Marlene Hassard - Ward 2

*transcribed speech

Hello Woodstock. Thank you very much for coming out tonight, and I have to tell you I am so excited to be offering for Ward 2. But I'm not a local. I've only been here for six years, so I'm going to tell you a little bit about me.

 

 My legal career began in a courtroom in Ontario as a clerk and a registrar, quickly morphed into secondements in victim witness in the Crown's office. After that, I had my own paralegal business, which serves Central and Northern Ontario. It was then that I was recruited by a local college to run their Justice Department and was offered the opportunity to create the paralegal curriculum for Everest Canada. 

 

The bulk of my career has been in regulatory law and compliance and enforcement. Whether I was interpreting legislation for professional misconduct or fitness to practice, or working as a hearings officer for property tax appeals, it has always involved providing an accurate interpretation of the governing legislation and bylaws. 

 

Some of you may also be surprised to know that I spent eight years as a long haul truck driver, with three of those years in the Yukon.  I learned a very valuable lesson while I was there. The sacrifices that the families and the challenges that they face in that industry, and how their municipalities, and this is important, face the logistical challenges of providing emergency services that Woodstock is now facing. And they found workable solutions without tax hikes. 

 

So I believe that I can bring some of these very well-rounded skills to Council, and be a reliable, principled advocate for the people of Woodstock and the people of Ward 2. So I hope that you can trust me to be there and be an advocate.

Thank you very much for coming.