Last night was part II of the candidates' forum: candidates for council. There are (were) 15 candidates for council, of whom two were away and one quit, which still didn't leave much time for the rest of us to speak. My note-taking on this one was much worse than for the mayors, partly because I was more stressed and sitting at the very end of the table where I couldn't see the speakers (I hear better if I look at the speaker – true story), and partly because they were not as polished and it was much harder to make any sense of their answers than the night before. So this transcript is very poor. Just to avoid being a total douchebag, I'll refrain from adding snide remarks on the other candidates' speeches. My own answers to these and the mayors' questions are here.
And now, the council candidates' forum. The order of speaking and sitting was determined by a random draw.
Maher was out of town on duty travel but sent his regrets and a note saying this trip will probably benefit Hay River.
#2: Elise Marie
The only speech I have in full! And also, as some noted, the only speech that was exactly within the two-minute time allowed.
Citizens!
Tonight we will hear about infrastructure, taxes, floods and so on. Please ask me about that in questions.
More importantly, in my two minutes I want to talk to you about social issues. We've had three homicides in three months. That puts our homicide rate at four times that of Honduras right now. We should be alarmed. We should be doing something. And I propose to do just that. Why these specific tragedies happened, I don't know, but there are factors that correlate with the crime rate. A depressed economy and rising social inequality. I have ideas for that – ask me later. There are also personal factors: impulsivity, sensation-seeking, low self-control, low empathy and altruism. These are factors I observe daily in our citizens. And these are things we can change. Am I gonna tell you I can fix it? I'm gonna tell you that I can't. Because it isn't about me: it's about US. You, me, those who are part of the problem, and those who think they aren't part of the problem. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it needs a strong buy-in from the community.
We have heard repeatedly from our elected representatives, even as recently as yesterday, things like "we can't tell people what to do", "safety isn't our responsibility", "we don't want to enforce that", "it's not our culture". They're wrong. The mandate of government is to facilitate people living together as communities. We can, and we should, tell people how to live harmoniously, starting with greater respect for themselves, for each other, for property, for the environment, and for the law. If it's our culture to be irresponsible and destructive, then our culture needs to change. We need to hold ourselves, each other, and our community to a higher standard, because a place with four times the homicide rate of Honduras is NOT a great place to live.
If we're going to say that Hay River is a great place to live then let's make it so. Let's make it better. Together.
Citizens, thank you.
#3:Donna Lee Jungkind
Wife, mother, long-time Kingland employee, volunteers, has been on Council a long time ago (under Jack Rowe). (Other personal history which I didn't write down.) Jungkind wants to "move forward" and to have clear, attainable goals.
#4: Ken Latour
The legacy of the previous council is a better administration and better relations with our MLAs. Second, an (alleged) Dene moral tale about being a better person (or something) and that we should look at the character of the people we're about to vote for. And third, he withdrew his candidacy.
#5: Michael St. John
Sophie Call introduced Michael St. John, telling us he deals with people calmly and resolves things constructively. St. John then spoke for himself saying he has five kids, wants this to be a great place for his kids to raise their kids, and that we have to build capacity and find efficiencies.
#6: Vince McKay
McKay is from here, raising his kids here, wants to retire here. He doesn't get intimidated, is firm but fair and willing to listen. He wants to develop a five-year strategic plan and build confidence in the town and Council. He wants to do something for his town and for people to come back here after they've been away to school.
#7: Bev Gibb
Came here in 1987 for two years. Volunteers. (Lengthy work history which I didn't write down.) Why am I running? Because I'm ready and it's my town.
#8: Brian Willows
(Didn't write down personal history.) Experience in operations management, capital planning and budgeting. We should have a five-year strategic plan for infrastructure, energy and human resources. We need to find new revenue streams. He is respectful and open-minded and seeks balance (I didn't write down the rest because I was getting really aggravated that I rehearsed and edited my speech until it fit exactly in the two minutes, and then the moderator let everybody else run on as long as they wanted.)
#9: Jim McPherson
We need to work with our MLAs. Concerned about health facilities especially the loss of acute care beds (that's the term he used though I think they're actually long-term care beds). Lots of businesses going down the tubes: NTCL, Igloo, Northern Metallic.
