Elect Dakota Cherry for Guelph City Council, Ward 5 this Fall!
Let’s come together to build a greener, more affordable and connected Guelph!
Campaign Priorities
These are living priorities that are continuously evolving based on conversations with constituents in the community.
Projects & Funding Sources
Guelph has the highest taxes of similarly sized cities in the region. It's time to start exploring other options.
Critical projects require funding, but I do not support continuously using yearly above-inflation increases to property taxes as the only source. I've worked professionally in grant writing for the past 7 years, raising over $1 million in provincial and federal funding for community projects. I want to bring that same approach to City Council, ensuring more of the tax dollars we already send to Queen's Park and Ottawa come back home to Guelph for much-needed development.
We're a growing city with growing city needs, and I will ensure investment dollars go towards actual needs by focusing on eliminating city-wide inefficiencies and non-critical projects.
Cost of Living in Guelph
Food: A new $3 billion federal investment in food security presents a huge opportunity for Guelph. I will help bring this funding to our city and make food more affordable. With a Master's degree in food security, I have studied proven concepts for lowering prices and regaining autonomy of local food systems. Canada is almost entirely dependent on volatile world markets (and leaders) for the food we eat every day. Faced with these challenges, self-reliance is more important than ever and this starts at the municipal level.
Housing: The current "build more" strategy to address the housing crisis has failed to meaningfully restore a state of affordability in Ontario. There are other ways that we can support tenants and new home buyers outside of accelerating construction, including through vacant home and commercial building taxes (which are already underway), as well as grounding our path forward in research-based assessments of needs and impacts rather than reactive blanket building approvals.
Your Voice at City Hall
Throughout my career working with remote First Nations, grassroots organizations, and leading researchers, I've learned that those closest to issues often have some of the best solutions for addressing them. I will bring this principle to City Hall, ensuring decision-making is transparent and community-led, not something residents are informed about after the fact.
As Ward 5's councillor, I will ensure residents have a direct voice in local decisions and clear information about what's happening at City Hall. Through regular in-community updates and opportunities to inform important decisions, residents will have a say on issues that matter most to them at every stage of the policy cycle.
Q&A
1. Should Guelph do more to combat climate change?
Yes. Combatting climate change is natural outcome of policies that can also reduce the cost of food, improve human health, as well as support local farmers, economies and people.
2. Can private contractors be considered for municipal services to improve efficiency?
I am heavily influenced by the work of Mariana Prado who introduced the concept of "institutional bypass" wherein, like a coronary bypass, parallel systems that have been introduced alongside the clogged original ones, have proven to be more effective and preferred by users than the original, ultimately leading to them becoming the dominant channel. If municipal services are not working properly, it is our responsibility to explore external possibilities.
3. What about building more homes?
The current "build more" strategy to address the housing crisis has clearly failed to meaningfully improve the state of affordability. There are other ways that we can support our economy outside of accelerating the construction of homes, including through vacant home and commercial building taxes, which are already underway.
4. What is my stance on bike lanes?
Bike lanes provide a safer space for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. My personal preference is for painted bike lanes as they are cost-effective, make snow clearing easier, and provide cyclists with greater flexibility than fully separated lanes.
That said, every street is different. I look forward to working with experts, City staff, and residents to identify best practices and develop solutions that address the unique implementation challenges we face in Ward 5.
Plans of Action
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Nice to Meet You!
Who am I, and why am I running for Council?
Hello, my name is Dakota and I live in Ward 5 with my partner.
I am running for City Council because I’ve spent my life doing this kind of work, not because it’s been my job, but because it’s my calling and what I genuinely love to do. As a kid, I told anyone who would listen that I wanted to be the first female Prime Minister. I’d line up my stuffed animals, and my three younger siblings, and give passionate speeches about stray cats, climate change, or how Rob Ford wanted to get rid of cyclists.
That passion has never left me. I studied politics in Ottawa, worked at Indigenous Services Canada in the regional infrastructure and development branch, and even spent a year campaigning door-to-door for my aunt who is now a City Councillor in Rideau-Rockcliffe. I learned more in the year I spent knocking on doors than I did in my entire four-year political science degree. That experience taught me that the most meaningful change doesn’t come from the top down. It comes from the ground up: from neighbours talking to neighbours, from listening before acting, and from people showing up because they genuinely care. I’ve been doing community-based work ever since.
For the past eight years, I’ve supported nonprofits, social enterprises, and remote First Nations. I’ve written grants, designed programs, and helped grassroots organizations access over $1 million in funding. I helped set up a planning strategy for Hillside’s Indigenous Circle, and recently supported Guelph’s Community FEWD in securing a grant that will increase their ability to serve free or by donation meals across Guelph. During COVID, I also completed my Master’s degree studying food security and food sovereignty, supported by the Arrell Food Institute.
While degrees and work experience are important, I do feel it’s also necessary to mention the lived experience I bring to this role. The experience of being a young adult working multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet, of growing up underhoused in downtown Toronto, and of facing food insecurity firsthand as a child. These experiences shape how I approach public service, and allow me to better relate to the concerns of residents in Ward 5 and across the city.
But you aren’t just putting your trust in me, I am far from an expert on every topic. What I do have is a wide network of peers, that are experts in their respective fields, who never fail to pick up the phone on the first ring. Farmers, engineers, environmentalists, early childhood educators… together with you, we can build a Guelph where everyone feels seen, supported, and at home.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. I love you Guelph.
