Poor roads and infrastructure, development in Wakamow Valley, and keeping young people in Moose Jaw are some issues municipal candidates discussed during a forum earlier this week.
The 15 individuals running for the six councillor seats — Doug Blanc, Joni Brisbin, Jody Chell, Heather Eby (incumbent), Crystal Froese (incumbent), Jamaal James, Jamey Logan, Trevor McPherson, Dawn Luhning (incumbent), Kim Robinson, Doug Schick, Nicholas Styck, Earl Swalm, Steven White and Dwayne St. Dennis — had an opportunity to take part in an online forum on Oct. 27 that was co-hosted by the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce and the Kinsmen.
The candidates were divided into three groups of five, giving them almost enough time to speak about the topics.
St. Dennis was unable to attend due to technical issues.
Retaining young people
One group of candidates was asked how they would convince young people to live in Moose Jaw.
“A lot of people don’t realize how lucky of a city we’re in … ,” said Robinson. “The mayor and council could help stimulate some economic recovery. It is the best city in the world.”
McPherson said he has lived all over Saskatchewan and believes Moose Jaw is the safest for raising children. Economic development is also top-notch, particularly with businesses such as Canadian Pacific Railway and the nearby Belle Plaine potash mine.
Moose Jaw is so safe that residents can run with their dog at 6 a.m. when it’s dark and not be worried that anything — which is what Luhning does, she said. She also pointed to how welcoming the community is, its school system, the walking trails, and the many sports fields, as positives.
“We have a great local business community and great downtown. I think we have it all,” she said, adding, “I would sell Moose Jaw up and down to anybody who moves here … .”
Youths have access to Saskatchewan Polytechnic in town and the University of Regina 45 minutes away, while Moose Jaw has a skate park and the skating oval, said Logan.
“People can complain all they want, but Moose Jaw is a cheap place to live,” he added.
Many of James’ classmates wanted to leave after graduation, he recalled, but he believes council should work to make the community a place where people want to stay. This includes promoting Sask. Polytech and the business sector, along with affordable living, low crime and little traffic problems.
Residents’ concerns
Another group of candidates was asked about the biggest concerns they had heard from residents and business owners.
Development in Wakamow Valley and concerns about the future were issues White heard, he said. However, he thought enhanced communications from city hall could resolve some of those fears since he didn’t think the municipality gave enough information about what was happening.
“That will help economically so people can come out of their houses and (it will) help with the mental stress we’re seeing right now,” White continued. “One of the biggest issues is stress that people are under physically and mentally, which has driven up crime and drug use.
“If we can get back to communicating reality, that can help people get back to … normalcy.”
Residents have told Swalm that the roads are bad, but he has driven across the Prairies and believes Moose Jaw’s roads are some of the best. Meanwhile, he also believes communications with city hall could be enhanced and red tape could be cut.
Styck echoed what Swalm said, pointing out there are too many roadblocks at city hall and communications there “have been just awful.”
The biggest concern for Schick was the loss of industry and good-paying jobs. He thought the community needed to come together to save the existing industries since previous councils hadn’t asked the province for support after certain high-paying jobs left. The ability to reduce property taxes is only possible if big industries are here to provide support.
“I’m a very assertive person to get things done … ,” he added. “I’m looking forward to working with some really good people on council, and we’ll get Moose Jaw rolling again.”
The municipal election is Monday, Nov. 9.