#10: Keith Dohey
(Has a tendency to mumble which made it that much harder to take notes.) 23 years old, born and raised here. It's a generous community which supports youth. Council needs to work with community organizations. We don't live in Yellowknife or Edmonton and shouldn't try to be like them. Wants Hay River to flourish so his children will want to stay here. Respect, hard work, working with others. "Believe in me for all of us."
#11: Jason Coakwell
(Also mumbles. I didn't write down personal details.) People are invested in communities (at least I think so, my notes say "infested"). Moved here for the summer 19 years ago. Involved in the community etc. Hard work, dedication and team work. Has been on the recreation board, wants to move on to Council because of visions not getting through to execution. "I'll be engaged in the community."
#12: Sandra Lester
(Personal history.) Undertakes to fulfill her obligations on Council. We need Council to be strong, united and forward-thinking. (Ok, one snide comment: she's right about that, but in practice she is one of the more divisive former councillors.) She will read the reports and take her portfolio seriously. She promises to listen. Concerns: infrastructure, hospital, flood prevention, we need new initiatives not just old ones. We need to have a ten-year plan and build on it every year and we need to stick to it. It needs to be fluid with room for growth. We need to maintain assets. (At this point, though vastly over time, she went off about the fire hall again which I'm not wasting my time reporting. Go read her Facebook group if you want to hear that old saw again.) No more studies.
#13: Roger Candow
Retired from Northwestel after 35 years. Sits on many boards. Platform of fiscal responsibility. (Historic of Town budgets.) "We can't write money." (Tell it to Lefebvre!) We need to balance the budget and invest responsibly. (And he finished more or less on time.)
#14: Brad Mapes
(Personal history.) Community wellness (then back to talking about himself). Well-travelled and respected in the North, lobbyist, straight-shooter, "give you my honest opinion." Common sense. Spend within our means. Create 250 new jobs.
#15: Kandis Jameson
Jameson was out of town on a trip booked "months ago" but sent Greg Whitlock to read her speech, which is too bad because he digressed, mumbled, and generally didn't deliver it well. Something about teamwork, problem-solving, informed decisions, economic development, replacement of infrastructure, and youth. (Here my notes say "plan from collaboration", I don't know what that's supposed to mean.) Identify resources, accountability, measurable results, inter-agency groups. (Obviously my note-taking was getting really sketchy by then.)
How are you gonna increase efficiency in supporting youth?
Marie: I think the Youth Centre is doing a great job for our youth and we need to have a better relationship with it. The one thing I can't promise anyone is money but anything else I can do for you, I will. (What a lame answer. It had nothing specific in it. Dang.)
Mapes: We need a better vision. I can't keep repeating myself. Let's lobby the federal government.
Gibb: I support the Youth Centre whole-heartedly.
Question 2: written question read by Bernie Langille for a citizen
Any plans to increase recycling and bring back town clean-up? (Am I glad I didn't get this one!)
Jungkind: I definitely support recycling but it's very costly. I support town clean-up but again – where's the money?
Candow: We need to be more like Halifax. (Fumble.) We need lots of different recycling: metal, paper, compost.
McKay: Studies have been done on the landfill, it's really packed and needs better management. We have to quit reinventing the wheel. The town clean-up was a strain on the landfill so again it will depend on a better plan for the landfill.
Question 3: written question read by the moderator
Regarding the IT contract, the consultant said that the current service is excellent and is good value, and recommended signing a long-term contract with ArcTech, a local employer. Do you support that recommendation?
Lester: I was the only one (on the 2007-09 Council) who opposed giving that contract to ArcTech. I'd have to see the report before I make a recommendation.
Mapes: I haven't see the report. I questioned that contract when it was awarded. Curtis Broadhead is the nicest guy (plus his nephew is TOTALLY HOT!!! Just sayin') and he only has a month-to-month deal with the town and we're not doing any studies for him so why do we have this study?
Willows: I have seen the report. We can certainly negotiate, that doesn't mean we have to award it to them.
Question 4:
Define "local". Do you have to own a residence here, or keep the money here?
