Sophia Geddes vying to be one of five Shelburne councillors

September 29, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Candidate Sophia Geddes says she is bringing a focus to mental health resources, recreation services, and community safety for youth in her campaign, as she runs in the upcoming municipal election.

Geddes is among the twelve candidates vying for the five open councillor seats on Shelburne Town Council.

“I want to be a voice for the diverse population that we’ve seen in Shelburne. I’m the average person that lives here,” said Geddes about her decision to run for council.

Geddes has been a resident of Shelburne for the last 8 years, moving to the community from Brampton. She is a registered nurse, a member of the Ontario Nurses Association and a former Inpatient Manager at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Speaking with the Free Press, Geddes said one of her main priorities in her campaign is addressing the accessibility of mental health and addiction services locally.

“Being a mental health nurse by profession, when I moved up here, I noticed that there was a need for mental health services. Although a lot has changed in Shelburne, I look at the fact that in the next four years our population is going to increase and we need to ensure that we address issues such as mental health services,” said Geddes.

She noted how the community’s limited public transportation plays into the need to provide these mental health services locally.

“We have a transportation system, but it only goes so far, so if there’s people who don’t drive, how are they going to access these services?” she said.

Geddes said she will also be focusing on community safety for youth with plans to increase the number of streets with school safety zones, speed pumps and patrolling.

“We live in a community now with a population that’s a lot of young families moving here and living in our community, and we need to have more safety for children walking,” said Geddes

With a younger population rising in the Shelburne community, she also said it’s important to provide recreational services.

“We need to provide access to more recreational activities to meet the need for these young people. I would be working with our stakeholder and other agencies to see what programs we can implement here for these individuals,” said Geddes.

Geddes is among the eight candidates running for the election, who did not hold a seat on the previous terms of council. When asked what she would bring to a new term of council she said,

“I represent the population of diversity in our community, and I want everyone in Shelburne to know they have a voice. A lot of work has been done by the former councillors, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done. I’m here to be that individual to bring the voices forward.”

The municipal election will be held on Oct. 24.