What work experience do you have that’s relevant to the role of a Councillor and how do you feel the skills and perspective you have gained will help you in your role as a Councillor?

My professional experience as an Air Traffic Controller speaks to my ability to learn, adapt, focus, deal with stress, solve problems, multi-task, understand the regulatory environment, and work in a team setting.    Since that time my work in business, finance and not-for profit have shown an ability to turn a need into a vision into a solution that get’s results.  Here are just a few of my successes that are relevant:

1. I co-founded, with the University-Industry Liaison Office at Simon Fraser University, the Western Universities Technology Innovation Fund (WUTIF) for the purpose of commercializing academic research. Still operating today, through an innovative co-funding arrangement, it has raised close to $40 million dollars and helped to seed some 250 projects including a couple potential unicorns.   For example, General Fusion is an example of one such start-up that could change the world.

2. I was involved in the seafood industry on Vancouver Island by running a processing plant that employed various combinations of Indigenous people, addicts, and the homeless. What I gained is a deep appreciation for the depth and complexity of individuals who all have a story that needs to be heard and respected.   What I learned is that although we cannot guarantee outcomes, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those we try to help and that is usually enough of a reward worth make the effort for.

3. I took over the Canadian Association of Vehicle Importers in order to oppose a combined effort by the BC Motor Vehicle Dealers Association and the Insurance Company of British Columbia to prevent the private importation of enthusiast and collector cars. This required an in-depth understanding of legislation, regulation, policy, and practices at both the Provincial and Federal levels.   This culminated in my appearance before a special Senate Transport Committee hearing on NAFTA, resulting in Canada proceeding with its obligations to allow imports from the USA and Mexico.   As for the fight with BC MVDA and ICBC, a complete victory was achieved and the rights of collectors to choose their rides continues to this day.  

What do you think are the biggest issues affecting Lethbridge are, and how would you approach being an elected representative?

(Please see the attached)

What do you think is the role of a municipal government?    Do you think the City does too many things, not enough, or just the right amount?

Fundamentally, as indicated under the Municipal Government Act, the purposes of a municipality are to provide good government, to foster the well-being of the environment, to provide services, facilities, or other things that, in the opinion of council, are necessary or desirable for all or a part of the municipality, to develop and maintain safe and viable communities, and to work collaboratively with neighbouring municipalities.

This gives the municipality a great deal of leeway AFTER essential services such as water, sewer, garbage, roads, fire, and policing have been addressed effectively.  Everything else could be considered desirable but not necessities.  Of course, life is a great deal more than having the basic needs met.   It comes down to budget and public support.  

It is my considered opinion the City of Lethbridge has fallen short on meeting some of its obligations so far as meeting the necessities and exceeded its mandate with regards to engaging in services that do not meet wide support.  This has manifested itself with a strong interest in a ward system as the various neighbourhoods around Lethbridge feel they have been short-changed by the past 2 administrations. 

IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!

Do you think property taxes are too high, too low, or just about right?

Too high according to all the metrics leaving us uncompetitive and vulnerable in a downturn.

Over the next four years, should the City spend less in absolute terms, increase spending but by less than the rate of inflation and population growth, increase by the rate of inflation and population growth, or increase faster than the rate of inflation and population growth?

We may be headed into what will be seen as the most challenging times in the history of our fine city.

Given the fact that we have allowed things such as roads and parks to go unmaintained, we probably cannot cut spending overall.   We should try to hold the line in absolute terms until we get our house in order over the next 4 years.   During this time, we should look closely at our spending and reallocate to ensure the necessities are addressed first. 

Incurring huge additional capital expenditures in the short term is not likely an option as the associated operating and maintenance costs would impair our ability to manage responsibly.   Meanwhile, we need to look at other strategies for funding new projects and find ways to set aside funds for unexpected events or new crises.  

Everyone says they support affordable housing, but what does that term mean for you? Do you think the City should be subsidizing housing for lower-income residents? Or focused on keeping the cost of all housing from getting out of control? Or perhaps some combination of the two? If so, how?

Affordable housing is one of the many essential functions of a municipality as it epitomizes the efficiency and effectiveness of our community.  Ensuring a sufficient supply of safe and economical housing is necessary for the health of the community.  Without it, workers and their families will be unable to live, work and play.  In turn, this puts our businesses and local economy at risk.   

This city has become addicted to development and if it all stopped tomorrow, we would be in tough straights.  The Lethbridge Land, a crown corporation owned and operated by the City of Lethbridge, buys up blocks of raw land and re-sells it to developers in to make a profit.   These profits are used to fund other municipal activities.  At the same time, however, it drives up the cost of lots and makes housing more expensive and, by extension, less affordable. 

Housing for lower-income residents can be addressed through land grants to developers for this purpose, and by reducing delays and costs for permitting so that builders can lower their costs.

What do you think is the best approach to attract businesses to Lethbridge? Direct incentives to specific businesses, paid for by slightly higher taxes, or lower tax rates for all businesses.

