News profile1. What are your thoughts on city ownership of Saamis Solar, and what direction would you want to see council take with ownership of renewables?
The numbers have to make sense. I want to see pro forma statements that will show the
projected ROI, how much energy is expected to be produced, life expectancy of the various technologies etc. Private companies are out to make a profit, they have a fiduciary duty to maximize profits for their shareholders, not lower prices for the customers. If we don’t have the expertise, we can hire the expertise. I’m willing to explore a partnership with industry.
It makes sense to take advantage of the free energy from the sun. Robert Heinlein said it well in his 1982 novel Friday when talking about the invention of the (fictional) Shipstone –
“Energy is everywhere—in sunlight, in wind, in mountain streams, in temperature gradients of all sorts wherever found, in coal, in fossil oil, in radioactive ores, in green growing things. Especially in ocean depths and in outer space, energy is free for the taking in amounts lavish beyond all human comprehension. Those who spoke of “energy scarcity” and of “conserving energy” simply did not understand the situation. The sky was “raining soup”; what was needed was a bucket in which to carry it.”2. What are your thoughts on the future of the energy division, specifically the concept of turning it into a municipally controlled corporation?
No MCC at this time. The amount of money they propose to pay for the board directors is insufficient. If you want experts at the table, you need to pay them what their time is worth; this is not the time to cheap out. If our own experts are not able to run the energy division, then perhaps we need to make some adjustments.
3. How would you look to balance taxation with the operation costs of running a city, as well as the services provided to residents?
Separate the wants from the needs. We NEED to maintain what we already have. We have pipes underground that are 100 years old. When they fail, that is going to cost a lot of money. I am appalled at the amount of buildings that have been allowed to deteriorate, repairs and maintenance put off until they just closed (eg – Crestwood Pool, the Moose). We have allowed the James Marshall Heron Fountain to fall apart in Riverside Veterans Memorial Park. My children played in that fountain, my grandchildren do not have that luxury. Repairing that fountain would attract more activity to the park which means more eyes; undesirable behaviour will move on. That park should be a jewel of our Downtown and it has been allowed to deteriorate in a shameful manner.
The south side recreation centre is a WANT. I would not be in favour of spending that money until we hit certain benchmarks such as our tax base increased by X amount.
Reducing garbage (recycling, green bin) pickup to once every 6 working days instead of 5. Once people get used to that, perhaps it can be decreased more, one day at a time.
Get the public involved in taking care of their neighbourhoods, perhaps using facility and/or bus passes as an incentive. I believe Public Services is considering a Casual Cash program to harness the labour of the unhoused. This would give them a little bit of a sense of accomplishment as well as cash in their pocket. Some of them have been doing this work already.
I would get rid of the massive portable flower containers at City Hall. They are lovely but they require manual watering which is labour intensive, labour that could be put to better use elsewhere and reduce our dependence on outside contractors.
I would ask employees what they need to do their job efficiently – do they have the tools they require or are they being set up to fail? I would ask them how to economize, perhaps have incentives such as they get a percentage of the cost savings for a set period. I’m sure other people would have better ideas as to what incentives would be desirable, I only hope my ideas can spark better ideas in others.
4. How would you approach economic development and any need to incentivize business to come to Medicine Hat?
We have experts in City Hall who know far more about incentivizing businesses than I do.
I would prefer tax incentives as opposed to the waiver of off-site levies – we do not get increased taxes until construction is complete. This is what happened with Aurora who got almost $6 million in subsidized off site levies, they also signed a Pay or Play contract for our power. When the province changed the rules on taxation of cannabis grow-ops they stopped construction within a week; it then sat for years. When Aurora wanted to sell it to their subsidiary Bevo, they were let out of their Pay or Play contract. So, we invested $6 million in anticipation of good paying jobs combined with a lucrative power contract, we now have no lucrative power contract, no good paying jobs and no increase to the tax base – farm buildings get a tax exemption.
That being said, we can have all the incentives anybody could possibly want but without trust it will have zero effect.
City Hall currently has the reputation of bypassing bylaws (City Manager bypassing the AO bylaw and 8 Council members supporting it) and altering RFPs (The IMH/ORKA controversy) to suit their own needs. When City Hall can ignore their bylaws and policies with impunity on a whim, nobody will invest their money here. Until City Hall can be trusted to abide by their own bylaws and policies, attracting new business will be nearly impossible. If City Hall cannot be trusted with the little things, nobody will trust them with the big things.
5. With the proposed north-side location for a permanent homeless shelter off the table following public concerns, what do you think are the essential priorities that a shelter location must provide? A well run shelter is not noticeable. I wrote this article earlier this year about a transitional housing project in Duncan BC. My 91 yo mother had high praise for it, so when I visited her, we checked it out. The city may need to consider a different service provider since the Mustard Seed has repeatedly failed the residents of the neighbourhoods; they did not even have a Good Neighbour Plan for the Allowance Avenue site. I asked Mustard Seed CEO James Gardiner about why they did not have a Good Neighbour Plan and he said “We weren’t asked for one.” Given that Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services, is the son of Mustard Founder Pat Nixon, this screams conflict of interest.
6. A lot of focus during this election campaign has been on property taxes in Medicine Hat, though a majority of residents do not own property. What can or should the city be doing to ease cost-of-living issues for those who do not own property, such as renters?
Calgary has a Fair Entry Program that includes a number of initiatives that we could explore. (We already do the transit, recreation, low cost spay/neuter.) Calgary Transit: C-Train and bus passes
Recreation (swim, golf, art, gym)
Internet, cell phone, television
Property tax
Snow shovelling, grass-cutting, housekeeping for seniors 65+
Spay/neuter for cats
Market parking permit
Impound lot for cars
7. What are your thoughts on proposed recreational facilities such as the Southside Outdoor Aquatics Centre and Brier Run Sports Field? How much focus would you want the city to put toward adding recreational facilities?
I love the proposals, they look wonderful! That being said, we cannot afford it right now. It is a WANT, not a NEED. We NEED to maintain what we have and stop our infrastructure from falling into disrepair.
I want to see the construction of any proposed recreational facilities to be tied to meeting certain objectives – eg – The City expands its tax base by (X)% before funds are irrevocably committed.
We NEED to get our own house in order. Until City Hall shows that it can be trusted to follow its own bylaws and policies, then it will be incredibly hard to attract investment here.
