Ahead of the Oct. 15 municipal election, CFJC Today asked candidates for Kamloops City Council to complete a questionnaire, offering voters the chance to evaluate their candidacies.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
Describe yourself, your occupation, and your historical connection to the Kamloops area.
Growing up in Kamloops, I was active in the community through dance, soccer, and leadership opportunities with school and volunteering. Prior to university, I went to Mexico through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program where I developed excellent communication skills and learned conversational Spanish. Currently, I am a dance teacher in town, a dive coach, a Judo coach, and co-run Lindy in the Loops Swing Dance.
Fun facts about me: I have lived in four countries, am an avid board game player, enjoy extreme sports, and am a lover of pets.
What differentiates you from the other candidates?
My experience growing up with a special needs sibling and living in a country where I don’t speak the language has given me a unique opportunity to develop interpersonal skills. I am able to identify with and communicate clearly with a diverse audience and ensure that I am understood.
My unique strength is my capacity to generate energy and enthusiasm within a group. I am at my best when I am brainstorming with a group of people and working as part of a team to solve problems. This makes me an ideal candidate for council.
What do you think is the best way to resolve disagreements or conflicts with your peers, those in a different department, or those in a different jurisdiction?
Often, conflicts arise because we are coming at the issue from different context, expectations, and assumptions. The first thing in resolving disagreements is to go back to the goal or the problem being solved and ensure everyone is using the same language. Once everyone is clear on the issue or goal, start the discussion again. I like to take time to think on an issue and take steps to ensure I understand all sides completely before offering up a solution or compromise. I find that by using these steps, conflicts can deescalate and resolve with everyone’s dignity intact.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing the City of Kamloops and how would use your elected position to address it?
What a great question and a tough one to answer, as Kamloops is a diverse community. I think the issue that is having the biggest impact on our citizens is the rising cost of housing. As a city councillor I would look into expanding zoning for innovative housing design to allow for more people to live well within the community. For example, housing co-ops allow for families to come together and share resources. Current waitlists are over two years for this type of housing. This is just one example I would like to see developed and expanded.
How do you plan to involve Kamloops residents in your decision making?
The past two years has changed the landscape of connection and engagement within our community. I would like to see more use of virtual tools to allow for participation in decision making. Of course, face-to-face conversations are important, but it has never been easier to set up platforms online to reach a broader audience and make it easier for citizens to connect. If we want people to participate in discussion, we need to provide multiple opportunities and make it easy and accessible. This is what I will work towards.
What does a sustainable future for Kamloops and area look like to you and what does it need?
A sustainable future for Kamloops looks like reduced energy use through innovative design techniques, less waste production, commercial participation in recycling programs, activation of young leaders, and opportunities for all citizens to participate. This needs a vision from mayor and council that evokes an emotional response to rally the people. The best way to get this is engage people in the process.
