From combating rural crime to roads, candidates vying for the position as reeve of the MD of Bonnyville answered it all.
Residents will have two names on the ballot for reeve when they head to the polls on Oct. 16, but they won't be voting uninformed following the reeve candidate forum.
Barry Kalinski and Greg Sawchuk sat before a full house on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Ardmore Community Hall.
Both candidates shed some light on their platforms, expressing their concerns with rural crime, road conditions, and creating a better MD.
“My platform is very simple… I will work with whoever you put in power,” expressed Kalinski.
There are three things he believes MD residents want taken care of. The first is what's in front of their home; the second is what's in their community, and finally, what's within the MD as a whole.
“I'm telling you right now, council and I will work hard on all of those three items,” he added.
Neither candidate was interested in a regional government, however they both agreed that regional cooperation was necessary in order for a community to succeed.
This led into the first question of whether or not they feel the MD has a responsibility to fairly contribute to facilities and recreation within urban areas, and if so, how do they see it working?
Although Sawchuk believes it's the MD's responsibility to lend a hand to nearby community facilities that MD residents utilize, he also believes it should be measured and properly calculated.
He noted the modernized Municipal Government Act (MGA) and the Inter-Municipal Collaboration Framework (IMCF) is aiming to have communities work together for the betterment of all residents, not just their own.
“They're trying to mandate us to share with our neighbours,” he said. “I do believe we need to share in supporting some of these facilities.”
Kalinski agreed, but believes that in some cases, communities are building over the top facilities. He disagrees with funding what he described as the “Taj Mahal.”
“I think I will stay with the status quo for now, unless the new council says something different,” he added.
Both candidates were asked what their top priority would be, should they be elected.
Sawchuk said he would get started on combating crime, talking to the local RCMP detachments and MD of Bonnyville peace officers.
However, he would also focus on other ongoing concerns within the municipality.
“You can't prioritize one single issue. As a council, you're working on a dozen issues at a time,” he noted.
Kalinski would love to see Kinosoo Ridge turn into a four-seasons facility after being asked whether he wished to see greater development at the hill.
His ideas were an obstacle course in the summer, a marina, and maybe even cabins.
“I think it would enhance the area,” Kalinski said.
Residents had the floor to ask questions, with Ward 6 resident Randy McDonald querying the candidates about sharing money for facilities within the city and town.
He wondered how the MD would choose which facilities to fund, referring to Kalinski's comment about the “Taj Mahal.”
Using the City of Cold Lake Fire Hall as an example, Kalinski explained.
“It's a beautiful building, maybe for New York. It's just way over-priced,” he said.
Kalkinski continued it would be difficult for him to agree to help fund a facility for “X amount of dollars” when they wonder why it needs to be so elaborate for the area.
“We really have to sit with council and see if the project that they're going to do, we can supply funding for,” he added. “We will help them per capita on things like that.”
For Sawchuk, it was more about ensuring that all wards are treated equally.
Recently, the MD helped the town construct a multi-million dollar football field, he said. A few months later, they turned down the Village of Glendon for a project they had requested help funding.
“Both are within the MD, and both are somewhere we support. I think we need to look at supporting everyone fairly,” he continued.
A common concern among residents present was crime within the municipality. Both candidates agreed that something needed to be done, and that it wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of how.
Sawchuk noted that the MD had recently denied $35,000 in funding for a rural crime prevention position within their peace officers.
“They were telling me about this program that helps educate the people. They will come to your place, tell you how to make it safer, tighter, and prevent crime. When it came back to council, I didn't think it was appropriate to do this big thing, because that's not politically correct,” Kalinski responded.
However, if he had known that decision would be used against him, he would have made the motion to approve the program.
One resident had suggested having peace officers patrol communities at night, however, Sawchuk noted there are some hidden concerns.
“We could use our peace officers better… but there are limitations to what they can do.”
His unease was how dangerous it can be for a peace officer who doesn't carry a gun, to be driving down rural roads on their own.
“It would be irresponsible of council to put them in that position,” Sawchuk continued. “Peace officers are a tough issue. We don't want to put them in harm's way. There are two, they're in contact, but they're in two separate cars.”
Kalinski noted how the community is working together to spot crime better and report it not only to the police, but also to other residents.
Roads were also a topic of unease amongst residents.
Some believed the MD should be contracting the work to local businesses.
The MD purchased their own equipment when contractors were hard to come by. Now that business has slowed down for some of the local companies, residents were wondering why MD employees are doing the roadwork.
“The MD got into the paving and construction business when it was tough to find contractors… They aren't busy now. We have some fine contractors in the area who could be put to work,” Sawchuk agreed. “We have people who are unemployed. I think we need to have a very serious look. We have to look into the costs that are associated with road building.”
The MD does contract work, including projects like Gurneyville Rd., noted Kalinski.
He added, that staff has said they can do the work for 20 per cent cheaper than a contractor.
A written question asked the candidates what they think of the bylaw on acreage development.
The candidates were in agreement that tearing up valuable land is unnecessary.
“It's a shame that some of our farmland has been chewed up,” expressed Sawchuk.
Both candidates articulated the importance of town halls and allowing residents to express their concerns locally, provincially, and federally.
“If there are groups that are meeting at these halls, that would be a great thing to start,” Kalinski said.
The community halls could act as a platform to bring residents together to talk about common issues throughout the municipality.
“This gets back to my first point where we actually have to work with our neighbours. We need collaboration. We need to join together as one voice,” expressed Sawchuk.
In the end, Sawchuk and Kalinski encouraged residents to vote, whether it was in their favour or not.
