# Wally Chafchak, Ward 10

An episode of [Rose City Politics](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1247337855), 8 Oct 2026, 13 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75587072/wally_chafchak_ward_4_kristen.mp3

Kristen interviews Ward 10 candidate Wally Chafchak

## Transcript

[0:13] Speaker 1: Bye. Bye.
[0:22] Speaker 2: Good evening, folks.
[0:24] Speaker 1: This is my first candidate interview. You're listening to Rose
[0:27] Speaker 1: City Politics. I'm one of the many hosts of this program,
[0:31] Speaker 1: Kristen Siapis. Happy to be joining you this evening. And
[0:34] Speaker 1: I am joined by Ward 10 candidate Wally Shafchak. Thank
[0:38] Speaker 1: you so much for joining us tonight and for giving
[0:42] Speaker 1: us a little bit of insight into your campaign. So
[0:46] Speaker 1: first of all, tell us a little bit about yourself.
[0:49] Speaker 1: What makes you want to run for city council?
[0:53] Speaker 2: Well, one thing is that I ran before in 2022
[0:57] Speaker 2: and even 2018. But let's talk about 2022. So when
[1:01] Speaker 2: you run again, it gets to be in your blood
[1:03] Speaker 2: and you have to run again and again. So basically,
[1:05] Speaker 2: I did a good job back then in 2022. I
[1:08] Speaker 2: got 947 votes, which is 20% of the votes. So
[1:13] Speaker 2: I was impressed with what I did. I definitely knocked
[1:16] Speaker 2: on a lot of doors, met a lot of good people.
[1:17] Speaker 2: I heard their voices. And now I feel now it's
[1:20] Speaker 2: time to pay them back. Meaning just because I didn't
[1:24] Speaker 2: make it, well, these people deserve for me to try
[1:26] Speaker 2: again and get a second chance just to prove to
[1:28] Speaker 2: them that I'm serious about this.
[1:31] Speaker 1: Yeah, there's something about that. I think when you're a
[1:33] Speaker 1: candidate and you get to go out and you connect
[1:35] Speaker 1: with so many people in the ward, you really start
[1:38] Speaker 1: to feel like, you know, if these people believe in me,
[1:41] Speaker 1: I've got to keep going. I've got to keep delivering.
[1:44] Speaker 2: Them what they need.
[1:45] Speaker 1: So what are some of the things that you're promising people?
[1:49] Speaker 1: What are some of the things that people are concerned
[1:51] Speaker 1: about that you want to be able to deliver?
[1:53] Speaker 2: So the most concern is that when you knock on
[1:55] Speaker 2: the door, you talk to people, there's this sense, there's
[1:58] Speaker 2: a sentiment there that these people, I wouldn't say the
[2:01] Speaker 2: word neglected, but have been ignored. A lot of them
[2:05] Speaker 2: don't get... on one service. They called their city councilor.
[2:10] Speaker 2: They're not available. They never got a call back. So
[2:12] Speaker 2: I felt that these people have needs. There are issues
[2:15] Speaker 2: out there that maybe to the general public, they're not
[2:18] Speaker 2: main large issues. So we'll talk about smaller issues. Like
[2:22] Speaker 2: you can talk about things like my neighbor's not cutting
[2:24] Speaker 2: the grass on time. The garbage was not collected. There's
[2:29] Speaker 2: a lot of cars speeding on my street. There's car noises. There's...
[2:34] Speaker 2: Multiple issues, people are not stopping at stop signs. So
[2:37] Speaker 2: those little common things put together makes a lot of issues, right?
[2:42] Speaker 2: Make a big issue, meaning that it's the little things
[2:45] Speaker 2: that matter, and I think the public deserve attention.
[2:49] Speaker 1: So what makes you different from some of the other
[2:52] Speaker 1: candidates that you're running against?
