These Are The Things I support

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Elections are funny events. Voters demand promises and guarantees from candidates who can only deliver so much. After 8 years in municipal politics, I know how slow the wheels of progress move. The important thing to point out here is that often the speed zone slows down to a crawl once the idea from the local level moves up the chain.

In other words, your local town council can have a brilliant cost-saving plan or infrastructure design and if it requires clearance or funding from either provincial or federal government agencies, everything screeches to a halt and the wait begins.

So...with that in mind, I don't make election promises. 

Plus, I don't want to deceive you into thinking I have some kind of super power that makes me better than all the other candidates running in this election or any previous council members. 

The reality is that the wheels of the government rotate a lot slower than you can imagine. 

But...I can share with you issues I support.

In-Town ORV Access
Okay, for some reason there has been a movement suggesting that the current town council is anti-ORV. I find that ridiculous and unfounded. As for me, I sat on the Town of Princeton Select ORV Committee (selected by the Town Council of the day to be a part of it) back in 2017. I represented the Chamber of Commerce at the time.

I also had some influence in the staging area locations placed within town boundaries along the KVR for ORV users just a few years ago. Those staging areas still exist and continue to get used. Um, that sounds a lot like I'm in favour, of in-town ORV access, doesn't it?

I don't propose opening up all local streets, but I do support opening a few and phasing in more as interest grows and non-ORV users get used to the idea. Remember, we have to try to make this work for everyone.

Downtown Accessibility
Here's another one I have some history with. I sat on the Princeton Accessibility Awareness Committee for several years in the late 2000s and 2010s. Once a year we would take local community members around town in wheelchairs and let them discover first hand the difficulties mobility-challenged residents had navigating local public buildings and retail services.

I believe it is once again time to revisit this concept and instead of making it an exercise, it should create a document outlining all the accessibility shortcomings in the downtown core and highway corridor. I would imagine funding exists somewhere beyond the local government level to assist with upgrades to improve accessibility and that document would become the blueprint for accessibility change.

More Affordable Housing
I know, I used that phrase "affordable housing" and I have never liked it because what is affordable for me is very likely not the same as you. I am fully supportive of the additional housing developments in town but what about something affordable for a single mother juggling two children, a roommate, and three part-time jobs to make ends meet? 

I get that owning rental property is not easy, nor is it as rewarding as it once was when you have to deal with some well, let's just say it, bad renters. However, not all renters fall into that category. I think something, um, cheaper...much cheaper, will help those struggling to survive on low income.

Unhomed Support
You may have noticed I said 'unhomed" and that's because I feel the term homeless is negative and projects an image. Sure, the unhomed population in Princeton has earned that reputation, but not all of them. I firmly believe that if a network of agencies who offer various supports for this demographic could get under one roof, there could be some progress.

It could also take a bite out of the local crime situation. The thing is, this is a complicated issue that is not going to get solved overnight. We also have to remember these are people we are dealing with, not cattle that can be herded somewhere else for someone else to deal with.

It is a Princeton problem and I firmly believe that a "made in Princeton" solution could become the model to help other communities resolve their unhomed situation. But it takes time. Patience. Understanding. Etc. It won't be easy, but it will be rewarding for both sides.

There you have it!

I don't make election promises, but I do believe that by working together, listening to each other with open minds and a willingness to get involved, we can make things happen.

I'm George Elliott
If any of this resonates with you, I would appreciate your support in this election.
Advance Poll October 7, 2026
Election Day October 17, 2026 8AM-8PM
Princeton & District Community Skills Centre
206 Vermilion Avenue, Princeton