South End development dominates debate in Charleswood-Tuxedo

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This article was published 20/10/2010 (5752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

South End development dominated a candidates debate in Charleswood-Tuxedo Wednesday night, as candidates squared-off on traffic, IKEA, and repairing crumbling roads.

More than 100 residents packed a Shaftesbury High School theatre to hear what the seven candidate vying to replace the muncipal seat held by the late Bill Clement had to say about increasing traffic congestion and how to balance development with the area’s rural appeal. It’s the largest ward race in the city, and last night was the final debate before voters cast their ballot on Oct. 27.

While candidates such as Jarret Hannah and Timothy Martin pledged to extend the Bill Clement Parkway to ease concerns about traffic, Wendy Lenton got a few cheers from the crowd for opposing the move and vowing to focus on preserving the community’s greenspace. Tory-backed Paula Havixbeck wants to see Charleswood adopt a beautification plan and look more like Corydon Avenue, and former Air Canada employee Steve Szego pledged to extend the parkway, improve transit service and bike paths in the ward.

Restauranteur Dashi Zargani said he wants to widen Kenaston Boulevard to four lanes and fix bumpy roads.

Both Hannah and Havixbeck told the crowd they would seek three terms in office to fulfill their vision, while Livio Ciaralli said he does not want to be a “professional politician” and that he will “pick a fight” with the province to give more money to city infrastructure projects.

Ciaralli ran out of the room twice during the debate, but returned to finish answering questions and Zargani left the room once, missing one round of questions by the moderator.

When asked how they would emulate or differ from Clement, all candidates vowed to be open, approachable, and listen to residents’ concerns.