In the lead up to the October 15 municipal elections, The Free Press will be passing along reader-generated questions to the 16 candidates for public office at the City of Fernie.
On Friday last week, we posed this question from a reader:
- “How will you improve engagement between the city and residents? Do you think communication needs to be improved at all?”
Candidates were asked to answer the question in 100 words or less as if they were at an all-candidate forum.
Only candidates who responded by deadline (October 11, 12 noon) are included. Here are their responses verbatim, in no particular order:
Jesse Mould (council candidate)
Communication absolutely needs to improve. I plan when/ if elected to work with my fellow councilors to start up quarterly town halls at the seniors drop in center to meet with citizens and engage them person to person.
Harshan Ramadass (council candidate)
Absolutely needs to be improved. Not rocket science, go back to basics on communication. My campaign was built on reaching out to all of Fernie through good old face to face interaction, I’ll continue doing the same. From day 1, I will commit to being fully accessible to ALL, not just to my own small network of like-minded people as the current council has. Sending basic survey-monkey/facebook polls etc cost next to nothing, I would blast through the red tape and make it easier for the city to reach out to people. Also canceling letstalk Fernie, it’s goofy.
April Montague (council candidate)
I think communication can always be improved. I want to understand where the disconnect is between people and the city. I would certainly like to see more conversations and more engagement with residents, especially with folks who aren’t heard from as much, such as youth, seniors and low income folks. I would support an effort for more dialogue and engagement, but I first want to really understand the problem.
Tracey Audia Kelly (council candidate)
Communication must improve.
The current state is abysmal and COVID is an inadequate excuse for the lack thereof.
We need public input time at all council
meetings, which should be held in an accessible location, as well as being streamed. Town Hall meetings held semi annually. The Let’s Talk Fernie platform needs reviewed.
The online request for service form is not user friendly. Request options should have multiple channels including telephone. Not everyone goes online. An app, such as My Town, options for emails and text alerts would also add communication methods. Social media commentary turned back on. Feedback is important.
Nic Milligan (mayor candidate)
The key to success is through open and honest communication that builds trust and collaboration. I will reinstate those committees of council with public participation; keep the public input period at the beginning of meetings where it’s most meaningful; hold twice-yearly town hall meetings for the community to meet and discuss issues with council. I will continue the many conversations started with residents and community groups through the election and mobilize the intelligence, experience, and creativity of our community to develop a unified vision for Fernie’s future. Local government is not a mystic art but must be a collaborative one.
Blaine Fabi (council candidate)
There is a general lack of communication in Fernie right now. It seems that residents need to actively search out information about what is going on. This should not be the way it’s done. For example, it seems like many people were surprised by the announcement that first avenue is being turned into a one way street to make way for parking. That’s a critical decision and should have been a surprise to no one.
There are so many communication tools right now and there is no excuse to not use all of them. Facebook can be better utilised. For critical decisions, a mail out pamphlet is a great way to maximize the number of people that are reached. The Gold Coast city council in Australia does this a lot and it’s very effective. They also send a quarterly pamphlet out that tells everyone what projects are planned for the coming months.
Ted Shoesmith (council candidate)
As a hopeful councilor I think we need be more available to the public input. To do this, we should consider having more public forums, and moving our meetings to a more accessible venue. Being available on an open online forum is also a must. I think that most would agree that getting clarity from city hall on any issue or agreement is like pulling teeth. In the future, the city should be clearly stating it’s plans, and it’s expectations, up front. The city then needs to hold itself to these statements so that businesses and residents aren’t blindsided.
Ange Qualizza (incumbent mayor candidate)
Communication needs to be improved, we need to improve our online opportunities for engagement, integrate more in person opportunities to discuss priorities and projects, and immediately re-fresh the Official Community Plan to consider and plan for the future of Fernie.
We need to move our Council meetings out of City Hall so the community can come not just to watch, but to engage us before and after the meetings. Kimberley has a very successful paper bag lunch engagement tool that I will be advancing, bring your lunch and once a month we sit together and have meaningful conversations.
Troy Nixon (incumbent council candidate)
Yes, communication can be improved 110%. Admittedly we had major challenges which I believe led to the current state.
Zoom and Facebook provide access for Council meetings. Let’s Talk Fernie, our website and Facebook communicate 24/7. Feedback is done through Request for Service, email, phone or regular mail. Renewal of our Official Community Plan (OCP) requires all-hands-on-deck for the Community, Staff and Council.
The OCP can highlight communication which will create a communication road map for Fernie. Newsletters, podcasts, town hall meetings are all potential solutions which can boost lines of communication and dispel misinformation.
Kevin McIsaac (incumbent council candidate)
The last four years have seen council hire a communications coordinator and create the Fernie Let’s Talk page to help communication. It hasn’t been enough. Corporate communication has improved but personal communication has languished. COVID is partly to blame as it stymied communication within and without city hall, but it’s not the whole answer. Council needs to re-prioritize response times and ensure individuals are fully informed in a timely fashion about issues that affect them directly.
Kyle Hamilton (incumbent council candidate)
Communication has been a challenge over the last 4 years. Regardless of the causes (staff turnover, Covid limiting in person conversation, etc), improving the communications between the City and the community will need to be a key priority of the next council. From the challenges, however, came a great success with the push to an improved broadcast solution for our council meetings. Streaming them live so that anyone could watch and listen to the proceedings, even if they weren’t able to attend in person has created more informed conversations about meeting agenda items than I was having prior to this change.
Patrick Burke (council candidate)
If elected I would support return of the 15 minute public input periods for council meetings. On public works projects in areas that affect residents I would insist on that open communication and input from these residents. On larger projects the public must be involved and fully informed on costs.
Spencer Gough (council candidate)
I believe Communication between the city and public requires improvement. I would reevaluate our current communication options to fix or replace areas that are not efficient and easy to use. I would support open discussion at town halls that are to be held at least twice a year. I would also like to see a councillor or staff member at all city run or sponsored event such as the Wednesday night social to be in attendance in an official capacity to take down concerns to bring before council.
Bob Langfield (council candidate)
The inability for public input at council meetings has been a significant concern in recent years. I would support 15 minute public input periods for council meetings as a minimum. Open communication and input from the community members would be welcome on all significant public projects.
Do you have a question you want to hear from all candidates on? Email your question to editor@thefreepress.ca, and we will endeavor to reach out to all candidates on your behalf.
READ MORE: Fernie to decide between two mayoral candidates and 15 council candidates
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