🏦 Fiscal Accountability
Responsible spending. Transparent budgets. No surprises.
Meadowbrook-Strathcona residents deserve to know exactly how their tax dollars are spent. Daria will push for open, line-by-line budget transparency and demand that every major expenditure comes with a clear rationale and measurable outcome.
Daria's Commitments:
Open Budget Portal
Advocate for a publicly accessible, plain-language budget dashboard so residents can track ward spending in real time — not just at annual budget meetings.
Independent Spending Reviews
Support third-party audits of major capital projects before approval, reducing cost overruns and ensuring value for money on infrastructure investments.
No Rubber-Stamp Votes
Commit to reading every budget line, asking hard questions in public, and voting against expenditures that lack clear community benefit — even when it's politically inconvenient.
Ward-Level Reporting
Publish a quarterly ward report showing what was promised, what was spent, and what was delivered — so accountability is ongoing, not just at election time.
🤝 Community Engagement
Real consultation. Genuine listening. Decisions that reflect the ward.
Too often, "community consultation" means a single public meeting where decisions have already been made. Daria will build a ward engagement model that reaches residents where they are — not just those who can attend a Tuesday evening meeting at City Hall.
Daria's Commitments:
Ward Town Halls — Every Quarter
Hold four public town halls per year in accessible, neighbourhood-level venues across Meadowbrook-Strathcona, with evening and weekend options so working families can attend.
Digital Engagement Platform
Launch a ward-specific online portal where residents can submit ideas, comment on proposals, and vote on local priorities — with results published and responded to publicly.
Door-to-Door Listening Tours
Conduct annual canvasses of every street in the ward — not to campaign, but to hear directly from residents about what is and isn't working in their neighbourhood.
Youth & Seniors Advisory Panels
Establish dedicated advisory panels for young residents (ages 14–24) and seniors, ensuring the voices of those most affected by city services are built into every major decision.
🏫 Safety & Schools
Safe streets. Strong schools. A ward where children thrive.
Every child in Meadowbrook-Strathcona deserves to walk to school safely, learn in a well-resourced environment, and come home to a neighbourhood where they feel secure. Daria will make school-zone safety and educational investment a top priority at City Hall.
Daria's Commitments:
School Zone Traffic Calming
Push for reduced speed limits, raised crosswalks, and improved signage at every school in the ward — and hold the city accountable to completing these improvements within the first term.
Safe Routes to School Program
Work with the school board and city traffic engineers to map and improve walking and cycling routes to every school, prioritizing the most dangerous intersections first.
After-School Programming Funding
Advocate for city funding to expand after-school and summer programming in the ward, particularly for families who cannot afford private options.
Anti-Bullying & Mental Health Resources
Support increased school-based mental health resources and work with the school board to ensure every student has access to a counsellor — not just those in crisis.
Community Safety Audits
Commission annual safety audits of parks, pathways, and public spaces in the ward, with a public report and action plan for each identified concern.
🌳 Green Spaces
Protecting parks. Expanding trails. Building a greener ward.
Meadowbrook-Strathcona's parks, ravines, and green corridors are among its greatest assets. Daria will fight to protect existing green space from development pressure, expand the trail network, and ensure every resident lives within a short walk of quality outdoor space.
Daria's Commitments:
No Net Loss of Green Space
Oppose any rezoning or development proposal that reduces the total area of publicly accessible green space in the ward without a demonstrated, equivalent replacement.
Trail Network Expansion
Advocate for completing the missing links in the ward's cycling and walking trail network, connecting neighbourhoods to parks, schools, and the waterfront.
Urban Tree Canopy Protection
Support stronger tree protection bylaws and push for a ward-level tree planting program targeting streets and parks with below-average canopy coverage.
Community Garden Expansion
Work with Parks & Recreation to identify and develop new community garden sites, with priority given to high-density areas where private garden space is limited.
Park Maintenance Standards
Establish minimum maintenance standards for ward parks and hold the city accountable to them — because a park that isn't maintained isn't really a park.
🏠 Housing
Attainable homes. Diverse neighbourhoods. A ward for everyone.
Kingston's housing crisis is real, and Meadowbrook-Strathcona is not immune. Daria supports thoughtful, community-informed intensification that adds housing supply without destroying neighbourhood character — and she will fight for the affordable and supportive housing the ward desperately needs.
Daria's Commitments:
Missing Middle Housing
Support zoning changes that allow duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings on residential streets — the "missing middle" that adds supply without high-rise density.
Affordable Housing Requirements
Advocate for inclusionary zoning policies that require a meaningful percentage of affordable units in every new residential development above a threshold size.
Supportive Housing Investment
Push for city investment in supportive housing for residents experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, or addiction — because housing is health care.
Tenant Protections
Support stronger tenant protections, including anti-renoviction policies and improved enforcement of property standards for rental housing in the ward.
Community-Led Planning
Ensure that major development proposals in the ward go through genuine community consultation before approval — not after the decision has already been made.
🏥 Health Care Access
Primary care for every resident. Mental health support. No one left behind.
Too many Meadowbrook-Strathcona residents don't have a family doctor. Too many are waiting months for mental health support. While health care is primarily a provincial responsibility, city councillors have real tools to improve access — and Daria will use every one of them.
Daria's Commitments:
Community Health Hub
Advocate for a dedicated community health hub in the ward — a one-stop location for primary care, mental health services, social supports, and health navigation.
Mental Health First Response
Support the expansion of mental health co-response teams so that mental health crises are met with trained health professionals, not just police.
Harm Reduction Services
Advocate for evidence-based harm reduction services in the ward, including naloxone distribution, safe consumption support, and addiction treatment pathways.
Seniors' Health & Mobility
Push for improved transit access to medical facilities, expanded home care support, and age-friendly infrastructure so seniors can age in place safely.
Health Equity Lens
Require that all major city decisions — from transit to parks to housing — be assessed for their impact on the health of the ward's most vulnerable residents.