[2:54] Speaker 2: Oh, I am totally different. I am very unique and
[2:57] Speaker 2: very distinguished. And the reason being is very simple. A
[3:00] Speaker 2: lot of people come from one simple background and they're
[3:02] Speaker 2: limited and they're narrow thinking to one thing because they
[3:06] Speaker 2: either come from banking institution or teaching background. I come
[3:12] Speaker 2: from a various background. I'm a business person. I've invested
[3:15] Speaker 2: a lot in the city. I've tried various things. I
[3:19] Speaker 2: do work in the insurance industry, which I would call
[3:21] Speaker 2: very unique, very challenging. When you're in that industry, you're
[3:25] Speaker 2: exposed to lawsuits, you're exposed to litigation, you're exposed to
[3:29] Speaker 2: some of the basics, customer service, to claims, to dealing
[3:34] Speaker 2: with large corporations. That makes me different. What also makes
[3:37] Speaker 2: me different is my unique personality. I love to listen
[3:41] Speaker 2: to people. I care about them. I like to help them.
[3:44] Speaker 2: It's not easy to help people. You have to be distinguished.
[3:47] Speaker 2: You have to be determined to get the job done.
[3:50] Speaker 2: By just taking a phone call and taking a note
[3:53] Speaker 2: and dropping it in a basket, it doesn't work like that.
[3:56] Speaker 2: And most people work that way. I've experimented that with
[3:59] Speaker 2: a lot of city counselors, specifically in my world, for example.
[4:03] Speaker 2: People don't call you back. I can see the frustration
[4:06] Speaker 2: of a lot of people if you don't get a
[4:08] Speaker 2: call back when you're in need for help. So that's
[4:11] Speaker 2: just the difference between me and others.
[4:14] Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think, you know, there's definitely multiple facets
[4:18] Speaker 1: to being a city councillor. You know, one of the
[4:21] Speaker 1: biggest things is that piece of responding to residents, connecting
[4:26] Speaker 1: with people and providing service to them and making sure
[4:29] Speaker 1: that they get the support that they need in the city.
[4:31] Speaker 1: There's also working together with other councillors to make sure
[4:36] Speaker 1: that important city initiatives move forward. What are your thoughts
[4:40] Speaker 1: about the makeup of city council, who you would be
[4:43] Speaker 1: working with and the kind of decisions you'd be making
[4:46] Speaker 1: as a city councillor?
[4:47] Speaker 2: I'll answer that quickly. You're right. You go back, the constituents,
[4:51] Speaker 2: the people don't see that. They see that they deserve service.
[4:55] Speaker 2: So that's number one. On the city council, when you're
[4:58] Speaker 2: at the table, definitely you're dealing with a group of people.
[5:00] Speaker 2: You have to collectively think and make decisions and find solutions.
[5:05] Speaker 2: So it doesn't matter who they are. It doesn't matter
[5:08] Speaker 2: what mayor gets elected. To me, they're both the same
[5:12] Speaker 2: because the city council is what really makes the show.
[5:17] Speaker 2: If you allow yourself to participate and make decisions and
[5:21] Speaker 2: you actually put your mind into it and others do,
[5:25] Speaker 2: that decision is collected. So it really doesn't matter who's
[5:28] Speaker 2: in there as long as they're all willing to work
[5:31] Speaker 2: and find a way to basically become creative and productive.
[5:35] Speaker 1: Now you've got a website up, wallyforward10. ca, and you've got
[5:42] Speaker 1: a tab there where we can see all of your priorities.
[5:45] Speaker 1: You've got a seven point list. Take us through what
[5:49] Speaker 1: some of your priorities are and why those are at
[5:52] Speaker 1: the top of your list.
[5:54] Speaker 2: Well, the priorities are taxes. You start with taxes. I mean,
[5:58] Speaker 2: we go back to the days of Eddie Francis. I
[6:00] Speaker 2: apologize for naming someone, but I have to. When we
[6:03] Speaker 2: said hold the line on taxes, he did a good job.
[6:05] Speaker 2: Holding the line is excellent, but reducing the taxes is
[6:09] Speaker 2: the key. The people are frustrated. They're drained. The economy
[6:13] Speaker 2: is at its worst time right now, and we have
[6:16] Speaker 2: to find a way to help these people. So I
[6:18] Speaker 2: say tax is a very important issue. Then I look
[6:21] Speaker 2: back at seniors, okay? Senior citizens, the elderly, they get
[6:25] Speaker 2: no support from City Hall. There's no programs in place.
