CBC K-W contacted candidates participating in the municipal election for a survey to understand their positions.
They were asked these questions:
Briefly outline your top 3 priorities in this election. Describe how you would tackle priority #1. Describe how you would tackle priority #2. Describe how you would tackle priority #3. Share anything else you’d like voters to know about yourself and your campaign.
Below are the candidates’ responses. CBC K-W has not modified these answers for content, although minor changes may have been made for clarity or grammar.
Candidates who haven’t responded below can still fill out the survey and can contact CBC K-W for the link if they need it.
Voters will head to the polls on Monday, Oct. 26.
Skip to your race:
Mayor
Candidates:
David Alton. Wazhma Frogh. Wali Khan. Manikantan Nair. George Trihenea. Berry Vrbanovic (incumbent). Cindy Ward.
David Alton
Top 3 issues:
The housing crisis. The municipal finance crisis. The cost of living crisis.
Mayoral candidate David Alton. (Submitted by David Alton)
How would you address housing?
I have developed an 18-point housing platform with insights from experts and colleagues in the field. It covers everything from development to supporting those in need of assistance.
Some key policies I want to highlight include:
Increasing social housing construction and forming partnerships with co-ops and nonprofit developers. Conducting an equitable zoning review to open more doors for purpose-built rentals throughout the city. Establishing a tenant rights hub where renters can learn about their rights and access support. Setting supportive housing standards to bridge operational gaps. Starting an age-in-place program that enables residents to affordably remain in their communities as they grow older. Creating low-barrier hubs that provide essential needs. Litigating for the right to housing, bringing federal and provincial governments into discussions.
How would you address municipal finances?
It’s alarming that a five percent property tax hike has led to cuts across all regional departments, except police.
As a result, three affordable housing initiatives were halted due to these cuts, revealing a larger issue within municipal finances.
This seems tied to years of infrastructure debt; maintenance needs are consuming our capacity for new developments or even effective operational budgets. Additionally, this backlog is contributing further problems like our water crisis.
To tackle this , we must make clear how much infrastructure debt we have versus what property taxes can generate. p >
I aim to create a visual map showcasing this data neighborhood by neighborhood. This will help us identify infrastructure efficiencies better and guide development intelligently. Honest conversations regarding growth and economic progress become easier as well. p >
So many poor choices have been made trying for quick fixes. Only through smarter development practices and truthful dialogues will we achieve an effective budget. p >
Neglect from federal and provincial levels has been ongoing , which I wish to expose on property tax statements so we can hold them accountable together during this time of crisis. P >
How would you address cost of living ? P >
Housing constitutes the largest factor affecting rising costs of living today. Rent payments are squeezing family budgets harder than ever while external pressures like trade wars , oil crises , inflation are pushing more people towards homelessness. P >
It’s disheartening seeing incumbents react defensively against economic shifts instead of promoting local investments for future job stability amidst global changes happening around us. P ><p c lass = " paragraph -b4gxdhtmlparagraphtowardstransportationinnovationlaboratorythatbringsacademicsindustrytogetherintodevelopthenextgenerationtransportationmechanismsstrongpublictransitmicromobilityandelectrifiedfleetshelptomakeeverydayexpensesmanageablethisiscriticalasgaspricesclimbto$1.80andmore! becomingleadersinmanufacturingdesignandtransportationsolutionsmeansmorejobsandmoreinvestmentopportunitiesforourregion! P >
Mayoral candidate Wazhma Frogh.(Submittedby Wazhma Frogh) P ><pclass= " part- parenthesis- B g X d H T M L Paragraph".. (Article continues with each candidate's priorities rewritten similarly.)
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