With city council and the mayor taking pay raises during the pandemic, mayoral candidate John Kot says he would donate part of his salary to a local charity if elected.
Kot, along with Nancy Nash and incumbent mayor Fraser Tolmie, participated in an online forum that the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce hosted on Oct. 29. Similar to the city council forum debates the chamber asked the mayoral candidates questions about their vision for the community and how they would help it thrive.
What’s going on?
Taxes have risen about nine per cent per year during the past six years, while the population has remained stagnant, Kot said. He has heard from residents about how city hall rarely returns their phone calls.
“What’s going on?” he wondered. “City hall needs to serve the people and not the other way around.”
Kot encouraged residents to vote for change — to vote for him — and he would conduct himself with humility and be a voice for the community.
“I can’t believe council voted for a raise in the middle of this pandemic. Families are struggling to pay bills. Many people are uncertain about job security and many businesses are wondering if they’ll make it through the pandemic,” he continued, pointing out city employees receive annual pay raises of one to two per cent while council and the mayor gave themselves raises of 21 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively.
“Apparently, council and the mayor don’t care about us taxpayers. Shame on them,” Kot added. “I will be donating the pay raise (of $20,000) if elected to the charities in Moose Jaw.”
Helping businesses recover
If elected, Nash would open the city’s books and let residents decide how taxes are spent. She would offer incentives to industries and small businesses and attempt to keep the downtown healthy. Instead of new development, she would encourage fixing existing houses, underground pipes and streets, repairing street signs, and cleaning up garbage.
“… right now, it’s looking kind of notoriously unpretty,” she added.
Council has worked with the chamber to prepare businesses for the online economy, while city hall has also adapted to that new reality, said Tolmie. Many businesses rely on in-person shopping, so a cookie-cutter approach to support them won’t work for everyone.
“It helps to have a business solution rather than a government decision without input,” he added.
Kot said he would encourage residents to shop locally while looking to provincial and federal experts to develop support programs.
Opportunities and challenges
The $4-billion Diefenbaker Lake irrigation project will benefit the agriculture industry around Moose Jaw, said Tolmie. He would advocate for water security for that sector since the project would provide additional value to help those businesses expand.
Many businesses are struggling to find workers, so Tolmie said he would continue to support the rural and northern immigrant nominee program, a program that council has also supported.
Moose Jaw has many opportunities to help businesses thrive, said Kot. There is an opportunity to add value to existing agriculture businesses; the community sits at a transportation crossroads that can access national and international markets; the industrial park is open; and Saskatchewan Polytechnic can train people.
“We have all the basics, but we also need to think outside the box,” he added. “We … (also) have a lot of red tape. We have to make it easier for businesses to come to Moose Jaw.”
Nash said she would harness the creative energies of local artisans, craftsmen and entrepreneurs and turn Moose Jaw into a manufacturing centre, so items are produced here instead of China.
Moose Jaw as a tech hub
There are opportunities to develop solar, wind and renewables industries and produce solar panels, wind turbines or lithium batteries, said Kot. He would promote how Moose Jaw was the first provincial municipality with a fibre optic network that now provides quality broadband options.
Technology has a place in society, but should never control people’s lives, said Nash. She pointed out that while 26 people have died from the coronavirus in Saskatchewan, there have been 107 suicides during the same time.
“So my question is, which one is the pandemic? Humans need to be connected and feel connected in order to survive … ,” she added.
City council signed an agreement with Sask. Polytech to provide technology training in the agriculture industry, especially since baby boomer farmers are starting to retire, said Tolmie. He has also visited an agriculture-focused tech incubator in Regina that, combined with the irrigation project, could make Moose Jaw “the Fort McMurray of agriculture in Western Canada.”
Addressing infrastructure
Nash said she would open the books to let residents see the city’s finances. She pointed out council can’t enhance infrastructure if it doesn’t have money and is $60 million in debt.
“I’ve been here four years and I’ve seen the same road dug up eight times,” she added. “That’s got to stop.”
Kot echoed Nash’s comments, saying he has seen the city repave perfectly good roads and leave other high-volume streets untouched. He would also review how money is spent on streets.
Council has increased infrastructure spending significantly since 2009, said Tolmie. Council spent $75 million over five years in 2009, while now it spends more than $200 million over five years. Meanwhile, council has borrowed millions of dollars because interest rates are low.
Increases in crime and drugs
Since Moose Jaw is dealing with mental health issues and higher drug usage, Kot said he would encourage the police to visit schools regularly to speak with students about drugs, especially since addictions can lead to criminal activities.
Nash said she would increase the presence of police on the streets and have them walk a beat. She would also work to end homelessness, especially the apathy and disregard residents have for street people.
Tolmie pointed out the Moose Jaw Police Service created a unit to deal with mental health calls. Furthermore, there is already a good school program that sees police engage with students. Under his term, the number of police has increased to 61 from 54.
The municipal election is Monday, Nov. 9.
