Owen-sound Council-meeting Meeting Transcript — October 7, 2026
Hook: Michelle Hawkins proposes vacant shelters and fiscal discipline for Owen Sound
Owen-sound · Council-meeting · October 7, 2026
Summary
Whole Stream Summary Michelle Hawkins introduces a platform focused on fiscal responsibility and sustainable growth while addressing specific affordable housing needs in Owen Sound. She proposes utilising vacant city properties to establish emergency shelters and suggests collaborating with the County of Grey for broader housing initiatives. The discussion also covers measures to tighten municipal expenditures and ensure transparent communication during significant weather events. Another participant suggests absorbing vacant roles into existing staff rather than creating new positions to maintain fiscal discipline. The conversation emphasizes the importance of community safety alongside these economic and housing strategies.
Key Topics & Sections
Meeting Details
- Jurisdiction
- Owen-sound
- Body
- Council-meeting
- Date
- October 7, 2026
- Transcript Status
- Machine transcription, lightly cleaned
- Official Source
- View official meeting page
- Agenda Page
- View agenda page
- Original Video
- View original meeting video
- Meeting Portal
- View eScribe meeting page
Related Discussion
HelpOS discussion thread link pending.
Transcript Notice
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors in wording, speaker identification, punctuation, or timestamps.
It is an unofficial convenience copy provided for reading and searchability.
For the official record, refer to the original source materials published by the relevant authority, including the official video, agenda, minutes, and meeting records.
Full Transcript
Fiscal Responsibility Community Safety Sustainable Growth
Michelle Hawkins introduces herself as an Owen Sound resident with a background in construction industry business development. She outlines her platform focusing on fiscal responsibility, community safety, and sustainable growth while addressing affordable housing needs. The candidate proposes utilising vacant city properties for emergency shelters and collaborating with the County of Grey on housing projects. Additionally, she suggests tightening municipal expenditures to cut costs and ensuring transparent communication during significant weather events.
00:00:00 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Introduce yourself.
00:00:01 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I'm Michelle Hawkins.
00:00:02 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I'm a resident and homeowner of Owen Sound.
00:00:05 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: My background is predominantly business development within the construction industry.
00:00:11 SPEAKER_003: I'm currently sitting public member of the Operations Committee.
00:00:15 SPEAKER_003: I've been with that committee for 18 months.
00:00:18 SPEAKER_003: I'm looking for more interaction with the public.
00:00:22 SPEAKER_003: I'm looking for opportunity for new council to listen to the public and have more maybe task force groups and presentations from the public, and be more engaged, be more transparent, and financially responsible.
00:00:37 SPEAKER_003: Very good.
00:00:40 SPEAKER_003: And what are the top issues you'd like addressed?
00:00:44 SPEAKER_003: So my platform is fiscal responsibility, community safety, and sustainable growth.
00:00:51 SPEAKER_003: So we do need to make sure the community is safe.
00:00:54 SPEAKER_003: We do need to make sure that we have sustainable growth.
00:00:58 SPEAKER_003: That the affordable housing is affordable to those that make minimum wage.
00:01:05 SPEAKER_003: That we have geared income housing as well.
00:01:08 SPEAKER_003: That we're not waiving capital development fees and not getting anything in return from those waiving those fees.
00:01:18 SPEAKER_003: And also physical responsibility.
00:01:21 SPEAKER_003: If there's a significant weather event, we don't just stop plowing the streets.
00:01:26 SPEAKER_003: We help out our seniors to make sure they can get in and out of their homes, and that if there's an oil water advisory, that is more transparent with the public.
00:01:37 SPEAKER_003: Very good.
00:01:38 SPEAKER_003: Okay.
00:01:38 SPEAKER_003: And what would you like the council to accomplish over the next term?
00:01:43 SPEAKER_003: Over the next term is to buffer up some services for those that are having health challenges, that are unhoused, that have food insecurity.
00:01:53 SPEAKER_003: Security, working with County of Grey on housing projects,
00:02:02 SPEAKER_003: and making sure that we're utilising the unused or empty vacant properties that are within the city for whether it be emergency shelters for people that need it.
00:02:15 SPEAKER_003: Also to maybe tighten while not maybe they need to tighten the budget in their expenditures and look where they can cut costs.
Vacant role absorption and voting reminder
One participant suggests absorbing vacant roles into existing staff rather than hiring new positions. Speakers offer closing comments and urge the community to vote on October 26.
00:02:27 SPEAKER_003: If some role becomes vacant, that they maybe look at not hiring and then that role be absorbed within the existing staff.
00:02:36 SPEAKER_003: Yeah.
00:02:37 SPEAKER_003: Okay.
00:02:37 SPEAKER_003: Any closing comments?
00:02:38 SPEAKER_003: Come on out and vote.
00:02:40 SPEAKER_003: Make sure you vote on October the 26th because it's an important election.
00:02:45 SPEAKER_003: Thank you.
Unofficial machine-generated transcript for convenience. Please verify against official source materials for the authoritative record.