Quesnel Mayoral Candidates Participate in All Candidates Forum – Quesnel Cariboo Observer

It was a packed house at an all-candidates municipal forum hosted by the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce at the College of New Caledonia on Wednesday, September 28.

All four mayoral candidates were present, along with all 12 mayoral candidates.

The first half of the forum, moderated by Ruby Derksen with assistance from the Quesnel Toastmasters, began with mayoral candidates Bob Simpson, Brian Waters, Ron Paull and David Schile each receiving up to three minutes to provide commentary. ‘opening.

Holder Bob Simpson wished all the contestants good luck.

“I hope all of you and everyone watching this eventually finds a candidate you can rally behind and feel comfortable voting for and sharing your vision, your aspirations for the community,” Simpson said, noting that he was first elected mayor in 2014. operating on a platform for change in the transitioning community.

“This program of change over the past eight years has resulted in the restructuring of the city’s finances, our ability to attract very large grants, and we have also created partnerships so that we can collaborate on finding solutions to ensure that Quesnel will remain a resilient and vibrant community that will continue to attract visitors, residents and investment. The challenge we have, of course, is that some members of our community don’t necessarily accept this change, and I understand that’s difficult, but as a council and in particular the role of the mayor as a leader, we are obligated to build community for today, not yesterday, and we must build a community that is resilient to the challenges of tomorrow.

Waters said he had a bunch of ideas he wanted to push forward and see a future with, claiming a lack of oil and resources.

Paull noted his decades of experience, including 17 years on city council, which prepared him well for the role of mayor.

“Energy, enthusiasm, experience and stamina are assets that I offer with extensive experience in community and regional issues,” Paull continued. “My only promise is to put people before politics, to encourage open and honest government and to treat everyone fairly and fairly, to respect different philosophies and points of view, and to not be afraid to ask and to answer the tough questions, openly admit my mistakes and give straight answers.”

Paull said spending was his main issue in previous elections, and he disagreed that they needed so many closed meetings and would work to livestream regular meetings of the advice.

Schile also thanked everyone for coming and said he was running on a different campaign and platform than what you usually see in Quesnel.

Schile envisions forming city-owned businesses that would generate revenue for a sustainable future with food security and a reduced cost of living, ultimately eliminating the need for taxes.

“It’s an ambitious plan, and it won’t happen overnight,” Schile said, calling himself a business owner who has started more than one from scratch. “Together we can do it, and with community-wide resources, we can do it.”

The mayoral candidates were each given up to two minutes to answer questions from the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce and submitted before the meeting by the public.

They included what they would do to ensure local developers get the first opportunity to be awarded RFPs and how they would mitigate the impacts of a global food shortage on Quesnel residents.

Candidates were also asked to describe their leadership style and how they would work with advisors to ensure all points of view are respected.

Paull said his leadership style would be very different from the current leadership style and doesn’t think it’s necessary for the mayor to sit on every committee.

Schile has described himself as a direct teacher who is open to the opinions of others, making sure everyone is heard.

Simpson called himself a serious leader with high expectations for council members to show up to council meetings in due form, stay focused on community business and not history, but the present. and the community’s future and challenges.

Waters said if someone got on his nerves, he would let it be known and expect the same from others.

Candidates were asked what their position was on homelessness and what they thought needed to be done.

Schile called homelessness a complex issue, but said any social program could be permanently funded through revenue generated by city-owned businesses.

“Homelessness at its root is a societal issue, and it’s a failure of our economic system,” Simpson said. “Our economic system creates such disparity that the ultra-rich are getting richer and richer and leaving more and more people behind.”

Simpson said it’s critical to understand that not all homeless people have mental health or addictions, but are elderly or single mothers.

He said that while the council, over the past eight years, has worked hard with Northern Health, BC Housing and other service providers to secure all available resources from the provincial and federal governments, they are not getting ahead of the problem. .

Simpson called council’s decision rejecting a BC Housing proposal to rezone the Ramada Inn for supportive housing and emergency shelter illustrative of that. He said the city is using $100,000 in provincial COVID-19 funding to work with the four local First Nations on a homelessness strategy that would see housing properly positioned in the community so they can say yes next. when BC Housing shows up.

Waters said the parking lot adjacent to Seasons House should be turned into a drug rehabilitation center.

Paull, meanwhile, said while he doesn’t have all the answers to address homelessness in the community, he would be willing to engage in difficult conversations in search of solutions.

Candidates were also asked if they would consider moving the gold bin across from the Quesnel Visitor Center to its former location on Highway 97 North.

Simpson responded with a resounding “no” and said its current location was part of the city’s overall, long-term tourism strategy during construction of the Quesnel Freeway Interconnection Project.

“Those who have the luxury of determining who they vote for mayor based on a pan of gold are living in a pretty straight world,” Simpson added.

Waters said he would “airlift” the pan of gold.

Paull called the pan of gold dear to his heart and said he would bring it back subject to “if it is the will of the people and the city council”.

Schile suggested leaving the gold pan where it is as moving would incur expense, wondering if it would be possible to build a different pan at its old location.

Candidates were also asked about their feelings about city workers being out of work long after COVID-19 vaccination mandates were lifted, what they would do to get them back to work and why the mandates remain. in place for city employees, contractors and volunteers.

Simpson noted that this is not a place for the mayor and council to get involved and said all candidates should understand the legal framework of the position they are running for. He said the original decision on a vaccination mandate was made by the city manager, who feels there is still a need to continue.

(Editor’s note: Watch for another post on the All Candidates Forum by the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce with councilor candidates this week)

Do you have anything to add to this story, or anything else we should report? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com

Election 2022Quesnel