PRIORITIES
You will hear many promises during the campaign. I encourage you to ask the candidates how they will fulfill their promises. Change and action can only be accomplished by working with the community, the administration, and the other members of City Council. Over the years, I have demonstrated that ability and ask for your trust to move action items forward to achieve what you have identified as top priorities.
HOMELESSNESS
In the most recent civic survey, Saskatoon residents identified homelessness as one of the city's top priorities. The City of Saskatoon does not decide what kind of support unhoused people receive regarding shelters and public housing—that is all provincial government responsibility. However, the City can move things forward more quickly by identifying and approving shelter locations and supporting affordable housing initiatives.
Saskatoon desperately needs shelter beds and warm-up facilities so that people won't freeze to death this winter.
Thank you to the provincial government for listening to the community's concerns about the Complex Need Shelter in the old liquor store on Idylwyld Dr. The facility provides much-needed support to 15 of the most complex needs people in Saskatoon with medical and counseling services for 24 hours. This helps move the people out of holding cells and emergency rooms and provides them with the direct care and support that they require. The current discharge policy that I advocated for will help ensure that the shelter does not have a negative impact on the neighbouring community.
LET'S TALK
EMERGENCY
SHELTERS
MOVING FORWARD
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Utilize existing resources, including financial reserves, to ensure adequate warm-up facilities this winter so that no one person struggles to find a warm place.
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Work with the province to locate a permanent purpose-built shelter next door to the police station on 25th Street and advocate for it to have proper wrap-around programs and support for the users.
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In coordination with the provincial government, a temporary emergency shelter of ATCO trailers can be positioned on the vacant lot beside the police station to house 30-40 individuals this winter.
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I will push us to follow the Red Deer and Government of Alberta’s example of addressing the shelter issue. They conducted extensive community engagement sessions with all stakeholder groups, including shelter users, to determine where future shelters should be located, what services and supports should be offered, and how they should be operated. The provincial government and City have done none of that in Saskatoon.
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I will continue to advocate that all shelter discussions happen in open public meetings and not behind closed doors.
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All future civic facilities, such as leisure centers and fire halls, should have an emergency shelter component that we partner with the provincial government to operate.
BETTER BUDGETING
I have only supported six of the last eight budgets because I did not believe they were sustainable and the focus was not on core services.
Municipalities have very limited revenue sources that are stretched very thin. During COVID, we saw the private sector become innovative, tighten operations, and reduce overhead; the City did not do that.
The budget process is currently led by the administration presenting their suggested figures, and the Council begins working from those numbers. This is not the proper way to budget. City Council should set a budget figure that the administration needs to work within, and then the council can adjust each operating line or add special projects if they wish.
MOVING FORWARD
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I will work to have the administration prepare preliminary budget figures based on a target set by City Council. The rate of inflation would be a great starting point for each year.
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I will call for a detailed review of every management position within the administration.
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I believe all frontline services should be maintained and possibly enhanced to prioritize core services.
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I will work to restrict revenue movement between operations so that each department is 100% accountable for its annual budget allocation. Currently, the administration can move excess revenue from one department to another without Council authorization, which contradicts the individual operating budget lines approved by City Council.
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Implement that all external consultant contracts need to be approved by City Council.
COMMUNITY SAFETY
Every citizen should feel safe no matter who they are or where they are. Many of you do not. Personally, I will not visit certain areas of Saskatoon during certain hours. I also tire of my nightly routine including ensuring that my garden shed, vehicles, and yard gates are all locked.
More must be done for community safety city-wide.
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In the last four years, the Saskatoon Police Service has added 30 new police officers and 13 new alternate response officers. In addition, the provincial government recently announced that it will fund another 31 new officers.​​​
MOVING FORWARD
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We must continue working with and funding the numerous service agencies providing frontline services to our most marginalized and at-risk citizens.
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Youth programs and supports need to be enhanced for at-risk youth.
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The City Council must ensure that Saskatoon Police Services and the Saskatoon Fire Department are fully staffed to meet the community's needs.
