We had this incredible conversation with councillor Tim Cartmell earlier this week. We have edited it for our convenience really. We encourage you to listen to his thoughts on rent control, health infrastructure, the opioid crises, snow ploughing and more. Please like, share and subscribe.
Miss Tee
Thank you for joining us.
Councillor Cartmell
Thank you for having me. I appreciate the chance to have this conversation.
Miss Tee
Did you have a good summer?
Councillor Cartmell
My wife and I managed to get out of town for a few weeks. During that time, we were able to actually completely detach from the work of city hall and city council, so it was a really relaxing break.
Miss Tee
When we talk about what you do at the city council. What part of your job do you find most rewarding?
Councillor Cartmell
Most rewarding is the conversations I get to have with the constituents, both individually and in groups, and it’s really rewarding. Something that I really came to enjoy, you know, when I first ran for office in 2017.
And the one thing I really thought I would struggle with would be door knocking and meeting with people and public speaking, and those kinds of things, and that has turned out to be by far the most rewarding and fun parts of my job.
You know, part of that is understanding what people are looking for from the city council and from the city.
Miss Tee
I hear that you may be thinking about running for Mayor at the end of this term. Is this true?
Councillor Cartmell
Well, I haven’t decided what I’ll do at the end of this term. I’m pretty much focused on the next three and a bit years. That’s my that’s the length of term for city council.
And so I focused on that work and you know, my role as a city councillor is to represent more than more granular way and more individual way that constituents of work but hasten but my responsibilities as a city council are also to do the best things for the city to represent the city where that’s needed, and where I’m asked to interact with other levels of government and support facilities.
So I enjoy doing all of those things. And my focus is really there. I will turn my mind to what I’m going to do after this term until closer to the end of my term.
Miss Tee
And would you say, when it comes to granular meeting people, that your experience may be anything like what Minister Freeland experienced from the hands of people when you go door-knocking?
Councillor Tim Cartmell
It does happen to me. People do get very rude and, at times, threatening. They send vulgar emails and phone calls to my office.
And I can what troubles me about that is that I have two very capable and earnest, and hardworking assistants, both of whom are female.
And it’s really unfair that they are often the first to see some of that communication that might be intended for me, but it’s not at all respectful or, or really worthy of contemplation.
So that’s what bothers me, but I’m like, I don’t mind. I can manage when people are aggressive with me, they can see that kind of language. And I can find my way through it, or I can find a way to disengage from that conversation.
As a white male, I don’t get what people of colour get. I do not get what women of colour get, and it’s absolutely shameful and regrettable.
There are some who think that they have the right to treat anyone this way, never mind using fear, intimidation and bullying tactics towards others. It’s shameful conduct.
There was absolutely no excuse for that kind of behaviour.
Miss Tee
Can the city council stop landlords from charging exorbitant rents?
Councillor Cartmell
So I don’t think we have the authority to do that. And it’s good to put caps on rents. I’m not sure that we have the authority under the government act to do that.
Nor do I think that is the solution. I think that’s really what we have is a lack of rental accommodation.
Now, you really have to listen to the rest of the conversation.
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