Running for a second term in the City of Fernie, Joe Warshawsky said he hopes to finish the projects he began working on last term.
One project of special interest to Warshawsky is a 55-plus gated community.
“That’s something we’ve never had here,” he noted. “That’s the missing link in our [seniors] program here.”
Rather than solely having primary care facilities for elderly residents, Warshawsky said he would like to introduce transitional senior housing, where seniors can live in a community housing development.
Other areas of interest include amending the current subdivision and single-family residential lot (R1SL) bylaws. Warshawsky said that the current bylaws are outdated.
“What they’re doing is they’re impacting on the neighbours,” Warshawsky said of residents who took advantage of the R1SL bylaw. “The height and lot size is out of proportion.”
He went on to say, “We have to be conscious of the people we live with. Things are going to get too crowded.”
During a mid-October council meeting, council placed a moratorium on the current bylaw, something Warshawsky was in support of.
“We’re creating a fire hazard. I’m against it because I lived that nightmare on 7th Avenue; it’s not working” he said.
Warshawsky also noted his interest in developing education within the City of Fernie. For Warshawsky, this would include introducing a full college to the City of Fernie that would provide students with several trade programs like carpentry and mechanical programs.
“We could create a whole new labour pool,” he noted. “In this community, because of our proximity to industry, the trades are attractive.”