Brad Barbeau

Sep 25, 2014

Councillor

Brad Barbeau - musician turned politician

Brad Barbeau works as an associate director of technology at the Queen's School of Business, but he is better known in South Frontenac and Kingston for his musicianship. He is the organist and musical director at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Sydenham, and at one time he was the acting musical director at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Kingston.

With the birth of his son, he pulled back from St. George’s, but continues in Sydenham.

His interest in municipal politics comes from observing council over the years, and from his father-in-law, who is the reeve of Madoc Township and is always talking about municipal politics.

One of the motivating factors for him comes from living very close to Road 38 in Harrowsmith. He notes that vehicles roar through the village each day, which brings two things to mind for him.

“There is a question of safety with all that traffic, and there is also an issue about the lack of business on that stretch of road,” he said. “It is very encouraging that we now have Gilmour's at the north end of Harrowsmith, but we need to find a way to support the businesses we have in the centre of the village and bring more in. I'm not sure what council can do, but we need to look at it.”

He is also interested in what he calls “affordable rural living” which includes considering property taxes, and other factors that make it expensive to live in South Frontenac.

“I know people in Kingston who would like to move to the country, and everything the township does to make it easy to move here, to build here, and to live here, will make a difference.”

He said that some costs are higher, but that keeping a tax advantage as compared to Kingston is something that can counteract that somewhat.

One of the things that interests him is affordable energy.

He sees himself as a new generation of South Frontenac resident because he was raised north of Sydenham, went off to Kingston, and has now came back and is raising a family in South Frontenac. He is now looking to bring that perspective to council.