23


For me, this means thinking strategically about the long term. For example, the current transit challenge has its roots in the past two decades of development decisions. The city has a number of strategic plans that will help to guide long-term development, but those plans need to be consulted and followed.


Kris Samraj


1 I would smile and walk up to the nearest person and say, Hi, my name is Kris. I’ve lived in other cities across Canada, but since moving here five years ago I have found home. This


oasis in the prairies is an underappreciated gem. Yes, we’ve got challenges, but nothing that can’t be fixed.


I’m running for city council and through small, substantive, concrete steps we can get this great city to an even better place. I believe it’s important to keep the core of our city healthy and vibrant, but this will require us to build the city inward, not outward. I believe in community and that by actively listening to each other we can find the solutions we need.


2


Renewable energy must balance the environment and economics. No one is getting into renewable energy simply because it makes money — the goal is sustainable, carbon neutral, energy. However, currently there is a lack of information related to the lifetime carbon footprints of renewable projects, which we need to understand before committing to renewable projects.


Locally, we should focus on ensuring our bylaws are ready to regulate renewable energy projects. Our infrastructure should be ready to accommodate both small individual installations and larger projects. We also need to push the province to fix the legislative gaps related to regulation of renewable energy. Let’s make sure the legislative and infrastructure environment is ready, then judge each proposed project on its individual


3


The city needs to build inward, not outward. Building new neighbourhoods is great, but we need to make sure we have the capacity to rejuvenate and maintain our heritage neighbourhoods. We need spending restraint, because this last council has had none. Of the $300 million in debt, $100 million was created in the last five years. We’ve stretched ourselves and now we must find creative ways to maintain the services we have.


Yes, council has built some world-class facilities, but world-class is expensive and user fees have priced them out of reach for many Hatters. Not to mention there is no public transportation to two of our cornerstone civic facilities. Arts, culture, and recreation contributes to our community’s quality of life and has underappreciated economic value. Service reductions must have effective consultation with active user groups to make sure that spending restraint does not jeopardize livelihood or long-range plans.


4


The key priority should be good city council decisions. You want low taxes? Economic growth or less red tape? Everything depends on good decisions from city council. And that depends on an effective decision-making process.


I’ve attended city council meetings for three years to learn as much as I can about city governance. Key priorities are nice words, but without an understanding of city processes we won’t be able to deliver on any election promise.


Democracy is about process. Everything starts with the deliberations and decisions of city council.


5


Our Intermunicipal development plan will help us prioritize development for the next 25 years. The Municipal Government Act is under review and will make inter-municipal collaboration mandatory. We’re isolated out here in S.E. Alberta and working together is good. We’ll need to agree on regional transportation priorities. The twinning of Highway 3 from Medicine Hat to Taber needs to happen. It is an essential corridor for business in S.E. Alberta. However, what I am fully against is any potential bypass of Highway 1 around Medicine Hat.


We are currently working together on a regional waste management strategy and have had other successes like the agreement on the South Boundary Road improvements. Some areas we haven’t been able to find agreement on such as water treatment for Redcliff and fire services for the County. But the success of Medicine Hat will depend on Cypress County and Redcliff also continuing to succeed.


ELECT


MAUREEN ROBERTS FOR COUNCILLOR


"Your Positive Voice For Change"


• Born & Raised in Medicine Hat • Honest Communicator • Strong Commitment to the Community


Phone 403-504-4844 maureenrobertsforcouncillor @MoRoberts2017 email morobert@telus.net


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