Roger Gingerich

Roger Gingerich

Candidate for Ward 3 Councillor

🌐︎ gingerich.ca

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Roger Gingerich, a fashion and film industry professional with more than 40 years of experience, is running for Ward 3 councillor, citing his background in business, education and board governance as assets in addressing Stouffville’s growth and infrastructure challenges.

His campaign focuses on ensuring new development supports livable communities, expanding local amenities, and exploring revenue opportunities tied to the town’s tourism and cultural events.

• Professional Background: Gingerich has more than 40 years of experience as a fashion and film broker, consults with the film industry, and teaches part-time at several Ontario colleges.
• Board Experience: He sits on the international board of directors of the Commonwealth Fashion Council, chairs the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival, serves on the Ontario Parks board, and sits on college program advisory committees.
• The Ward’s Top Concern: Development is Ward 3’s biggest challenge, Gingerich said, citing unique growth pressures and needs of different neighbourhood areas in the community.
• Needed Community Amenities: He wants new development to provide needed parkland, commercial opportunities and an east-end grocery store, and places for residents to gather, including seniors and people who work from home.
• Revenue Generation: Gingerich said Stouffville should investigate opportunities to generate more revenue from tourism, festivals, and other cultural attractions.

Why are you running for Ward 3 Councillor?

Gingerich said his current stage of life gives him the flexibility to serve on Council, and that his professional and board experience would help him address challenges facing Ward 3 and Stouffville as a whole.

He has worked as a fashion and film broker for more than 40 years, consulting with the film industry and teaching part-time at Ontario colleges.

He serves on the international board of directors of the Commonwealth Fashion Council and chairs the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival, which he owns with his wife. Additionally, he sits on the Ontario Parks board and several college program advisory committees.

Moving into those spaces after being raised on a farm outside Stratford, Gingerich described himself as someone who understands the challenges that come with a growing community like Stouffville.

What is the leading issue facing Ward 3, and how would you address it?

Gingerich identified development as the ward’s most significant challenge while pointing to its varied character. He highlighted the denser housing development in the south shifting to larger properties, seniors’ communities, and eventually farmland and rural areas farther north.

He said he is not opposed to development, but believes it must account for the amenities and infrastructure that make communities livable. That includes the amount of parkland available to residents, particularly in neighbourhoods where homes may not have backyards, as well as access to grocery stores and gathering places.

Gingerich raised the former flea market site on 10th Line as a potential location for a major grocery store and commercial centre with meeting space for seniors. He said additional local amenities could reduce the need for residents to travel to Stouffville’s west end along roads such as Bethesda, Hoover Park, or 19th Ave.

What does responsible growth look like to you?

Gingerich said responsible growth must consider the needs of all stakeholders, not just private enterprise. It also must ensure the town can continue to be a place where people live and thrive.

He noted that many residents work from home and need the infrastructure and services that come with the lifestyle, including places to work outside their homes and convenient access to shops and services. He also cited internet connectivity problems in Sleepy Hollow as an example of infrastructure needs that can be overlooked in more rural community areas.

Gingerich also emphasized finding additional municipal revenue sources. He described Stouffville as having “festivals, fireworks and flowers,” all important parts of its identity, but said those attractions do not necessarily generate revenue for the Town.

Gingerich also pointed to the GO Train station in the centre of Downtown as an asset the Town should capitalize on as it grows. With festivals drawing enough visitors to sometimes double or triple Stouffville’s population, he suggested finding new ways to encourage visitors to arrive earlier, dine locally, and spend more time in the community.

Additional restaurants in the downtown core could be that draw, and he is pursuing opportunities to bring new cultural amenities to the area through his professional networks.