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

Hook: Dale Funston proposes civilian crisis team for downtown safety

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

Summary

Whole Stream Summary The candidate identifies open drug use in downtown areas as a primary safety concern and proposes the implementation of a civilian crisis response team to address non-emergency situations before police backup arrives. He acknowledges that while this initiative carries risks, trained responders could serve as an effective first line of assistance if they are aware of potential dangers. The candidate argues that law enforcement should not be called for every issue, suggesting instead that alternative talents and resources be utilised to tackle homelessness in downtown areas rather than relying solely on arrests. He notes that arresting everyone is not the answer and that there are many more ways to deal with people who are homeless downtown. Concluding his statements, the candidate requests voter support to serve as a voice for residents in Old Town, framing these measures as potential solutions to balance public safety with community needs.

Top Newsworthy Developments

Downtown Safety and Civilian Crisis Response: The candidate identifies downtown open drug use as a primary safety concern for residents. They express support for implementing a civilian crisis response team to handle non-emergency situations before police backup is called.

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.

Official meeting source · Official video / recording

Full Transcript

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Downtown Safety and Civilian Crisis Response

The candidate identifies downtown open drug use as a primary safety concern for residents. They express support for implementing a civilian crisis response team to handle non-emergency situations before police backup is called. The speaker notes that while the initiative carries risks, trained responders can provide an effective first line of assistance.

00:00:00 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Great.

00:00:01 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Who?

00:00:01 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Who are you?

00:00:02 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: My name's Dale Funston.

00:00:03 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I'm a resident of Old Town for 22 years now.

00:00:07 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I work in law enforcement.

00:00:08 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Not too sure.

00:00:12 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I'm just running for council because I just want to make a change.

00:00:16 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I know everybody says that it's very cliché, but let's get some change here in town.

00:00:21 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Let's get a whole new council this year.

00:00:23 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Make a change and just be the change.

00:00:27 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I think if we can get eight new councillors, you're gonna have eight new Councillors.

00:00:30 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Go, go, go!

00:00:32 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Want to make a change?

00:00:32 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: So we should be able to get something done.

00:00:35 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Well, we have seven councillors in office.

00:00:37 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: That is for election.

00:00:38 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: I thought it was for some reason.

00:00:40 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Well, eight people on the Old Town council, which is fair enough.

00:00:43 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Yeah.

00:00:43 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: And so, what are the top issues you would like to address?

00:00:48 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Top issues I'd like to see.

00:00:50 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Let's get some value for our tax dollars.

00:00:52 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Everybody says that you can't really reduce taxes.

00:00:54 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: That's pretty tough.

00:00:55 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Let's get some value for that.

00:00:59 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: Let's bring back weekly garbage for the summer with warmer summer months.

00:01:05 SPEAKER_UNKNOWN: That's what I'm thinking.

00:01:06 SPEAKER_002: Let's extend the bus routes so people can get to work right now on the bus, but they're not able to get home on the bus.

00:01:13 SPEAKER_002: Let's extend that.

00:01:14 SPEAKER_002: To me, that should be pretty easy.

00:01:15 SPEAKER_002: Obviously, there will be a cost to it, but I think if we can get people working, that cost will come back around and pay for itself essentially on some level, right?

00:01:25 SPEAKER_002: So.

00:01:25 SPEAKER_002: That's what I would like to see the most.

00:01:29 SPEAKER_002: Downtown safety is one of the biggest concerns I've talked to people door to door.

00:01:36 SPEAKER_002: The downtown safety is a huge thing that people want to see.

00:01:39 SPEAKER_002: They want to see something happen downtown.

00:01:41 SPEAKER_002: What I don't exactly know how to fix that.

00:01:44 SPEAKER_002: Everybody, myself included, has compassion for the homeless, but I think it's really the open drug use that people don't want to see.

00:01:53 SPEAKER_002: They just don't feel safe down there with the open drug use.

00:01:57 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.

00:01:57 SPEAKER_002: Right.

00:01:58 SPEAKER_002: And so, how do you feel about civilian crisis response to help deal with some of that?

00:02:05 SPEAKER_002: I got no problem with it.

00:02:06 SPEAKER_002: Can be dangerous, as long as the people that are doing that are aware of what can happen.

00:02:12 SPEAKER_002: I'd hate to see anybody get hurt, but I think it could be a great first initial response because you don't have to call police for everything.

00:02:20 SPEAKER_002: Yeah.

00:02:20 SPEAKER_002: If they feel that it's not a safe situation, they would call police backup.

00:02:23 SPEAKER_002: Yeah, but just like the ambulance, exactly.

Alternatives to Police for Non-Criminal Issues

The speaker argues that police should not be called for every situation, noting that many issues do not require arrest. They propose utilising other talents and resources to address homelessness in downtown areas instead of relying solely on law enforcement. The candidate concludes by requesting voter support to serve as a voice for residents in Old Town.

00:02:26 SPEAKER_002: But it's also a great utilization of people and talents to not have to call the police at every single thing, right?

00:02:38 SPEAKER_002: Because there's a lot of things that police get called to do that they don't really need to be there for.

00:02:45 SPEAKER_002: But yeah, they're really the only people to call in that situation, right?

00:02:48 SPEAKER_002: Right.

00:02:49 SPEAKER_002: Not everybody needs to be arrested or anything like that.

00:02:51 SPEAKER_002: Exactly.

00:02:52 SPEAKER_002: Exactly.

00:02:53 SPEAKER_002: Arresting everybody isn't the answer.

00:02:54 SPEAKER_002: I agree.

00:02:55 SPEAKER_002: There are so many more ways to deal with these, deal with the people that are homeless downtown.

00:03:01 SPEAKER_002: I think, right?

00:03:03 SPEAKER_002: Right.

00:03:04 SPEAKER_002: And do you have any closing remarks?

00:03:07 SPEAKER_002: Closing remarks?

00:03:08 SPEAKER_002: I'm just looking for everybody's support.

00:03:09 SPEAKER_002: Please vote for me.

00:03:11 SPEAKER_002: I won't back down.

00:03:13 SPEAKER_002: I just want to be a voice on City Council for the people, the residents of Old Town.

00:03:17 SPEAKER_002: All right.

00:03:18 SPEAKER_002: Thank you.

Unofficial machine-generated transcript for convenience. Please verify against official source materials for the authoritative record.