Election Questionnaire
Why did you decide to run in the 2011 Winnipeg by-election?
There are a number of reasons I am running in this election. We have seen a movement away from community engagement and citizen involvement. While decisions are being made downtown, citizens are being left out. I want to change that and believe that I would be the best voice for St.Vital because I want to see the future of the City of Winnipeg driven by our citizens’ needs, and not by the few.
We are also a vibrant, growing community and need to remain inclusive. With our diverse and multi-cultural community, we must remain an accessible and supportive to help our city grow. I have yet to see the city adequately support these needs. Our future relies on our ability to meet these demands and I know I can help address these needs.
I am also running because our safety concerns have become paramount in the past five years. We have seen the police as the only fix to our growth in crime. I believe we need to take a multi-governmental and community approach to in order to help the police be more effective in controlling our crime rate. I want our streets and neighborhoods safer for everyone.
What experience will you bring to compliment your role as Councillor?
As an avid volunteer on committees and boards, and as a student advocate in university, I bring a wealth of community service experience. Politics and volunteerism are in my family and I have a history of advocacy and work experience that provide me with a firm basis to serve the community as a whole.
I also have worked in the Health, Post-Secondary, Social Services and Government fields and understand the importance of working with different groups, organizations and people. We will need to work closer with other levels of government in order to solve our infrastructure deficit. The role of partnerships and collaborations will be vital to our growth of our communities and neighborhoods.
As a single dad of two daughters, I know the importance of family and raising our children in a safe and vibrant city. I have a working knowledge of the safety and security field and understand what we require to make our city safe. I have also worked with youth and know how important recreation and educational programs are to the empowerment and rearing of our kids.
What are the major issues you would like to stand for and why did you choose these issues?
We need to increase our recreation and arts programs for our youth. We cannot continue to create inaccessible and limited opportunities for our youth in Winnipeg. This will ultimately help with some of our crime and safety issues in the city. More importantly, to engage our future is to engage our youth. We must do what we can to assure a strong foundation for our children as we move into the future.
I want to move forward our Rapid Transit System and create a city with corridors of transit that move people from their homes to all areas of the city. To effectively reduce our traffic congestion, we need alternate forms of travel. We cannot rely solely on vehicles to transport us to work and across the city. A viable, long-term vision of transit upgrades and alternatives will help our city move in the right direction.
Our crime and safety concerns cannot be solved by the City of Winnipeg alone. We need a forum on safety that involves all levels of government, non-profit organizations, business, cultural and spiritual groups, youth, seniors and families. We can no longer sit by and allow our community to be driven by fear and complacency.
Is there anything in particular you would like to change in our city? In your ward?
I would like to revise our transit system so that we can better meet the needs of our constituents. With a renewed transit schedule, we can continue to move people to their destinations in a timely and efficient fashion. Neighborhood and community forums on transit will help address this issue.
Our community police centers need to remain open and accessible. We should move towards maintaining and re-opening our centres with a focus on community involvement and input. Allowing more police officers to go into our schools and neighborhoods will benefit everyone. This will also help move our Citizens Action Network forward with an emphasis on community awareness and engagement.
I would like to see a better working relationship with the province and federal governments so we can address the needs of our citizens. A forum with the all levels of government will help City of Winnipeg come up with long-term sustainable funding to address our infrastructure needs.
An emphasis on advisory councils for youth and seniors in St.Vital will help the City of Winnipeg directly meet the needs of the constituents. This should be a city-wide initiative attached to community centres or external organizations.
Do you have any other comments regarding your candidacy?
I believe I am the strongest candidate in this race for several reasons. I live in St.Vital. There are four candidates who do not. It is important we have local and continued representation. We need someone who understands the ward from a citizen's perspective.
I do not have business or political interests helping me. I believe in working for the community as a whole, and want to represent everyone, regardless of their politics. As a non card carrying member of any political party and a non-business person, I can represent the broadest of community interests.
I am also a new, fresh face and voice and not one that has already been driven by political or business interests. We need someone who can go in and work at our issues without other business or private practices lingering in the background.
This election is not about personal opportunity or gain. This election is about a passion to work for the community as a citizen. We require someone who can objectively make decisions at City Hall while balancing the needs of the constituents. I will be your real voice for St.Vital and Winnipeg.