[6:28] Speaker 2: There's no neighborhood watch programs in place like they used to,
[6:32] Speaker 2: and they don't get any support at all. And sometimes
[6:35] Speaker 2: when an older person, an older lady, an older gentleman
[6:38] Speaker 2: needs some help in any way, it could be moving something,
[6:41] Speaker 2: we have to find a way to help these people.
[6:43] Speaker 2: So those are the basics. Again, the large items we
[6:46] Speaker 2: deal with that later, creating jobs and liaisoning with the
[6:50] Speaker 2: federal and provincial government and talk about other things, that's
[6:54] Speaker 2: something to be discussed at the table. Right now, to me,
[6:57] Speaker 2: like I say, taxes, elderly needs help. There's a lot
[7:00] Speaker 2: of issues on the street that you and I, maybe
[7:03] Speaker 2: we see every day because we drive on the roads.
[7:06] Speaker 2: I guess the police presence is not like it used
[7:08] Speaker 2: to be, and I don't blame policing. I used to
[7:10] Speaker 2: be on the police services board. It's all about budgeting, right?
[7:13] Speaker 2: But you definitely have to find the money to find safety.
[7:17] Speaker 2: Very soon, if we continue going this way, the city
[7:20] Speaker 2: is no longer safe. There's guns on the streets. There's people...
[7:25] Speaker 2: stop signs, no respect anymore to stop signs. Traffic light,
[7:28] Speaker 2: I come to my office in the morning and even
[7:30] Speaker 2: with the signal light put on a kilometer away, we
[7:33] Speaker 2: can't even slow down anymore. So the city has changed,
[7:37] Speaker 2: you know, the traffic has changed. We have to work
[7:40] Speaker 2: collectively with policing, with administration to find good basic solutions.
[7:45] Speaker 2: I call them basics because The everyday thing, right? You
[7:49] Speaker 2: hear them at the door. People don't want to talk about, oh,
[7:51] Speaker 2: find me a job. No, they're not into that because
[7:53] Speaker 2: they know we cannot do it. You can if you
[7:56] Speaker 2: work at a different level. They know that when there's
[7:59] Speaker 2: opportunities come from companies, from investors. But right now, they
[8:03] Speaker 2: want to see what's important to them day to day.
[8:08] Speaker 1: Now, on your website, you identify serving the people. We've
[8:11] Speaker 1: kind of discussed that. Safer streets, easier journeys. protecting our neighborhood,
[8:16] Speaker 1: better care for seniors, affordable housing, lower taxes, and specifically
[8:22] Speaker 1: Remington Park needing proper representation. Can you tell us a
[8:25] Speaker 1: little bit about that priority?
[8:27] Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel bad for some of these people at
[8:31] Speaker 2: Remington Park. You walk in that area and then, you know,
[8:34] Speaker 2: the streets are bad. So if they even take a
[8:36] Speaker 2: small example, if they have a child and this child
[8:40] Speaker 2: wants to play on a bicycle outside the home, The
[8:42] Speaker 2: spot holds every one meter, right? So what joy is
[8:46] Speaker 2: there for a little kid, a boy or a girl,
[8:49] Speaker 2: to try to enjoy riding on the street? That's one thing.
[8:51] Speaker 2: The streets are very bad. They're in a very bad situation.
[8:55] Speaker 2: The main street of Grand Marist, it just... outrageously in
[9:02] Speaker 2: bad shape. So the sidewalks, the lighting, there's a lot
[9:05] Speaker 2: of things. So these people deserve more attention. The way
[9:08] Speaker 2: I see it is, if you're a councilor for one world,
[9:10] Speaker 2: you're a councilor for the entire city. We have to
[9:13] Speaker 2: work collectively to beautify our city. So if someone comes
[9:17] Speaker 2: to see that area, they'll think they're in a different world.
[9:19] Speaker 2: I would all do respect to these good people over there,
[9:21] Speaker 2: but definitely you have to pay more attention to them.
