The mayoral and city council candidates were asked to reply to four questions that we hope will give voters a better idea on where they stand on some of the most challenging issues of the day.
1. The current city council voted 5-4 to keep Pine Valley. If this matter were to come before council again, how would you vote and why?
1. It depends when this question would come before council again. I had good conversations with the "Friends of the Pine Valley" at the dinner of their golf tournament and wanted to fully understand both sides, from the user as well as from the city's perspective. Any potential sale would be discussed in camera again and it therefore would be not wise to express myself in one or another direction at this time. Any transaction and or discussion would have to be satisfying and a win for all involved. I am confident such a solution could be found.
2. City council voted 8-1 in favour of the Northern Recovery Centre for Women in the former Haldi Road elementary school. How would you have voted and why? (Incumbents: how did you vote and why?)
2. I voted in favor. With Baldy Hughes we have an addiction treatment center for males only, while there is no similar, not even a smaller treatment center for females. The Northern Recovery Center for women would have been a start, because so far 50 percent of the local population, all females, are unfortunately denied addiction related treatment. A treatment center for females similar to Baldy Hughes is long overdue, while the Haldi Road Recovery center would at least have been a beginning.
3. The current city council gave its bargaining committee a target of a net-zero increase to negotiate a new collective agreement with city workers, leading to the first-ever labour disruption by municipal staff. What will be your recommendation when the current collective agreements for city workers expire in 2016 and why?
3. My recommendation would be to bargain in good faith and find terms that are acceptable to both parties. That way labor interruptions most-likely can be avoided.
4. Why should residents vote in the Nov. 15 municipal election?
4. I would like to be re-elected because I care very much about our community and bring many years of professional and volunteer experience to the table. With years of employment, as well as years of an entrepreneur, inventor and teacher I can constructively contribute to the very important issues at the council table. Critical thinking, analysis of complex issues and decision making are not new to me. All of it is required to represent the taxpayer in a caring way while at the same time maintaining an open mind and understanding the need for the various city services.