St. John: Those who are involved here, support our organizations and services.
Coakwell: Money that stays in Hay River. But we have to be accountable and not pay more just to be local. (Intelligent reference to the GNWT's policy which I didn't write down.) We need to review the purchasing policy.
McPherson: I'm not sure what the issue is. (My notes say "we have the skills for anything" but I really didn't quite follow what he was saying.)
Question 5: Harvey Werner
I shouldn't be able to quash bylaws in court. Do you support reviewing and enforcing our bylaws?
Dohey: Yeah, we should enforce them.
Marie: I'm a big fan of bylaws. We should definitely review them, throw out the ones that are useless, and rewrite the ones that are useful so they are solid. We need to enforce them, and we need people to believe that bylaws are good for us and that we need to respect them. We need to support our Bylaw Officer and administration. (If anyone doesn't know Harvey, he's the scariest government critic in town and I dreaded having to answer a question from him. This one was actually pretty easy, coming from him.)
Candow: Yes, we should enforce our bylaws.
Question 6: Chris Robinson
We're in an economic downturn, yet there is no location for new businesses. How are you going to encourage businesses to move here?
Mapes: There is space being opened around the new hospital and across the tracks. Not all councillors show up to meetings with Avalon. (That's all I wrote down, I think I considered the rest to be a digression.)
Willows: We definitely need Avalon. (Talk about devolution which I considered off-topic and didn't write down.)
Jungkind: What Brad said about lobbying. We need to always be at every meeting that might bring any opportunity to Hay River. There has been talk of a business development office – I'm not sure about that.
Question 7: Ken Latour
What can we do in this town without looking to the outside for projects to come here?
Lester: I've been making a list. We can revive the fishing industry. Make organic cat food. (Just because I diss her a lot, I'll mention that I agree with that. I once had a business concept for making gourmet dog food from fresh ingredients, same as I feed my dog. I just don't want to own a business.) In-ground greenhouse.
Coakwell: We need economic stability more than development. I'll be engaged in the community. (In my notes it says he went over time but that's all I wrote down.)
Dohey: There is a lack of communication. Before we get new businesses we should consult with the locals and focus on promoting local business.
Question 8: Tom Lakusta
Not everyone (of the candidates) was here last night. Just sayin'. No one from the Council has ever come to Minor Hockey to thank us for our work. What can the Town do to help community groups?
Gibb: We need to invite them to meet with us, thank them, ask them what they need.
McKay: (I didn't get what he was saying.) We need to help.
St. John: As a parent of five children I know how much work it is. We need to thank them.
Question 9: Linda Carman
What kind of partnerships can the town establish to promote health and well-being. Also rogue ATVs are dangerous and we need that bylaw.
McKay: Yes, we need to protect green spaces and have that ATV bylaw, I'm a rider myself and I support the bylaw.
Jungkind: I'm open to whatever is out there.
McPherson: I definitely support the ATV bylaw.
Haha, take that, Cassidy and Lefebvre!
Question 10: Father Don
We have an inter-agency group consisting of 22 organizations that recently came up with a new long-term plan after having met all the goals of our previous long-term plan. Can you give us any help in coordinating this work and the flow of information, and maybe some money?
Willows: I support this but I can't promise any money. Why did we not hear more reported about this? I've never heard of it.
St. John: I support it too, but where are we gonna find the money?
Gibb: There is no money, but I would support establishing a liaison with Council.
Question 11:
With the success of shows like Ice Pilots and Ice Road Truckers, is there a definitive marketing plan to bring tourists here and see that they stay here?
Candow: We definitely have lots of natural attractions, we should promote them.
Lester: 2 Seasons is working on a big development that will bring people here from China.
Coakwell: Tourism is good. (Actually I didn't listen to him because I was getting impatient to have one more question, as I only had two so far.)
Question 12: Rebecca Bruser
What are you going to do for mental health and addictions?
(Rebecca picked three people to answer her questions whereas most people let the moderator pick, thus I didn't get to answer this one either, with the result that the people she picked got four questions and McPherson and I only got two each. So I was disgruntled, plus her three picks had nothing to say so I didn't bother to write it down.)