[9:24] Speaker 2: I mean, all do within a budget. I know that, definitely.
[9:28] Speaker 2: But at least you start the action, you know, one
[9:31] Speaker 2: step at a time.
[9:34] Speaker 1: Some of the other issues that people have raised have
[9:37] Speaker 1: been about transit, about housing and about economic development. And
[9:44] Speaker 1: also addressing one of the major issues in our downtown,
[9:47] Speaker 1: which is the homelessness and the crisis that we're seeing there.
[9:54] Speaker 1: Of those issues, what do you think would be the
[9:57] Speaker 1: most important, something that you'd like to see some real
[9:59] Speaker 1: change on?
[10:00] Speaker 2: First of all, there's no transparency when it comes to housing. Definitely,
[10:04] Speaker 2: we have to have access to where the list is,
[10:07] Speaker 2: the availability, how many units, City Hall is a closed entity,
[10:11] Speaker 2: I'll tell you the truth. They have to open more
[10:13] Speaker 2: to the public. There's no transparency. It throws in a
[10:17] Speaker 2: bureaucratic matter. So what I suggest is that we have
[10:20] Speaker 2: more information available to the public on that. As for homeless,
[10:24] Speaker 2: it is a very sad situation. I think the city
[10:27] Speaker 2: backed off of buying some property. I read one day
[10:29] Speaker 2: downtown for two some million dollars because of the cost.
[10:33] Speaker 2: That is ridiculous. I mean, these people need help. They
[10:36] Speaker 2: need shelter. At the same time, the people that owns
[10:40] Speaker 2: property needs protection and they need to be, you know,
[10:43] Speaker 2: basically how I would say, like these homeless are encroaching
[10:50] Speaker 2: on every other neighbor, right? You know, including my property,
[10:54] Speaker 2: my office, they're all, all the time. They camp in
[10:56] Speaker 2: my office sometime. What are you going to do? They're
[10:59] Speaker 2: poor people. They need help. They're disadvantaged, but there's going
[11:02] Speaker 2: to be a solution for these people to help them
[11:05] Speaker 2: so that they won't do these same things again by,
[11:08] Speaker 2: you know, invading other people's property. Definitely, that's an immediate
[11:12] Speaker 2: step I will take at City Hall by bringing a
[11:15] Speaker 2: motion to invest some money in building some kind of
[11:18] Speaker 2: a shelter and putting some rules and restrictions on these people.
[11:21] Speaker 1: Okay. Any final thoughts? What would you like to give
[11:26] Speaker 1: as your message to voters why they should vote for you?
[11:30] Speaker 2: Well, I think the first caution themselves about who they
[11:32] Speaker 2: vote for. to make sure that the person care about
[11:35] Speaker 2: the neighborhood, the person is from the resident, is from
[11:38] Speaker 2: the ward, is from the city, The second thing is
[11:42] Speaker 2: to evaluate. There's always judgment. Evaluate those who have been
[11:46] Speaker 2: there before, what they do, how much available they are.
[11:50] Speaker 2: And then look at the candidates and say, sincerely, who
[11:54] Speaker 2: is the most important candidate? Who is the most suitable here?
[11:58] Speaker 2: Is it because someone holds a job at some place
[12:01] Speaker 2: without naming that makes them a better candidate? No, you've
[12:04] Speaker 2: got to look at someone who's very unique, who's diversified,
[12:07] Speaker 2: and who maybe makes a difference. And listen to them.
[12:12] Speaker 2: most of all is listen to the people. I think
[12:14] Speaker 2: that's very important.
[12:16] Speaker 1: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Folks,
[12:19] Speaker 1: thank you so much for tuning in to Rose City Politics.
[12:22] Speaker 1: We are doing various interviews with all of the candidates
[12:26] Speaker 1: we possibly can. If you are a candidate and you're
[12:28] Speaker 1: listening in and you'd like to be a part of
[12:31] Speaker 1: our candidate profile series, please send us a message and
[12:36] Speaker 1: let us know. Thanks for tuning in.

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