Since first being elected to City Council in 2016, I have challenged the status quo at City Hall and on City Council. I've made bold statements about policing, living wages, the state of our infrastructure, the need to invest in people and our communities, and about our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. But I have also worked extensively with his council colleagues on policy change and advocacy. When my son was diagnosed with cancer, I made family a priority but I made sure the needs of Ward 3 residents were being handled, as well. I'm honest and transparent in the media, at Council, and in conversation with people. This is the level of commitment you can expect if I'm re-elected in 2020.
During my next four years on Council, I commit to work on the following:
- Advancing the Renewable Regina initiative
- A youth retention and economic development strategy
- Turning the City’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls into tangible policy changes in the City, in our community, and within the Regina Police Service. That means clear benchmarks, targets, timelines, and a system of accountability. See Reconciliation Regina for more.
- Council approved a phased-in salary increase to better reflect the duties of the job, between 2021 and 2024. While an objective, third-party framework that decides Council salaries is fair and important, now is not the time for a raise. I'll work to defer that decision until the City's finances are in order and the economy is in recovery model. If that fails, I will either donate the balance of that wage increase to local anti-poverty organizations or return it to the City.
- Innovation: we need to improve how the City engages with residents through on-line platforms and work order tracking systems.
- Improving our recreation amenities throughout the City (splash pads, accessible pools, indoor and outdoor skateparks, cricket pitches, and other amenities outlined in the Recreation Master Plan)
- Re-purposing Mosaic Stadium to be a more inviting community space while ensuring the financial sustainability of the facility - this involves an honest and meaningful engagement with the public
- Traffic calming and speed reduction strategies in residential areas. Winnipeg and other western Canadian cities are providing examples. It's about more than signage and police enforcement.
- Eliminating minimum parking requirements
- Invoking advisory committees to focus on important issues like accessibility, anti-racism, and environmental stewardship
- Establishing a Business Improvement District for Cathedral
- Balancing the city budget, post-COVID deficits
- Advancing the Under-utilized Land Strategy
- A Community Wellbeing and Public Safety strategy
- A review of our emergency preparedness response to COVID: what worked and how to improve in the event of a second wave or another pandemic
- Free transit for primary and secondary students in Regina
- Improving landfill diversion services and requirements for industry and businesses
- A joint-use parkade for REAL (Evraz Place) and Pasqua Hospital, with the intention of seeing costs and revenue shared equally between the two parties
- Completion of neighbourhood plans for Ward 3 communities
- Protecting built heritage and improving existing heritage guidelines and policies
- Embark on an ambitious 5 year lead pipe connection replacement timeline
- Set the Yard Neighbourhood development on a path to become a sustainable community
- Extending protected and dedicated bike lanes in our city
- Sidewalk snow removal
- Improved street cleaning
- Ensuring that sidewalks that are damaged or torn up due to construction are repaired within 30 days
- Advocating to changes in our tax policy to offer relief to residential ratepayers without undermining revenue generation
- Increase funding to community associations and grants
- Rebuilding Dewdney Pool and increasing the number of recreation amenities in North Central
- Implementing the recommendations from the Transit and Transportation Master Plan
- Continue to oppose the commercialization of Wascana Park
- Improve bus service and ensure that the airport route comes on-line in 2021
- A city-wide curb side composting program