ST. PAUL - A number of candidates from across the County of St. Paul took part in the Sept. 28 forum, allowing them an opportunity to introduce themselves and answer a number of questions on a variety of topics.
The forum was hosted by the St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce and was done virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introductions
Introductions began with the two reeve candidates who are vying for the municipality's top spot. Glen Ockerman, a former Division 1 councillor, offered a bit of background on his previous experience with the County, and noted that during his time on council he was chosen by fellow councillors to be deputy reeve. Ockerman did not serve the most recent term on council.
Yvonne Weinmeier is the other candidate who has decided to run for reeve. She spoke to her work background in the insurance industry, and stated she is a very passionate and organized person who strongly believes in "open communication."
Division 1 incumbent Darrell Younghans was elected by acclamation and therefore did not take part in the forum. Division 4 incumbent Maxine Fodness has also been elected by acclamation and was not part of the evening's discussions.
In Division 2, incumbent Kevin Wirsta was joined by candidates Jim Kiss and Jonny Nielsen.
In Division 3, Cliff Martin is not seeking re-election and a new face will join council after the election. Running in the division is Albert Boratynec, Janice Fodchuk, Ross Krekoski, Marc Marcoux, and Linda Meger, all of whom were in attendance at the forum.
In Division 5, incumbent Dale Hedrick is seeking re-election, and Carol Reeves has also stepped forward to run for council, both were in attendance on Tuesday night.
Only two candidates did not attend the virtual forum, and both are vying for a spot at council's table to represent Division 6 as Laurent Amyotte has decided not to seek re-election. A total of three candidates have put their names forward for Division 6, but only Wendi Dehod took part in the forum. Candidates Ed Miller and Louis Dechaine did not attend.
Municipal collaboration and budget
Following introductions that were limited to just a couple minutes, St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce president Brent Sandmeyer posed submitted questions to candidates, starting with a question directed at the reeve candidates about their vision for relationships with neighbouring municipalities.
Ockerman acknowledged that the world has been changing, and there is more emphasis on sharing resources and ensuring there is no duplication of services. He also noted that he felt it is sometimes easier to take experience from someone else. He believes there will be more focus on working together "and I think we need to embrace it."
Weinmeier echoed similar sentiments, saying municipalities need to "learn from each other." She also spoke to being open-minded.
A second question posed to all candidates asked what budget experience they had.
Meger spoke to her 35 years experience working for the County of St. Paul. She spoke to having realistic expectations and the importance of having a contingency plan.
Krekoski noted that he has experience running a small business, being raised on the farm. He is also the Graduate Program Coordinator at University nuhelot'įne thaiyots'į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills. He spoke about how broad, strategic thinking is needed.
"I don't want to raise taxes," said Krekoski.
Boratynec noted that he has been involved in a variety of organizations that all have to deal with keeping a budget.
Reeves spoke to her experience, which includes being a County of St. Paul employee as a finance technician, which has given her an understanding of the budget process.
Marcoux noted that he too had experience as a long-time County of St. Paul employee, but noted that from a public works perspective, budgets can be complicated when there is expensive equipment to repair.
Wirsta said he felt the hardest part of the budget process was not coming up with a plan, but sticking to that plan.
Kiss noted that he had been involved in the provincial government for a number of years, including the last time the province ran a balanced budget. He also spoke about how it's important to "stay in our lane" and respect the ratepayers, who are ultimately picking up the tab.
Dehod stated that she had broad experience in policy and noted that it's important to set clear expectations.
Hedrick said he's a believer that you don't need to purchase everything brand new, and uses his past experience of running a tow-truck business. He also has a strong belief that the municipality needs to maintain the roads that exist, rather than build new roads.
Fodchuk is another County of St. Paul employee who has put her name forward for council. She spoke to her past experience running a business, and more recent experience as the Director of the County of St. Paul and Elk Point FCSS.
Nielsen stated simply that a balanced budget is always a good thing to aim for.
Weinmeier noted that she has plenty of financial experience and strongly believes everyone needs to living within their means. She anticipates there will be a lot of difficult conversations ahead.
