CANDIDATE PROFILE: Sadie Hunter

What differentiates you from the other candidates?

Quite a lot. I credit the support of Kamloops for helping me achieve my goals and providing a better life for my family. I’ve had to work hard for every single thing I’ve done, and community support has been integral in my success. I now want to put my lived and learned experiences towards public service. I’m an entrepreneur and parent, I have a disability, I’ve experienced poverty and challenges around finding daycare and affordable housing. I don’t think there’s many candidates who have my combined experiences and these will be invaluable in the decision making and tenacity required to move forward in such complex times.

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?

There would likely be a variance in approach depending on the circumstances. However, I think most differences can be addressed through communication. By communicating we can identify common values and ideas and establish a starting point for discussion. In my experience, there is always some common ground and shared goals between parties. Working through disagreement also requires some level of humility and if at least one side is willing to be humble and listen, the door to communication will remain open.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing the City of Kamloops and how would use your elected position to address it?

The most visible issue are the rising social challenges however these are rooted in and related to what I believe to be the biggest challenges. Rising costs of living and inflationary costs have a negative impact on everyone. We are in a situation where the basic cost of living is outstripping income for so many, from those on a fixed income to working-class families.

Inflationary costs also impact the cost of delivering and maintaining municipal services. We’re heading into a time where we will need to work very hard to balance service delivery with trying to avoid contributing to the daily living cost burdens we’re all experiencing. This ties directly into an increased number of individuals experiencing housing instability and food insecurity.

There are some aspects of this outside the control of the municipal government. Where we can make a difference is in making those difficult decisions to forgo or reduce services and try to keep tax rates in alignment with annual inflation. We can also advocate to the provincial government for cost-sharing in things like the cannabis sales revenue which we still have not received despite having the first provincial cannabis store in B.C. open in Kamloops. We can also resist the downloading of responsibilities which often come without funding like we have with the increased costs of policing tied to the new collective agreement struck between the federal government and the RCMP.

How do you plan to involve Kamloops residents in your decision-making?

Platforms like the Let’s Talk Kamloops page have been great engagement and information collecting tools on various plans and initiatives like the annual budget process and neighbourhood plans. I’d like to see a more accessible city hall and include other opportunities for engagement including annual town halls, monthly coffee chats, and topic-specific forums. These could be held at different locations across the city to allow residents an opportunity they may not otherwise have to engage with the mayor and council.

What does a sustainable future for Kamloops and area look like to you and what does it need from mayor and council?

We are on track to have a sustainable future with the stability of larger employers like New Gold, TRU, Interior Health amongst others. Continuing to diversify our economy and working collaboratively to innovate in traditional sectors and support local entrepreneurs will play an important role in our future. Mayor and council’s role is to support these efforts and work closely with Venture Kamloops and partners like the Kamloops and District Chamber, TteS, Community Futures Development Corporation of Central Interior First Nations, Community Futures Thompson Country, Kamloops Innovation and the university to listen and provide the support identified by these groups.

by CFJC Today

CANDIDATE PROFILE: Sadie Hunter

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