Emokhare Paul Anthony
Daily Herald
Candidates seeking spots on the next Prince Albert City Council had a chance to make their case to voters as the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce hosted their Ward Candidates Forum on Friday, Nov. 1.
Candidates running in the Nov. 13 election announced their determination to focus more on homelessness, crime, and addictions if elected.
The chamber hosted nine candidates running in the various wards. Among these are two sitting councilors seeking re-election.
Coun. Daren Solomon of Ward 8 and Coun. Dawn Kilmer in Ward 7 spoke on the importance of continuity and the ability to continue progress made in the past four years by returning to council.
Solomon has already been elected by acclamation in Ward 8, while Kilmer is running against former councillor Dennis Nowoselsky, who did not attend the forum.
“In the last four years when I came into the position, I decided I needed to listen,” said Kilmer, who is a former Carlton Comprehensive Public High School. “I need to listen, and I need to take what people have to say, weight what is put before me, and then make a decision that is transparent that I can stand behind and that, when anybody asks me about (it), I can tell you why I made that decision.”
Kilmer said she’s held four community meetings in the past four years, and plans to continue doing that if re-elected. She said the City is making strides on homelessness, addictions, and crime through the new Safety and Wellness Committee.
Solomon said listening to all the candidates made him hopeful for the next four years. He expects to see a council filled with people who are kind, efficient, and cooperative, and can move the City forward.
Ward 1 candidate Larry Vandale was the first candidate to speak. Vandale is a retired city worker who said main reason for running is to get more involve in more community, improve participation by the residents, and improve the area.
On homelessness and addictions, Vandale said the City needs to cooperative with city groups who are doing good work to get people off the street.
He said his goal is to help Ward 1 become as safe and attractive as possible so more people will want to live there.
Vandale is running against Daniel Brown in Ward 1. Brown was not in attendance.
Ward 2 candidate Meghan Mayer, a former chamber of commerce chair, business owner, and a minister at Embassy Church that oversees Plaza, 88 said she believes in serving in the community where you have lived and grown your family and that’s what inspired her to run in the municipal election.
Mayer touted her experience serving on local boards like the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District Board and helping run events like Sports on Central. Policy wise, she said safety, security, economic growth, and low taxes were among the concerns she was hearing about from voters.
She said she would advocate for the return of more neighbourhood watch programs. She would also advocate for grants for residence that install security cameras on their property.
She also said she would advocate for higher upkeep standards for rental properties, and promised to prioritize roadway and park maintenance.
Mayer is running against Troy Parenteau in Ward 2, a Prince Albert teacher who served as an elected councillor for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and on the board of the Prince Albert Historical Society and Prince Albert Teachers’ Association.
If elected, Parenteau said he would focus on dealing with “unsafe and unhealthy things” residents are seeing in the community.
He said things weren’t as bad seven years ago when he bought his house in Prince Albert. He also said voters were telling him they were concerned about community safety.
“We need to be talking about what is working, what is not working, and we need to take a look at the cross-sectional conversation to access whether the decisions affect other groups,” he said.
Parenteau believe having roundtable talks with various stakeholders with view of bringing about new development in the city to improve on existing projects, like the new hospital, and new recreation centre, among others.
He said getting Prince Albert to the next level will mean attracting more professionals, and addressing prevenient social issues. He also promised to be responsive to community concerns.
Tony Head has been acclaimed in Ward 3. Head did not attend the forum.
Ward 4 candidates Bryce Laewetz and Perry Trusty were both in attendance. Both candidates spoke on the importance of supporting local businesses, attracting sustainable investment and improving community connections.
Laewetz said he is running on three safety, fiscal responsibility, and economic development. As a former corrections officers, Laewetz said he’s seen first hand some of the problems in PA. He said he’s running to make sure every Ward 4 resident feels safe.
Laewetz touted his experience as a construction project manager, which he said would help him as a councillor at City Hall. He also touted his status as the only candidate running in Ward 4 who also lived in the Ward.
“I’m the only candidate running in Ward 4 that lives there, and I believe that really does matter,” Laewetz said. “I have no interest in running in any other ward because this is my home … and my connection to my neighbours matters.”
Trusty graduated from high school in Prince Albert, left to get a degree in public administration from the University of Saskatchewan, and returned to Prince Albert.
He touted his work as a developer in Prince Albert, Tisdale, and Melfort, which he said required him to make difficult and transparent decisions, skills that he would use as a councillor at City Hall. He listed gang activity, gun violence, and poverty as serious issues in the city, along with mental health and addictions issues.
If elected, Trusty said he would support a new treatment centre, and advocate for more economic development incentives for renovations and addictions for existing businesses. He said the expanded properties could help leverage new community investments. Trusty also said the next council needed keep asking when the new OSB plant will start, and look at other potential forestry opportunities.
Trusty added that much has been made over the fact that he doesn’t live in the ward, but he said opinions don’t matter as much as knowledge and experience.
Both Ward 5 candidates were also in attendance.
Steven Ring said that, if elected, he would be a loud and clear voice for honesty and transparency at City Hall. Ring, the owner of a local consulting firm, said he does not have a platform or personal agenda. Instead, he said his goal is to represent the public and consider the well-being and interests of the sitting, develop services and programs and maintain financial integrity.
“It is my intention to vigorously carry out those duties professionally and thoroughly if elected,” Ring said. “My voice will be loud and clear when advocating for the City and I will make the decisions I feel are in the best interests of everybody in my ward and everybody in the city.”
Ring said he would lead by example and make “common sense decisions.” He said he’s running for council because he loves Prince Albert, loves Ward 5, and wants to be part of solutions to issues like homelessness, crime, and addiction.
He said no city councillor can solve these problems on their own, so the City needs to build partnerships with other levels of government.
Ring’s opponent in Ward 5, former Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party Deputy Leader Shaun Harris, pledged lower taxes in Prince Albert, address the social issues in the city, and promote economic development
Harris owns a logging and trucking company in Prince Albert, and developed a gravel pit business. He said his experience running large scale projects in forestry, oil and gas, trucking, and transportation would help him be a strong councillor if elected.
Like Ring, Harris said no one person was going to solve Prince Albert’s prevalent social problems. If elected, Harris said he would advocate for more mental health hand addictions recovery beds.
However, he also said there needs to be more accountability for the people running social programs. He also said local residents needed to be consulted before new facilities like shelters were constructed.
Taxes are also a concern for Harris. He said the City was losing development opportunities to the surrounding rural municipalities because of Prince Albert’s tax system.
Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards was re-elected by acclamation, but did not attend the forum.
The City of Prince Albert municipal election is scheduled for Nov. 13.
