We are living in an age where there is more political bias and disinformation in Canadian news than there has ever been in previous decades. The media monopoly being led by a small number of telecommunications corporations in Canada has resulted in a shrinking number of reliable and thorough sources of information as mainstream political parties engage in what some people have termed "information wars." Even at the local level in large cities in Canada, politics are being interfered with by foreign powers and public interest groups.

Canadians need political leaders they can trust, who will maintain allegiance to the oaths they take when entering office—not to foreign powers, political cronyism, or their own accumulation of wealth.

Ineffective policy planning being perpetuated by certain groups in Canada has led to an affordability crisis, as housing costs in large cities continue to rise alongside an inflation problem that does not appear to be ending. Young and financially struggling Canadians are looking at a daunting future filled with frustration and worry as they try to keep up with the cost of living.

There are economic and political solutions to these problems. But a lack of solidarity at every level of government in Canada has led to a disparity of political values and ideology, making our country appear divided and at odds with itself.

Despite low voter turnout in municipal elections in this region of Canada, citizens need to get involved in the political system and hold their political leaders accountable. Election season is the time to do this.

One of the city councillors who is running for mayor in this election spent almost $18,000 just to secure a seat on city council four years ago and barely unseated the councillor whose position he took over. Can you find any other councillor in Guelph history who spent this much to buy their way onto city council using large donor support? Now, four years later, he is running for mayor.

The other city councillor who is a candidate for mayor has years of experience at City Hall and certainly won her seat in her own ward with far less money spent on advertising costs in the last election. But I would not be running for mayor again if Guelph residents had not encouraged me to run based on a fair amount of public outrage about what our city council has done in the last four years and how certain councillors have voted in council. This mayoral candidate has been campaigning for months, even going so far as to take time off from a full-time job position at the local university, with the intention of walking into the mayor's office without any real political opposition.

If Guelph residents keep voting for the same political leaders, they are going to see more of the same policies from their local government.

Experience is important, but so is merit. When managers and executives are not doing their jobs effectively, you don't promote them; you fire them.