2026 Oxford County Municipal Election
East Zorra-Tavistock — Ward 1 Councillor
We asked. Nicolas Faye answered. You decide.
Answers are published as submitted.
I. Candidate & Municipal Governance
1. Candidate Introduction
Please introduce yourself to the residents of Oxford County. Briefly tell us why you are running for municipal office, what principles or values would guide you as an elected official, and what you believe is the most important issue facing the municipality you are seeking to represent. What would you do about it?
My name is Nicolas Faye, and I am running for Ward 1 Councillor in East Zorra-Tavistock.
I decided to run because I care about the community I live in and I believe residents should feel that their councillor is actually listening to them. I believe in being accessible, treating people fairly, watching how taxpayers’ money is spent and being willing to ask questions when something does not make sense.
For me, one of the biggest issues will be managing growth without losing what makes our community a good place to live. We need housing and economic development, but we also need to protect farmland, maintain our infrastructure and make sure residents have a real voice in how the community changes.
2. Local vs. Provincial Authority
Municipalities are increasingly affected by decisions, policies and requirements established by the provincial government. What degree of local discretion do you believe municipalities should have when provincial direction affects decisions within municipal jurisdiction? When, if ever, should a municipality challenge or oppose provincial direction? Please explain.
I understand that municipalities have to follow provincial legislation. At the same time, municipal councillors are elected to represent local residents.
If a provincial decision is reasonable and works for our community, then we should work with it. But if a decision creates serious problems for our municipality, puts an unfair cost on local taxpayers or does not properly consider local circumstances, I believe council should speak up.
Challenging another level of government does not have to mean fighting with them. Sometimes it simply means asking questions, presenting the facts and advocating strongly for the community.
3. Accountability & Access
Once elected, how will you maintain open communication and accountability with your constituents? What level of access should residents have to you, and what responsibility do you have to explain and defend your decisions and votes, particularly when constituents disagree with them?
I want residents to be able to contact me.
That sounds simple, but I think it is very important. People should not feel that their councillor disappears after election day.
I would be available by phone, email and in person, and I would make an effort to keep residents informed about important issues coming before council.
I also believe that if I vote for or against something, I should be prepared to explain why. People will not always agree with me, and that is okay. My responsibility is to listen respectfully, consider the information available and be honest about how I reached my decision.
4. Staff vs. Elected Council
What do you believe is the proper division of responsibility between municipal staff and elected council? What decisions should be made by staff, what decisions should be made by council, and what responsibility should elected officials retain for decisions recommended or implemented by staff?
Municipal staff and council have different jobs.
Staff bring professional knowledge and experience. They manage the day-to-day work of the municipality, provide information and make recommendations.
Council sets priorities, approves budgets and policies and makes the important decisions on behalf of residents.
I would respect the expertise of staff, but I would also ask questions. A councillor should not simply approve something because a report recommends it.
At the end of the day, councillors are responsible for the decisions they vote on.
5. Candidate Social-Media History
Have you ever deleted, hidden or substantially altered past social-media posts or other publicly available online content because you believed it might affect how voters viewed you or your candidacy? If so, what did you change and why?
I have not deleted, hidden or substantially changed past social-media content because I was worried about how it might affect my candidacy.
Like most people who have used social media for many years, my views and the way I express myself may have evolved over time. I would rather be open about that than pretend otherwise.
II. Taxes, Growth & Development
6. Taxes & Services
What annual municipal property-tax increase do you consider reasonable over the next four years? If maintaining existing services would require an increase above that level, what principles would you use to determine which services or expenditures should be reduced, delayed or eliminated instead? Please explain.
I would like to keep tax increases as low as reasonably possible, but I do not want to give residents an artificial number today and then discover that it cannot realistically be maintained.
Every budget is different.
Before asking residents to pay substantially more, I would want council to look carefully at spending, contracts, administrative costs, grants, unnecessary duplication and whether some projects can wait.
At the same time, I do not believe in saving a small amount today by neglecting roads, bridges, fire services or other important infrastructure and then leaving taxpayers with a much bigger bill later.
My approach would be simple: spend carefully, protect essential services and make sure residents are getting value for their taxes.
7. Population Growth & Agricultural Land
Oxford County’s current planning projections anticipate substantial population growth over the coming decades, creating increasing pressure on agricultural land. Should Oxford plan to accommodate the projected level of growth, or should the County and its municipalities seek to influence the rate and/or location of future growth? When development competes with agricultural and food-production uses, should agricultural land and food production receive priority? What principles should guide these decisions? Please explain.
We need to plan for growth, but we should have a say in where and how that growth happens.
Oxford County is expecting substantial growth over the coming decades, while agriculture remains a major part of the County’s land base and economy.
I would rather see development directed toward appropriate settlement areas and existing infrastructure before we unnecessarily expand onto productive farmland.
Once good agricultural land is developed, we generally do not get it back.
That does not mean stopping development. It means being smart about it and asking whether there is a better location before sacrificing farmland.
III. Energy & Major Development
8. Wind & Utility-Scale Solar
What is your position on industrial wind turbine and utility-scale solar developments in Oxford County? If your municipality were asked to determine whether it should be a willing or unwilling host for a large-scale wind or solar project, how would you vote, and what factors would guide your decision? Please explain.
I would not give an automatic yes or automatic no to every renewable-energy project.
I would want to see the actual proposal.
Where is it going? How close is it to homes? What farmland would be affected? What are the noise and environmental impacts? What happens when the equipment reaches the end of its life? Who pays for removing it? What benefit does the local community actually receive?
