Matt Howse for Ward 2

Well, this is it! It's been a long, grueling, and exciting campaign, and I'd like to thank everyone who made a donation, took a sign, dropped pamphlets, did design work, or otherwise volunteered their time and expertise. We couldn't have done it without you!

I also want to thank the other 7 candidates for putting their names forward and making this a tight race. You all ran excellent campaigns.

Now, if you haven't done it already: GET OUT AND VOTE!

https://vocm.com/2020/10/20/election-day-in-st-johns-ward-2/

Election Day in St. Johns Ward 2 It's election day in Ward 2 of St. John's as residents get set to choose their new council representative. Eig...

It's almost Election Day!!! If you didn't receive a ballot in the mail you can still vote in person tomorrow (Tuesday, October 20th) 8AM-8PM at either of the satellite drop-centres. They are located at:

The Royal Canadian Legion, Pleasantville

Knights of Columbus Hall, St. Clare Avenue

All you need is a photo ID with your Ward 2 address on it OR a photo ID with a piece of mail with your name and Ward 2 address on it. If you recently moved to Ward 2 and don't yet have a piece of mail, a copy of your lease/rental agreement dated on or before September 20th will also work.

If you DID receive a ballot in the mail, you can drop it off in the bin in front of City Hall anytime between now and 8PM on Tuesday, October 20th. You can also drop it off in person at either of the satellite drop-off centers.

Taking a wee break from the campaign trail to help out at the Farmer's Market this afternoon! We'll be in Rabbittown in a couple of hours!

Happy City St. John's surveyed all the candidates about their perspectives on the issues facing Ward 2. Check out what everyone had to say...

http://happycity.ca/events/ward-2-candidates/

ST. JOHN'S VOTE | Happy City St. John's WARD 2 BY-ELECTION 2020 The election for Ward 2 is just around the corner! Unsure which candidate  aligns best with your views? We’ve got you covered! Happy City St. John’s sent out a questionnaire to all candidates to get more insight on them and their campaign. Check out their responses below...

Matt Howse for Ward 2 updated their phone number.

Matt Howse for Ward 2 updated their business hours.

Honoured to have Jim Dinn in my corner!

When the people who request your signs already have other signs...

It's a great turn-out at the Tessier Park Planting Day!

Thanks for taking a sign, Chris!

This morning's harvest.

After all the talk of food security in the debate last night, I think it's important to keep in mind that not everyone in Ward 2 can grow their own food in their own yard. There are lots of tall trees and buildings that block the sun, many landlords won't permit raised beds and greenhouses on their properties, and many homes have no yards to begin with.

This is why City Hall has to lead the way when it comes to locally-grown food. We can plant fruit-bearing trees and shrubs in our parks and green spaces, and build raised beds in vacant lots to increase the number of community gardens--and make it easier for people to get plots. Good, healthy food does not have to be expensive. It only takes sun, rain, and time.

Check out last night's debate on the Social Justice Co-Op page.

Papers filed, here we go!!!

STATEMENT ON MILE ONE PRIVATIZATION

The privatization of Mile One is a scary thought. As a City, we cannot afford to sell off our public infrastructure, especially in times like these when the market is weak. Mile One was built at a cost of $20.5 million--$30.6 million in 2020 dollars. Will the people of St. John’s see a fair return on their investment if the building is sold? Definitely not!

The privatization proponent says the money he pays for Mile One could solve our sidewalk snow-clearing problem, but this is simply not true. That issue is about planning, co-ordination and priorities at City Hall—money alone cannot solve it. Even if every dollar from the proposed sale went towards clearing sidewalks, the money would be gone in 10 years and we, the people of the City (and province, for that matter), would not have a large-scale cultural venue to call their own. Like Naomi Klein wrote in her book The Shock Doctrine, “in moments of crisis, people are willing to hand over a great deal of power to anyone who claims to have a magic cure.” A pandemic combined with a cash-strapped City Hall is no justification for a fire-sale on our collectively-owned infrastructure. We have to look to the future, beyond the pandemic, and imagine the City we want.

For starters, why does St. John’s Sports and Entertainment (SJSE) rent out Mile One to third-party promotors who profit from events? The City should be directly involved in the booking process so the profits can be put back into the venue and its operations. If we did that, there would be no need for the annual SJSE subsidy. It seems like the present arrangement is designed to lose money for the City, and create a climate where the people are willing to sell their premier cultural centre.

Also, as a piece of public infrastructure, Mile One should be more readily available to the population in times of crisis. In the past few years there have been winter nights when the power was out downtown and the stadium generators were fired up to host sporting events, instead of providing a warm place for people to spend the night. It is time to start operating Mile One like a true public building.

