The 2017 Canmore municipal election is officially underway and 14 citizens have put their name forward as potential town councillors, with two longtime local politicians challenging each other for the mayor's seat.
The 2017 Canmore municipal election is officially underway and 14 citizens have put their name forward as potential town councillors, with two longtime local politicians challenging each other for the mayor's seat.
Incumbent Mayor John Borrowman and Councillor Ed Russell filed their official nomination papers on Monday (Sept. 18) at the Civic Centre. It is not the first time they have run against each other for the leadership role, having both run in the 2012 byelection, along with then Coun. Pam Hilstad.
While Borrowman has successfully won two elections for mayor, Russell said it is time for a change at the top.
“There is a strong degree of dissatisfaction and possibly disconnection and people are hoping there is a better way,” he said.
Russell pointed to the ongoing housing issue in the community, parking and photo radar, decisions like moving forward with the Quarry Lake mountain bike trail and proposed Land Use Bylaw changes, as reasons people in the community are unhappy with the current council.
“It is a good community, it is a strong community, but it is one that needs guidance and leadership to get back on track to become what we should be, which is a happy, satisfied, great place to live,” Russell said.
Borrowman, meanwhile, stood behind his record as mayor and leader in the community for the past five years and the work council has done together to address various challenges facing Canmore.
“Issues around environmental stewardship, economic diversity, and social inclusivity and this council has prioritized matters that relate to the affordability and liveability of our town and there are some who do not support these initiatives.”
Borrowman said he too is hearing from those who disagree with the direction being taken, but pointed out a recent Ipsos Reid citizen satisfaction survey found seven out of 10 residents are satisfied or very satisfied with the work council is doing.
He said disagreement on challenging issues is expected and the next council and those who disagree with council direction are going to need to find a way to engage with each other “in more civil and productive ways.”
Mark “Woody” Blackwood is a first time candidate for council, although many in the community would recognize him as a lifelong resident, former business owner and family man.
He said, looking back, his contribution to the community so far has been coaching hockey, but he wants to change that by running for council.
“It is time for me to put my foot forward and help out with the community for the rest of my time here,” he said.
Asked about the issues the next council would have to address during its term, Blackwood said they are pretty clear.
“I think most councillors would agree it is going to be housing, parking and traffic, and Canmore has stalled out on all three,” he said. “I believe that all of those are attainable, we just need to speed up the process.”
Wes Christensen said his greatest concern for Canmore's future is that there seems to be a mass exodus of families from the community due to the lack of affordability.
“And I think it is time for change,” Christensen said. “We need to bring in new faces and a different perspective to council. There are some problems; we have managed to spend ourselves into a substantial amount of debt and I think that needs to be addressed as well.”
He said most politicians don't want to listen, but he does and will be out campaigning prepared to listen to the community.
“I am willing to put my name in the arena and go out there and ask some questions and listen to what people are saying and I hope we can fix this,” Christensen said. “Council has a role to play in keeping families in the community.”
Esmé Comfort is seeking a second term on council and said she is hearing concern around development and housing affordability and availability.
For Comfort, she looks to hear from a wide range of voices in the community about the issues in order to find solutions.
“The problem solving is fascinating to me,” she said about being a councillor. “Really knowing what is going on is really interesting to me and really important.
“I think I have something to offer the community because I think critically and there are some puzzles coming up.”
Kim Csizmazia is running for council and brings with her a depth of knowledge around how the rules governing affordable housing in Canmore and the province of Alberta have hamstringed efforts to address the issue locally.
Currently sitting as chair of the board for the Mountain Haven Housing Cooperative, Csizmazia was inspired to run for council by the current mayor.
“I am running because a few months ago I was working on the affordable housing issue with the mayor and he asked me if I was considering running for council because he said we need passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable people,” she said.
“That put the bug in my ear and here I am.”
Csizmazia said her approach to governance is to work toward a common ground approach that builds alignment within complex systems.
“I think I have the values and skills to bring the interests and needs of the community in alignment with the needs of business and environmental communities,” she said, adding in her life she has heard “no” more often than “yes,” driving her to find ways to make things work.
Chris Dmytriw submitted his nomination papers on Monday (Sept. 19), saying he believes it is his civic duty to put his name on the ballot.
“After living here for 30 years, it is time to step up and be more a part of this town, which I have seen change,” Dmytriw said. “I owe it to the town I love and in any way I can help the future of this town to become a place for people to live and call home, I feel it is my duty.”
The artist and former restaurant owner, having owned and operated Zona's Bistro for many years, said he now has time to dedicate to serving on council.
As for the issues he thinks the next council will have to grapple with, housing was at the top of the list. He said housing is connected to different facets of our local economy in ways that make it the biggest priority.
“I would like to think a more important issue than housing is finding out what is the town,” he said. “How big is it going to get? What is hands off and what is hands on?”
Chad Friel is a younger candidate for council at age 32, and the local business owner, massage therapist and personal trainer was inspired to run for council as a voice for a different demographic than what has traditionally been at the table.
“If we have a chance to make a change, then why not step forward if you can?” Friel said. “I hope to be a voice to represent all sorts of people.”
He said his biggest concern as a candidate was building more community and all kinds of things fall into that, like affordable housing and parking. Having worked in resort communities that have staff accommodations, Friel said Canmore is missing out on solutions to its problems.
