It was a smaller crowd at the 91原创 City all-candidates meeting on Thursday night, but plenty of topics were covered including crime, transportation, amalgamation and building a performing arts centre.
All three mayoral candidates attended, along with 11 councillor hopefuls at the Cascades Casino and Conference Centre debate organized by the Greater 91原创 Chamber of Commerce. Ron Abgrall was absent.
鈥淲e have to stop pushing our heads in the sand. I鈥檓 sick and tired of hearing there isn鈥檛 a crime problem in the City,鈥� said council hopeful Valerie van den Broek. 鈥淚 am an auxiliary constable and worked as the co-ordinator for the City Community Police office for eight years. We have a problem and we need to deal with it.鈥�
Council hopefuls Christine MacIntosh and Miriam Marshall pointed out that the City has social issues, people with mental health problems and a lack of addiction services.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel there is a champion for the disadvantaged on this council. I want to be that person in the City,鈥� said Marshall.
Councillor Dave Hall, who is seeking a third term on council, remarked that crime and social issues never come up at the council table, 鈥渏ust at election time.鈥�
He would like to see the city explore using ticket revenue to hire more police, like North Vancouver has.
But several candidates pointed out that while 91原创 City has one of the highest rates of crime in Canada, it also has the highest police per citizen ratio, with one officer for every 500 people.
Asking to return to City council for her ninth term, Gayle Martin said she does care about the homeless and disadvantage, but said the province is in charge of financing this issue.
鈥淚f we take over, it is downloaded on to us,鈥� Martin said.
Council hopeful Nathan Pachal said more police aren鈥檛 the answer, growing a strong economy is.
Later in the debate, he noted that a performing arts centre in the downtown would help provide a bustling area day and night.
鈥淎 way to clean up crime is putting in legitimate, vibrant buildings,鈥� said Pachal.
Business in the downtown core was also a question asked, particularly regarding the 12 pharmacies that have opened in the city鈥檚 core recently which are dispensing methadone.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we have that many heroin users in the town that we need 12 methadone clinics in four-square miles,鈥� said Rudy Storteboom, who is seeking a return to city council. 鈥淐hanges to provincial legislation made methadone a profitable venture and there are some pharmacies bringing in heroin addicts from other communities. Some of these heroin addicts end up staying here.鈥�
He sat on council when the City limited cheque cashing businesses and he would like to see the same done for pharmacies. He would also like to see provincial legislation changed so methadone isn鈥檛 so profitable to dispense.
Van den Broek questioned why the City isn鈥檛 having bylaw inspectors go into businesses to make sure they are legitimate.
鈥淭here are businesses opening up in the core that people aren鈥檛 happy about. Nobody is reviewing business licenses in the City right now,鈥� she said.
Acting mayor Ted Schaffer said the City 鈥渋sn鈥檛 crime ridden. My glass is half full.鈥�
Mayoral candidate Ray Lewis ran for council because crime has gotten so bad. Mayoral candidate Randy Caine hoped to bring the community closer and bring back town hall meetings.
Council candidate Sharon Newberry lives in the core and said she doesn鈥檛 feel safe walking in Douglas Park at night. She wants to see a Block Watch program, more visible police presence and to work with the BIA on a revitalization incentive program.
MacIntosh said she was looking to rent space in the core and rents are very high and 鈥渏ust unaffordable for most small businesses鈥� with monthly fees of $3,800 and up.
When asked if they would support a study looking into amalgamation, the majority of candidates said no.
Candidate Carla Robin said she doesn鈥檛 support amalgamation but would support a study. Most commented that the City stands on its own, with a sound financial footing, as a result of casino revenue and no debt.
Robin said a review of the City鈥檚 2014-2018 financials shows $28 million in revenues, 鈥渨hich is good going forward.鈥�
Caine would support a study, given more than 3,000 residents signed a City submitted submission asking for one.
Schaffer said the City is very viable even without casino revenues.
He pointed to the luxury auto mall as an example of economic successes.
Martin, who has sat on council for 28 years, and for 21 years has been its representative on Metro Vancouver鈥檚 boards, was asked what she feels her major accomplishments have been after all these years.
鈥淥n Metro Vancouver my major accomplishment is 鈥淓xperience the Fraser鈥� project. It鈥檚 a long, long term project but I鈥檓 very proud of that.鈥�
Councillor Jack Arnold was also asked why he should be elected again after 25 years on council.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of our work on the Timms Centre. My priority for the future is to keep on keeping on,鈥� replied Arnold.
Hall was also questioned about why he was seeking re-election, when he said he supported two-term limits.
鈥淚 want to be here to mentor the newcomers and to see the Timms Centre through,鈥� Hall said.
The majority of candidates don't support parking meters on the one-way.
Caine, who owns Hempyz on the one-way said parking is a huge issue.
鈥淲e need to do something more than the two-hour limit parking right now. People are getting penalized for eating dinner downtown,鈥� he said.
When it comes to improving transportation and transit in 91原创, many pointed the finger at the dysfunction of TransLink.
鈥淭he common theme I鈥檓 hearing out there is there are no options, no connectivity. We have to build coalitions to place weight on priorities south of the Fraser,鈥� said candidate Paul Albrecht.
Pachal, who is the creator of the South of the Fraser blog, said transit ridership is actually up locally. He warned that trying to separate from TransLink and go it alone would be very expensive.
Strooteboom called TransLink 鈥渢he black hole of need.鈥�
He said it isn鈥檛 fair that 91原创 is penalized more because of toll bridges.
鈥淟et鈥檚 share the pain with tolls in Vancouver and Burnaby,鈥� he said.
Schaffer said 91原创 City is on a list of transit upgrades.
鈥淢arch 2015 is the referendum for funding the 30-year vision. If funding is found, the City is in line in year eight of the vision to receive a Fraser Highway b-line,鈥� Schaffer said.
MacIntosh pointed out that transit ridership can鈥檛 improve until the Logan Avenue bus loop is safer and bus stops are cleaned up.
Martin said she voted against road pricing because it penalizes car-dependent places like 91原创 more.
鈥淓very bridge in Metro should be tolled about $1 each way,鈥� she said.
It was a 50/50 split on supporting a performing arts centre within the Township or City limits.
鈥淚 believe strongly in the arts. It鈥檚 the heartbeat of a community. A cultural centre is long overdue,鈥� said Albrecht.
鈥淲e鈥檝e partnered with the Township before on things like McLeod Athletic Park. As long as it鈥檚 equitable,鈥� said Marshall.
Caine and Schaffer are opposed.
鈥淲e should take care of our own issues before paying for a centre in the Township,鈥� said Caine. Martin would support paying a portion for a centre in the Township.
鈥淎 whole generation of graduates and dance recitals, plays too, have gone on out of town because we have no centre here,鈥� said Storteboom.
Hall said it is too expensive to do without private money coming in.
