All four pillars of my platform are interconnected, rely on each other, and work together to build a bright future for our city. Our community will only be stronger through connected and compassionate people, efficient services, and resilient businesses.
I’m committed to working on the tasks outlined by Age Friendly Lethbridge, a designation that recognizes age-friendly cities and communities that promote healthy and active aging. That includes helping our city to move forward in the areas of:
- Respect and social inclusion
- Communication and information
- Community support and health services
- Accessible outdoor spaces and buildings
- Affordable housing
- Transportation
- Civic participation and employment
- Social participation
What does this mean for you? Don’t let the name fool you. An Age Friendly Lethbridge is about everyone in our community. An age-friendly community is friendly for all its citizens, and addresses many of the concerns we are all voicing about our community, including:
- Safety
- Accessibility
- Employment opportunities
- Current transit structure
- Parks and pathways
- Affordable housing
- Sharing information about what’s available in our community and how to access it
I’m committed to advocating for health care and mental health care services and supports for all people in our city. This includes:
- Holding our provincial and federal governments accountable and ensuring that our city and region are getting appropriate and necessary funding and supports for all health care services.
- Working with local AHS teams on a recruitment strategy to attract medical professionals in all areas of specialization to our city, so that everyone has a family doctor.
- Working with community organizations to assist them in securing funding and support from provincial and federal governments. This includes ensuring they’re able to provide the services necessary, so people don’t fall into crisis.
What does this mean for you? The health service professionals in our area do a tremendous job. Lethbridge City Council needs to do more to support them. For too long our area has been short many healthcare related services. Residents shouldn’t have to drive to Calgary or Edmonton for services. Residents shouldn’t fall into crisis because they can’t get the services needed here or because there’s a delay in receiving/accessing service that’s not available in the immediate area. Lethbridge is a regional hub and should be seeing the funding and supports of a regional hub.
Focussing on economic recovery and development is key to our city’s future. Economic development is business investment attraction, business retention and expansion, and entrepreneurship and innovation, all of which lead to job creation. It pays for services and creates a vibrant community.
I’m committed to helping Economic Development Lethbridge do its job for our city by:
- Promoting the benefits of doing business in Lethbridge.
- Cutting red tape to make it easier to do business in our city.
- Updating and reviewing policies that create artificial barriers to growth.
- Exploring private business opportunities to enhance public services options.
- Working with local businesses to achieve their goals for recovery, retention, and expansion.
What does this mean for you? Economic Development Lethbridge returns $104 dollars to our community for every $1 in City funding it receives. This means jobs, a vibrant community, and increased economic development pays for services that create a vibrant community.
We have so many great spaces to explore in this city. I’m committed to preserving and enhancing our natural spaces and areas, and the interconnectivity of our river valley, parks, recreational areas, and open spaces. This includes:
- Ensuring we’re caring for our urban forest, much like I did when I helped community groups advocate for the treatment of elm scale.
- Ensuring accessibility and future interconnectivity as we improve and build parks, pathways, and recreational areas, and consider year-round outdoor activity development for these areas.
- Asking that we build and plan for future sustainability and for our geography.
What does this mean for you? That we’ll all be able to get out and enjoy our green spaces year-round and know that the City is planning, planting, and building for our environment.
Vote for me to be your elected representative and your voice on Lethbridge City Council. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I will represent you and our city. I will ask questions and listen because I also want to learn.
I believe in exchanging information and building relationships. I want to hear from you. I want to know what services you use and how you believe we could make services more efficient and build a better city.
If there is something in my campaign you would like to provide feedback on, or talk about, I welcome the opportunity to hear from you.
Watch for more to be released next week.