“Staff accommodation would take pressure off other units and fill the void for short term residents,” he said.
Jeff Hilstad is also a younger candidate for political office. The 28-year-old has lived his entire life in the community and understands the challenges facing young families, having a wife and two young children at home.
Hilstad said he is hearing concerns in the community from citizens who don't feel heard by council. He also feels strongly about keeping municipal tax increases low and being fiscally prudent in budget decisions each year.
“Those are the two things I feel very strongly about,” he said. “I pride myself on being fiscally responsible and I also pride myself on being a good listener.”
Jill Jamieson is a new candidate and fairly new resident to the community, having moved here with her husband and two children.
With a background in governance leadership, education outdoor leadership and family background in building and development, she said there are no easy answers when it comes to the future of the community.
“If there is any town with the intellectual capacity, experience and resources to solve some of this stuff, it has to be here. Honestly, there is so much talent in this town and there are unique resources,” Jamieson said. “I am quite interested in supporting the process and I want to lean into community in a new and different way.”
She said an important issue for the next council is going to be maintaining a liveable community for all residents and listening is an important part of the job to find a way forward.
Jeff Laidlaw is another newcomer to Canmore, having lived locally for four years. He put his name forward as a candidate because there are significant development issues facing the community.
Laidlaw pointed to developments like Basecamp and the Super 8 on Bow Valley Trail, the rezoning of a lot at Seventh and Seventh and the decision to provide perpetually affordable housing on the old daycare lands (a.k.a. Larch Park), as just a few examples of the hundreds of issues facing the municipality.
“I only came here four years ago and four years ago this was a lovely, quiet, little mountain town that was charming and beautiful and now it seems that people are very much on edge and concerned about the direction taken,” he said.
Laidlaw said as an elected official he would be a voice for those who feel they are not being heard at town hall.
“There are a lot of people who feel very disconnected … and not by choice, but because that is the way they feel they have been treated and they look for someone they feel gives them a voice,” he said.
James Louden might be a familiar face to those in the community that have been around for longer than a single term of council. Louden's candidacy in the municipal election is his fourth try at local politics.
His first election was in 2010 and he said his number one issue remains the same – the affordability and liveability of the community. As a low wage worker himself, he said he would bring a perspective to the council table that is needed to address those issues.
“The pressures to council comes from the middle and upper echelons and they tend to be political classes that are engaged,” he said. “For those of us on the bottom, I think the struggle for survival is the primary issue, and I don't blame council and I'm not saying they are not doing their job. But they are probably not hearing a lot of those voices from the bottom rung.”
Louden said council has done good work in the community over its past term, with a focus on bike friendly infrastructure and transit making a difference for people who live and work here.
“I am here to support all the good things I have seen them do in the last term,” he said. “I love this valley, it is my home and my home doesn't end at my front door.”
Karen Marra has been a familiar face at council meetings this year, attending to better understand the process and what is needed to serve on council.
A member of a well-known local family with six generations in the valley, Marra said it is in fact her family and its roots in the community that have inspired her to run for council.
“I am investing into the future of my grandchildren here, and I am looking forward to that,” she said. “I want to help shape the community in a way that affects everyone.”
Marra said she has been listening to the community, and after attending “a few informal forums” already, she thinks the next biggest issue for council is going to be communication.
“I don't know what the disconnect is,” she said. “What can we do to engage the community more? That is the biggest job of the next council.”
Joanna McCallum put her name forward for a third term on council and when asked about what issues the next council would have to work on pointed firmly at liveability as the biggest concern.
“I have seen criticism of some of the initiatives that we are moving forward on and have moved forward on in the last four years, and in particular liveability issues like housing,” McCallum said. “I feel that if we plan properly for the future of our community we need to have a big picture look at how everybody affects everybody else.
“If we don't have people who can afford to live here then, for instance, you won't be able to talk to a real person to open a bank account, or you may have strangers bused in to take care of seniors at the lodge.
“In addition to our tourism economy, there is an existing economy that occurs that just supports the people of Canmore and we need to be able to have the social infrastructure available to us to be able to support those people who in turn support us.”
Vi Sandford was first elected to council in a 2012 byelection and again in the 2013 general election.
Heading into her third municipal race, she said a particular issue for her is vehicular traffic and congestion.
The issue represent a core part of council's strategic priorities to address, and Sandford said she is hearing feedback about some of the remedies being used like increasing bike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and establishing local transit.
Similarly, she said the issue of how neighbourhoods in Canmore change over time has been at the forefront of civic discussions and would be important for the next council to consider.
“Council at this point has been very concerned about how neighbourhoods change and how they evolve over time, but also meeting the needs of the community for housing,” she said. “I think what we are focusing on is keeping our community vibrant and youthful and bringing up another generation here, because I think we want to thrive and I think that is the only way you have a full complete community – when you have full demographic representation.”
Rob Seeley said he was excited to put his name forward for a second term on council. Over the last four years, he said it is clear there are a lot of issues and concerns that exist in the community.
From wildlife corridors and adjacent uses, outdoor recreation, to liveability and affordable housing, Seeley said the next council has a lot of work to do to keep moving forward on the strategic priorities and real solutions.
“What I bring to the table is experience,” he said. “I am engaged and I have done a lot already in the community, so I am connected to Canmore.”
Go to www.rmoutlook.com for full profiles of all candidates.
