STRATHCONA COUNTY
Vote . Ward 5 Council . Elections 2021
My Decision to Run for County Council
My decision to run for a council position within the County of Strathcona has definitely not been an easy one. I believe that elected officials are placing their names and reputations into the public over decisions that will not be agreed upon by everyone, but are required to do so in order to have (what should be) the best interest for our County at hand.
This is my home and where my family will be residing for years to come, and I am concerned that some of the decisions made by the current council will negatively impact our future. These concerns are not only my own, but many others have voiced them to me on numerous occasions to the point of being brought up almost daily. A few of these examples include our high-grade farmland being allocated to industrial sized projects. Its estimated 10 thousand acres of prime farm land has been allocated for the Bremner and Cambrian Crossing projects alone. Another such project example is the AG facility named Pointé-aux-Pins Acres that has been approved, yet no one can show any comparable project of this size within a similar region to be financially capable of sustaining itself. The estimation is upwards of $90M for this AG facility at a time when materials and labor cost are higher than they have ever been. This means our tax dollars will be funding this facility with no “realistic” end in sight. There is ANOTHER $70M-$90M project being considered and listed as the “Indoor Field House”. I am having serious problems understanding how this facility will be financed let alone how it will be supported without increasing our taxes. I simply don’t believe it can.
As one of 3 RURAL councillors with an acreage and farming background, I have ongoing concerns about the back seat that agriculture has now taken in this county. There was an Agriculture Master Plan that was approved by council in 2016, yet there has been no support shown towards it. It states that prime farmland should only be developed as a LAST RESORT. Yet current and previous councils have completely ignored this principal.
While we all understand that change, regardless of what is being considered never comes easily or quickly, I believe that a policy of open-door communication with the residents of Ward 5 is an essential first step. I also believe it is imperative that residents’ voices are actually heard. Current council far too often seem to dismisses resident concerns, insisting that the “silent majority” agrees with them. Representative democracy doesn’t mean that council “knows best.” Council should not be allowed total freedom to make decisions that residents must then simply accept.
The county’s slogan is “Your County. Your Voice.” Does council respect/acknowledge that concept?
If you, as a resident in the County of Strathcona, have any concerns or would like to have a conversation about what is happening within our region, please reach out to me any time.
Council decisions impact us all.
