Sam Branderhorst

Athol Ward Five

The youngest of nine siblings, Sam Branderhorst spent her childhood in Athol before studying at Queen’s University. After earning her degree in arts and science, she returned to the County to marry her husband and join him on the dairy farm where they are raising their two young children. She currently works parttime on the farm and at a winery.

Branderhorst said solving the affordable housing problem is tricky when housing prices in the County are similar to those in cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. She would like to see more opportunities for individuals to build equity through a tiny home village, a trailer park or condos specifically for affordable housing. “I don’t want to see more situations where the owner is making profit on the lives and homes of others,” she said. “If young families can plant roots here, they will want to come.”

About tourism management, she said council has done its best, but there is room for improvement. “We do need to find balance,” she said, adding that the County needs a year-round economy. “If possible, we need to be open in allowing other industry to thrive,” she said. “I would like to see the industrial park used more.”

Because only a small fraction of County residents use the waterworks system, Branderhorst said it would be unfair to force residents of her ward to pay for it when they are all on wells and septic.

“Council can’t (or maybe I believe shouldn’t) go and make the other people of the community share in those costs,” she said.

Environmental sustainability and stewardship are at a critical juncture when housing developments are taking over farmland, she said. “Land and water are our most precious resources and when it’s gone it’s gone,” she said. “We need to protect farmland because if we keep allowing it to become houses, how will we eat? If we keep letting [the County] get built up on, we will lose the very thing that made so many people fall in love with [the County]. We will lose our back-to-nature feel.”

When asked about the size of council, Branderhorst said there are more important issues facing the County. She added that being a councillor should remain a parttime job because it keeps them grounded. “Isn’t the primary job of a councillor supporting, listening and working with their constituents?” she said. “I understand that things might not always get done as fast but maybe that isn’t a bad thing. Knee-jerk reactions are not always the best when coming from a municipal council.”