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. If it came before Council again, I would vote to preserve the Pine Valley Golf Course. I personally think it is an important City of Prince George asset and community amenity. Not only does it provide accessible recreational activity for people of all ages and golfers of all abilities, it is an important green-space in the middle of an area of rapid commercial and residential growth. I would like to see the preservation of Pine Valley given some permanence, so it can be developed and evolve to its full potential.
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. There was two votes regarding the Northern Recovery Centre for Women. With the first vote, I reluctantly voted against the proposal because of the divisiveness and bad feelings it had created in the neighbourhood. With the second vote I voted in favor of it, because the service is so desperately needed, and the proponent convinced me that they could do a good job of operating the service in a residential neighbourhood.
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. When the current collective agreements expire in 2016, I may support a net-zero increase as a starting point, but would expect that if that wasn't achievable, that the negotiating team would come back to council looking for a new mandate. Council needs to direct the process. I am a firm believer that our employees deserve to be paid fairly and equitably for their work, and in line with other negotiated collective agreements around the province. Our employees are more than just an expenditure line on the balance sheet. Healthy/productive workplaces happen when people feel they are respected.
4. Why should residents vote in the Nov. 15 municipal election?
4. I think residents should vote in the November 15th election because they are voting for a Council that will be in place for the next 4 years. It is also the level of government that provides you with the most day-to-day services. Roads being paved and plowed, pools and parks to recreate in, garbage hauled away, the provision of police and fire protective services, and the list goes on. We are accessible; you can approach us on the street, in the grocery store, or give us a phone call. We live here too.
