1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
2. What part of Quesnel’s Official Community Plan do you care about most and want to see action on?
3. What solutions or ways forward do you see to address concerns around crime, affordable housing, transportation infrastructure and homelessness in our community?
4. What do you think needs to be done to attract and retain professionals such as health care providers in our community?
5. What are a few fun facts about yourself?
I am in my third term on the City Council. Some of my added responsibilities this term have included chair of the Housing Committee and Finance Committee.
As chair of housing, I’m pleased with all the work that has been done in this part of the OCP. We completed a housing needs assessment for the area, and this extensive report has given us much-needed information on issues in our area and helps us in decision-making moving forward.
We created a Minimum Rental Standards bylaw to protect individuals living in undesirable conditions. We enabled Accessory Dwelling Unit Bylaw, making secondary suites, secondary dwellings and carriage houses legal in the city. A Multi-Unit Housing Incentive program was created to enable more multi-unit housing development.
But there is so much more to do. We need to be working with BC housing to help find a suitable location for more supportive housing. I am hoping this work will happen with the whole community, including First Nations, the businesses and residents well in advance of any proposal being brought forward. This work and more will be helpful when trying to address our homeless situation.
We need a long-term care facility for our seniors. Working with Northern Health and the provincial government we can create more spaces for seniors while freeing up needed beds in our hospital.
We have budgeted for more RCMP and Bylaw officers to help address crime, but we must continue to lobby the provincial government to help us deal with prolific offenders and mental health and addictions.
We did such good work with our doctor’s recruitment and attraction program that many communities across Canada followed suit. We need to redouble our efforts.
Thanks to the staff at City Hall for all the hard work. A special thank you to my wife Amber for her continued support.
Please get out and vote.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com
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