CANDOW, Roger: He's personable, but didn't have much to say that was specific other than fiscal responsibility.
COAKWELL, Jason: I didn't write down what he said in details, but I think he was consistently pretty well informed and not taken in by the concepts of "local" and "growth" like a lot of people are. I'm voting for him.
DOHEY, Keith: While he's spending lots of money on signs and buttons, he didn't have anything specific to say, and during the mingling hour he just sat with a buddy and did not go and talk to people.
GIBB, Beverly: Really lacks specific ideas.
JAMESON, Kandis: Too bad she wasn't here. I think she'll get elected anyway. I disagree with her in social policy but I think she'll be a good councillor. I'm voting for her.
JUNGKIND, Donna Lee: Lacked initiative. Answers like "what Brad said" or "I'm open to anything." Well, ok then, let's just elect Brad, he can listen to suggestions too. No need to elect someone just to agree with the others.
LATOUR, Ken: Would have done a good job had he stayed in.
LESTER, Sandra: Has good ideas sometimes, and really crappy ideas other times, and despite her promise to listen, what you say only makes an impression if that's what she was thinking already. "Doesn't work well with others."
MAHER, Michael John: I'm definitely not voting for him.
MAPES, Bradley Lloyd: Good initiative, particularly the Aurora pellet idea. And the lobbying thing is good. I'm voting for him.
MARIE, Elise: Hell's yes!
McKAY, Vince: Supports the ATV bylaw! I'm voting for him.
McPHERSON, James W.: Lacks specific ideas and a broad support base. I doubt he'll be elected.
ST. JOHN, Michael: I think he'd be good to work with, though he didn't stand out because he speaks quietly and doesn't put himself forward much. And he was at the territorial budget consultation and had intelligent things to say, although I didn't realize it because I didn't know his name at the time. I'm voting for him, but I don't know what his chances are.
WILLOWS, Brian K.: Hmmmmm... He's certainly informed and has opinions. I'm not sure whether he'd work with the others or dominate the conversation, or worse, get into a tug-of-war as to who will dominate the conversation. I think his odds are good, but I don't think I'm voting for him.
In summary, my picks are as follows:
And now, I must write my own answers to the questions.
And now, the council candidates' forum. The order of speaking and sitting was determined by a random draw.
Opening speeches
#1: Mike MaherMaher was out of town on duty travel but sent his regrets and a note saying this trip will probably benefit Hay River.
#2: Elise Marie
The only speech I have in full! And also, as some noted, the only speech that was exactly within the two-minute time allowed.
Citizens!
Tonight we will hear about infrastructure, taxes, floods and so on. Please ask me about that in questions.
More importantly, in my two minutes I want to talk to you about social issues. We've had three homicides in three months. That puts our homicide rate at four times that of Honduras right now. We should be alarmed. We should be doing something. And I propose to do just that. Why these specific tragedies happened, I don't know, but there are factors that correlate with the crime rate. A depressed economy and rising social inequality. I have ideas for that – ask me later. There are also personal factors: impulsivity, sensation-seeking, low self-control, low empathy and altruism. These are factors I observe daily in our citizens. And these are things we can change. Am I gonna tell you I can fix it? I'm gonna tell you that I can't. Because it isn't about me: it's about US. You, me, those who are part of the problem, and those who think they aren't part of the problem. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it needs a strong buy-in from the community.
We have heard repeatedly from our elected representatives, even as recently as yesterday, things like "we can't tell people what to do", "safety isn't our responsibility", "we don't want to enforce that", "it's not our culture". They're wrong. The mandate of government is to facilitate people living together as communities. We can, and we should, tell people how to live harmoniously, starting with greater respect for themselves, for each other, for property, for the environment, and for the law. If it's our culture to be irresponsible and destructive, then our culture needs to change. We need to hold ourselves, each other, and our community to a higher standard, because a place with four times the homicide rate of Honduras is NOT a great place to live.
If we're going to say that Hay River is a great place to live then let's make it so. Let's make it better. Together.
Citizens, thank you.
#3:Donna Lee Jungkind
Wife, mother, long-time Kingland employee, volunteers, has been on Council a long time ago (under Jack Rowe). (Other personal history which I didn't write down.) Jungkind wants to "move forward" and to have clear, attainable goals.
#4: Ken Latour
The legacy of the previous council is a better administration and better relations with our MLAs. Second, an (alleged) Dene moral tale about being a better person (or something) and that we should look at the character of the people we're about to vote for. And third, he withdrew his candidacy.
#5: Michael St. John
Sophie Call introduced Michael St. John, telling us he deals with people calmly and resolves things constructively. St. John then spoke for himself saying he has five kids, wants this to be a great place for his kids to raise their kids, and that we have to build capacity and find efficiencies.
#6: Vince McKay
McKay is from here, raising his kids here, wants to retire here. He doesn't get intimidated, is firm but fair and willing to listen. He wants to develop a five-year strategic plan and build confidence in the town and Council. He wants to do something for his town and for people to come back here after they've been away to school.
#7: Bev Gibb
Came here in 1987 for two years. Volunteers. (Lengthy work history which I didn't write down.) Why am I running? Because I'm ready and it's my town.
#8: Brian Willows
(Didn't write down personal history.) Experience in operations management, capital planning and budgeting. We should have a five-year strategic plan for infrastructure, energy and human resources. We need to find new revenue streams. He is respectful and open-minded and seeks balance (I didn't write down the rest because I was getting really aggravated that I rehearsed and edited my speech until it fit exactly in the two minutes, and then the moderator let everybody else run on as long as they wanted.)
#9: Jim McPherson
We need to work with our MLAs. Concerned about health facilities especially the loss of acute care beds (that's the term he used though I think they're actually long-term care beds). Lots of businesses going down the tubes: NTCL, Igloo, Northern Metallic.
#10: Keith Dohey
(Has a tendency to mumble which made it that much harder to take notes.) 23 years old, born and raised here. It's a generous community which supports youth. Council needs to work with community organizations. We don't live in Yellowknife or Edmonton and shouldn't try to be like them. Wants Hay River to flourish so his children will want to stay here. Respect, hard work, working with others. "Believe in me for all of us."
#11: Jason Coakwell
(Also mumbles. I didn't write down personal details.) People are invested in communities (at least I think so, my notes say "infested"). Moved here for the summer 19 years ago. Involved in the community etc. Hard work, dedication and team work. Has been on the recreation board, wants to move on to Council because of visions not getting through to execution. "I'll be engaged in the community."
#12: Sandra Lester
(Personal history.) Undertakes to fulfill her obligations on Council. We need Council to be strong, united and forward-thinking. (Ok, one snide comment: she's right about that, but in practice she is one of the more divisive former councillors.) She will read the reports and take her portfolio seriously. She promises to listen. Concerns: infrastructure, hospital, flood prevention, we need new initiatives not just old ones. We need to have a ten-year plan and build on it every year and we need to stick to it. It needs to be fluid with room for growth. We need to maintain assets. (At this point, though vastly over time, she went off about the fire hall again which I'm not wasting my time reporting. Go read her Facebook group if you want to hear that old saw again.) No more studies.
#13: Roger Candow
Retired from Northwestel after 35 years. Sits on many boards. Platform of fiscal responsibility. (Historic of Town budgets.) "We can't write money." (Tell it to Lefebvre!) We need to balance the budget and invest responsibly. (And he finished more or less on time.)
#14: Brad Mapes
(Personal history.) Community wellness (then back to talking about himself). Well-travelled and respected in the North, lobbyist, straight-shooter, "give you my honest opinion." Common sense. Spend within our means. Create 250 new jobs.
#15: Kandis Jameson
Jameson was out of town on a trip booked "months ago" but sent Greg Whitlock to read her speech, which is too bad because he digressed, mumbled, and generally didn't deliver it well. Something about teamwork, problem-solving, informed decisions, economic development, replacement of infrastructure, and youth. (Here my notes say "plan from collaboration", I don't know what that's supposed to mean.) Identify resources, accountability, measurable results, inter-agency groups. (Obviously my note-taking was getting really sketchy by then.)