Ockerman noted that as a previous councillor, he has been involved in the process and believes in stretching the dollar and having good policy in place.
Construction projects
Another question asked was directed a road construction, and if candidates thought the county should do large projects themselves, or hire private contractors to do the work.
Boratynec said he didn't feel there was a definitive answer to the question, and it would depend on the project.
Krekoski felt it was "a balance" and he didn't want to see the County "out-compete" small businesses. He noted it's important to look at the entire picture and strike a balance.
Ockerman spoke to how when Alberta's economy was booming, it was hard to get the needed equipment for road construction, but it's a much different world now. He stated it was important to run the numbers.
Weinmeier also stated it depends on the situation and project, but some jobs should be contracted out. While Nielsen said there needs to be some accountability to ensure the job is being done right.
Fodchuk agreed that the County shouldn't be taking away from the private sector, but again, it would depend on the numbers.
Hedrick said he felt the question was likely directed to work being done on Twp Rd 582, which kept a lot of the County's resources in the same location over the summer. But, County staff ran the numbers and it was cheaper to do the project rather than hire it out.
He also spoke to Twp Rd 590, and issues that have been seen on the chip seal. The road was done by a private contractor and has a great base, said Hedrick, noting there is some work being done to fix the issues that are being seen, and possibly get some funds back due to warranty.
Kiss said he didn't believe government should provide services the private sector can provide. And Wirsta said for him, the bottom line is what's the best deal for the taxpayers
Marcoux said the municipality has the necessary infrastructure to get the work done and believe the County can do a better job than contractors.
Livestreaming
When asked if they supported future livestreaming of council meeting, post-pandemic, each of the candidates said yes - they do support continued livestreaming.
Fodchuk added that she also supports putting the meetings up on a platform to be viewed after the meeting, and not just livestreamed.
Krekoski agreed, saying it makes meetings more accessible to the public, and he too believes meetings should be archived and easier to access.
Marcoux was the only one to question if there really was an interest in livestreaming the meetings, but said he would support continuing with the livestreamed meetings.
Wirsta said he would like to see the municipality take things a step further and allow for ratepayers to stop by the office during a specific time period to express concerns.
Mandatory vaccines
A question regarding candidates' stance on mandatory vaccines for municipal employees and the pandemic in general was also posed.
Weinmeier said she felt the decision on vaccines was a provincial one, and not municipal. She felt people should be allowed to make the decision that's right for them, and supports other measures in place such as sanitizing and masking.
Ockerman acknowledged that there is so much information available but that there are plenty of other people who are better qualified to make the decisions. He noted that direction must come from the province, and he would respect what's legislated.
Nielsen said he was vaccinated but felt it was a personal decision, and the province is in charge of health care.
Fodchuk also spoke to freedom of choice, and encouraged people to "just be kind out there."
Hedrick said he agreed with Fodchuk, and didn't think it was fair to force people to get vaccinated. Dehod also agreed with Fodchuk and Hedrick. And later in discussions Meger also said she supports people's freedom to choose.
Kiss said he did not support any form of mandatory vaccination, and that people's health is their decision alone.
Wirsta said he would leave the topic to the province to decide.
Marcoux spoke to public safety in his response, saying that while people have the right to not get vaccinated, they do not have the right to infect others.
"When it comes to public health, everything counts," said Marcoux.
Reeves also said she did not believe it was the County's responsibility to legislate, but everyone has a personal responsibility to keep others safe.
Boratynec said he was vaccinated and he wishes people would "choose" to do the same.
Krekoski also spoke to the issue being a provincial one and that the municipality can't contravene provincial mandates.
Truth and Reconciliation
A question about Truth and Reconciliation was also asked, with many candidates admitting they were not familiar with the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action report.
All agreed to continued education on the topic, and respect for one another.
"It's all about knowledge, understanding," said Fodchuk.
Krekoski said he felt there should be more voices at the table, and supported a number of the Calls to Action, such as investigating residential school cemeteries.
