Owen-sound Council-meeting Meeting Transcript — October 7, 2026

Hook: Mike Zimon Prioritizes Homelessness Solutions Over Vanity Projects

Owen-sound · Council-meeting · October 7, 2026

Summary

Whole Stream Summary The candidate criticizes municipal spending on vanity projects like an art gallery and a new police station while homelessness persists. He argues that property tax increases ultimately force landlords to raise rents and worsen housing affordability. He proposes prioritizing solutions for homelessness and improvements to the mass transit system if elected. For further details on these specific proposals, the candidate directs viewers to a flyer and a Facebook page where comprehensive information is available. Most Newsworthy Items * The candidate criticizes municipal spending on vanity projects like an art gallery and a new police station while homelessness persists.

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Meeting Details

Jurisdiction
Owen-sound
Body
Council-meeting
Date
October 7, 2026
Transcript Status
Machine transcription, lightly cleaned
Official Source
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Agenda Page
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Original Video
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Meeting Portal
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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.

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Vanity Projects and Homelessness Priorities

A candidate criticizes spending millions on an art gallery and a police station while people die on the streets. The speaker argues that property tax increases force landlords to raise rents, worsening affordability for residents. He states he would prioritize addressing homelessness and improving the mass transit system if elected.

00:00:00 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Simon, and who are you?

00:00:01 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Ah, I'm Andrii Zvorygin.

00:00:03 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Ah, okay, I've heard of you.

00:00:05 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Yeah, I'm running for mayor.

00:00:07 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Okay, how about you?

00:00:09 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Why are you running?

00:00:11 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I'm running because we have to get our priorities in order.

00:00:17 SPEAKER_002: When people are literally dying on our streets, and we're talking about spending 16 million dollars on an art gallery and 12 million dollars on a cop shop, and all these vanity projects.

00:00:29 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Yep.

00:00:30 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Go ahead.

00:00:31 SPEAKER_002: It's our money.

00:00:34 SPEAKER_002: Yes.

00:00:34 SPEAKER_002: It's the taxpayers' money.

00:00:35 SPEAKER_002: It is.

00:00:36 SPEAKER_002: And they always seem to do these things two years after the election and two years before the next election.

00:00:40 SPEAKER_002: Isn't that a little kind of sneaky?

00:00:44 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.

00:00:44 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.

00:00:45 SPEAKER_002: I hear you.

00:00:46 SPEAKER_002: And it's just been going on like this, pretty much perpetually.

00:00:52 SPEAKER_002: There might have been the odd council that wasn't that slick.

00:00:57 SPEAKER_002: Slip, I guess you could say.

00:01:00 SPEAKER_002: We've got.

00:01:02 SPEAKER_002: Before I sold my house ten years ago, we were paying almost four thousand dollars a year in taxes for a nine hundred and fifty square foot bundle.

00:01:11 SPEAKER_002: Wow, that's a lot.

00:01:13 SPEAKER_002: It was hard to put Cheerios in the cupboard for the kids back then.

00:01:18 SPEAKER_002: So to do it now, yeah, like people are paying twice for rent what they paid.

00:01:25 SPEAKER_002: This isn't the city's fault.

00:01:25 SPEAKER_002: This is the city's fault.

00:01:27 SPEAKER_002: But they're paying twice as much for rent as they did ten years ago.

00:01:31 SPEAKER_002: Well, the property tax increases do reflect on rent increases because the landlord increases their rents to accommodate their increased costs.

00:01:42 SPEAKER_002: You know, this is so.

00:01:43 SPEAKER_002: I stand for.

00:01:45 SPEAKER_002: I know because landlords are also hit by property tax increases because they're only allowed to raise rents two percent a year, whereas the city last year raised it five percent.

00:01:56 SPEAKER_002: The property tax.

00:01:58 SPEAKER_002: So, and when you're trying to get an answer out of City Hall, I don't know if you still have to do it,

00:02:04 SPEAKER_002: but you have to put a written question two weeks before the council meeting.

00:02:09 SPEAKER_002: They decide on whether they're going to allow the question or not.

00:02:13 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, yeah.

00:02:14 SPEAKER_002: What country is this?

00:02:16 SPEAKER_002: So, what things would you promote if elected to council?

00:02:22 SPEAKER_002: Oh, we got to do something with the homeless.

00:02:23 SPEAKER_002: We've got to do something with the mass transit system.

00:02:26 SPEAKER_002: And you told me two minutes, so I can't give you all the details.

Closing Remarks and Resource Directives

The candidate directs viewers to a flyer and Facebook page for detailed information on proposals. He states he will not attempt to please every constituent with all his ideas before concluding the segment.

00:02:29 SPEAKER_002: But if anybody wants to grab a flyer and go to my Facebook page, I detail everything.

00:02:36 SPEAKER_002: And I'm not going to please everybody with everything I come up with.

00:02:39 SPEAKER_002: But if you can, closing comments.

00:02:43 SPEAKER_002: I'm happy to be.

00:02:45 SPEAKER_002: Awesome.

00:02:46 SPEAKER_002: Thank you.

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