Hi, I'm Ann-Marie Kungl, a change maker, volunteer, passionate about community health, resident involvement and kindness.
My Continued 'Care' Pledge To Ward 3: I take great pride in supporting Ward 3 and giving back to my community through municipal service. I remain committed to the pledge I ran on in the 2020 by-election and, if re-elected, would continue to be:
Committed as your representative.
Accountable to you and open to your feedback.
Respectful of the range of Ward 3 resident and business interests and issues, and responsive to concerns.
Effective in getting positive attention and change for our Ward and broader City-wide improvements.
A little bit about me...
Joe and I chose Barrie as the special place to call 'home' over 20 years ago. Joe is from Oro-Medonte and I am from a small farming community in Southwestern Ontario. We are attracted to welcoming places with a strong sense of community and saw Barrie as a great place to live, work, play and contribute. I find joy in giving back and care about how decisions are made. I want to age well where I live. I cherish the home we worked hard to attain as first time buyers. It is the same home today we continue to invest in and are proud of. I believe it is important to work towards creating and sustaining a Barrie where all may thrive. I truly believe 'better' has no limit.
My skills and experience in public health, health care, governance, policy, community service, communications and public engagement will continue to be leveraged in my municipal service role and Council discussions on how we work towards support building a Barrie that enhances quality of life for all. For more information about my professional background, please read my bio at the end of this page or visit my LinkedIn profile.
Community Involvement
I proudly serve as the Alzheimer Society Simcoe County Board Chair, and am on the Board with our amazing Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. I am also a member of the Women's Advocacy Council of Simcoe County. I had the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka and joined the Barrie Housing Board of Directors more recently.
I am a past executive member of the Barrie East End Household Association (BEEHA) and supported the successful build of an East End community garden in 2019 and initiatives to support connecting Georgian College international students with residents.
It was my pleasure to be involved in the development of Barrie's Age Friendly Community Plan as a key informant and hope to see all recommendations (related to housing, transportation, accessibility, etc.) actioned, and I am the City representative on the Senior's Advisory Council.
I am deeply involved with improving the quality of life in our communities. I have built a strong connection to the City of Barrie and County of Simcoe. Here are some examples:
1 Impact Collective (supporting shift government initiatives)
Urban Pantry Barrie Steering Committee and founded the Barrie Urban Gardeners community
Active volunteer with the Janice Laking Community Garden enabled through My Local Leaf
Professional Biography: I hold a Master of Public Health (MPH) and designations as a Certified Health Executive (CHE) and an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Professional. I am a graduate of the Osgoode Health Law program, trained in ethics and the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) foundation and techniques. My 19 years of experience in the health system spans government, provincial, community not-for-profit and academic institutions, such as:
Addictions and Mental Health Services - KFLA
Self-Directed Care Ontario
The North Simcoe Muskoka (NSM) Local Health Integration Network
The NSM Community Care Access Centre (CCAC)
Ontario Public Health Association
Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance
Cancer Care Ontario
Queen’s University, Kingston
I am passionate about building strong communities and opportunities to improve access to services through effective policy change. I am experienced in amplifying the voice of patient, caregiver and family health advisors, establishing care networks and redesigning patient relation processes to enable feedback to inform business improvement. I have had the pleasure of working alongside an incredible care team in the role of Project Management and Strategic Communications Lead for an addictions and mental health agency to implement crucial and innovative community programs and services, including a mobile response and crisis outreach team in partnership with police, a new specialized rehabilitation program supporting individuals with serious mental illness in their their recovery journey, and the introduction of a dedicated LGBTQS+ youth addictions counsellor to the care team.