Residents in parts of Owen Sound far from downtown mention few or no issues, but are intrigued by the possibility of an annual neighbourhood gathering where they can meet their neighbours.

The Local Representative plan would create seven wards, each with its own elected councillor. Each ward would contain about 10 local areas of roughly 150 households, for approximately 70 local areas across Owen Sound.

Each Local Representative would be someone who lives in the area. They would receive living-wage pay for approved community work, keeping that spending within the community.

Once a year, the representative would personally invite every household in their area to a nearby neighbourhood social. The City would provide invitation templates, simple coordination tools and help finding a suitable location.

Participation would be entirely voluntary. The gathering would focus on meeting neighbours and building local relationships. People could bring their own snack, water, coffee or soft drink if they wished.

The Local Representative would provide an ongoing two-way connection between residents and the City. Residents could bring local concerns to someone who knows their area, and the representative could raise them with the ward councillor. The representative could also share information from the City and council about projects, services and decisions affecting the area.

The estimated annual citywide cost would be:

• Representative wages: $17,220

• Payroll costs: approximately $2,580

• Invitations and flyers: approximately $550

• Central coordination and contingency: $2,000 to $5,000

The total would be approximately $23,000 to $25,000 annually.

This is the total cost of offering one neighbourhood social in every local area and personally inviting all 11,000 Owen Sound households. It is equivalent to about $2.25 per household or $1.15 per resident each year.

For comparison, Owen Sound’s 2026 Canada Day celebration received $20,000 from Ontario and $16,000 from the federal government. That is $36,000 in government grants before City funding and private sponsorships.

Unfortunately, Owen Sound’s current public information lists events, grants and sponsorship opportunities while event-by-event gross costs and net taxpayer costs remain unpublished. This makes a complete comparison with current City events difficult.

Andrii Zvorygin and the participating independent council candidates would aim to provide this transparency. Event-by-event reporting would show City expenditures, staff costs, grants, sponsorships, fees and other revenue. It would also show the final net cost or surplus. Residents could then see what Owen Sound spends or earns on each event.

Even with the information currently available, the entire neighbourhood-social programme would cost less than the federal and provincial grants provided for Canada Day alone.

Would you attend an annual neighbourhood social in your local area?