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A 24-hour bylaw inspection service should be created to address concerns at all times of the day and night, and commissionaires can manage it. For example, a bylaw officer could take the call about a backyard firepit complaint instead of dispatching the Fire Department. They could also help with the after-hours noise bylaws currently dealt with by uniformed police officers. A 24-hour bylaw department would free up critical resources from our emergency response departments.
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Moving forward, all new Fire Hall construction should include a police detachment to decentralize the police service and improve community response times.
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We need to continue advocating to the provincial and federal governments for enhanced programs and support for mental health and addictions, and shelters and affordable housing.
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I will ask for the Fairhaven shelter's relocation to a location determined through proper community engagement, which includes its users.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The city needs to prioritize investment in our infrastructure, ensuring roadways, sidewalks, and active transportation options are safe, accessible, and well-maintained. By prioritizing these essential services, we can improve mobility, reduce congestion, and create a more connected community that supports all forms of transportation. In the 2024 and 2025 budgets, $150 million was invested in roads.
Currently, infrastructure investment competes with everything else during budget deliberations.
MOVING FORWARD
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Identify and prioritize core services during budget deliberations. Now is the time to get back in our lane, focus on basic municipal services, and ensure we do them right before additional projects are considered.
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Ensure that everything has a current asset management strategy, including identified funding.
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Create a funding strategy and installation plan for all sidewalk deficiencies currently identified in the local neighbourhood plans.
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Ensure that active transportation infrastructure is supported during budget deliberations so that residents can safely move from one part of the city to another.
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Refresh the 2016 Active Transportation plan within the next two years.
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Continue to support the Building Better Roads program so that every road in the city will have been repaved before the end of the next ten years.
DEED: DOWNTOWN EVENT AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
City Council has recently approved a proposed financial strategy to fund the 1.2 billion DEED. This was done so that conversations could be had with potential stakeholder groups and other government orders for funding. The strategy makes several assumptions, such as other orders of government participation and several different revenue streams generating hundreds of millions of dollars. The proposed strategy suggests no financial impact on property tax. However, it does not guarantee that.
When the plan was introduced to City Council, I asked the administration what happens when the “project is over budget, or the revenue streams do not generate the anticipated amounts.” There was not an adequate response that identified a backup plan. I fear that property tax is the administration’s backup plan.
MOVING FORWARD
Referendum should not be considered a bad word. Saskatoon has a history of citizens making significant decisions through a referendum. The location of SaskTel Centre and the casino and the decision on Sunday shopping were all decided by referendum.
With no guarantee of the DEED not having a property tax increase, it is reason enough that the largest capital project in Saskatoon’s history should not sit in the hands of 11 people. Eleven people with varying experience and skills. The DEED should be put to a public referendum to hear citizens' voices.
RESIDING IN AND SERVING WARD 1
It has been a privilege to serve the citizens of Saskatoon for the past 18 years, and I am honoured to run once again for Saskatoon City Council in Ward 1 on November 13th.
I will be forever grateful for your patience and understanding during the last term when my family went through a difficult and dark time. Thank you to the many residents who reached out after the sudden loss of our youngest son, Ethan. I appreciate your patience as I struggled through that. That experience has strengthened my resiliency and made me more aware that anybody can be going through unseen struggles. I carefully consider that when approaching every situation this job presents.
I am eager to continue to be a strong voice on City Council for the citizens of Saskatoon. Your needs and concerns are my top priority, and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to move the city forward while protecting the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.
My vision for Saskatoon continues to be one of thoughtful planning, managed growth, economically sustainable projects, and fostering the economy through the promotion of enterprise while ensuring the safety of all citizens.
These are challenging times in Saskatoon, and a new mayor and a minimum of five new city councillors will face them. I will use my experience to do everything possible to help the new council address the homelessness crisis, keep all communities safe, and ensure that the City Council and the administration are transparent and accountable for all decisions. I will continue to push for a 2025 property tax increase that reflects the rate of inflation while ensuring all essential services remain a priority. It would be an honour to continue to work with you and for you through these challenging times.
I am deeply grateful for your ongoing support and trust. Thank you for considering my request for support on November 13, 2024.