Questions
Question 1: Jocelyn Grant for the Youth CentreHow are you gonna increase efficiency in supporting youth?
Marie: I think the Youth Centre is doing a great job for our youth and we need to have a better relationship with it. The one thing I can't promise anyone is money but anything else I can do for you, I will. (What a lame answer. It had nothing specific in it. Dang.)
Mapes: We need a better vision. I can't keep repeating myself. Let's lobby the federal government.
Gibb: I support the Youth Centre whole-heartedly.
Question 2: written question read by Bernie Langille for a citizen
Any plans to increase recycling and bring back town clean-up? (Am I glad I didn't get this one!)
Jungkind: I definitely support recycling but it's very costly. I support town clean-up but again – where's the money?
Candow: We need to be more like Halifax. (Fumble.) We need lots of different recycling: metal, paper, compost.
McKay: Studies have been done on the landfill, it's really packed and needs better management. We have to quit reinventing the wheel. The town clean-up was a strain on the landfill so again it will depend on a better plan for the landfill.
Question 3: written question read by the moderator
Regarding the IT contract, the consultant said that the current service is excellent and is good value, and recommended signing a long-term contract with ArcTech, a local employer. Do you support that recommendation?
Lester: I was the only one (on the 2007-09 Council) who opposed giving that contract to ArcTech. I'd have to see the report before I make a recommendation.
Mapes: I haven't see the report. I questioned that contract when it was awarded. Curtis Broadhead is the nicest guy (plus his nephew is TOTALLY HOT!!! Just sayin') and he only has a month-to-month deal with the town and we're not doing any studies for him so why do we have this study?
Willows: I have seen the report. We can certainly negotiate, that doesn't mean we have to award it to them.
Question 4:
Define "local". Do you have to own a residence here, or keep the money here?
St. John: Those who are involved here, support our organizations and services.
Coakwell: Money that stays in Hay River. But we have to be accountable and not pay more just to be local. (Intelligent reference to the GNWT's policy which I didn't write down.) We need to review the purchasing policy.
McPherson: I'm not sure what the issue is. (My notes say "we have the skills for anything" but I really didn't quite follow what he was saying.)
Question 5: Harvey Werner
I shouldn't be able to quash bylaws in court. Do you support reviewing and enforcing our bylaws?
Dohey: Yeah, we should enforce them.
Marie: I'm a big fan of bylaws. We should definitely review them, throw out the ones that are useless, and rewrite the ones that are useful so they are solid. We need to enforce them, and we need people to believe that bylaws are good for us and that we need to respect them. We need to support our Bylaw Officer and administration. (If anyone doesn't know Harvey, he's the scariest government critic in town and I dreaded having to answer a question from him. This one was actually pretty easy, coming from him.)
Candow: Yes, we should enforce our bylaws.
Question 6: Chris Robinson
We're in an economic downturn, yet there is no location for new businesses. How are you going to encourage businesses to move here?
Mapes: There is space being opened around the new hospital and across the tracks. Not all councillors show up to meetings with Avalon. (That's all I wrote down, I think I considered the rest to be a digression.)
Willows: We definitely need Avalon. (Talk about devolution which I considered off-topic and didn't write down.)
Jungkind: What Brad said about lobbying. We need to always be at every meeting that might bring any opportunity to Hay River. There has been talk of a business development office – I'm not sure about that.
Question 7: Ken Latour
What can we do in this town without looking to the outside for projects to come here?
Lester: I've been making a list. We can revive the fishing industry. Make organic cat food. (Just because I diss her a lot, I'll mention that I agree with that. I once had a business concept for making gourmet dog food from fresh ingredients, same as I feed my dog. I just don't want to own a business.) In-ground greenhouse.
Coakwell: We need economic stability more than development. I'll be engaged in the community. (In my notes it says he went over time but that's all I wrote down.)
Dohey: There is a lack of communication. Before we get new businesses we should consult with the locals and focus on promoting local business.
Question 8: Tom Lakusta
Not everyone (of the candidates) was here last night. Just sayin'. No one from the Council has ever come to Minor Hockey to thank us for our work. What can the Town do to help community groups?
Gibb: We need to invite them to meet with us, thank them, ask them what they need.