1. This is where the law of unintended consequences can come back to bite. We are, like it or not, in competition with other communities to attract new businesses.  This often means that, to compete, we need to offer some level of incentives.  Done correctly, these incentives will help to grow the local economy and float all boats including the businesses already here.  Two things we can do in this regard:   Be strategic.   Work to attract businesses that compliment (i.e. vertically integrate) with the business that are already here.

2. Be fair. Business already here should not be penalized for not needing incentives. Instead, leveraging the presence of our educational institutions to support new business with research, development, skilled workers, and graduates create a win-win for all involved while minimizing distortions to the local economy.

3. Be creative. The City has a great deal of resources at its disposal which can be used as a catalyst to attract investment, financial assistance, and support for start-ups.  I propose a group of up to 10 incubators established in partnership with successful businesses from across Canada, to focus on areas of strategic interest.   Each of these 10 incubators would have matching Seed Capital Funds for the purpose of leveraging additional funding from public and private sources for market research prototype development, marketing, and growth funding. 

Should we defund the police? If yes, what exactly does defunding the police mean to you? If not, what should the City do to address both historical and ongoing injustices?

Our ability to keep families and professionals living here, as well as to attract people, businesses, and investment, depends on the perception that Lethbridge is a safe community.  This means ensuring our police are adequately fund so that the appropriate levels of qualified staffing, training, equipment, and other resources are readily available.  Often this is not directly connected to the overall amount of funding provided.   Therefore, it is incumbent on the City to look at not only how much funding is given, but also how it is being spent.  

Defunding can mean different things to different people.   To me, it means re-focusing our spending. I propose a 3-step process to deal with all the issues we have been facing including injustices.

1. We not only restore the $1.0 million that was cut from the budget, we also add an $500k per year for each of the next 4 years. This will be more than sufficient to ensure we don’t have any future resourcing issues.

2. We have a complete review of all police programs with a view to ensuring we are going about these services in the most effective and efficient means possible and consistent with our desired outcomes.

3. Using some of the additional funds to ensure our recruitment, training, and corporate culture are keeping in line with ever evolving demands being placed on law enforcement.
   
   

The Lethbridge Police Service has courted controversy in the last few days, from their viral arrest of a stormtrooper on Star Wars Day to their coordinated surveillance of a provincial MLA, all while the crime rate and police response times remain among the highest in the country. These concerns are so significant that the current provincial government has threatened to dissolve the force. What, if any, reforms would you advocate for?

I am not a law-enforcement professional, nor have I ever been involved with a police commission or other oversight body. I do know that the police do have a very difficult job to carry out, often under the most extreme circumstances.   We have all had personal experiences, or are aware of those by family members, co-workers, or acquaintance with various law enforcement agencies for any number of reasons.   Those experiences can be very positive or negative but, more often than not, it seems the attitude of the officers comes into play more than any other factor. 

As we are also all aware, you can’t please everyone no matter how hard you try.  This is truly the case with law enforcement.   Nobody will ever be 100% satisfied but we can certainly strive for improvement.  This is where I believe adding some funding to help build a more positive and responsive organizational culture would be a wise investment.  Just think how much more effective and efficient the police can be if they have the public working with them instead of harboring resentment because of a few bad apples. 

Otherwise, if we can’t turn this ship towards a better future, we may have to look at hiring the RCMP to do the policing instead.  If personal experience is any guide, I cannot recall a single negative experience with the RCMP.   I wish I could say the same about the municipal police I have interacted with in various cities across Canada.   We need the police.  Let us make sure they have the resources they need to give us the services we need.

While the concept of a secret ballot is essential, many of our supporters have told us that they’d like to know the political alignment of their candidates. So, if – and only if – you feel comfortable saying so, who are you voting for Mayor and why, and if you are affiliated with any provincial or federal political parties, which ones and why?

This is a question I am happy to address.  I have already voted and my choice for Mayor was easy:  Blaine Hyggen.   From the very beginning I recognized that Lethbridge has taken a few wrong turns.  Now that we have crossed the threshold of 100,000 population, we have reached a turning point.  The old ways of thinking that have brought us this far will no longer work if we wish to keep moving forward.  This is exactly the right time for a new Captain at the helm.   

When many of my friends, family and local business suggested I consider running for council, I found that many were impressed with Blaine’s willingness to stand up for his principles even if it meant bucking the trend.   As a result, I took a closer look at his candidacy for Mayor and reached out to see if we could work together.  To my great relief, I was pleased to see that while we agreed on 90% of the issues, we could maturely and respectfully debate and discuss the other 10%.   The reason for this easiness is because of mutual respect.  Blaine listens and he cares not only about what you think but why.  After considering the other Mayoral candidates, all of whom have their strengths, there is no doubt in my mind Blaine is the Captain we need in these difficult times.

I am not affiliated with any political party at the Federal or Provincial level at this time. None have the right mix of policies and personalities that would make me comfortable supporting.  Personally, I tend to lean to the right on fiscal issues and to the left on social issues, being fairly judiciousness as approp