January 16, 2019
November 18, 2018
October 03, 2018
September 23, 2018
44 questions Kamloops Council Candidates have been asked so far....
My intense answering questions face :)
Lots of questions coming in so far - mostly from the media. Also one set from the Thompson Rivers University Students Union. Great to participate in all of these. Also time consuming and always a bit nerve wracking :). All requests below verbatim:
CJFC
Hello Kamloops election candidates,
I'm contacting you today about CFJC's coverage of the upcoming municipal election.
A large portion of our coverage this year will consist of two main components:
-
CFJCToday.com: Candidate Questionnaires
Candidates will receive a questionnaire from CFJC Today later today via email. Further instructions on how to fill out and return the questionnaire will accompany it.
-
CFJC TV: Video Profiles
Each candidate will be asked to come to the station, 460 Pemberton Terrace, next Monday, September 24. You will be given a 30-minute window in which to be here. Note the schedule below.
If you can't make your scheduled time, you can a) make arrangements to trade time slots with another candidate, or b) come in during the final time slot, at 1:00 p.m. Depending on the weather on Monday, we're hoping to shoot these profiles outdoors. Please dress accordingly.
We would like to get all of these profiles recorded in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, that means we can't be particularly flexible with our schedule, as there are just too many candidates. If your schedule is completely inflexible and you can't make it Monday, please contact me via email. There will be at most one more opportunity to record your profiles.
During your scheduled time, you will be given 60 seconds to talk about your priorities on camera. Please be prepared. We will be on a tight schedule. If you are having a hard time filling 60 seconds in preparing for this task, ask yourself questions such as, “Why did I decide to run for office? What frustrates me about Kamloops that I think I can help improve? Why should people vote for me?”
Once each 60-second segment is complete, it will air on our newscasts, dispersed throughout the following weeks. The segment will also be posted online, and shared through our social media platforms. Feel free to share your segments on your own social media feeds once they are posted.
Hi 2018 Kamloops council candidates,
As per my earlier email, one of the main components of our election coverage this year is your responses to a questionnaire. I have attached the questionnaire and also copied it below.
Please respond with your answers via email. Make your answers as detailed as you like, but remember: readers appreciate concise and easy-to-understand explanations.
The deadline to return this questionnaire is the end of business on Tuesday, September 25.
Once the deadline has passed, we will publish your responses on CFJCToday.com. The responses will be combined with video from your 60-second profile shoot (see earlier email) onto one page. Once that page is live, we will share it via our social media feeds and you are welcome to share it through your own social media channels as well.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
James Peters CFJC
Questionnaire:
-
What do you love about Kamloops? What frustrates you about the city?
-
The City of Kamloops has budgeted for a 2.08 per cent tax increase this year. Do you believe that is reasonable?
-
Has the City of Kamloops done enough to attract business and investment?
-
Does the city’s snow removal budget need a boost in funding? Why or why not.
-
How would you propose city council deal with housing affordability concerns in Kamloops?
-
Has the City of Kamloops done enough to address homelessness?
-
Should the city budget for more police officers in the city? Why or why not.
-
Interior Health’s supervised consumption sites have been operating in Kamloops for over a year now. Are you in favour of the sites and how would you propose dealing with the issue of discarded needles?
-
Are you in favour of a Performing Arts Centre in Kamloops? Why or why not. If so, what would you change from the initial proposal?
-
Should city councillors be paid higher salaries?
Hi Arjun,
Thank you for taking the time to chat with me for a profile story in advance of the upcoming municipal election. As the campaign progresses, we would now like to run issues-based spreads in the paper. As such, we are asking each mayoral and council candidate to answer the following four questions, which will run weekly until the election. While I know it might be challenging, answers must be limited to 150 works max in order to include everyone’s answers. The first question will run on Wednesday, Sept. 26. I need all of the answers emailed back to me at jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com by Monday, Sept. 24. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.
Here are the questions:
1) Considering what the city has done thus far to address the linked issues of addiction and homelessness, what should be the next step taken by city council?
2) The residential property-tax increase in Kamloops has been about 2% per year for the past decade. Are you comfortable with that annual hike? If not, what can be done to reduce it?
3) There have been many ideas about enhancing the vibrancy of the city, including the proposed performing-arts centre, the proposed outdoor ice rink, the pedestrian plaza pilot project, the Peterson Creek Park pathway and the yet-to-be decided fate of the former golf course on McArthur Island. What would you like to see to enhance the vibrancy of Kamloops?
4) Voter turnout in civic elections in Kamloops is usually about 30%. What would you suggest can be done to increase that percentage?
Please fill out and return by noon on Tuesday, Sept. 4 to tverenca@kamloopsmatters.com. Please also attach a high-res headshot/photo of yourself. Thank you!
Basic Stats:
Name:
Age:
Number of years lived in Kamloops:
Current Neighbourhood:
Occupation:
Reason community would recognize your name:
Questions:
What is the most important issue facing Kamloops, and how do you propose to deal with it?
How should Kamloops be addressing the issue of crime in the city?
What is your specific reason for running?