Finally, public buildings are not meant to “make a profit”—like roads, schools, and hospitals, they are meant to provide services to the people and make their lives more meaningful. We don’t tear up our streets because they are too expensive to maintain; those streets are an integral part of making our city work, and a cultural venue like Mile One should be thought of in the same way.

As your Ward 2 councillor I will oppose the privatization of Mile One, just like I will oppose the privatization of all other public buildings and services.

http://ntv.ca/dean-macdonald-hyping-big-plans-if-he-can-buy-mile-one-centre/?fbclid=IwAR3QT4w7yaaxmfXFdENbFQKhypxS_hqRKSO2e74xMHTyTtpVFXhnOhVNRK8

Dean MacDonald hyping big plans if he can buy Mile One Centre - ntv.ca Newfoundland Growlers owner Dean MacDonald says he’s got big plans for Mile One Centre. It’s a multimillion-dollar makeover to turn it into a major sports and entertainment centre. Meanwhile, he’s also buying a third hockey team. NTV’s David Salter reports.

The website is up and running! Check it out:

http://www.matthowseforward2.ca

Matt Howse for Ward 2 The official campaign website of Matt Howse, a candidate in the St. John's city council ward 2 byelection

Not sure if you're on the Ward 2 voter's list? You can register on-line!

https://www.stjohns.ca/city-hall/municipal-election/voter-registration

Voter Registration | City Of St. John's var iframes =...

I spent part of the morning with a concerned resident, touring the site of the proposed Parish Lane development. Did you know that the building in question will be FIVE STORIES ABOVE HARVEY ROAD? There also centuries-old Beech trees on the site, which make a great habitat for birds, bats, and bees. Erosion and flooding will also be an issue for neighbouring properties.

As Ward 2 councillor, I will oppose any development at Parish Lane that does not protect the last naturalized greenspace in our downtown. Why does the new building have to be so much larger than the current one? It's time to put the community first.

Hi everyone! Here is my platform for the Ward 2 by-election. Let me know what you think! Like and share away.

Matt Howse for Ward 2

Community First: A Platform To Challenge Business As Usual

1) Development That Puts the Community First

- Cancel the hotel development at Baird’s Cove. Surely, the business case has changed during the pandemic.

- Oppose the condominium development at the Parish Lane site on Garrison Hill and work with the community to protect the neighborhood and its green space. This area is the last naturalized green space in the downtown and should be enjoyed by future generations.

-Ensure all future construction developments in historic areas conform to the dimensions of existing or original structures. Sightlines and vistas have to be preserved.

- Launch a campaign to raise and invest funds to implement the Bike St. John’s Master Plan and upgrade the Grand Concourse, pairing paved routes with the existing path wherever possible. It is important that we develop cycling-specific infrastructure that does not erode the pedestrian experience on the Grand Concourse.

2) Accountability and Good Government

- Eliminate the vacancy allowance that gives commercial landlords a tax break on empty spaces and start a Landlord Watch list for bad practices. Penalize as necessary. Cutting the vacancy allowance will fund a tax reduction for commercial spaces that are actually used, so we can incentivize occupancy instead of vacancy.

- Maintain a database of Airbnb rental properties in the City and ensure a level playing field for the hospitality sector by taxing those properties based on their assessed value. The City estimates that $300,000 in potential revenue is lost each year due to Airbnb’s not being taxed.

- Scrap the privatized “PayByPhone” parking app program and replace it with a City-operated one that returns revenue and supports the programs and services that we all want to maintain. “PayByPhone” is owned by Volkswagon Financial Services and we should not be sending potential City revenue to Europe.

- Take action to enforce noise restrictions by requesting the province amend the City of St. John’s Act to allow for noise by-law enforcement as a public health measure.

- Change the City’s approach to snow removal by taking it off the streets within a 24-hour period and lobbying the federal government to allow snow to be dumped in the harbour, as it was during Snowmageddon.

3) A City We Can All Be Proud Of

- Make the Pedestrian Mall on Water St. permanent and include Duckworth St. businesses in the planning and implementation of a fully accessible program.

- Work with the NL Public Libraries to find a good location and develop a plan to bring a library back to the downtown.

- Develop a Local Immigration Strategy that coordinates with the province and other municipalities to support the expansion of immigration to our region.

- Call on the provincial government to remediate the dangerous site of the former Grace Hospital. This eyesore is a blight on the neighbourhood and a sign of political neglect.

-Work with MUN Off-Campus Housing to restart the HomeShare program, which pairs seniors and their homes with students who need housing. Also, allow single people in City housing to have roommates.

4) Making Council Work For Everyone

- Work with City staff to reduce outsourcing of public services and to promote a workplace culture that encourages input and feedback on all council operations.

