First person living with disability elected to regional council

By CityNews Staff

Posted Oct 26, 2022 11:15:00 AM.

Chantal Huinink will be one of the councillors to represent Waterloo on regional council.

Due to physical challenges, Huinink said that going door to door was difficult, but supporters and even other candidates offered to hand out flyers for her. 

Huinink told CityNews 570 that one of the reasons she ran was to represent people of diversity.

“I hope that by sitting on council, I can not only share my life experience,” said Huinink. “But I can be accessible to other people in the community who have stories to share, and experiences that need to be heard and considered by council.”

Huinink added that housing and homelessness are the primary issues facing the region, and she hopes that her background in social work can help find innovative solutions.

She also said that another focus for her will be sustainability of transit, because it would greatly improve her life and the lives of others with disabilities.

Huinink received over 4,000 votes, with 13 per cent of the vote total.
 

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