Dan Beaudoin

Background

I have lived in Cornwall for eight years, moving here from my childhood home in eastern Toronto as a remote worker who had friends who went on and on about how much they loved growing up and living in Cornwall. I have spent the last twenty years in customer service and technical support, most of which I spent at Shopify directly supporting tens of thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. I have held spots on boards of directors for not-for-profit clubs a number of times, and consider Cornwall my home for life.

Top Priorities

I believe we need a vision that unites us and helps us to row our boats in the same direction. I believe we need to build policies with a long-term goal of improving housing and affordability throughout the city. And I believe all of this is for naught if we don’t drastically improve transparency at the council level and beyond.

1. The 2026 Budget & Property Taxes: The 2026 municipal budget passed with a 5.41% increase to the property tax levy, bringing the "average" residential property tax bill to nearly $3,270. As a City Councillor, how will you approach future budget deliberations to balance the necessity of maintaining essential city services while ensuring the commercial tax rate remains competitive enough to attract new investment?

Taxes are, of course, top of mind in a year where affordability seems more and more out of reach for residents in Cornwall. The services that property taxes pay for are vital, and I will not mince words: it’s rare that I think that a service should be cut back. What I will champion, though, is a careful and tight understanding of how we are spending our city money, real insistence on efficient use of those funds, and a balance of incentivization to bring more residents to Cornwall to participate in our economy and, gradually, reduce the costs of those services per capita through the economies of scale.

2. Red Tape & Business Licensing: The City has been working to modernize its Business Licensing By-law to consolidate decades-old regulations and reduce licensing categories. If elected to Council, what specific steps will you champion to further streamline the permitting, zoning, and licensing processes and reduce the administrative burden on small business owners?

Modernization is a great first step, but it’s far from the end. One of the priorities I’d like to see, if elected to council, will be to work directly with the Chamber of Commerce to build a city-level resource to help entrepreneurs in an easy-to-find, easy-to-track, central location: everything they need to know not only to start but to maintain their business in Cornwall, as well as annual reviews to find opportunities to make the whole experience better, with direct consultation with our business community.

3. Infrastructure Prioritization: The City's Asset Management Plan indicates a significant backlog of infrastructure renewal projects. Which specific municipal infrastructure investments (e.g., road maintenance, transit expansion, water/wastewater upgrades) will you advocate for as an immediate priority over the next four years to support local industry and residents?

While general, broad-swath improvements are needed in how we’re prioritizing projects - an eye to long-term planning rather than an unfortunate habit of passing the buck that is endemic at all levels of government - specifically I’d like to see an investment in how we move through the city, especially with an eye to non-car traffic (think protected bike lanes and public transit investment) and information and supply (think telecommunication and hydroelectric corridors). To function effectively as a hub city, Cornwall needs to invest in both sides.

4. The Port Lands Development: The 16-acre Port Lands, jointly owned by the municipality and the Akwesasne First Nation, is a major waterfront asset. What is your vision for the future development of this parcel, and how will you work within Council to ensure the partnership fosters mutually beneficial economic growth for the region?

This is a matter I am excited about but have only surface-level knowledge in: to that end, my vision is a shared and expansive opportunity to share not only business but (importantly) cultural moments between the city and Akwesasne, but I would like to actively engage both the city and the Akwesasne community directly to find ways for the city to pull this together specifically with their vision in mind. My vision is one of a joint future, and this could be a cornerstone project in building towards that.

5. Housing Supply & Affordability: Cornwall is facing a critical housing shortage across all income brackets. What specific municipal actions will you advocate for at the Council table (e.g., zoning amendments, targeted development incentives, utilizing city-owned land) to accelerate residential development and ensure a mix of affordable options?

I advocate for two primary changes: emphasis on dense housing, and reduction in zoning impediments to mixed-use building. Both play well off each other and encourage significantly more diverse housing supply (rather than all condos or single-family detached homes), while also encouraging small business ownership with entrepreneurship opportunities right in the communities you call home.

6. Addressing Homelessness: Complex social issues like homelessness affect vulnerable individuals and impact the downtown business community. As a Councillor, what is your strategy for ensuring the municipality effectively supports collaborative community initiatives (like The Stepping Stone project), and what specific city resources or policies will you commit to reducing the number of unhoused individuals?