Most importantly, I would want to hear from the people who live around the proposed development.
If East Zorra-Tavistock were asked to become a willing host, I would not vote yes simply because a developer asked us to. I would need to be satisfied that the project made sense for our municipality and that the concerns of affected residents had been properly addressed.
9. Data Centres
What is your position on approving data centres in Oxford County? Under what circumstances, if any, would you support one? How should council weigh its potential economic benefits against demands on electricity, water, land and other municipal infrastructure? Please explain.
I am open to economic development, including new technology, but I would not support a data centre simply because it promises investment.
I would want to understand what it actually brings to the community.
How many permanent jobs will it create? How much electricity and water will it use? What land will it occupy? Will roads or other infrastructure need to be upgraded? Who pays for those upgrades? What tax revenue will the municipality receive?
If a project creates a real benefit for the community without placing an unreasonable burden on local infrastructure or taxpayers, I would consider it.
I would look at the complete picture before making a decision.
IV. Property Rights, Environment & Climate
10. Property Rights & Environmental Regulation
What principles should determine the balance between private property rights and municipal environmental regulation? What limits, if any, should municipalities place on environmental restrictions affecting the use of privately owned rural land? Please explain.
I believe property rights matter.
If someone owns rural property, government should have a good reason before placing major restrictions on how that property can be used.
At the same time, what happens on one property can sometimes affect neighbours, water, drainage, farmland or public safety.
For me, the key is balance.
Regulations should deal with a real problem, be based on evidence and go no further than necessary. Property owners should also be told clearly why a restriction is being imposed and have a fair opportunity to challenge a decision.
11. Climate Change & CO₂
What role, if any, do you believe carbon dioxide emissions play in climate change? What responsibility, if any, should municipal government have for addressing climate-related issues, and should municipal taxpayers fund those efforts? Please explain.
I accept the scientific evidence that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. Canada’s current climate assessment identifies carbon dioxide from human activities as the main greenhouse gas driving current warming.
At the municipal level, however, I think we should concentrate on practical things we can actually control.
That can include drainage and flooding, protecting infrastructure from severe weather, improving energy efficiency when it saves money and making sensible long-term planning decisions.
I would support environmental measures when there is a clear benefit, but I would also expect council to explain the cost and the expected results.
Climate policy should not become an excuse for spending money without accountability.
V. Municipal Policy & Public Institutions
12. DEI, Hiring & Public Services
When municipal government makes decisions about hiring employees or providing services, what role, if any, should a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, disability, newcomer status or other demographic characteristics play? Do you support mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training for municipal employees, and should municipal taxpayers fund it? Please explain.
When the municipality hires someone, I believe the main question should be: is this person qualified and capable of doing the job?
Everyone should have a fair opportunity. Nobody should be treated unfairly because of their race, sex, disability, ethnicity, background or where they came from.
The same applies to municipal services. Residents should be treated fairly and respectfully.
On training, including DEI training, I would look at what the training actually teaches and whether it is useful. If training helps employees understand the law, serve residents better and maintain a respectful workplace, there can be value in it.
But I do not believe taxpayers should pay for training simply so the municipality can say that a box was checked.
13. International Policy Frameworks
What role, if any, should international policy frameworks such as the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals play in municipal decision-making? If municipal policies are influenced by such frameworks, what responsibility does council have to ensure that those decisions remain transparent and accountable to local residents? Please explain.
I have no problem with municipalities learning from ideas developed elsewhere.
But East Zorra-Tavistock Council is elected by the people of East Zorra-Tavistock, and that is where our accountability starts.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are not legally binding.
If a municipal policy is influenced by Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals or any other outside organization, I believe council should simply be open about it.
Tell residents where the idea came from, why council thinks it is useful, what it will cost and what it is supposed to accomplish.
There should not be anything mysterious about it.
VI. Public Safety, Privacy & Emergency Powers
14. Flock Cameras & Surveillance
What is your position on the use of Flock cameras and other automated licence-plate recognition (ALPR) or camera-based surveillance systems by municipalities for public safety? What limits, if any, should apply to their use, and how should council balance public safety with residents’ privacy? Please explain.
I support using technology when it can genuinely help public safety, but I also take privacy seriously.
Licence-plate readers and camera systems can collect a lot of information about people’s movements. Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has specifically identified privacy issues with ALPR systems and recommends safeguards around how information is collected, accessed and retained.
If our municipality ever considered this type of technology, I would want clear rules.
Who has access to the information? How long is it kept? Who can it be shared with? What happens to information about innocent people? What cybersecurity protections are in place?
I do not believe public safety and privacy have to be enemies. We should be able to protect both.
15. Public-Health Emergency Powers
If another public-health emergency occurred, what restrictions, if any, should a municipality be able to impose on access to municipal buildings, facilities, programs or community activities? What role should elected council have in approving or overseeing such restrictions, and what limits should apply to municipal authority during an emergency? Please explain.
During a real emergency, government sometimes has to make difficult decisions quickly.
But emergency powers should not mean unlimited powers.
Any restriction should have a clear reason, be based on the best information available and last only as long as necessary.
I also believe elected councillors should remain involved. Major restrictions affecting municipal facilities, programs or community activities should not continue indefinitely without elected representatives reviewing them and asking whether they are still necessary.
If another emergency happens, we should protect people while also protecting transparency, accountability and individual rights.
Questionnaire sent: September 8, 2026
Response received: September 22, 2026
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