Strathmore Municipal Library

https://strathmorelibrary.ca/election2025

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1) Describe your vision for Strathmore.

I hope to build a community full of opportunity. I envision Strathmore as a strong, vibrant town, where families can plant their roots and prosper, young people can establish themselves, and where seniors can enjoy their golden years. I imagine a community connected by pathways, with ample green areas where urban and rural landscapes merge, and wildlife strolls through our streets unbothered. I see a community buzzing with activity, with events happening around town, new businesses opening, and where there’s always something to do. 

 

I see a community where people love where they live. 

 

2) What do you see as the greatest challenge for Strathmore?

Our biggest challenge is also our greatest opportunity - rapid growth. As our community grows we will need to maintain services that can accommodate an increasing number of residents, and this comes at a cost. Whether its funding for infrastructure, protective services, culture and recreation, or snow removal, the cost of operating our community will be increasing faster than residential property taxes can reasonably cover. Growth of non-residential businesses will need to be a priority to keep our tax burden balanced. As our community grows it will become a more attractive place for businesses to invest, so long as our quality of life remains high.

 

3) What ideas do you have to help families with affordable living? (For example, re-evaluating the cost of rec passes to make them more affordable for single parent families.)

Four ideas I have to help families with affordable living are:

1. Make ten-passes for rec facilities an even more affordable option, as these can be offered at a price that struggling families are more likely to be able to fit in their budget. We should also expand funding for the Community Access Card program through FCSS to help families where the cost of access recreation is still too prohibitive. 

2. Continue to invest in free community events and facilities (e.g. library programming, movie nights in the park, big truck petting zoo, outdoor rinks, splash park, Canada Day in Kinsmen, etc.) so that families have access to no-cost events. 

3. Focus on expanding housing options in Strathmore so that everyone can access appropriate, attainable, and affordable housing options at every stage of their lives.

4. Expand our offerings for affordable summer camps and “PD Day Camps” so that families have access to affordable activities and childcare when school isn’t in session.

 

4) Do you support the Alberta separation movement?

No. Members of my family have proudly served in our country’s military, and I am a proud Canadian. I don’t believe in walking away when things get tough; the best solutions come from working through challenges together. I bring this same mentality to the Council table. 

 

5) What is something you would change to make Strathmore safer?

Following the recent tragic vehicular collisions in Strathmore, traffic safety is a priority that needs to be addressed. 

 

Strathmore needs to advocate strongly to the provincial government for improved intersection and pedestrian safety on our local highways. We cannot accept serious collisions happening in our community, particularly at the intersection of Highways 1 and 817. Pedestrians need safe passageways across and along the highways, including a safe walking path south from the Esso into Canal Gardens to be able to access the Overnight Shelter and food bank.

 

We also need to look at investing in engineered road improvements to reduce the speed of traffic in residential areas. Reducing speed limits and/or increasing enforcement would only be a temporary band-aid; permanent traffic calming measures such as raised crosswalks (also known as speed “humps” [not bumps]), lane reductions, and pedestrian “bump outs” are permanent solutions that are designed to slow traffic and make our community safer. Strathmore should also continue to invest in additional flashing crosswalks that improve pedestrian visibility in high traffic and low visibility areas.

 

6) What could be done to attract more businesses to Strathmore?

Building a strong and self-sustaining community not only improves our quality of life, it improves the local economy and provides opportunities for local businesses to thrive. Folks that live and work in Strathmore more frequently shop in Strathmore, eat at local restaurants, and hire local service providers. By ensuring there is access to attainable and affordable housing for all, and attracting good jobs and career opportunities to town that allow residents to thrive (not just survive), we can build a strong community and local economy that supports the success and growth of existing small businesses, and gives confidence to those looking to establish new businesses.

 

I’ve been proud of this past Council’s focus on economic development, including establishing funding for dedicated economic development professionals working for our community. I hope to nurture a stronger working relationship between our local Chamber of Commerce and other local business associations to encourage an open line of communication between local businesses and Council that will help us better understand and respond to their needs, and cooperate on initiatives that will benefit our local economy.

 

7) It seems as though taxes keep increasing but services are not keeping pace. Why does this disconnect exist, and what would you do to address it?

This has certainly been a challenge. The Town experiences the same inflationary pressures that residents do - everything costs more. From the sand we use on the roads, to the price of vehicles and equipment, to the licensing fees we pay for software, prices have all gone up. Improving procurement practices have helped us reduce the impact of this inflation, but we have not been able to avoid it entirely. We have done a good job at keeping increases to a minimum compared to other communities our size, and other communities in the Calgary region.

 

This term, Council initiated a Service Level Review which will carry over into the next term. This review will allow Council to identify areas where we want to increase our spending and improve services, and where we may want to decrease spending and service levels to help balance the tax impact to the community. Any potential changes need to be considered carefully and with community consultation. 

 

Another way that this can be addressed is by attracting new commercial and industrial investment into our community. Currently, our property tax’s are split approximately 80% residential and 20% non-residential (i.e. commercial and industrial). Council set a goal to shift that split to 60% residential and 40% non-residential; this would allow us to increase our revenue and improve services without depending on increases to residential property taxes. This is a long-term goal and may take up 15 or 20 years to achieve, which is an example of why long-term planning is an essential part of Council decision-making. 

 

8) How do you see the community’s role in governance? For example, boards and committees advising Council or governing FCSS as is done in some other municipalities.

Community input is invaluable, and I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to serve on a number of boards and committees during my tenure with members of the public, specifically the Strathmore Library Board, Marigold Library System Board (including their executive committee and standards and services committee), the FCSS Advisory Committee, and the Culture and Wellbeing Task Force. I believe there are opportunities to expand our boards and committees to increase community input and feedback - specifically in the areas of arts, culture, and recreation.

 

9) What is your plan to ensure library services can keep up with population growth in the coming years?

The key to ensuring that library services can keep pace with the growth of our community is to provide adequate and predictable funding for library services. My plan to achieve this, without having a significant impact to property taxes, has three key components:

1. Revise the off-site levy bylaw to include library services, so that growth and development is helping to fund the expansion of services we need to keep up with new residents. 

2. Negotiate to include our local library in the Recreation Cost Sharing Agreement Strathmore has with Wheatland County.

3. I’d like to work with the library to transition to a per-capita funding model that better reflects the number of residents being served by the Library in the community.

 

10) What is one thing you want voters to know about you?

I want voters to know how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to serve my community, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for putting your trust in me. Last election I told you that Strathmore is where I decided to plant my roots. Since then you’ve watched me get married in town hall, right in front of the seat where I serve our town,  and you’ve celebrated with me after welcoming my first child. This community will forever be an integral part of my life story. 

 

Being your Councillor has truly been an honour, and I hope I’ve earned the opportunity to serve you for another four years. Thank you. 

 

P.s. - I’d also like to be transparent and confirm with voters that I have not used AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to assist me in the preparation of any of these responses.