Our unhoused population has grown significantly just in the last five years. In addition to the affordability measures discussed, and supporting the current initiatives that the present council have taken (which I think are good starts), I would like to explore the viability of a “housing first” model supported by the city and local non-profit organizations, a sector of city work devoted to actively helping transition the unhoused into more safe and secure lives, and an awareness and empathy campaign to bring our community together on this, rather than the “othering” that we see happening with the unhoused so often.

7. Youth Retention & Workforce Development: A common challenge for local businesses is attracting and retaining skilled talent. How will you use your position on Council to work with local institutions like St. Lawrence College and the business community to encourage youth to build their careers in Cornwall rather than relocating to larger urban centers?

This question hits the nail on the head: we need to explore what will keep our younger generations in Cornwall. Jobs is a big part of it, of course; on council, we can encourage entrepreneurship and business expansion for local hiring. We can also work with St Lawrence College directly, and potentially with universities to re-examine the idea of a university campus making its home in Cornwall; an expansion like that would provide not only an influx of younger people but also a myriad of employment opportunities. Finally, a focus on things to do - entertainment, social activities, and businesses open late should all be easy to find and diverse in their offerings, and there are a number of ways we can encourage that at the council level, from incentives to grants to direct work with community leaders like the Chamber.

8. Industrial Expansion & Logistics: Cornwall has a strong history as a logistics and industrial hub, recently seeing investments like the Michelin Distribution Centre, but the city must remain competitive. How will you support the transportation sector and advocate for infrastructure improvements that meet the evolving needs of local industry?

Cornwall’s history as a hub city is an intrinsic and foundational part of my campaign - it’s literally the fourth “big priority” listed on my website. I think it’s an important part of our future, both in the logistical sense (improving opportunities for logistics companies to build and grow in Cornwall) and in the community sense (where we can and should be exploring ways to be the home of services for the whole county and even neighbouring larger cities). Building this into our identity is part of my top priority around creating a vision for the future of Cornwall.

9. Tourism, Events, & Local Initiatives: Tourism is a significant economic driver for our local hospitality and retail sectors. How can City Council better support local events, festivals, and community initiatives to drive tourism, and what municipal resources or support do you believe should be provided to ensure their success?

One question I’ve been asking anyone who will talk to me about city-level information is: where do you want to see this? I’ve heard ideas about city-owned land hosting billboards and signage as an example of how we can improve our tourism, and strongly support initiatives in that direction. I also believe that having a city-level coordinator for major tourism opportunities (like the Akwesasne Pow-Wow) would help both ensure that hoteliers, restaurateurs, and other business owners are ready and eager, but that we can make a city-wide coordinated effort to advertise and get the most people out to enjoy what we have to offer.

10. Council Dynamics & Community Voice: The 2026 municipal budget was passed utilizing provincial "Strong Mayor" powers. Regardless of your stance on those specific powers, how will you ensure that as a City Councillor, you effectively represent the voice of the public and the business community in major municipal decisions, ensuring accountability and transparency at City Hall?

Personal transparency is foundational to adding any level of transparency to city council; while we should work towards building and maintaining professionally transparent proceedings, each council member has a duty to their constituents to communicate their “why” succinctly and clearly. This is especially important when the normal rules of execution (like council matters) are being overturned by strong mayor powers. Having personal channels for that information (like a blog on my website) will be an important part of this.

11. Maintaining Decorum and Handling Misinformation: City Councillors are increasingly subject to intense public scrutiny and are often the target of misinformation or disinformation spread across social media. Additionally, this scrutiny can sometimes escalate into harassment or abusive language. The City’s Code of Conduct requires Councillors to treat everyone with respect and maintain professional decorum, even when facing hostile or factually incorrect public discourse. How will you personally handle the pressures of social media, combat local misinformation without escalating conflicts, and ensure that your interactions—both online and offline—foster a respectful, constructive environment that upholds the integrity of City Council?

I am of the generation who had a childhood outside, but grew up at the same time as the internet - I am very used to social media and the many ups and downs it brings. I do not have a strong social media presence as a result, but one of my fundamental personal beliefs is to treat everyone as a human first; this has served me for decades in customer support roles where de-escalation and education is a key skill.