A Vision for Owen Sound: Rural Land Access and Community Closeness to Lift Us Up

Hello Owen Sounders,

As your potential next mayor, I come with love in my heart and a vision to build a stronger, closer community. I believe in lifting each other up, and that means two things: and growing tight-knit through the coming years, and giving those who want it access to rural land—for homes, for growing food, for peace. Together, with compassion, we can shine.

The evidence is clear: space heals us. In Universe 25, mice with everything crumbled under overcrowding—families broke, chaos reigned. Rat Park showed the flip side: rats in cages turned to drugs, but those with room and friends chose connection. Density divides; land unites. And we’ll need that unity soon. Oil’s decline starts in the next few years—experts say by 2025-2030, chaos will rise. Countries are already turning inward—look at the U.S. and EU with tariffs and sanctions. As oil slips, they’ll guard what’s theirs, and we’ll need to rely on ourselves.

By 2035-2040, if we lean on industrial farms, households could spend over 70% of their income on food. But we can choose a better path. From 2025-2030, let’s grow closer through a subsidiarity local help system—where neighbors support neighbors, where help starts right here at home. Let’s get our radios ready, know each other’s names, and build bonds to carry us through. Self-reliance isn’t lonely—it’s us, together, stronger.

History nods along. When people had land, they thrived—think homesteaders, or the Israelites in the Bible, flourishing with room to grow. But policies like England’s Enclosure Acts, or Ontario’s shift to big land holdings, pushed folks into crowded corners. I see this as our chance to heal, not divide. As mayor, I’ll work with you, with care:

• Rural land with love: Partnering with landowners to share plots for homes and gardens, rooting us in hope.
• Gentle openings: Easing rules—simple zoning, kind incentives—so rural living welcomes all who seek it.
• Food from us, for us: Nurturing small farms to feed ourselves, keeping costs low and spirits high.
• Local help, local heart: Building a subsidiarity system by 2030—neighbors as family, ready for what’s ahead.

This is about edification—lifting every Owen Sounder up. Grey County’s 4,000 square kilometers are our canvas. Picture homes you can afford, food from your own hands, and a community woven tight by 2030—radios humming, doors open. As oil fades and the world shifts, we won’t just survive; we’ll thrive, together.

Let’s dream as one—your ideas light the way. Share below, and let’s build an Owen Sound of compassion and strength, ready for the decades ahead.

Andrii Zvorygin