Over the next week, BradfordToday will be highlighting the candidates in the Ward 2 by-election taking place Nov. 27 - Dec. 7.
Twenty-year-old Tiana Putric (soon to be 21 in December) is running for a councillor seat in the upcoming Ward 2 by-election and is the youngest female to ever run in a by-election for the Town of Bradford.
Putric is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Disaster and Emergency Management Specialized Honors Degree at York University where she is studying natural, intentional, and technological disasters as well as business continuity. She has been awarded the President’s Scholarship three years in a row and is the 2020 scholarship recipient of the Ontario Association of Emergency Managers A. Normand Academic Award.
In conjunction with her education, Putric is a Research Assistant, Digital Response & Ethics in Humanitarian Emergencies at Toronto’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research where she assists a talented team researching digital contact tracing, digital ethics, and the governance of health data in complex humanitarian emergencies.
Putric is also volunteering as a research assistant with York University’s CEMPPR Lab (Collaboration on Emergency Management, Policy, Preparedness Research) where she is examining disaster and emergency management-related issues, as well as global research regarding the social implications of COVID-19.
“I come from a math family” shares Putric. “I share this because Gary Baynes was known as “The Math Guy” on Council. I hope to follow in Baynes’ footsteps to become “The Math Councillor” – a fiscally cautious Councillor. Studying natural, intentional, and technological disasters, as well as business continuity planning, requires a comfort with mathematics”.
Putric has lived in Bradford for most of her life and has been an active and engaged BWG citizen, volunteering with the BWG Library, the Bradford Helping Hand Food Bank, Bradford’s Re-Source Thrift Shop, Evancroft Farms, and with the Town during the Canada Day 150 celebrations.
“When I learned that Council made the unanimous decision to hold a Ward 2 by-election during a pandemic, rather than appoint a councillor for the remaining two-year term, it showed just how much Council values the democratic process and the voices of BWG citizens, particularly the voices of Ward 2 residents and small business owners” states Putric. “This, in part, inspired me to run. As a young person, I wish to contribute to the democratic process by encouraging youth to engage in municipal politics and become more involved with local issues. After all, this is where Bradford’s youth live, go to school, volunteer, work part-time, participate in sports, and spend their leisure time. It is also important for a female to join Bradford’s all-male Council – this in itself would go a long way in building a more representative Council. Young people and women need to have a voice in the future of Bradford”.
Putric’s campaign motto, “2Ward Tomorrow’s Bradford” encapsulates her vision for Ward 2 Bradford residents and the population of Bradford as a whole. Due to COVID-19, she is not accepting any financial donations or campaign contributions.
“As Ward 2 Councillor my priorities will reflect the priorities of Ward 2 residents and business owners –– addressing traffic issues, focusing on downtown revitalization, supporting Home Based Businesses and affordable housing, improving Bradford's GO Train Station (which, prior to COVID-19, I relied on), caring for our parks and community centres, and working to ensure the Bradford Bypass moves from a lower priority infrastructure project to a higher priority project” asserts Putric.
“I am especially concerned with how COVID-19 has affected small businesses in Ward 2. I will focus on building a more resilient BWG business community, one that is better equipped to respond to micro and macro business disruptions, including major disruptions like COVID-19. I will highlight the need for small business continuity planning that centres on building resilience through the five pillars of emergency management –– prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery”.
For more information about Tiana Putric, visit her website here.
