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Ralph Lovatt running for Sparwood council

Lovatt wants to focus on fire guards for town and look at spending
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Ralph Lovatt is running for a seat on Sparwood council in the October 2022 election. (Joshua Fischlin/The Free Press)

Ralph Lovatt is running for a seat on Sparwood council.

Lovatt moved to Sparwood from Saskatchewan in 1972, and has been a mine worker ever since. He is currently a plant operator at the Elkview mine.

Lovatt has raised two children in town and lives there now with his wife.

He said he is not interested in criticizing the current council, adding they’ve done a good job over the last four year considering COVID and other things that are going on.

“But I’m curious about spending, you know. I’m much more of a basics person.”

He said he hopes he has some ideas.

“I’m not saying the ideas that were done now are wrong, I’m not saying that the spending that has been done now didn’t make sense.

“But maybe I think we want to have a little better look at it.”

Lovatt’s main reason for running is to promote taking proactive, precautionary measures for forest fires.

“My one basic is, I’m of the opinion that we need to build fire guards around Sparwood, before there’s a fire at the garbage dump,” he said.

“That’s one of my priorities. It can be done relatively inexpensively.”

He said they need to ‘really concentrate on realities,’ and said there’s been conversations that a 24-hour emergency service is needed in town (adding that the one they have now is 12 hours).

“It would be nice to have, but in the reality of the world right now, and the reality of provincial-run politics, and staff shortages… we probably should consider keeping what we have rather than trying to push for more.”

“And, if possible, enhance what we have.”

He also said that, physically, he thinks they need to be careful, because a number of people he talks to say there has been spending in Sparwood that is not as valuable as they would like.

“I don’t want us to build an enormous facility that can’t afford to be open or can’t afford to be run, or can’t afford to maintain services.”

Speaking to how his past experience would inform his potential role as councillor, Lovatt said he tends to speak up in the mines considerably, and is not afraid of speaking in public.

He said he can be flexible with things, and is not hard and fast-fixed in his ideas.

“This is who I am, this is where I stand. Hopefully I have some decent ideas,” he said.

“I may be a common voice of reason almost, like the senate is supposed to be.”

The election is taking place on October 15.

READ MORE: Editor’s note: Calling all local candidates


@fishynewswatch
josh.fischlin@thefreepress.ca

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