St Boniface City Councillors Debate Responses

On September 22nd, I received and invitation from the Francophone Chamber of Commerce to attend a candidate's debate. When I agreed to attend last month, it was with the understanding that all of the candidates would be participating in a “lively debate.” I had been looking forward to the opportunity to engage my opponents in this race in order to give members of the Chamber, and indeed all voters, a venue to learn about me, my platform, and how I intend to improve the lives of the residents and business owners of St. Boniface. I was saddened to learn that what I had agreed to participate in would not, in fact, be a debate at all, but rather a brief soundbite contest, with no opportunity to engage either my opponents or the audience.

Unfortunately, my platform has not been designed to be disseminated in a 60 second time span, as I believe that my ideas must be backed by substance, and subsequently followed by a plan to make them a reality. I have decided that the best way for me to reach out to residents today is to continue my grassroots campaign in the neighbourhoods of St. Boniface with my ever-growing group of volunteers. Below are the questions that would have been posed by the Francophone Chamber of Commerce along with my responses that I would have provided.

Question 1: What is your priority for Saint Boniface?
We know that the incoming City Council will look vastly different from the outgoing one. This will provide an excellent and rare opportunity to re-shape our civic governance. The past decade has seen City Hall plagued by scandal and impropriety.
I will work with the new Council to re-claim City Hall as a chamber of and for the people of Winnipeg. In order to regain the trust of the people, we need to re-establish a sense of transparency and accountability for our elected representatives and civic officials. My focus will be on establishing records of all debates and votes in Council, and making them publicly available online and in hard copy, as well as entirely searchable.

In addition, the current taxation model is not working for St Boniface and Winnipeg. Rising costs coupled with expanded housing developments and lack of vision and preparation have led us to a crossroads. St Boniface has experienced a population boom with a potential for more to come. With the urban sprawl that has taken place in St Boniface, rising costs for roads and other infrastructure to connect these areas to the city has taken its' toll. The time is now to bring these areas closer together so that residents in the outlying areas of the ward have equal access to the amenities and services that residents closer to the core of the city experience. In addition, increased transit access and frequency are needed to bring people to all areas of the neighbourhood. St Boniface has a unique aura about it and it needs to be more accessible to not only people within its boundaries but so that residents of Winnipeg in all areas can experience what St Boniface has to offer. By connecting better to areas such as the Waterfront and Exchange District, St Boniface will increase traffic with businesses and the community growing as a result.

Question 2: What do you believe you can contribute to improve francophone/bilingual entrepreneurship as represented here by our members of the Francophone Chamber of Commerce?
St Boniface is an amazing community with lots to offer in all areas of the ward. A showpiece of the city, Old St Boniface with its rich heritage and francophone roots, holds the ability to set itself apart from other areas of the city. We need to do a better job of showcasing the unique culture fostered here in St Boniface by the business leaders. We have the ability to create a dynamic entertainment and culinary hub along Provencher and surrounding streets with proper marketing and partnerships. Using L’Esplanade Riel, we could easily partner with the Forks North Portage Partnership and the Exchange Biz to build a walkable destination for all Winnipeggers to enjoy. Borrowing from other cities, like Whyte Ave in Edmonton or the Red Mile in Calgary, a large spanning area can be viewed as the place to be, day or night for socialites from any area of the city and tourists seeking an experience that is uniquely Winnipeg.

With the promise of new innovative ideas and change for the area, it is important to reflect on the past and look to what can be accomplished and how. The change to our way of thinking and realization of new heights for St Boniface requires a delicate balance of experience and new thinking. My girlfriend started and owns her own business in St Boniface. I have seen the challenges firsthand that exist for a new business owner to thrive. She has been incredibly successful and I have witnessed what it takes to do so. I also personally have been in sales and marketing for over 15 years and bring a wealth of knowledge and can rely on past experience to bring new ideas that have been successful to St Boniface. I feel that existing challenges often require fresh eyes and new ways of looking at problems. We have heard repeatedly in this election City Hall needs new blood free of connections to the old council and I feel this thinking goes beyond just a seat with the council chambers. It extends to platforms such as this and fresh thinking with new ideas are needed to jumpstart St Boniface and build for the future.