McKay: (I didn't get what he was saying.) We need to help.
St. John: As a parent of five children I know how much work it is. We need to thank them.
Question 9: Linda Carman
What kind of partnerships can the town establish to promote health and well-being. Also rogue ATVs are dangerous and we need that bylaw.
McKay: Yes, we need to protect green spaces and have that ATV bylaw, I'm a rider myself and I support the bylaw.
Jungkind: I'm open to whatever is out there.
McPherson: I definitely support the ATV bylaw.
Haha, take that, Cassidy and Lefebvre!
Question 10: Father Don
We have an inter-agency group consisting of 22 organizations that recently came up with a new long-term plan after having met all the goals of our previous long-term plan. Can you give us any help in coordinating this work and the flow of information, and maybe some money?
Willows: I support this but I can't promise any money. Why did we not hear more reported about this? I've never heard of it.
St. John: I support it too, but where are we gonna find the money?
Gibb: There is no money, but I would support establishing a liaison with Council.
Question 11:
With the success of shows like Ice Pilots and Ice Road Truckers, is there a definitive marketing plan to bring tourists here and see that they stay here?
Candow: We definitely have lots of natural attractions, we should promote them.
Lester: 2 Seasons is working on a big development that will bring people here from China.
Coakwell: Tourism is good. (Actually I didn't listen to him because I was getting impatient to have one more question, as I only had two so far.)
Question 12: Rebecca Bruser
What are you going to do for mental health and addictions?
(Rebecca picked three people to answer her questions whereas most people let the moderator pick, thus I didn't get to answer this one either, with the result that the people she picked got four questions and McPherson and I only got two each. So I was disgruntled, plus her three picks had nothing to say so I didn't bother to write it down.)
Conclusion
There were no closing remarks for us. The meeting scattered. So now I'm gonna tell you what I think of the candidates after this meeting.CANDOW, Roger: He's personable, but didn't have much to say that was specific other than fiscal responsibility.
COAKWELL, Jason: I didn't write down what he said in details, but I think he was consistently pretty well informed and not taken in by the concepts of "local" and "growth" like a lot of people are. I'm voting for him.
DOHEY, Keith: While he's spending lots of money on signs and buttons, he didn't have anything specific to say, and during the mingling hour he just sat with a buddy and did not go and talk to people.
GIBB, Beverly: Really lacks specific ideas.
JAMESON, Kandis: Too bad she wasn't here. I think she'll get elected anyway. I disagree with her in social policy but I think she'll be a good councillor. I'm voting for her.
JUNGKIND, Donna Lee: Lacked initiative. Answers like "what Brad said" or "I'm open to anything." Well, ok then, let's just elect Brad, he can listen to suggestions too. No need to elect someone just to agree with the others.
LATOUR, Ken: Would have done a good job had he stayed in.
LESTER, Sandra: Has good ideas sometimes, and really crappy ideas other times, and despite her promise to listen, what you say only makes an impression if that's what she was thinking already. "Doesn't work well with others."
MAHER, Michael John: I'm definitely not voting for him.
MAPES, Bradley Lloyd: Good initiative, particularly the Aurora pellet idea. And the lobbying thing is good. I'm voting for him.
MARIE, Elise: Hell's yes!
McKAY, Vince: Supports the ATV bylaw! I'm voting for him.
McPHERSON, James W.: Lacks specific ideas and a broad support base. I doubt he'll be elected.
ST. JOHN, Michael: I think he'd be good to work with, though he didn't stand out because he speaks quietly and doesn't put himself forward much. And he was at the territorial budget consultation and had intelligent things to say, although I didn't realize it because I didn't know his name at the time. I'm voting for him, but I don't know what his chances are.
WILLOWS, Brian K.: Hmmmmm... He's certainly informed and has opinions. I'm not sure whether he'd work with the others or dominate the conversation, or worse, get into a tug-of-war as to who will dominate the conversation. I think his odds are good, but I don't think I'm voting for him.
In summary, my picks are as follows:
- Coakwell
- Jameson
- Mapes
- Marie
- McKay
- St. John
And now, I must write my own answers to the questions.
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