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Flin Flon byelection candidate questionnaires: Gatlin Church

1. Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications? Do you have experience with public office? I have a young family and want to see Flin Flon as a welcoming place to live and raise a family for many years to come.
voter

1. Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications? Do you have experience with public office?

I have a young family and want to see Flin Flon as a welcoming place to live and raise a family for many years to come. I feel the council will benefit from a new ear, Someone willing to listen, I’ve sat on the National Association of Friendship Centres’ board of governors as the youth director.

I also spent a two-year term as vice-president of the National Association of Aboriginal Youth Council where our greatest accomplishments included partnerships to host a successful North America Indigenous Games in 2002.

2. What would you wish to address with local government if elected?

Once I started my campaigning, a general concern of many citizens is the lack of quality roads within our municipality. After talking to some people, it seems the issue is what lies beneath the roads. Once the water and sewer pipes have been replaced, I think it is the right time to try and repave many streets within our community.

3. What are your policies on local finances and taxation?

Accountability, taxation is a reality, it’s never going away. However, I feel elected officials should be accountable to work within a budget. I feel with the current pandemic, municipal government should consider tax breaks to allow local property owners relief during this pandemic. We need to find solutions as opposed to raising taxes in multiple consecutive years.

4. What do you believe should be the City’s priorities on infrastructure?

Replacing all water and sewer lines, followed by securing grants for a new multipurpose facility that would replace the Whitney Forum or now-defunct Aqua Center, our regional library, include a 600-seat auditorium for our arts committee, community kitchen and banquet hall. Third, resurfacing our roads and streets.

5. Hudbay is currently planning to shut down most of its operations within Flin Flon within the next two years. As a candidate, how does this affect your platform and what plan do you have regarding the Hudbay closure?

The arts community is the heartbeat of our town. We need to embrace the arts and provide families with facilities to raise their children in our community. Flin Flon could be a beautiful community for families that commute to Snow Lake and other northern mines in the area. By having a Walmart, we are a shopping hub for the communities around us. We need to embrace this and encourage new development.

6. The City is planning several capital spending projects in the coming years, including a replacement for the Flin Flon Aqua Centre. What stance do you hold on these projects?

I think it would be responsible on our City’s part to review the cost of operation on other City-run facilities such as our library, community hall and Whitney Forum and seriously consider building a multiplex and taking a step in the future. Currently where Centoba Park sits is a big location with adequate parking for a new proposed multiplex - moving the baseball park to Riverside Park would give our city two beautiful developments.

7. What is your plan for Flin Flon’s future?

Tourism. We need to attract visitors to our community, bringing with them many outside dollars. Community events such as Blueberry Jam, a rejuvenated Trout Festival on a different weekend than Dauphin’s Countryfest and simple events like minor hockey tournaments and provincials help attract visitors. We need to help promote, encourage and develop these community events.

8. How do you plan on working with nearby communities and councils?

We need a win-win approach... nothing will ever be accomplished if the results are one-sided. It’s a tough job, wish us luck.

9. What are your thoughts on your opponents?

Hats off to you all for running. I see Barry invested money into this election and that shows he has a serious approach to being elected. Carrie Hume is a very nice person and recently started to get involved in the community and arts committee - I haven’t seen or heard her platform. Tom Therien was mayor in the past and was unsuccessful in being reelected obviously for some reason. Angela Simpson, I’m not familiar with.

10. In 25 words or less - what is your elevator pitch for undecided voters?

Get out and vote. My phone number is 204-271-0311 - call me, I’ll listen to you now and I promise to listen to you after.

11. What question do you wish we would have asked?

(editor’s note: the candidate did not provide an answer for this question.)


Five people have put their names forward for the vacant seat on Flin Flon’s city council. The Reminder has sent each of those candidates a list of 11 questions with specific rules and structures, designed to show the public their stances on several local subjects. Election day is Oct. 28.

Each candidate was tasked with providing answers of 60 words or less - answers far over that count have been cut off, as per the agreed upon rules. Answers have been edited for spelling, grammar and Canadian Press style, but the content of each answer is as the candidate submitted it.

The answers solely represent the views of the candidates - they do not reflect the views of The Reminder.

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