative of Advertising Standards Canada, was a director of the Consumers Council of Canada, and governor of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, to name but a few. Christina career experience has included senior executive positions in major industry sectors ranging from consumer products, health care, technology and police services boards, where she was responsible for representing sector interests to all levels of government in Canada, and internationally. Christina is now the CEO of CHATS-Community & Home Assistance to Seniors, serving over 7500 seniors in York Region and South Simcoe by providing support to enable seniors to live independently, safely and with dignity in their own homes as long as possible.

As Ward 7 Councillor, Christina says that she would focus on the issues that concern  residents most—especially issues related with growth: “Change is never easy, and it brings challenges that are not always favourable to the community. While we’ve welcomed new people to our neighbourhoods, we’ve also seen more congestion in traffic, housing, and loss of precious green space,” Christina said, specifically referring to the future development of the former Glenway golf course. Christina believes what is needed is community-centred solutions, and that requires Ward 7’s council member to be able to understand, appreciate and reflect the full diversity of the interests of Ward 7 as a whole. One of the first things that she would do to accomplish this is establish a Ward 7 Community Advisory Group. “I will seek the help of community members to ensure inclusivity of all the residents who live here by acting as my sounding board and touchstone on issues affecting our local neighbourhoods, ” said Christina.

Christina’s approach is not just to be the voice on council for Ward 7 residents but also to contribute to the important decision-making processes of the town of Newmarket as a whole.  “Newmarket, as other parts of Ontario, continues to experience loss of manufacturing positions. If we are to position ourselves for investment and job growth we need leverage the  advantage and potential of our assets such as Southlake Regional Health Centre along with our other knowledge-based businesses, as a centre for innovation, research and development along with building the infrastructure we need to make that happen (such as broadband). ” Christina said.

On October 27^th, Christina Bisanz hopes that Ward 7 residents will vote for her community-centred advocacy and solutions: “I want to serve my community and my town by making sure that we have leadership with vision, and that our community counts”.

For further information contact:

Christina Bisanz

905-717-9059

Christina@bisanz4ward7.com