​Here is a 3-minute video featuring some of David's responses at the Cambridge Elects Town Hall for Ward 7 held on September 9th, 2026 at Forward Church in Cambridge. Three of the five candidates participated in the event, including David Guerin. The moderator for this event was Marjorie Knight, the Chair/Founder of Rhythm & Blues.
 
Some of the topics covered included:

• Why I am running?
• Relationship with the Region of Waterloo - the example of McQueen Shaver Blvd.
• Property Taxes
• Growing the Tax Base
• Affordable Housing
• Heritage versus Growth
• Accessibility and Inclusion
• What would I like to see 4 years from now?

You can watch the full event video here.

We're well into Election Season and we can feel the momentum building. Thank you so much to all the volunteers who are helping make this happen.

Here is a list of Upcoming Key Dates:

• Sep 9th from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM: Beasley Community Event
• Sep 9th at 7:00 PM: Cambridge Elects Town Hall for Ward 7 at Forward Church
• Sep 16th at 6:30 PM: Trivia Night Fundraiser at Boston Pizza (tickets)
• Sep 26th: Online voting begins and runs through Oct 26th
• Sep 26th: Advance Voting at Preston Auditorium
• Oct 6th - 10th: Advance Voting at City Hall
• Oct 17th: Advance Voting at Hespeler Memorial Arena
• Oct 26th: Election Day

Thank you to everyone who helped with our big door-to-door canvassing day. I couldn't do it without you.

Vox Pop Labs statement 6:

David's position: Strongly agree
Supporting Statement: Flying the Pride flag during Pride Month is a visible statement that LGBTQ+ residents are welcomed, respected and included in our community. Municipal buildings should reflect Cambridge’s commitment to dignity and belonging for all residents.

Vox Pop Labs statement 7:

David's position: Agree
Supporting Statement: A land acknowledgement is a respectful way to recognize that Cambridge is located on lands with deep and ongoing significance to Indigenous peoples. It should be delivered thoughtfully and consistently, reflecting mutual respect and a commitment to a shared future. It should also be accompanied by genuine efforts to strengthen relationships, support reconciliation, and ensure Indigenous perspectives are meaningfully included in municipal decision-making.

Vox Pop Labs statement 8:

David's position: Somewhat Agree
Supporting Statement: Historic names and monuments should be handled carefully, balancing preservation with thoughtful review. Cambridge should not erase its history, but preserve it while adding context that reflects how values have evolved. Decisions should follow meaningful community consultation and consider options like interpretation, signage, or relocation. In some cases, where a name or monument conflicts with an inclusive city’s values, change may be appropriate after a transparent, case-by-case process weighing history, community impact, and public input.

Vox Pop Labs statement 9:

David's position: Somewhat Disagree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should keep property-tax increases as low as reasonably possible, but cutting essential services simply to achieve a lower rate can create larger costs later. Council should focus on efficient spending, clear priorities and measurable value while maintaining the services and infrastructure residents depend on.

Vox Pop Labs statement 10:

David's position: Disagree
Supporting Statement: Although housing availability is an issue I take extremely seriously, I do not support a vacant-home tax or a system to monitor and penalize owners for leaving homes unoccupied. Vacancy often reflects broader housing supply and stability challenges. The better solution is to increase housing supply, improve predictability, and reduce barriers to renting rather than creating a new bureaucracy to micromanage vacancy.
Fairness matters: bad-faith tenants and unethical landlords should both be held accountable. A balanced system depends on responsibility, stability, and more homes being brought into use.

Vox Pop Labs statement 11:

David's position: Agree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should support more housing options, including duplexes, townhouses, small multi-unit buildings, and tiny homes in backyards, in appropriate areas within established neighbourhoods. My experience with the Leadership Waterloo Region program  highlighted the benefits of gentle densification near amenities. I do not support indiscriminate demolition, but preserving the status quo solely for character is not enough. We should add housing for young people and enable seniors to age in place, with growth that respects neighbourhood character and is supported by transit, services, parking, and good design.

Vox Pop Labs statement 12:

David's position: Somewhat Agree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should protect significant natural areas, parks and environmentally sensitive lands as the city grows. At the same time, not every undeveloped parcel has equal environmental value. Housing growth should be directed toward appropriate locations through thoughtful intensification and responsible development, rather than treating all green space as either untouchable or available for construction.

Vox Pop Labs statement 13:

David's position: Somewhat Disagree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge needs both thoughtful intensification in existing neighbourhoods and well-planned new subdivisions. Adding housing near existing services and transit can make good use of infrastructure, but a growing city will also require new communities. The priority should be complete neighbourhoods with appropriate housing choices, transportation, parks, schools and public services rather than an either-or approach.

Vox Pop Labs statement 14:

David's position: Somewhat Disagree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should be cautious about strict heritage restrictions on privately owned buildings, as they can limit redevelopment, raise costs, and slow housing and economic growth. While some buildings have historical value, preservation should not override safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, or modern use. Heritage protections should be applied selectively to truly significant sites, with flexibility for practical renovation and redevelopment.

Thank you for taking the time to read David's position on a number of topics. There were a total of 30 statements/questions. We will share some more over the next few days.

Want to learn more about David's vision and priorities for Ward 7 and Cambridge?
LEARN MORE

Growth is coming. The infrastructure needs to keep up.

If there is one thing that's obvious when you drive around Ward 7 and southeast Cambridge, it's that this part of our city is changing quickly.

New neighbourhoods are being built. A new joint school campus is taking shape on Wesley Boulevard. Right beside it, Cambridge is building a major new recreation complex that is expected to open in 2027.

That's exciting.

I believe Cambridge should grow, and I believe our city has enormous potential.

​But growth only works when the infrastructure keeps up.​

And that brings me to McQueen Shaver Boulevard.

A road that's about much more than a road:

The long-term plan is important.

McQueen Shaver Boulevard, together with the future East Boundary Road, would eventually create a much more effective route around the south and east sides of Cambridge, connecting toward Townline Road.

Part of that network has already been built.

The existing McQueen Shaver connection between Highway 24 and Franklin Boulevard provides an important east-west link.

The next major connection is intended to continue east from Franklin Boulevard toward Highway 8 and eventually Wesley Boulevard and East Boundary Road.

There are several reasons this matters.

• It would provide better connections for the rapidly growing southeast part of Cambridge.
• It would help serve new neighbourhoods, schools and recreation facilities.
• And importantly, it would provide through traffic, including heavy trucks, with a much more logical way to travel around Cambridge rather than through it.

But the timeline has slipped.

Portions of the project are now expected to stretch well into the next decade, while the eventual connection toward Townline Road remains even further out.

That's difficult to reconcile with what is happening around it.

We're building the community before we finish the transportation network:

The City of Cambridge is moving forward.

The new recreation complex on Wesley Boulevard is under construction. New homes are being built. The joint school campus is becoming a reality.

But much of the major road infrastructure serving this growing part of Cambridge is controlled by the Region of Waterloo.

That's one of those governmental distinctions that may make sense on an organizational chart but makes very little difference to the person who lives here.

Residents don't experience a "City road problem" or a "Regional road problem."

• They experience traffic.
• They hear trucks.
• They deal with congestion.
• They hear late-night engines.
• They wonder why governments can approve thousands of new homes and build major public facilities but can't seem to get the transportation infrastructure serving them onto the same timeline.

That is the part I believe needs to change.

Existing neighbourhoods are paying a price:

This isn't just about future development.

Residents living near Franklin Boulevard, including along streets such as Bakersfield Drive, have raised serious concerns about increased truck traffic and noise. Cambridge Today featured this issue in a recent article.

We shouldn't need to debate any specific decibel reading to acknowledge that residents deserve to have the problem properly measured and addressed.
​

• How many heavy trucks are using Franklin Boulevard?
• How has that changed since McQueen Shaver opened?
• What are the actual noise levels at different times of day?
• Are trucks using the most appropriate routes?
• What practical mitigation can be implemented while the permanent transportation connection remains incomplete?

If residents are expected to live with this situation for several more years, those are reasonable questions.

McQueen Shaver is also a safety issue:

There is another part of this story that cannot be ignored.

McQueen Shaver has become a significant concern for excessive speeding, stunt driving and aggressive driving.
​
Waterloo Regional Police have devoted considerable enforcement resources to the corridor and laid numerous speeding, careless-driving and stunt-driving charges.

Nearby residents have also raised concerns about late-night street racing and vehicles using the roadway at dangerously high speeds.

That tells me this is more than an inconvenience. It is a neighbourhood safety issue.

Police enforcement needs to continue, but enforcement alone cannot be the long-term answer. We should also be asking whether road design, traffic management, speed-management measures or other changes could make the corridor less attractive for dangerous driving.

Roads should move people efficiently. They should not become de facto racetracks.

