Meet Jay Hayles
Who he is and why he needs your support.
Who Jay is
Jay Hayles has spent over a decade as a firefighter on the front lines. He was raised in Ajax and graduated from Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School.
Outside the fire hall he founded GiGLife, a youth mentorship programme, and The JAXX, which gives local businesses free exposure. He coaches with Special Olympics Canada.
He is raising his son, Ace, in Ajax. The decisions this town makes over the next four years are ones he lives with.
- Ward 2 resident
- Firefighter
- Father
- Community builder
- Business owner
"I don't wait for a title to serve. I've already been doing the work."
Why Jay?
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Jay wrote the plan from what he heard at Ward 2 front doors.
Thousands of those conversations were recorded. Every priority traces back to something a resident said on their own doorstep.
The listening came first and the writing came second, which is the opposite of how most platforms get made. Four pillars, because four is what one councillor can carry through a four-year term.
Read the four pillars -
The four pillars are ordered by how often residents raised each subject.
Affordability came up in nearly 40% of recorded conversations. Snow removal and road maintenance roughly 19%, parks and public spaces 17%, speeding and traffic safety 11%.
Any candidate can say residents told them something. Publishing the counts makes the order checkable, and it is why affordability comes first.
Read the four pillars -
Jay served with these eight Ajax organisations before he was a candidate.
He joined every one as a resident, years before there was a ballot with his name on it.
Service that starts with a campaign ends with one. Each is named below, so any of them can be asked what he actually does there.
- The Royal Canadian Legion Ajax
- Ajax and Pickering Board of Trade
- Special Olympics Canada (Coach)
- Ajax Homelessness Task Force
- The Rotary Club Ajax
- Knights of Columbus
- Landed for Success
- Connecting GTA
What he has already built
GiGLife
Youth mentorship Jay founded, which he says has reached more than 12,000 young people across the GTA.
The JAXX
A platform he founded that gives Ajax businesses, experts and community leaders free exposure.
- Years as a firefighter
- 10+
- Young people mentored
- 12,000+
- Ajax organisations served with
- 8
The plan those doors produced
- Respect Every Dollar
- Fix the Basics
- Protect Our People
- Grow Ajax
Want to help Jay reach more doors?
Knock a street, take a lawn sign, or chip in what you can.