-Introduce Park and Ride Metrobus routes from outlying areas and an Express route between the Marine Institute, MUN, CNA, and downtown. Expand the free Metropass program. Transit ridership increased in the weeks following Snowmegeddon, when fares were waived. This is a sign that the cost of riding the bus can be prohibitive.

- Initiate a Local Pandemic Review to consult with residents and stakeholders and develop a plan for community resiliency in the face of continuing economic and social stress.

- Strike an Anti-Poverty Advisory Council to provide community input on supporting low-income residents and opposing provincial austerity measures and hydro rate increases.

It’s time to challenge complacency at City Hall and to develop new approaches that go beyond business as usual. These are tough times and we need to champion progressive ideas that build on our strengths and provide a vision for the city that we want in the decades to come.

Ward 2 includes most of the heart of historic St. John’s, from Fort Townsend and Rabbitown, to the Battery and Quidi Vidi; from Pleasantville to Victoria Park. Working together, we can continue to build a base of support for a progressive City Hall. I hope you will join with me and send a message that puts the community first!

Moya Greene made a career of gutting the public wealth and privatizing government services on both sides of the Atlantic. Her "work" at CN Rail, Canada Post, and the Royal Mail speaks for itself. We are obviously headed for more tough times as a province, but as your Ward 2 councillor I will be a voice against austerity and cuts to City services. We cannot leave people behind--we have to put the community first.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/moya-greene-econonomic-recovery-team-1.5710480

Furey taps former Royal Mail, Canada Post boss to lead economic renewal | CBC News Moya Greene, the St. John's-raised executive whose career took her to the top rungs of both Canada Post and the Royal Mail, will be coming home with a new mission: overseeing N.L.'s economic recovery.

Well that's too bad. Not only should the pedestrian mall have been extended, it should be expanded to Duckworth Street! More on this in my platform, which will be released soon.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/water-street-pedestrian-mall-to-end-next-week-1.5706968

Water Street pedestrian mall to end next week | CBC News Despite calls from some business owners to keep the Water Street pedestrian mall going, the pilot project will end, as planned, on Monday, September 7.

Here's a clip from the NTV Evening News Hour!
(Thanks to Ben Cleary for conducting the interview)

http://ntv.ca/sixth-person-announces-candidacy-for-st-johns-ward-2-byelection/

Sixth person announces candidacy for St. John's Ward 2 byelection - ntv.ca A sixth candidate is in the running for upcoming byelection in St. John’s Ward 2 …activist and former bookstore owner Matt Howse has announced his intention to seek the vacant Ward 2 council seat.

Thank-you to Juanita Mercer for meeting up to chat about the campaign!

https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/former-broken-books-owner-matt-howse-declares-candidacy-in-st-johns-ward-2-byelection-490146/

Former Broken Books owner Matt Howse declares candidacy in St. John’s Ward 2 byelection | The Telegram Howse previously ran in 2015 provincial election

Tune in to NTV News tonight for an interview about the campaign!

Matt Howse announces campaign for Ward 2

St. John's, NL—Matt Howse, an educator, activist, and former bookstore owner, has announced his intention to seek the vacant Ward 2 council seat in the upcoming City byelection.

“Whether I was lobbying against the provincial book tax, protesting the Muskrat Falls
project, or advocating for small business at City Hall, I have always used my voice to put forward the needs of the community,” Howse said.

“I will bring my commitment to grassroots action and my passion for the history and culture of our City to the role of Ward 2 councillor.”

“I will be a progressive voice on council,” he said. “There are diverse needs across the many neighbourhoods in this Ward and I will always put the community first.”

After a week of speaking with residents in Ward 2, Howse said he plans to run a campaign that focuses on making the city a better place to live. “This is a stressful time for many people but it's also an opportunity to get our priorities right and to set an agenda for the future that works for everyone. I live in Ward 2, I know these streets well, and I will be working non-stop in the coming weeks to earn the support of my neighbours.”

Howse said he is consulting with people in the Ward about the issues that matter to them and will be posting a platform on these issues soon.

Bio

Matt Howse was the owner/operator of Broken Books on Duckworth Street for six years (2014-
2020) and a founding investor of Fixed Coffee and Baking (2012-2019). He is a graduate of Memorial University with a B.A. in English, a B.Ed., and an M.A. in Folklore. He has worked as a high school teacher, historical interpreter, and eco-tourism guide. Matt is an avid hiker and cyclist who is currently employed as a residential youth care worker and often helps his partner Lisa with her business, Oh My Cheeses, at the St. John’s Farmer’s Market and Port Rexton. Matt and Lisa live in Ward 2 with their two cats, a dog, and lots of books.