Trinidad-born businessman Arthur Augustine is back in the mayoral race in the town of Ajax.

Augustine ran as a candidate for mayor in the last municipal elections in Ajax in 2018.That was when Shawn Collier was elected as mayor.

This time Augustine is running against Collier, the incumbent, and another candidate, Colin Hubble.

Augustine who came to Canada in the early 1970s, is the owner of Arthur’s Hair Design and Salon in Ajax.

He has been an active youth volunteer and founder and chairman of the Durham Caribbean Resource Centre.

He is also the CEO of the Ontario Mediation Centre.

“I currently work as a mediator and negotiator in the Ontario Court of Justice. We deal with criminal, civil, family issues like divorce agreements and the like,” he said.

Augustine told The Caribbean Camera that he has been knocking on “quite a few doors” on his current election campaign and he has been getting “a positive response from many of the residents in Ajax.”

He noted that “one of the major concerns among residents is housing affordability.

“Many people are upset over the increase in property taxes which have risen every year since the current mayor took office.

“Another major issue that we have here in Ajax is homelessness. Our homeless population has quadrupled within the last four years.” 

He said that as mayor of Ajax, “I would put a ceiling on property taxes and I would work diligently to reduce homelessness. “

“I have lived in Ajax for well over 32 years and I feel I could make a useful contribution as mayor,” he said. 

LJI Reporter