This is what I mean by smart growth:

I'm pro-growth.

• Cambridge needs more homes.
• I want businesses to invest here.
• I want our city to grow confidently and become an increasingly connected, prosperous and welcoming place.

But being pro-growth doesn't mean building first and figuring out the infrastructure ten years later.

Smart growth means coordinating development with roads, schools, recreation, transit and other services.

It also means recognizing the impact growth can have on the people who already live here.

We should be able to welcome new neighbours while protecting existing neighbourhoods.

Those aren't competing goals.

There is also a government coordination problem:

McQueen Shaver and East Boundary Road are primarily Region of Waterloo projects.

That's important to acknowledge.

A Cambridge city councillor cannot simply vote at City Hall to build them.

I don't believe in promising powers that the office doesn't actually have.

But I also don't believe "that's the Region's responsibility" is an acceptable answer.

The City is approving development and building major community facilities.

The Region controls major transportation infrastructure.

Waterloo Regional Police enforce traffic laws.

Residents experience the result of all three.

That means the governments and agencies involved need to work together much more effectively.

Cambridge Council can advocate.

• It can ask hard questions.
• It can make the City's transportation priorities clear.
• It can push for City and Regional growth plans to be better coordinated.
• It can work with our representatives on Regional Council.
• And it can insist that residents receive transparent information about why projects have been delayed, what the realistic timeline is and what can be done in the meantime.

Residents should not have to understand the municipal org chart to get problems solved.

What I would push for:

If elected, I will advocate for a clear and accelerated timetable for the next phases of McQueen Shaver Boulevard and East Boundary Road.

• I want better coordination between Cambridge's growth plans and the Region's transportation capital plans.
• I want proper monitoring of truck volumes, traffic patterns and noise along Franklin Boulevard and affected neighbourhoods.
• I want continued attention to excessive speeding, stunt driving and dangerous driving along McQueen Shaver, including both enforcement and appropriate road-safety measures.
• I want practical interim mitigation for neighbourhoods that may be waiting years for the permanent transportation solution.
• And I don't want us to lose sight of the ultimate objective: completing the transportation connection through East Boundary Road toward Townline Road so Cambridge finally has a more effective route for traffic travelling around our city instead of through its heart.

Building for tomorrow while protecting neighbourhoods today:

This project has been discussed in various forms for decades.

• Meanwhile, Ward 7 is growing right now.
• The recreation complex is being built right now.
• New families are moving here right now.
• Existing residents are dealing with truck traffic, noise and dangerous driving right now.

We shouldn't have to choose between building for tomorrow and protecting neighbourhoods today.

We need to do both.

That's what smart growth should look like.

Vox Pop Labs Statement 1:

David's Position: Strongly disagree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should welcome responsible development that strengthens our economy, creates jobs and expands our tax base. The answer is not to stop growth, but to manage it well by ensuring infrastructure, transportation and public services keep pace while protecting established neighbourhoods and building complete, connected communities.

Vox Pop Labs Statement 2:

David's Position: Somewhat agree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge should continue taking practical steps to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, protect natural areas and build more resilient infrastructure. Climate action should be measurable, affordable and focused on initiatives that fall within the City’s responsibilities, while recognizing that municipalities cannot solve climate change alone. Costly, symbolic, or poorly defined measures are not the solution.

Vox Pop Labs Statement 3:

David's Position: Somewhat disagree
Supporting Statement: Cambridge needs to pay competitive wages to attract and retain skilled employees who deliver essential public services. At the same time, compensation should be reasonable, transparent and aligned with comparable municipalities, with strong accountability for performance and value for taxpayers.

Vox Pop Labs Statement 4:

David's Position: Somewhat disagree
Supporting Statement: Private contractors can sometimes deliver specialized or temporary services efficiently, but they are not automatically the best choice. Cambridge should compare cost, service quality, accountability and long-term value before deciding whether work should be performed by municipal employees or contracted out.

Vox Pop Labs Statement 5:

David's Position: Strongly disagree
Supporting Statement: Council decisions should normally be respected, but “never” is too absolute. In the limited circumstances permitted by provincial law, a mayor may need to reconsider or veto a decision that conflicts with an important municipal-provincial priority. Any use of that power should be exceptional, transparent and supported by a clear public-interest rationale.

Thank you for taking the time to read David's position on a number of topics. There were a total of 30 statements/questions. We will share some more over the next few days.

Want to learn more about David's vision and priorities for Ward 7 and Cambridge?