Where can the city spend less?
Where should the city be investing more?
What new business or feature would you like to see open up in Kamloops?
Next time you’re walking in the woods you come face to face with a sasquatch; what do you do?
If the next city council does something film-worthy, who would play you in the film?
Complete the sentence:
When I’m not at home or at work, you can find me:
The most random, yet interesting fact about me is:
My favourite beverage is:
For Christmas/Hanukkah/the gift-giving season, I would like:
The best park in/near to Kamloops is:
If Kamloops didn’t exist, I’d be living in:
When I need some pump up music, I listen to:
Candidate,
On behalf of the residents of Kamloops, we want to thank you and congratulate you for stepping up to represent the city.
As part of our coverage of the municipal election, iNFOnews.ca invites you to complete the following questionnaire, which will be published in a section of answers with other candidates. Our goal is to help voters get to know you better and where you stand on important community issues.
Please complete the following questions. Be as brief as possible. Submissions over 300 words may not be accepted. Off-topic or offensive answers may also be rejected. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and language.
Please complete the questions before Friday, Sept. 28. We will not accept late submissions.
Return completed questionnaires to news@infonews.ca.
Good luck in your campaigns and if you have any questions or concerns, contact editor Marshall Jones at mjones@infonews.ca or call me at 250-718-2724.
Thank you,
Marshall Jones
Editor
-
Who are you and why should voters choose you?
-
Drug and street issues have become a major issue in the past few years. Does the City of Kamloops share any responsibility for this development? If so, what should have been done differently?
-
Do you consider these issues primarily an enforcement problem or a social problem and how would you address these issues?
-
How would you help increase the affordability and availability of home rentals in Kamloops?
-
Is the City of Kamloops doing enough to cooperate with its neighbours, particularly the Tk’emlups Indian Band?
-
Kamloops has struggled for years with a doctor shortage. How can council improve this situation, if at all?
-
Kamloops has also had more than its share of major crimes, including gangs. If the RCMP can’t find more police officers, how should the city find more options for enforcement?
One more question, please.
8. What neighbourhood do you live in?
Hi Arjun,
With the 2018 Municipal Election quickly approaching I am starting to reach out to candidates to invite them to participate in a short video interview with the TRU Students’ Union. As we did for the by-election last year, we will be building a non-partisan election website with information on candidates as well as voting information for students and the broader community to access. Your video interview will be posted there as well as promoted through social media.
I’ve attached all of the questions that we will be asking below. Each candidate will be asked the same questions. We will once again be conducting all of the video interviews in the Students’ Union building on campus to ensure that the interviews are consistent.
Can I schedule a time with you within the next couple of weeks for the video interview? My schedule is fairly open at this point so if you let me know a time that works for you I should be able to accommodate.
Thanks!
Leif
1. Please introduce yourself by saying your name and under 30 seconds about your
background
2. What is your vision for Kamloops?
3. Students and young professionals make up a significant and growing part of the city of
Kamloops. What will you do to attract and retain this demographic?
4. Kamloopsians have many options for getting around the city including by car, transit, bicycle,
or walking. What do you believe is Kamloops most urgent transportation need?
5. Rental housing in the City of Kamloops is increasingly expensive and challenging to find. If
elected, what will you do to address this problem?
6. What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunity for the City of Kamloops over the
next twenty years?
7. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?
September 16, 2018
September 06, 2018
Next Civic Election - Oct 20th 2018
A little over 13 years ago, I announced a candidacy for city council that set me on an incredibly journey. I used to blog a lot back then. Before there was a facebook or a twitter, an instagram or a snapchat. Here is my first ever post here announcing my candidacy for the 2005-2008 city council.
I have neglected this blog for quite some time and I am hoping to post more regularly as we enter into this home stretch of this civic election campaign. More long form writing will probably the most suitable thing to do on these pages.
I also wanted to warmly invite you to visit my campaign website for the election, and my facebook candidacy page.
To find general voting information, city hall has the info. And here the officially nominated candidates thus far (list will grow until Sept 14th nomination deadline)
June 15, 2018
Snow Plowing Budget Increase Proposals....
To make a bit of a long story quite short, in the last couple of years, we have had a few very challenging snow plowing years in Kamloops. Mother Nature has given us a lot, with more intensity, and with less reprieves between major snowfalls. Our city crews have been awesome but it's been very hard to keep up.
This has generated more community concern.
City staff have researched the issues and opportunities and have presented council with a proposal to increase the annual snow removal budget from 1.6 million dollars a year to 2 million dollars a year. This would be to add three new staff, 2 new trucks, and a bit of new technology and training. More details in the photos below.
This would help city staff keep up with the existing service levels of snow plowing, mainly making sure local roads are plowed by established times.
Significantly, this would not change any city service levels with regards to windrows or snow piles that accumulate on curbs in the city. We received important complaints about these this past winter. I would like to better understand the cost of not having such large windrows accumulate in sensitive areas of the city and I will be asking council to support a report from city staff to research windrow removal practices and costs.
We will be making a final decision on these proposals in a future council meeting.
