By-election: Candidates' Vision for the City
Nick Murray
The campaign signs are starting to turn up and door knocking campaigns have begun. In Moose Jaw an election is underway. Well, a by-election, but close enough.
There are four names vying to be the City's sixth Councillor, filling the void left behind by long-serving Councillor Don Mitchell, who resigned from politics earlier this year for personal reasons.
A clear vision for the future of the city is something that was important to our readers, so we put it to the candidates to find out how they envision Moose Jaw, looking forward. Nobody mentioned rocket cars, hologram humans or colonizing distant planets but what is clear is that each candidate is different and has different goals and priorities because what we ended up with was a miasma of achievable and down-to-earth plans for a not-so-distant future Moose Jaw.
Doug Blanc
Doug Blanc, who spent 10 years as the Vice President of SGEU (Saskatchewan Government Employees Union) and another 4 as it's president, envisions a city in which crime is low and citizens have no reason to fear walking in the streets at night.
"The past few years Moose Jaw has seen an increase in violence and crime and the friendly city isn't as friendly as it should be" he said. And he undoubtedly is speaking the truth; the city has seen an uptick in violent and drug related crime. 2018 has already seen two murders in the city.
"People are posting on social media that they are afraid to walk in the evening or to allow their children to go to the many parks" Blanc added. "Vehicles are being vandalized or stolen while parked in front of their owners' homes."
“We need to take our city back, where people can walk in the evening. Where people are proud that they live in Moose Jaw.”
Doug Blanc isn't the only the candidate who envisions a city the residents are proud to call home, Heather Eby feels the same way.
Heather Eby
Eby, who sat on Council from 2009 to 2016, is a registered massage therapist and a successful entrepreneur. She has a great love for the city but feels our pride in it has "become lost or eroded".
"I feel that if there is a strong sense of pride people will take better care of their surroundings and that will spread out into the community" she said.
But she didn't aim her comments solely at the residents of Moose Jaw, she directly pointed to current councillors.
"I believe that City Council needs to collectively take more pride in our city too. If we all take pride in what we are doing then things will really begin to change; maybe slowly at first, but the change will be evident. Pride in our city will have the power to change our city, from the inside out" she said.
Mike Bachiu
Mike Bachiu, the Program Co-ordinator at Moose Jaw Families for Change sees in Moose Jaw a city in which the infrastructure is as incredible and supportive as the people are.
"With my work supporting people of varying abilities, I’ve learned that the people of Moose Jaw are incredibly accepting and supportive of people, no matter what their disability may be. Our infrastructure, however, has a long way to go to catch up" He said.
Bachiu will take an active role in pushing that vision into reality.
"many people seem to feel that their City doesn’t care for them. I want to help to be the microphone for people" he said, adding that he wants to effect changes by working with and bringing together the necessary people.
A fourth candidate, Steven White, who has been in financial services for 25 years, did not comment on the matter.
The date for voting in the municipal by-election is October 17th. All the information you need to know about voting in the on the City's website. Who is running? For what positions? Where and when to vote and whether or not you are eligible? Advanced polls? Necessary identification? It's all at:
