Raquel Ness – Change in Orillia

If there was one thing you would change, if you had a magic wand and you could change one thing about Orillia, what would that be?

I think what I would probably change about Orillia is perhaps having some more resources for the youth. Even growing up when I did, which was in the 2000’s, there didn’t seem to be a lot of stuff to do. Now I know things have changed with the library’s evolved and the rec centre, however I think that if you can keep the youth out of trouble, they’re more than likely to stay on the straight and narrow.

Okay so the flip side of that question is, what is one thing about Orillia that you would never want to change?

I would never want to change the waterfront. The waterfront is incredibly important to me. I grew up there, we boated there, we’ve been part of the boat shows, and that is a beautiful piece of property. And the boardwalk and having the ability to put your boat in for a boat ride, go to French’s, walk up the Main Street. All of those wonderful things are what really, in my opinion, has the charm to Orillia.

I would say Orillia is a great place to raise a family. At the end of the day, the community support that we have in Orillia, it’s like none other. When you love Orillia, you really love Orillia, and there’s no wavering from that.